Bayesian epistemology provides a promising framework for a theory of epistemic rationality. But the way in which this framework has been built upon thus far yields an unfortunately mechanical picture of rationality, on which rational agents are mere data crunchers who receive evidential input and spit out numeric credal output. This picture is rightly criticized, most prominently by Bas van Fraassen, for being too narrow and restrictive and thus failing to account for certain features which rationality plausibly has, such as a degree of permissiveness, and for certain unconventional rational phenomena, such as conversions. Unfortunately, van Fraassen’s apt criticism of mechanistic rationality overshoots its mark in seeking to topple the entire Bayesian framework. Bayesian epistemology suffers a guilt by association with the robotic picture. This dissertation aims to restore Bayesianism from the mechanistic but often implicit assumptions which corrode it, and to rebuild, from the Bayesian foundation, an alternative picture of rationality as a property of sentient agents who are capable of understanding and mentally engaging with the objects of their credences. Along the way I account for some basic Bayesian objects such as credence and evidential input. I also accord a central role to the ability of representational experiences, largely sidelined in many Bayesian discussions, to give rise to surprising evidence. On these building blocks I develop theory of rationality, Expansive Bayesianism, which evades the criticisms launched at the robotic picture and shows that Bayesianism itself is a fruitful and powerful framework for a theory of rationality.

The following study examines the process behind the legalization of homosexual acts in Sweden between the years of 1933-1944. This is done through Michel Foucault’s thoughts about bio-power and episteme. The study also relies on the definition of heteronormativity found in Tiina Rosenbergs book Queerfeministisk agenda. I have made use of public Swedish government publications in the form of Statens offentliga utredningar (loosely translated to public investigations by the government) and motions, propositions and protocol from the Swedish parliament between the investigated period (1933-1944). The goal of the study was to identify the most influential episteme which in turn was analysed to see, if it in any way, influenced the discourse against homosexuals in a positive or negative way. Results from the study confirms that the contemporary episteme named after Emil Kraeplin which concludes that homosexual behaviour was seen in the light of being something socially constructed and could therefore be spread between individuals in the means of homosexual manipulations. This lead the episteme to influence the discourse against homosexuals to be viewed as a disease and a mental illness. By looking at homosexuality from the outlook of the Kraeplin episteme the Swedish law was formed in a way to protect the Swedish youth from being able to be manipulated into spreading the homosexual acts.

The understanding, I draw from this inquiry has come through a muddy, and complex entangledprocess. I have been re-turning like a "Baradian" earthworm, to experiences of being, in spacesof not-knowing. Digesting the mud, moving it, once more, like worms do, through the body.By doing an agential cut, into two spaces, eventually three strong agents unfold: Risk,Vulnerability, and Trust. Out of this result, an ethical and pedagogical question arise: How totake account of Vulnerability and Trust when encouraging our students to Risk?Entering a space of not knowing is at the foundation of my art practice. When as an arteducator,I went to China to inquire into the educational strategies of Chinese Classical Painting,I found myself thrown into a multitude of spaces of not knowing. This thesis, is an inquiry intohow being in such spaces, perform knowledge. To explore this, I return to the field-notes andvisual material including a report in the form of a visual essay of the study from 2011. I re-turnto this material with new tools and concepts inspired by Karen Barads metaphors of diffractionand earth-worms approach, as well as my artists tools: brush, water colours, ink, and paper;inrtoducing painting as a tool for analysis.As a theoretical approach, I entangle the flat ontology of Deleuze and Guattari, and theonto-epistem-ology of Barad, with the philosophical traditions in China of Buddhism and Dao.From an onto-epistem-ological perspective, I ask the question: "If we know about the worldbecause we are of the world," what knowledge then appear, when we experience our being in theworld as a space of not knowing. In this study, I have found that a space of not knowing performlearning through experiences of Vulnerability, Risk and Trust.The art part of this thesis is connected to Risk as well as to Vulnerability and Trust. Itfeatures a rope hanging from the ceiling to the floor. It is a rope that has been used during severalyears by a Circus artist during performances; hanging high up in the ceiling — demanding focusand presence from him. The installation at Konstfack spring-show 2018 featured the Circus artistrope together with a painting made in the context of Buddhist Vipassana meditation, entanglingmy tactile approach in art, with the text of this thesis.