Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Visual Arts / Thesis (MA (VA)) -- Stellenbosch University, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Cultural evolution & genre: an investigation of three South African graphic narratives of the South African Border war (1975-1988) Magister in Fine Arts thesis, Department of Fine Arts, Stellenbosch University This study analyses three South African graphic narratives in the context of culture evolving in the Darwinian sense. It is deemed necessary to consider evolutionary theory in such a study of graphic narratives as it considers the development of culture as resulting from a process of evolution akin to natural selection. Special attention is paid to the theory of memetics, in the field of evolutionary epistemology, and its proposal to model cultural evolution. While this model relies on evolutionary theory, the development of culture is seen as evolving separately from biological evolution. This evolutionary perspective on culture is combined with the concepts of discourse and genre in social semiotics and media studies to investigate the changes in the depiction of the Border war in South African graphic narratives. As such this study focuses on the strategic viewpoint of cultural evolution, the role of memes in genre and its interaction with the evolution of discourse. This approach is offered as a useful method to analyse cultural artefacts. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Kulturele evolusie & genre: 'n ondersoek van drie grafiese verhale van die Suid-Afrikaanse Grensoorlog (1975-1988) Magister in Beeldende Kunste tesis, Oepat1ement Beeldende Kunste, Universiteit van Stellcnbosch Hicrdie studic ontleed drie Suid-Afrikaanse graficse verhale in die konteks van kultuur wat evolueer in die Oarwinistiese sin. Oit word belangrik gereken om evolusieteorie in so 'n studie van grafiese verhale in ag te neem aangesien die ontwikkeling van kultuur as die resultaat van 'n proses van evolusie, verwand aan natuurlike seleksie, geag word. Spesiale aandag word geskenk aan die teorie van meme, in die veld van evolusieepistemologie, en die teorie se voorstel om kulturele evolusie te modelleer. Terwyl so 'n teorie op evolusieteorie steun, word die ontwikkeling van kultuur beskou as 'n afsonderlike proses van natuurlike seleksie. Hierdie evolusienere perspektief op kultuur word verenig met die konsepte van diskoers en genre in sosiale semiotiek en media studies om die veranderende uitbeelding van die Grensoorlog in Suid-Afrikaanse gratiese verhale na te vors. Sodanig fokus hierdie studie op die strategiesc oogpunt van kulturele evolusie, die rol van meme in genre en die interaksie met die ontwikkeling van diskoers. Hierdie benadering word aangebied as 'n waardevolle metode om kulturele artefakte te ontleed.

Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this dissertation I enquire into the status, scope and limits of human knowledge, given the fact that our perceptual and cognitive faculties are the product of evolution by natural selection. I argue that the commonsense representations these faculties provide us with yield a particular, species-specific scope on the world that does not ‘correspond’ in any straightforward way to the external world. We are, however, not bound by these commonsense representations. This particular, species-specific view of the world can be transgressed. Nevertheless, our transgressing representations remain confined to the conceptual space defined by the combinatorial possibilities of the various representational tools we possess. Furthermore, the way in which we fit representations to the external world is by means of our biologically determined epistemic orientation. Based on the fact that we are endowed with a particular set of perceptual and cognitive resources and are guided by a particular epistemic orientation, I conclude that we have a particular cognitive relation to the world. Therefore, an accurate representation for us is a particular fit (our epistemic orientation) with particular means (our perceptual and cognitive resources). / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis handel oor die aard, omvang en limiete van kennis, gegewe dat ons perseptuele en kognitiewe vermoëns die resultaat van evolusie deur middel van natuurlike seleksie is. Eerstens, word daar geargumenteer dat die algemene voorstellings wat hierdie vermoëns aan ons bied ‘n partikuliere, spesie-spesifieke siening van die wêreld aan ons gee, wat nie op ‘n eenvoudige manier korrespondeer aan die werklikheid nie. Ons is egter nie gebonde aan hierdie voorstellings nie. Hierdie partikuliere, spesie-spesifieke siening van die wêreld kan oorskry word. Ons is egter wel beperk tot die konseptuele ruimte wat gedefinieër word deur die kombinatoriese moontlikhede van die voorstellingsmiddele tot ons beskikking. Verder word die manier waarop ons hierdie voorstellings aan die wêreld laat pas deur ons biologies gedetermineerde epistemiese oriëntasie bepaal. Dus, gegewe dat ons ‘n spesifieke stel perseptuele en kognitiewe vermoëns het en deur ‘n spesifieke kognitiewe epistemiese oriëntasie gelei word, staan ons in ‘n spesifieke kognitiewe verhouding tot die wêreld. ‘n Akkurate voorstelling (m.a.w. kennis vir ons) is om spesifieke vermoëns (perseptuele en kognitiewe vermoëns) op ‘n spesifieke manier (epsitemiese oriëntasie) aan die wêreld te laat pas.

This study puts forward two complementary evolutionary models and explores the potential of the proposed models and the related theses by employing two case studies. The theoretical/conceptual framework of the study refers to architectural theory, design research, and evolutionary epistemology. The study mainly involves application of some key ideas from evolutionary epistemology, Popper&amp / #8217 / s three-world ontology, and the theory of evolution to the field of architecture. The first model is about the nature of the architectural ideas or thought contents and it introduces the idea of conceptual inheritance and an evolutionary conception of architectural ideas. The model proposes a framework that offers an understanding of the life and existence of architectural ideas and their inheritance. It also puts forward an expanded view of architectural ideas that conceives all the thought contents, which architectural designs (or works) and the architectural design process might concern, as architectural ideas. In order to illustrate and discuss the model, some of the architectural ideas carried by Mario Botta&amp / #8217 / s single-family house in Breganzona are selected and the evolutionary lineage of these ideas have been identified and examined in their instances in some of Botta&amp / #8217 / s own designs and in some designs from architectural tradition. The second model is an evolutionary model of the architectural design process. While emphasizing the evolutionary or selectionist character of architectural design in terms of process and inner dynamics, the model conceives architectural design as a process consisting of the two stages of forming/making, and evaluation/selection where in the first stage formative ideas, in the second, selective conditions are operational. In order to illustrate the potentialities of the model, the sketches and the drawings produced during the design process of Mario Botta&amp / #8217 / s single-family house in Breganzona are examined.

[pt] A Epistemologia Pós-Darwiniana de Sir Karl Popper é uma tentativa de esclarecer um ponto específico da obra do filósofo austríaco Karl Popper: a função da teoria evolutiva de Charles Darwin na obra epistemológica tardia. Alguns críticos encontram na epistemologia evolucionária, núcleo da obra tardia de Popper, uma virada naturalista baseada na biologia. O principal objetivo dessa dissertação é negar tais interpretações. As bases de aproximação de Popper com o darwinismo em sua epistemologias são lógicas e não naturalísticas. De acordo com Popper, a estrutura lógica do darwinismo ( seus elementos a priori ) é a mesma do processo de conjecturas e refutações do raciocínio dedutivo. Isso explica porquê o darwinismo, que não é uma teoria científica, mas um programa metafísico de pesquisa, pode ser tão frutífero e útil para a ciência. Assim, se estivermos certos, o rótulo de naturalismo aplicado à obra epistemológica tardia de Karl Popper é um simples caso de má interpretação. / [en] The Sir Karl Popper`s PostDarwinian Epistemology intends to clarify an specific issue: the function of Evolutionary Theory by Charles Darwin in Sir Karl Popper`s late epistemological works. Some critics find a naturalistic turn based on biological grounds in the evolutionary epistemology, bulk of the late works of Popper. The main objective of this dissertation is to deny these interpretations. The basis of Popper`s approach to Darwinism in his epistemology is not naturalistic but logical. According to Popper, the logical structure (a priori elements) of Darwinism is the same of conjecture and refutation process of deductive reasoning. This explains why Darwinism, which is not a scientific theory but a metaphysical research program, is so fruitful and helpful to science. Hence, if we are right, the label of naturalism attributed to the late epistemological works of Karl Popper is a simple case of misunderstanding.