The thesis presents a view of Hindu philosophy in the historical context. It is argued that; through the employment of the symbols associated with the Vedic sacrifice (yajña), the diverse socio-political, cosmological, metaphysical and theological concepts that constitute Hinduism may be united to present a single cohesive system of knowledge. In examining the symbolism of the Vedic yajña, the socio-political concept of Brahmanism is explored. The Brahmanical influences on the formation of the cosmogony of Sāṁkhya, the metaphysics of Vedānta, and the various theological interpretations of Śaivism and Vaiṣṇavism are highlighted. Intricate linkages between the concepts of karma, saṃsāra, mokṣa and dharma, as well as the principles of purity and pollution and the socio-political system of varṇa are established through an examination of Hindu philosophy when viewed from the perspective of the Vedic yajña. India, in both the historical and modern context consists of diverse kinship attributes such as language and kinship nomenclature. It is argued that Brahmanism presented a system of knowledge that united different models of kinship in India under the system of varṇa. In undertaking this examination, two key aspects of Hindu thought are engaged. Firstly, the symbolic links associated with the Vedic yajña, and its influence on the Sāṁkhyan principle of the triguṇa, are examined. It is argued that the triguṇa presents the key principle that unites early Hindu cosmogony with metaphysical and theological speculation. Secondly, it is contended that the symbolic elements that form the basis of the triguṇa are representative of the subjective properties associated with procreation. In undertaking an investigation from the perspective of the Vedic yajña, four hypotheses are presented. Firstly, it is argued that the unhindered cosmological, metaphysical, theological speculations were possible as they reinforced the socio-political system of Brahmanism. Secondly, by employing symbols associated with the Vedic yajña, the defining attribute of Brahmanism, a text may claim its authority in the Vedas. Thirdly, a new interpretation of the term varṇa is postulated, linking the term to the elements of the Vedic yajña: water, fire and earth (food). Fourthly and finally, it is argued, that the dichotomy that surrounds Śaivism, ‗the ascetic‘ and ‗the erotic‘, can be resolved through an examination of the symbols of the Vedic yajña, thus lending support to the Brahmanical order.

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The study of the psychological experience of the personal body in the discipline of psychology, through the concept referred to as the body image, has its roots in neurology and psychoanalysis. This thesis begins with a review of body image research across three disciplines: neuroscience, psychoanalysis and psychology. The literature review places the work titled 'The image and appearance of the human body' by neurologist and psychoanalyst Paul Schilder (1935/1978) at the intersection of these three disciplines. Schilder's text described the organization of the body image as a dynamic and tri-dimensional structuralization. Since the midtwentieth century, psychological research has taken special interest in the body image as a topic for study. However, the paradigm guiding that research enterprise has transformed the holistic quality of Schilder's work, identified its organization as antiquated and often unsuitable for empirical research. This thesis argues that Schilder's theory is as relevant today as ever, and that psychology would benefit greatly from a re-consideration of its relevance to empirical study. To demonstrate the potential of Schilder's theory, the present study conducted 15 semi-structured interviews with women participating in three styles of movement and performance: contemporary dance, Middle-eastern dance (or belly dance) and aerobics (instructors). The investigation considered core propositions described by Schilder with respect to the role of movement and the body image, to explore structuralization from the point of view of procedural movement. The study sought also to examine the extent to which the findings might serve the development of theory on the body image. The findings established a priori and a posteriori themes, and these served to demonstrate how Schilder's theory provides a sound framework for empirical inquiry in psychology. The implications of the present study highlight the explanatory power of that theory, especially the way it illuminates a new perspective from which a fuller understanding of the role of the body image might be gleaned. Finally, the implications highlight the importance of the actual presence of the physical body in the construction of the body image, particularly the kinesthetic perceptual system, and underline the importance of re-visiting Schilder's theory in order to open up new opportunities for interdisciplinary research.

Throughout the 20th Century, a number of philosophers, writers, artists and film makers have implied that there is some profound significance to the work of Donatien Alphonse François, the Marquis de Sade (1740-1814). The project at hand is to evaluate the claim that Sade, in some sense, is a philosopher, and to assess what his philosophy amounts to. There are two aspects to this task. Firstly, I will consider the various philosophical interpretations of Sade’s work. This part of the study will serve as a guide into the Sadeian labyrinth, and will establish some of the more central interpretive themes, in particular the claim that Sade’s thought anticipates that of the Nazis, or that he brings early Modern thought to its logical conclusion. Secondly, I will inquire into Sade’s writings themselves. Of particular interest are Sade’s thoughts concerning the nature of sexuality, psychology, and the human condition in general, his critique of conventional morality, and his description of the nature of power. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.

Throughout the 20th Century, a number of philosophers, writers, artists and film makers have implied that there is some profound significance to the work of Donatien Alphonse François, the Marquis de Sade (1740-1814). The project at hand is to evaluate the claim that Sade, in some sense, is a philosopher, and to assess what his philosophy amounts to. There are two aspects to this task. Firstly, I will consider the various philosophical interpretations of Sade’s work. This part of the study will serve as a guide into the Sadeian labyrinth, and will establish some of the more central interpretive themes, in particular the claim that Sade’s thought anticipates that of the Nazis, or that he brings early Modern thought to its logical conclusion. Secondly, I will inquire into Sade’s writings themselves. Of particular interest are Sade’s thoughts concerning the nature of sexuality, psychology, and the human condition in general, his critique of conventional morality, and his description of the nature of power. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.

One of the traditional aims of the philosophy of science has been to formulate a methodology of science—that is, a normative theory of scientific method. The rules and standards of such a theory are intended to capture the central features of scientific rationality and to explain the sense in which scientific knowledge progressively grows. Although no particular methodology of science has won universal endorsement, it is generally agreed among philosophers that the broad aim of constructing one is both reasonable and worth pursuing in order to understand the nature of scientific growth. But this aim has also been attacked as fundamentally misconceived by some critics who maintain that no theory of method can do justice to actual science. The objections to the philosophical program of framing a methodology of science come mainly from three quarters. Firstly, there is Paul Feyerabend, according to whom the historical development of science reveals that no set of general normative rules and standards can be given for science. Most of the rules and standards hitherto proposed, he contends, have been violated by scientists and, moreover, were necessarily violated, owing to the incommensurability of revolutionary scientific theories. Secondly, there is Michael Polanyi, who claims that scientific rationality cannot be codified in the explicit rules and standards of any theory of method because much of scientific knowledge and practice is 'tacit' and reflects the personal, unspecifiable contributions of individual scientists. And thirdly, sociologists of scientific knowledge (in particular, those of the Strong Programme) assert that the nature and content of science should be explained in sociological terms rather than by reference to a methodology of science. However, it is argued here that the objections made by Feyerabend, Polanyi and the sociologists to the possibility of a theory of method do not stand up to critical examination. A large part of the anti-methodologists' case is based not only on an overly narrow view of the nature of a theory of method, but also on the mistaken belief that the traditional philosophical and epistemological approach to the investigation of scientific rationality should be replaced by a largely descriptive analysis of scientific practice. This belief is criticised on the grounds that a normative methodology must not be supposed to explain scientific practice, nor can views on the nature of scientific rationality be derived from descriptions of scientific practice. Finally, it is suggested that the positions of Feyerabend, Polanyi, and the Strong Programme have deep affinities with the 'practice-oriented' philosophy of the later Wittgenstein. This may, perhaps, explain why they abandon realist construals of scientific theories, of scientific standards, and of the notion of truth. Like Wittgenstein, they adopt a form of antirealism and conventionalism which leads, ultimately, to a relativist interpretation of scientific standards and knowledge. Coupled with the anti-methodologists' failure to defeat the possibility of a theory of method, this relativism demonstrates the poverty of an attack on method constructed on wittgensteinian lines.

This thesis is about the similarities of process between aesthetic experience and ethical judgement. I claim that in both cases the activity is best described as a type of play in which elements interact in mutual adjustment and transformation. This conception of play has its roots in Kant's aesthetic theory. Describing aesthetic experience as play results in emphasis on three central characteristics. These characteristics become the basis of constraints on judgement. In the case of ethical judgement these are important because they save from subjectivism a moral theory, particularism, which relies on individual judgement rather than moral rules. Seeing the activity of judgement as play suggests a conception of the outcome of judgement as picturing. This conception helps to make sense of reason-giving within the particularist model. A further analogy with the grounds of aesthetic qualities is used to illuminate the problem of justifying the values put into play. These values are ultimately defended in terms of their relationship to human flourishing. Perennial problems for theories based on human flourishing are avoided by my account because prescriptions for action are not derived from the characterisation of flourishing but from the process of individual judgement which values based on flourishing merely inform. One positive effect of adopting my model of judgement as play is the reduction of problems concerning the motivation to act on ethical judgements.

Throughout the 20th Century, a number of philosophers, writers, artists and film makers have implied that there is some profound significance to the work of Donatien Alphonse François, the Marquis de Sade (1740-1814). The project at hand is to evaluate the claim that Sade, in some sense, is a philosopher, and to assess what his philosophy amounts to. There are two aspects to this task. Firstly, I will consider the various philosophical interpretations of Sade’s work. This part of the study will serve as a guide into the Sadeian labyrinth, and will establish some of the more central interpretive themes, in particular the claim that Sade’s thought anticipates that of the Nazis, or that he brings early Modern thought to its logical conclusion. Secondly, I will inquire into Sade’s writings themselves. Of particular interest are Sade’s thoughts concerning the nature of sexuality, psychology, and the human condition in general, his critique of conventional morality, and his description of the nature of power. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.