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This thesis analyses theories of practical reason. In particular I compare desire theories of reasons with value theories of reasons. Desire theories of reasons, as I define them, claim that it is a necessary condition of A having a reason to ф that A’s reason depend on A’s antecedent desires. In contrast, I define value theories of reasons as those theories that claim that it is a necessary condition of A having a reason to ф that A’s ф-ing be valuable. In this thesis my main concern lies with those value theorists who accept the motivational requirement: the claim that if an agent is to have a reason to ф, then it must be possible for the agent to ф on the basis of this reason. In particular, I concentrate on those value theorists who claim that A has a reason to ф iff a) A’s ф-ing is valuable; b) it is possible for A to ф on the basis of this reason. I reject desire theories of reasons on the basis of several criticisms. I claim that our desires are normatively arbitrary, and that according to desire theories of reasons, some of our desires ought to be eradicated. I argue instead for a value theory of reasons that adopts a particular interpretation of the motivational requirement. I distinguish three different interpretations of the motivational requirement, each offering a connection between reasons and motivations that differs in strength. The first, strongest requirement claims that in order for A to have a normative reason to ф, it must be possible for A to ф on the basis of this reason given certain qualities that A possesses (where I take the sense of ‘possible’ relevant to these interpretations to be one that reflects an agent’s capacities). The second and weakest requirement claims that in order for A to have a normative reason to ф, it must be possible for A to ф on the basis of this reason if A possessed certain qualities. The last and moderate requirement claims that in order for A to have a normative reason to ф, it must be possible for A to ф on the basis of this reason if A possessed certain qualities and A either has these qualities, or it is possible for her to get herself into a state where she has them. I argue for a value theory of reasons that employs this last, moderate motivational requirement. I argue that a value theory that adopts the moderate motivational requirement is best, as it allows the theory to be practically useful; reasons on this account have a role in deterrence, encouragement and praise- and blame-worthiness. The theory also aligns with a plausible account of eligible candidates for reasons. While the employment of the moderate motivational requirement in a value theory of reasons likens the theory, in some respects, to a desire theory, it avoids the objections raised against desire theories of reasons. In this way, a value theory of reasons that employs the moderate motivational requirement combines the attractive features of a desire theory and a value theory. Specifically, it generates reasons that are both dependent on an individual’s qualities, and also aligned with an account of value. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Humanities, 2008

This thesis analyses theories of practical reason. In particular I compare desire theories of reasons with value theories of reasons. Desire theories of reasons, as I define them, claim that it is a necessary condition of A having a reason to ф that A’s reason depend on A’s antecedent desires. In contrast, I define value theories of reasons as those theories that claim that it is a necessary condition of A having a reason to ф that A’s ф-ing be valuable. In this thesis my main concern lies with those value theorists who accept the motivational requirement: the claim that if an agent is to have a reason to ф, then it must be possible for the agent to ф on the basis of this reason. In particular, I concentrate on those value theorists who claim that A has a reason to ф iff a) A’s ф-ing is valuable; b) it is possible for A to ф on the basis of this reason. I reject desire theories of reasons on the basis of several criticisms. I claim that our desires are normatively arbitrary, and that according to desire theories of reasons, some of our desires ought to be eradicated. I argue instead for a value theory of reasons that adopts a particular interpretation of the motivational requirement. I distinguish three different interpretations of the motivational requirement, each offering a connection between reasons and motivations that differs in strength. The first, strongest requirement claims that in order for A to have a normative reason to ф, it must be possible for A to ф on the basis of this reason given certain qualities that A possesses (where I take the sense of ‘possible’ relevant to these interpretations to be one that reflects an agent’s capacities). The second and weakest requirement claims that in order for A to have a normative reason to ф, it must be possible for A to ф on the basis of this reason if A possessed certain qualities. The last and moderate requirement claims that in order for A to have a normative reason to ф, it must be possible for A to ф on the basis of this reason if A possessed certain qualities and A either has these qualities, or it is possible for her to get herself into a state where she has them. I argue for a value theory of reasons that employs this last, moderate motivational requirement. I argue that a value theory that adopts the moderate motivational requirement is best, as it allows the theory to be practically useful; reasons on this account have a role in deterrence, encouragement and praise- and blame-worthiness. The theory also aligns with a plausible account of eligible candidates for reasons. While the employment of the moderate motivational requirement in a value theory of reasons likens the theory, in some respects, to a desire theory, it avoids the objections raised against desire theories of reasons. In this way, a value theory of reasons that employs the moderate motivational requirement combines the attractive features of a desire theory and a value theory. Specifically, it generates reasons that are both dependent on an individual’s qualities, and also aligned with an account of value. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Humanities, 2008

Concerns, Desires and Expectations Of Surgery For Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Comparison Of Patients’, Parents’ & Surgeons’ Perspectives. Master of Science, 2008 Unni G. Narayanan Department of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation University of Toronto ABSTRACT This study explored the concerns, desires (goals) and expectations of adolescents undergoing surgery for idiopathic scoliosis, and contrasted their priorities with those of their parents and surgeons. Parents were more concerned than their children about the consequences of scoliosis and of surgery. With the exception of improving physical appearance, surgeons' goals of surgery were different from those of either the patients or parents. There was little agreement among surgeons about the natural history of scoliosis, other goals of surgery and the likelihood of specific outcomes. Parents wanted and expected more from surgery than their children. Parents and patients had greater expectations of surgery than surgeons. Although adolescents had different priorities from their parents, parents were aware of these differences and reliably predicted their children’s priorities. These findings have important implications on shared decision-making and informed consent, and might contribute to better understanding and measurement of outcomes that matter to patients.

Concerns, Desires and Expectations Of Surgery For Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Comparison Of Patients’, Parents’ & Surgeons’ Perspectives. Master of Science, 2008 Unni G. Narayanan Department of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation University of Toronto ABSTRACT This study explored the concerns, desires (goals) and expectations of adolescents undergoing surgery for idiopathic scoliosis, and contrasted their priorities with those of their parents and surgeons. Parents were more concerned than their children about the consequences of scoliosis and of surgery. With the exception of improving physical appearance, surgeons' goals of surgery were different from those of either the patients or parents. There was little agreement among surgeons about the natural history of scoliosis, other goals of surgery and the likelihood of specific outcomes. Parents wanted and expected more from surgery than their children. Parents and patients had greater expectations of surgery than surgeons. Although adolescents had different priorities from their parents, parents were aware of these differences and reliably predicted their children’s priorities. These findings have important implications on shared decision-making and informed consent, and might contribute to better understanding and measurement of outcomes that matter to patients.

This dissertation analyzes social and legal influences on Texas death-sentenced prisoners who hastened their own execution. Using variables derived from research on other types of decisions to hasten death, I compare these prisoners with other similarly-situated condemned prisoners who did not seek to hasten execution, and develop a theoretical model for their decisions. In addition, I examine both how these prisoners explain their decisions, and how court proceedings can shape these explanations. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the sociolegal construction of different rights to die. / text

Airports are places where people have the potential to experience either satisfaction or frustration, and marketing and tourism scholars have argued that customer satisfaction is one of the primary goals of airports. However, few studies have systemically analyzed the service quality and efficiency of airports, or examined customer satisfaction with airport facilities. While airline passengers' expectations of airport service quality have been examined, there are few studies focusing on both their expectations and desires regarding airport services. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, no available studies have analyzed passengers' expectations and desires on the basis of the desires congruency model. This study attempted to define tourists' desires and expectations congruency as well as their satisfaction with their entire airport experiences. A total of 262 airline passengers in Incheon International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport participated in the study. Six hypotheses were tested with data collected from a survey of the airline passengers with the use of descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling. Most relationships among latent variables were found to be in accordance with previous studies. Furthermore, the results of the current study implied that the desires congruency model could be applied to the satisfaction formation of airline passengers. Practical recommendations are presented for the airport managers to enhance airport services.

Architecture is a dilemma of transforming complex desires into compelling forms. It stands to reason, then, that to better understand the desires of a user might produce a more compelling form. This is an investigation into the process of design, wherein narratives are constructed as a productive tool for innovation. These narratives are the synthesis of both the desires of the client and the discriminations of the designer. Eschewing the conception of the architect as a mystic, this thesis begins with an investigation into how we represent complex Architectural ideas to a client. It begins a process, or framework, through which a project can be conceived. It both demands that the client shed preconceived, and potentially erroneous, associations between desires and design, to get to a more pure understanding of the needs of a client. The hope is that by rendering Architectural intention less opaque, we might come to a better understanding of the desires of a client, and thus create a new way of practicing; wherein neither client nor architect rely on a pre-defined set of formal solutions for a constantly evolving problem. The single-family home is the programmatic basis for this investigation. Few other programs illicit as robust and divergent desires than the home. It's not that architecture is in the pursuit of creating narratives. But rather, it's that the process of design is one wherein the creation of a compelling narrative has the potential to produce innovative work. And important to the construction of that narrative is the productive engagement of the client.

Agent-based models (ABM) are an increasingly important research tool for describing and predicting interactions among humans and their environment. A key challenge for such models is the ability to faithfully represent human decision making with respect to observed behaviour. This thesis aims to address this challenge by developing a methodology for empirical measurement and simulation of decision making in humanenvironment systems. The methodology employs the Beliefs-Desires-Intentions (BDI) model of human reasoning to directly translate empirically measured decision data into artificial agents, based on sound theoretical principles. A common simulated decision environment is used for both eliciting human decision making behaviour, and validating artificial agents. Using this approach facilitates the collection of decision making narratives by way of participatory simulation, and promotes a fair comparison of real and modelled decision making. The methodology is applied in two case studies: One to carry out a trial involving human subjects solving an abstract land-use problem, and another to examine the feasibility of up-scaling the methodology to a real agricultural scenario—dairy farming. Results from the experiments indicate that the BDI-based methodology achieved reasonably direct encoding of decision making behaviour from elicited human narratives. The main limitations found with the technique are: (1) the significant use of subjects’ time required to elicit their decision making behaviour; (2) the significant programming effort required; and (3) the challenge of aggregating behaviour from multiple subjects into a generalised decision making model. In spite of its limitations, BDI has shown its strengths as a tool for empirical analysis and simulation of decision making in research of human-environment systems.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T14:18:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 SOLON BEVILACQUA.pdf: 2326032 bytes, checksum: f3fdf2621484c72bc93c7fd129a05f32 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-12-01 / This study aimed to analyze individual and social aspects for the consumption of luxury goods in Central Brazil. Two approaches were used, the first, signifying cultural, second, critical-being utilitarian. Authors such as Featherstone (1995), McCracken (2006) and Mary Douglas (2007) were listed in critical approach; and authors such as Veblen (1983), Baudrillard (1995) and Bauman (2005) were related to the cultural approach. This thesis considers that the consumption of luxury products consists of social and cultural practices, wrapped in meanings manifest in collective consumption and needs. Aspects of individual utilities are placed in secondary analysis plan, since consumer is not seen as an individual who consumes to live. This society is seen as one among many other consumer societies that produce and consume luxury as something necessary to human life, as well as other resources seen by economists as basic or essential. Two studies of descriptive and exploratory character, being the first quantitative and qualitative the second were performed. In Study 1, questionnaire application was conducted in Goiânia, Uberlândia and Palmas, in order to validate the scale of Consumer Motivations for Luxury Products (MCL). In Study 2, to further this research, six interviews were held in Uberlandia, Araguari and Catalão. The analysis technique used for Study 1 consisted of Factor Analysis (FA), Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Study 2, the discursive analysis of Lane (1985). The main results in study 1 were: tradition is predominant for luxury consumption, is related to product functionality; pleasure is the greatest motivation for this use, consisting of status, uniqueness, differentiation, tradition and product functionality; in study 2 has that luxury was related to dream and sensory experience; plan to consume the luxury recurs because the "bloggers" play the role of providing information about the best brands, prices and conditions, in addition to playing great informational role of the media. The study also showed that price and conspicuous consumption are intrinsic to that particular consumer aspects, no longer serving as discriminating factors. There is also an effective unity among the luxury goods, in which the symbolism highlights the complementarity between them. This aspect explains how spoofing works, fulfilling the role of satisfaction of individual needs and not collective meanings of consumption. Integration of Study 1 with Study 2 brought some enlightening aspects like product knowledge entails status; pleasure is propelling consumption of luxury; There impulse purchase, but under planning; needs and meanings are complementary from the point of view of consumption and falsification does not fulfill its role of providing status. There transformation point of "quality" for "functionality" as principal aspect. / Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar aspectos sociais e individuais para o consumo de produtos de luxo no Brasil Central. Foram utilizadas duas abordagens, sendo a primeira, cultural-significacional e, a segunda, crítica-utilitária. Autores como Featherstone (1995), McCracken (2006) e Mary Douglas (2007) foram relacionados na abordagem crítica; e autores como Veblen (1983), Baudrillard (1995) e Bauman (2005) relacionaram-se com a abordagem cultural. Esta tese considera que o consumo de produtos de luxo consiste em práticas sociais e culturais, envoltas em significados manifestos na coletividade do consumo e de necessidades. Aspectos utilitários individuais são postos em plano secundário de análise, afinal o consumidor não é visto como um indivíduo que consome para viver. Essa sociedade é vista como mais uma entre tantas outras sociedades de consumo, que produz e consome luxo como algo necessário à vida humana, assim como outros recursos vistos pelos economistas como básicos ou essenciais. Foram realizados dois estudos de caráter descritivo-exploratório, sendo o primeiro quantitativo e o segundo qualitativo. No Estudo 1, a aplicação de questionário foi realizada em Goiânia, Uberlândia e em Palmas, com o intuito de validar a Escala de Motivações ao Consumo de Produtos de Luxo (MCL). No Estudo 2, para aprofundar esta pesquisa, seis entrevistas foram realizadas em Uberlândia, em Araguari e em Catalão. A técnica de análise utilizada para o Estudo 1 constituiu-se de Análise Fatorial (AF), Modelagem de Equações Estruturais (MEE) e para o Estudo 2, a análise discursiva de Lane (1985). No que se refere aos principais resultados, no estudo 1 tem-se: a tradição é preponderante para o consumo do luxo, se relacionada à funcionalidade do produto; o prazer é a motivação maior para esse consumo, constituído por status, exclusividade, diferenciação, tradição e funcionalidade do produto; no estudo 2 tem-se que o luxo se relacionou ao sonho e à experiência sensorial; planejar consumir o luxo é recorrente, pois as blogueiras cumprem o papel de fornecer informações sobre as melhores marcas, preços e condições, além de desempenharem o grande papel informacional da mídia. O estudo evidenciou também que preço e consumo conspícuo são aspectos intrínsecos a esse consumo especial, não servindo mais como fatores discriminantes. Há também uma unidade efetiva entre os bens de luxo, em que se evidencia a complementariedade pelo simbolismo entre os mesmos. Esse aspecto explica como a falsificação funciona, cumprindo o papel de satisfação de necessidades individuais e não significados coletivos de consumo. A integração do Estudo 1 com o Estudo 2 trouxe alguns aspectos esclarecedores, como conhecimento sobre o produto, acarreta status; o prazer é a propulsão do consumo do luxo; existe compra por impulso, mas sob planejamento; necessidades e significados são complementares sob o ponto de vista de consumo e falsificação não cumpre seu papel de prover status. Houve a transformação da questão qualidade para funcionalidade como principal aspecto.