Sociology has always been forced to establish its "scientific" legitimacy, but this need has never been more strongly felt than today. Constant theoretical shifts and disciplinary fragmentation are viewed as symptoms of some fundamental problems. Assuming the precariousness of the present condition of sociology, this dissertation seeks to understand and explain the driving force behind theoretical shifts in sociology, for they are blamed for many of the problems in the discipline. Through a close reading of Michel Foucault's works, I argue that sociology, like many other forms of knowledge, has attempted to shape the modern person as an ethical subject. Pursuant to this objective, early sociologists attempted to establish a balance between two different kinds of orientation within the discipline, one of which was epistemological and scientific while the other was ontological and discursive. This position was in line with the critical attitude of the time and the emancipatory promises of the Enlightenment, which were nurtured by the early sociologists. In other words, the dual characteristic of sociology was due to a critical interest in changing and shaping the modern social subject. However, this duality gave rise to a tension within the discipline that was extremely difficult to manage, if not impossible. This dissertation examines the tension between the two orientations that has shaped the history of sociology. I read classical sociologists such as Auguste Comte, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber to show that even these positivistic sociologists' theories can best be understood as a form of critique. In particular, I explain how they sought to manage the tension between the epistemological and the ontological aspects of their theories. I also examine Karl Popper's critical philosophy as a more recent attempt to keep science politically relevant. However, I will show that the dilemmas created in sociology are mainly due to a strong epistemological orientation beyond which most contemporary sociologists are not able to move. Sociology may avoid some of its present dilemmas by shifting its critical interest to an ontological path. To show the possibility and merits o f the ontological approach to politics, I read Karl Marx as a classical sociologist whose theory exhibits a strong ontological tendency. I above all discuss Michel Foucault's work extensively in order to both explain the nature of sociological theories and to explore the possibility and the prospects of the separation of the epistemological and the ontological sociologies more systematically. My aim is to show that while scientific sociology tries to advance without becoming intrinsically political, an explicitly discursive or ontological approach to contemporary political questions can be adopted by interested political actors and sociologists alike.

The concept of matter as it is treated in the philosophical systems of Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, and John Duns Scotus is examined, partly to ascertain the influence which the original Aristotelian concept of matter had on the two medieval thinkers, and partly to determine which of these two thinkers remained more faithful to the original Aristotelian concept. An analysis is carried out of the views of the three philosophers regarding the ontological status of matter; the intelligibility of matter; the issue of the real distinction between matter and form; the role played by matter in individuating composite substances; and its role in defining composite substances and determining their essences. Finally, the views of Aquinas and Scotus regarding the theory of universal hylomorphism and the theory of the plurality of forms are discussed and compared. It is shown that, while most of the Franciscan philosophical tradition up to Scotus's time was far more influenced by Platonist than by Aristotelian principles, Scotus, though a Franciscan, was much closer to Aristotle than to Plato in his views regarding matter. In fact, the few deviations from the original Aristotelian concept found in Scotus's theory can be ascribed to theological concerns. It is argued, furthermore, that Scotus's views on the concept of matter are far closer to the original Aristotelian theory than our analysis shows Aquinas himself to be.

No description available.

This work proposes that the foundation for justice in society begins with an understanding of personhood that begins with Christian theology. While ethical stances such as the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights are helpful in articulating the bounds of justice in society, such humanistic declarations and programs may reach an impasse if they do not incorporate the depth and complexity of human personhood revealed in Jesus Christ. I will make this argument by comparing the Christian anthropologies of two prominent advocates for social justice in the Catholic and Protestant traditions: Karol Wojytla/Pope John Paul II and Karl Barth. Parts One and Two of this thesis will examine the strong critique which both of these men offered within their own historical context toward systems which denied the vital connection between Christian theology and persons in society. These parts will outline the distinctly Christian anthropologies that each theologian proposed as a basis for social justice. The final part of this thesis will set these two anthropologies in critical interaction with one another in the key area of divergence: the ontology of human personhood and the methodological issues integral to it. While John Paul has raised critical issues which are central to social ethics and has articulated many of the complexities of human action, Karl Barth's Christological anthropology proposes an ontological construct of being which critically critiques human motivation and behaviour while also providing a social starting point for personal ethics.

Sociology has always been forced to establish its "scientific" legitimacy, but this need has never been more strongly felt than today. Constant theoretical shifts and disciplinary fragmentation are viewed as symptoms of some fundamental problems. Assuming the precariousness of the present condition of sociology, this dissertation seeks to understand and explain the driving force behind theoretical shifts in sociology, for they are blamed for many of the problems in the discipline. Through a close reading of Michel Foucault's works, I argue that sociology, like many other forms of knowledge, has attempted to shape the modern person as an ethical subject. Pursuant to this objective, early sociologists attempted to establish a balance between two different kinds of orientation within the discipline, one of which was epistemological and scientific while the other was ontological and discursive. This position was in line with the critical attitude of the time and the emancipatory promises of the Enlightenment, which were nurtured by the early sociologists. In other words, the dual characteristic of sociology was due to a critical interest in changing and shaping the modern social subject. However, this duality gave rise to a tension within the discipline that was extremely difficult to manage, if not impossible. This dissertation examines the tension between the two orientations that has shaped the history of sociology. I read classical sociologists such as Auguste Comte, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber to show that even these positivistic sociologists' theories can best be understood as a form of critique. In particular, I explain how they sought to manage the tension between the epistemological and the ontological aspects of their theories. I also examine Karl Popper's critical philosophy as a more recent attempt to keep science politically relevant. However, I will show that the dilemmas created in sociology are mainly due to a strong epistemological orientation beyond which most contemporary sociologists are not able to move. Sociology may avoid some of its present dilemmas by shifting its critical interest to an ontological path. To show the possibility and merits o f the ontological approach to politics, I read Karl Marx as a classical sociologist whose theory exhibits a strong ontological tendency. I above all discuss Michel Foucault's work extensively in order to both explain the nature of sociological theories and to explore the possibility and the prospects of the separation of the epistemological and the ontological sociologies more systematically. My aim is to show that while scientific sociology tries to advance without becoming intrinsically political, an explicitly discursive or ontological approach to contemporary political questions can be adopted by interested political actors and sociologists alike. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

Sedan år 1982 har utgångspunkten varit att socialtjänstens verksamhet ska grunda sig i den enskildes integritet och självbestämmanderätt. Den enskilde ska därigenom själv få bestämma huruvida en viss insats från socialtjänsten ska tas emot eller inte. Insatserna ska således grunda sig i frivillighet och utformas tillsammans med den enskilde. Detta gäller även när ett barn har behov av vård. I vissa fall föreligger dock ett behov av tvångsvård, där principen om frivillighet och självbestämmande inte kan upprätthållas på samma sätt som vid socialtjänstens frivilliga insatser. Ett barn ska enligt 1 § andra stycket LVU beredas vård i det fall 2 eller 3 §§ LVU är uppfyllda samt att det kan antas att barnet inte kan ges behövlig vård med samtycke av vårdnadshavarna och barnet självt om det har fyllt 15 år. Av bestämmelsen kan därmed utläsas att ett samtycke dels är en förutsättning för att socialnämnden ska kunna fatta beslut om frivilliga insatser, dels att ett samtycke till frivilliga insatser i regel utgör ett hinder för att det ska kunna fattas beslut om tvångsvård enligt LVU.  I uppsatsen uppmärksammas att det kan finnas viss problematik med ett samtycke till frivilliga insatser. Det kan tänkas förekomma situationer där ett samtycke till frivilliga insatser inte kan anses vara tillräckligt för att ett barn ska kunna ges nödvändiga insatser. Det kan vidare tänkas förekomma situationer där det saknas samtycke till frivilliga insatser, men tvångsvård heller inte kan aktualiseras på grund av att barnets situation inte är tillräckligt allvarlig för att uppfylla kraven i 2 eller 3 §§ LVU. Eftersom problematikerna handlar om just samtycke uppmärksammas även vad ett samtycke till frivilliga insatser har för rättslig innebörd och vad som krävs för det ska kunna betraktas som giltigt. För att utreda vad som gäller i dessa situationer och vilka möjligheter som finns att besluta om tvångsvård eller andra insatser för barnets räkning används den rättsdogmatiska metoden i uppsatsen. Metoden används inledningsvis för att identifiera och beskriva gällande rätt på området. Vidare används den för att analysera och kritisera gällande rätt samt diskutera förslag de lege ferenda. Uppsatsen avslutas därefter genom att den deskriptiva och analytiska delen binds ihop till sammanfattande slutsatser. / Since 1982, the starting point has been that the activities of the social services should be based on the individual's integrity and right to self-determination. The individual must thereby be able to decide for himself whether a certain contribution from the social services is to be received or not. The contributions must thus be based on voluntariness and be designed together with the individual. This also applies when a child needs care. In some cases, however, there is a need for compulsory care, where the principle of voluntariness and self-determination cannot be maintained in the same way as in the social services' voluntary contributions. According to 1 § second part LVU, a child must be provided with care if 2 or 3 §§ LVU are fulfilled, and it can be assumed that the child cannot be given the necessary care with the consent of the guardians and the child himself if he has reached 15 years. It can thus be read from the regulation that a consent is partly a prerequisite for the social welfare board to be able to decide on voluntary contributions, and partly that a consent to voluntary contributions generally constitutes an obstacle to a decision on compulsory care according to LVU.  The essay draws attention to the fact that there may be some problems with a consent to voluntary contributions. There may be situations where a consent to voluntary contributions cannot be considered sufficient for a child to be given the necessary contributions. Furthermore, there may be situations where there is no consent to voluntary contributions, but compulsory care can also not be actualized because the child's situation is not serious enough to meet the requirements of 2 or 3 §§ LVU. Since the problems are specifically about consent, attention is also paid to what a consent to voluntary contributions has for legal meaning and what is required for it to be considered valid. To investigate what applies in these situations and what opportunities there are to decide on compulsory care or other contributions on behalf of the child, the legal dogmatic method is used in the essay. The method is initially used to identify and describe current law in the field. Furthermore, it is used to analyze and criticize current law and discuss proposals de lege ferenda. The essay is then concluded by binding the descriptive and analytical part together into summarized conclusions.

No description available.

No description available.

Within the first chapter I highlight the extent Platonism influenced modern eschatology and motives for mission. This dualism led to separating divine and secular history and suited the philosophy of secular historians and theologian's who had no taste for divine reality purveying both everyday history, and individual lives. The second chapter discusses how these views, because of Premillennial-Dispensationalism, created American fundamentalism that changed what motivates foreign and local missions. Oppression and the poor have become nothing more than the evidences of a corrupt world that is destined to be destroyed; hence, all stress is concentrated on saving individual souls from the wrath to come. The third chapter consists in analysing David Bosch's aversion to this very notion and his reasons for avoiding apocalyptic language in many of his writings. I conclude in agreement with Bosch's motivation for mission and a similar view of eschatology which embraces a present realised kingdom and a future consummation thereof. / Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

Afrikaans text / Die uitverkiesingsleer is vanaf die vroeë Kerkgeskiedenis aan stryd gekenmerk, wat sedertdien geakkumuleer het. Die vername vrug hiervan is twee teenpole, naamlik Calvinisme teenoor Arminianisme. Hierdie entiteite blyk onversoenbaar te wees en impliseer twee groot vrae wat `n derde vraag (of moontlikheid) antisipeer, naamlik dat daar oor beide gevra moet word: Kies God só? `n Verdere vraag onstaan, naamlik of die Christelike gemeenskap met hierdie toestand tevrede kan wees, veral terwyl blyk dat hierdie stryd intensiveer. In hierdie dogmaties-historiese ondersoek blyk dit dat die antwoord op hierdie vraag negatief is: God kies nie só nie. Die bedoeling is nie om met harde beslistheid `n oordeel te fel nie, maar is dit deel van die soeke na `n beter begrip van hierdie leerstuk wat soveel energie in beslag geneem het en tot verdeeldheid binne die Christendom gelei het. Derhalwe word voorgestel dat daar in hierdie doolhoof `n moontlike middeweg tussen die twee ongenaakbare sienings, óf `n alternatief, weg van die tradisionele is. Die doel hiervan is egter nie om die tradisionele uitverkiesingsleer met `n absolute alternatief te vervang nie, maar eerder bydraend in die soeke na `n oplossing te wees. Derhalwe is die bedoeling hiervan nie om enige tradisionele siening op `n destruktiewe manier te kritiseer, of deur `n eulogie te kanoniseer as eksklusief-waaragtig nie. In hierdie literêre ondersoek word die ganse uitverkiesingsleer nie hanteer nie. Daar word as verteenwoordigende model veral op die probleem binne Protestantse kringe gekonsentreer – spesifiek op die probleem onder fundamentele evangelies-gesindes. Die klem of fokus word vernou om langs die tradisionele hoofmomente van Augustinus/Pelagius en Calvinisme/Arminianisme by die sogenaamde „Evangelicals‟ uit te kom. Hierdie stuk bepaal sigself dus by die evangeliese stroom binne die Protestantisme. Behalwe vir `n historiese oorsig, word kritiek op die tradisionele uitverkiesingsleer gelewer. Daar word ook op die Vyf Punte van Calvinisme gefokus, aangesien dit redelik verteenwoordigend van dié leer is. Besondere probleme, wat steeds heersend is, word uitgewys, waarna alternatiewe in die soeke na `n oplossing hanteer word. Uiteindelik word `n voortgesette, volgehoue en gemeenskaplike soeke na `n antwoord op die vraag: “Hoe kies God?”, voorgestel. / The doctrine of predestination is since the early beginnings of Church History featured by strife which is currently accumulating. A prominent result hereof is the entity of Calvinism, with its antipole, Arminianism. These entities seem to be irreconcilable and imply two major questions with the anticipation of a third, namely that it should be asked of both: Does God choose in this manner? A further question arises, namely if the Christian community is satisfied with this condition, especially when it seems that this strife is intensifying. In this dogmatic-historical enquiry it seems that the answer is negative: God does not choose in this manner. The intention is not to pass decisive judgement, but rather to obtain a better understanding of this doctrine which led to division and discord within Christianity. Consequently a possible middle course is proposed between these two entities, or an alternative, away from the traditional tendentiousness. The purpose hereof is not to replace the traditional doctrine of predestination with an absolute alternative, but rather contributing in search for a solution. Therefore the intention is not to criticize any traditional view in a destructive manner nor, on the other hand, canonize it as exclusively veracious. This literary study will not cover all aspects of the doctrine of predestination. The problem with this doctrine under fundamental, evangelicals will be taken as a model and the focus of this study. The focus will be further narrowed to the traditional momentums of Augustine/Pelagius and Calvinism/Arminianism which culminates in the evangelical movement. This study confines itself basically to Protestantism. Except for the historical review, criticism will be provided on the traditional doctrine of predestination. This will also focus on the Five Points of Calvinism, seeing that it is representative of this doctrine. Particular prevailing problems will be pointed out where after proposals for a solution will be suggested. Finally a continued, sustained and common search for an answer to the question: “In which manner does God choose?”, will be proposed. / Systematic Theology & Theological Ethics / D. Th. (Sistematiese Teologie)