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<p>Norman Mailer announced in Advertisements For Myself (1959) that he wished to revolutionize the consciousness of our time. With this as his goal he developed an aesthetics which views both life and art as a process of growth toward a full humanity and away from post-World War II American (and universal) tendencies to stifle human r,rowth through a technological totalitarianism.</p> <p>Mailer envisions the creation of life as a function of a divine power and the destruction of life as that of a satanic power who war with each other for possession of the universe. We do not know for whom we do battle, but our intuitions of good and evil are to be trusted.</p> <p>Growth for Mailer takes the form of a line of movement made by confronting and defeating opponents of a full humanity; he terms such engagements whose outcome is unknown and therefore dangerous to the self "existential". His life and his art make up a dramatic and progressive dialectic. There are three books which I believe contain Mailer's most effective expressions of his aesthetics and which have the greatest potential for revolutionizing the consciousness of our time. Each is the culmination of a phase in Mailer's growth which contains in itself the unified strands of that growth.</p> <p>The first phase includes the early success of The Naked and the Dead, the subsequent popular and critical failures of Barbary Shore and The Deer Park, the slou~hln[. off of old models, political and artistic, the creation of a radical creed in "The \'lhi te Negro" and a radical form in Advertisements For Myself. The latter is the culmination of this phase and is analyzed in detail. By the time of Advertisements Mailer has made himself the chief metaphor for his concept of erowth, thus synthesizing theme and method. The second phase enlarges the meaning of Mailer's existentialism, most particularly by his venturing deeply into the current political and social realm, and culminates in a new synthesis of growth in fictional theme and form in An American Dream (1965). The novel's protagonist, Stephen Rojack, defeated by a powerful satanic agent and by his own weakness, proves unequal to the task Mailer sets for the American hero: to unite the real- and the dream-life of the nation in himself and to lead a united nation to human wholeness which embraces all contradictions.</p> <p>The central occupation of the third phase of Mailer's work, therefore, is to develop himself--in the absence of other suitable candidates--into a representative American hero. His experimentation with various media for communication--drama, film, television, and others--ls a search for effective vehicles for his vision and is preparation for his assumption of the heroic role. Mailer's involvement with the central issues confronting the United States is rendered in a considerable experiment in novelistic form, Why Are We in Vietnam? The culmination of his efforts in this phase is the culmination of his work to date as well: The Armies of the Night (1968). Relating the experiences of a character called "Mailer", Mailer as narrator and novelist-historian not only creates himself as a representative comic American hero but invents a form which carries a total vision of the events of the 1967 March on the Pentagon, uniting traditional methods and aims of history, the novel, and journalism. With this boolc Mailer assumes the role of interpretor for our time, immersin~ himself in important contemnorary events in order to present us with his views of their meaning and significance.</p> <p>Mailer's three books following The Armies of the Night are discussed in a final chapter as similar to but lesser efforts than Armies.</p> <p>In this thesis Mailer's work is placed in two specific contexts which provide a basis for suggesting his significance: that of American literature, with emphasis upon his contribution to the literature of the American Dream and upon his indebtedness to Hemingway in particular and twentieth-century novelists in f,eneral; and that of contemporary thought which also seeks to influence the direction of future human life.</p> <p>Because his aesthetics of growth sees human progress as its art, Mailer's nonlitrerary roles are considered a vital part of his total work and consequently the critical standards applied in this thesis are Mailer's own: how well does each work register growth on Mailer's part and how potentially effective is the work in revolutionizing the consciousness of our time?</p> <p>Mailer scholarship is still in infancy. The contribution of this thesis to that scholarship lies in its approacth to Mailer's work as a progressive whole and its delineation of that progress; its critical approach whlch confronts Mailer on his own terms; its extensive treatment of works other than novels; the broad contexts which suggest the significance of Mailer's work; and the comprehensive bibliography, the most complete yet assembled on Mailer.</p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Augusine's search for the nature of God's exisistence as well as the origin of evil, reaches a climax in Book 7 of his Confessions. This study assumes the position that Augustine strives to find answers to the above mentioned two questions in the first six books of the Confessions. The answers to both these questions were vitally important to Augustine, since it would then convince him to convert to the Christian faith. Augustine repeatedly thought he grasped the true answer to the existence of God and the origin and the nature of evil but he was disillusioned time and again. His quest for an answer started with his reading of Cicero's Hortentius (Conf. 3.4.7), a book that urged Augustine to search for Truth. Augustine then joined the Manicheans, a sect claiming that their doctrine was based on reason and contained the Truth (Conf. 3.6.10). Augustine believed that the Manicheans could resolve his quest for answers to the existence and nature of both God and evil. The Manichean intellectual and scientific exposition of the cosmos allowed Augustine to imagine God and evil as opposing substances. Eventually, promted by his own intellect, Augustine discovered weaknesses in their theories (Conf. 5.3.3-5.6.10). Augustine's final break with the Manicheans, after nine years as an adherent, came when he heard the sermons of Ambrose of Milan. Not only was Augustine impressed by Ambrose's eloquence but his sermons also embodied an interpretation of Platonism in Christian terms. Augustine's reading of the Neoplatonic books in a Latin translation urged him to turn into himself (Conf. 7.10.16) and search for God there. Once Augustine could pronounce upon the intelligible existence of God, his inquiry into the origin of evil resolved itself (7.12.18). / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Augustinus se soeke na die bestaanswyse van God en die aard en onstaan van die kwaad bereik 'n klimaks in Boek 7 van die Confessiones. In hierdie studie word daar van die standpunt uitgegaan dat Augustinus onder andere in die eerste ses boeke van die Confessiones poog om antwoorde te kry op bogenoemde twee vraagstukke. Antwoorde op beide hierdie vrae was van kardinale belang, aangesien dit Augustinus sou oortuig om hom tot die Christelike geloof te bekeer. Augustinus het herhaaldelik gepoog om die ware antwoorde op die vraag na bestaanwyse van God sowel as die oorsprong en die aard van die kwaad te vind. Hy was egter telke male ontnugter. Augustinus se soeke het begin toe hy in aanraking gekom het met Cicero se Hortensius (Conf. 3.4.7), 'n boek wat Augustinus aangemoedig het om die Waarheid na te jaag. Gevolglik het Augustinus by die Manicheërs aangesluit, aangesien dié sekte geglo het dat hulle leerstellinge gebaseer is op die rede en sodoende die volle waarheid bevat (Cant. 3.6.10). Augustinus het geglo dat die Manicheërs sy soektog na antwoorde op die vraag van God en die kwaad se bestaanswyse kon oplos. Die Manicheërs se intellektuele en wetenskaplike uiteensetting van die kosmos het Augustinus toegelaat om God en die kwaad as teenstrydige entiteite te beskou. Ongeveer nege jaar na sy aansluiting by die Manicheërs, aangemoedig deur sy eie intellek, het Augustinus die swak punte in die Manichese leerstellinge ontdek (Cant. 5.3.3-5.6.10). Die finale breek met die Manicheërs het gekom toe Augustinus die preke van Ambrosius in Milaan gehoor het. Nie alleen was Augustinus ingenome met Ambrosius se welsprekendheid nie, maar sy preke het ook die interpretasie van Platonisme in Christelike terme beliggaam. Die Neoplatoniese leerstellinge het Augustinus aangemoedig om na homself, in homself te draai (Conf. 7.10.16) en vir God daar te gaan soek. Sodra Augustinus kon verklaar dat God in die vorm van 'n kenbare wese bestaan, het sy soeke na die oorsprong en die aard van die kwaad dit self opgelos (Cant. 7.12.18).

I use the body to investigate the ideas of morality, mourning and mortification. I look towards costume history, traditional Catholic rituals and themes in 19th century literature to feed my obsession with transformation, reconciliation and communication through dress. My making focuses on feminine objects and materials. Lace, veils, undergarments and hair adornment speak not only of womanhood, but also of the duality of human nature. Lace speaks of purity and sexuality, it reveals and conceals, it is humble, yet gluttonous in its ornamental overindulgence; lace is the ultimate dichotomy. I use it as a potent symbol to represent the duality of body and soul, right and wrong, good and evil. Historically, neglected, disheveled and unbound hair was a sign of mourning and penance, a physical representation of one's sin and sorrow. In my work, hair comes to represent an uncomfortable binding of one's self to one's alter ego, while helping to serve as an act of penance and mortification. As I make, my hands hopelessly yearn to create beauty from burdens; the repetitive and penitential process of stitching creates a metaphor for my longing towards perfection and purification. My use of video, photography and installation work to provide a unique experience for the viewer, for here they are invited to enter these imaginary worlds of wonder.

Dan Simmons's far-future science fiction epic Hyperion Cantos, in which seven disparate individuals become enmeshed in a convoluted plot to enslave humanity, provides extensive support for British theologian John Hick's theory of transcendental pluralism. Using the central figures of the Shrike, a mysterious killing machine, and the Technocore, a collective of autonomous artificial intelligences, Simmons demonstrates Hick's postulation that all major Western religions actually focus on the same divine being (God) by creating a negative divine being, akin to Satan, to which characters of various religions react in similar ways. Simmons's pilgrims each represent a particular spiritual outlook, from specific organized religions to less-defined positions such as secularism and agnosticism, but each pilgrim's tale contributes to the evidence of transcendental pluralism. This thesis explores each characters' experiences as they relate to the Shrike, the Technocore, and, ultimately the theory of transcendental pluralism. / by Zachary Stewart. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-21T14:54:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fabio Ricardo Gioppo.pdf: 1101599 bytes, checksum: 4e43ea40e24f5c2b0a6d33ed0690e743 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-06-24 / The novel Grande Sertão: veredas is the stage of numerous battles, but the principal fought battle that we can notice is the one Riobaldo locks with himself in seeking to unravel his condition of covenanting or not. Through philosophical concepts of Good and Evil developed by Baruch Spinoza (2013) and rhizome notion by Gilles Deleuze & Félix Guattari (1995), we will observe how Good and Evil movement unfolds itself in Riobaldo’s undertaken narratives along his greatest report. The work begins with the definitions from Good and Evil by Spinoza, and then to the establishment of the relations between these definitions and the rhizome’s guiding principles by Deleuze & Guattari. Thenceforth, we notice Riobaldian’s stories as a way to realize the difference lines’ dynamic operating in his reflections about Good and Evil in human’s actions. The devil in the whirlwind is the image which potentiates the comprehension that good can become evil, but evil also can become good; soon it is possible the perception that inside the backcountry there is no place just for hate exercises, betrayal and death, but also its reversal. Riobaldo’s narrative seems to us, therefore, like an ethic exercise that resumes his life and reflects it in the search for comprehension and redemption of himself in front of Good and Evil. / O romance Grande Sertão: veredas é o palco de inúmeras batalhas, mas a principal delas e que podemos observar no campo da palavra é a luta que Riobaldo trava consigo mesmo na busca por desvendar sua condição de pactário ou não. Por meio da discussão dos conceitos filosóficos de Bem e Mal desenvolvidos por Baruch de Spinoza (2013) e da noção de rizoma e linhas de diferença em Gilles Deleuze & Félix Guattari (1995), observaremos como se desenrola o movimento do Bem e do Mal nas narrativas empreendidas por Riobaldo ao longo do seu relato maior. O trabalho começa por estabelecer as definições de Bem e Mal, em Spinoza, para em seguida estabelecer relações entre essas definições e os princípios norteadores do rizoma em Deleuze & Guattari. A partir daí, anotamos as narrativas riobaldianas de modo a perceber a dinâmica das linhas de diferença operando nas suas reflexões sobre o Bem e o Mal nas ações humanas. O diabo no meio do redemoinho é a imagem que potencializa a compreensão de que o que é bem pode tornar-se mal, mas também o que é mal pode tornar-se bem, daí a percepção de que no interior do sertão não há lugar apenas para o exercício do ódio, traição e morte, mas também para a sua reversão. A narrativa de Riobaldo aparece-nos, portanto, como um exercício ético que retoma sua vida e a reflete na busca pela compreensão e pela redenção de si mesmo diante do Bem e do Mal.

A imagem de Camilo Castelo Branco é, em geral, vinculada a romances de cariz sentimental e moralizante. Acredita-se, por vezes, que essas narrativas, supostamente ocupadas pela temática amorosa, não comportam discussões de ordem histórica, política ou filosófica. Contudo, se se observar como o romancista dialoga com as muitas teorias filosóficas e literárias formuladas no século XVIII e XIX, bem como com os eventos políticos do mesmo período, percebe-se que se trata de um escritor consciente do universo sócio-cultural do qual fazia parte. De fato, no vasto legado literário do autor de São Miguel de Ceide encontramos um retrato da sociedade oitocentista, que é analisada sobretudo no que concerne ao aspecto moral. A partir da principal instituição burguesa, a família, Camilo discorre acerca da moral, mostrando que mães, pais e filhos que segundo a ideologia dos teóricos oriundos da Revolução Francesa deveriam cumprir diferentes papéis dentro do lar, a fim de contribuir para a moralização social - aderem ou refutam os conceitos pré-estabelecidos de acordo com suas necessidades. Vê-se a mesma adaptação quando se trata dos membros da Igreja. Com efeito, os padres e freiras dos romances camilianos, normalmente, não respeitam as leis do cristianismo, nem tampouco a moral difundida pela burguesia; quando o fazem, em raras ocasiões, é somente para conseguirem benefícios individuais. Nesse sentido, Camilo Castelo Branco denuncia que, na sociedade que representa, a moral está a serviço das conveniências. / Camilo Castelo Branco\'s image is, in general, bound to sentimental and moral relating novels. It is believed, at times, that these narratives, supposedly exclusively about the love theme, do no deal with historical, political or philosophical discussions. However, if the manner that the novelist dialogues with the many philosophical and literary theories formulated in the 18th and 19th centuries is taken into consideration, as well as the political events from the same period, it is perceived that he was aware of the social and cultural environment in which he was part of. In fact, in the vast legacy of the author of Sao Miguel de Ceide we find a portrait of the 19th century society, which is analyzed especially on the moral aspect. From the main bourgeois institution, that is, the family, Camilo writes about the moral, showing that mothers, fathers and children - which according to the ideology from the French Revolution theorists everyone should perform different roles at home in order to contribute to the social moralization - are pro or con the pre-established concepts according to their needs. The same adaptation is seen when it is about the members of church. Priests and nuns from Camilo\'s novels, indeed, do not usually respect Christianity rules, not even the moral diffused by the bourgeoisie; when they do, in rare occasions, it is only in order to obtain personal benefits. This way, Camilo Castelo Branco denounces that the society that represents the moral works only for personal interests.

人性非惡？惡從何來？如何去惡？自宋明儒學到當代新儒學，主流儒者無不推崇孟子的「性善說」：人性本然內具為善的能力與傾向，不善的出現只能訴諸後天環境的影響。針對於此，學界內外都不乏質疑儒家人性論過份樂觀天真的聲音。尤其後來晚明時期心學學者將「心」的內部結構撐開，認為不僅人「性」是善，甚至「心」內部的「意」、「知」、「物」、「情」、「念」等環節亦全皆是善；在這種理解下，惡從何而生更是儒學理論中亟待澄清的問題。本文撰寫的目的，即是旨在從哲學史發展的角度清理晚明王學──自王陽明以降，下轄陽明後學，直到劉蕺山為止──對於「惡」的問題方方面面的思考。並希望通過這工作整理出儒學傳統中一套「惡」的系統理論，以見儒學處理「惡」這個普遍哲學問題的基本態度。扼要言之，王陽明認為「意」念發動處是惡之出現的樞紐；「意」的本然狀態原來是「心」與「理」應事接物的表現，其淪落為惡只能從其「偏」、「滯」、「著」等流弊狀態中了解。通過唐君毅先生的相關洞見，本文接著探討了「主流」陽明學者對「惡」的思考：浙中王龍溪與泰州羅近溪緊接師說，認為當下一「念」便是本心發用的端倪，唯其陷溺與留滯才會轉而為惡。當中尤需強調的是，心知能力與知識活動赫然竟是助成心念陷溺的幫兇！雖然江右羅念菴思想在當前學界的討論中往往被視為偏離「主流」的歧出，但筆者認為在過惡的議題上念菴與龍溪近溪的相關思考實能相輔相成。若說龍溪近溪更關心常人如何在「知識」的幫助下犯過，則念菴更關注的即是心知功能如何進一步助成了修道者「空言」之過。最後，筆者將會指出，劉蕺山在理論表述上將心知功能的誤用更為明確地為說明為「妄」的毛病，並以之為惡之所以出現的最根本起源；這是儒學惡論的一大推進，由此徹底廓清了儒學惡乃無根的傳統。筆者並會考察晚明儒者對過惡問題的種種思考，如何結穴在儒學論惡的高峰文獻《人譜》之中。通過本文種種的討論，希望能夠豐富學界對儒學傳統中「惡」的理論的了解。 / Human nature is evil? Where does evil come from? How to get rid of evil? From Song Ming Neo-Confucianism to Contemporary New Confucianism, the main line of Confucian thought follows Mencius in stressing the goodness of human nature. According to Mencius, human nature has an innate faculty and tendency towards goodness, and that immorality could only be attributed to society’s influence. Accordingly, some scholars criticize Confucianism for being too optimistic and naive about human nature. That is especially a difficult question for the Wang Yangming’s scholars, who assert that not only xing性, but all yi意, zhi知, wu物, qing情, nian念 within the inner structure of xin心 are originally good and without evil. If this is the case, how come there is evil in reality? The aims of this paper are to elucidate the ideas of evil in late Ming school of Wang Yangming’s philosophy, and to articulate a systematic theory of evil in Confucianism. In brief, in Yangming’s view, evil arises from the part of yi意. The original activation of yi意 is nothing but the manifestation of xin心 and li理, it is the deviation, stagnation and attachment of yi意 that leads it to immorality. Wang Longxi and Luo Jinxi, the followers of Yangming, carry on Yangming’s view and hold that it is the stagnation and attachment of nian念 that make it an evil one. What is more interesting is that the cognitive part of xin心 would assist in the formation of evil. Furthermore, Luo Nianan’s ideas on evil are complementary to Longxi and Jinxi’ related theories. Nianan focuses on empty words as the result of the misused cognitive part of xin心, and regards it as a major wrongdoing of Confucian practitioners. Finally, Liu Jishan describes the misuse of the cognitive part of xin心as the problem of wang, and regards it as the deepest origin of evil. By doing so, Jishan clarifies the Confucian tradition that evil is rootless to its greatest extent. How Jishan’s masterpiece the schemata of humanity concludes different discussion of evil from previous Yangming’s scholars will also be discussed. By these discussions, the primary aim of this paper is to enrich our understanding of the theory of evil in Confucianism. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / 陳志強. / Parallel title from added title page. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2015. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 212-219). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Chen Zhiqiang.

[pt] Esse ensaio se pretende um simples esboço de análise crítica da idéia de Deus como tentativa de resposta metafísica e religiosa ao problema do sentido, assim como de certos argumentos em defesa dessa idéia. - Mas pretende, sobretudo, investigar o fracasso das teodicéias em dar conta do problema do mal. / [en] This essay intends to be a mere effort of critical analysis of the idea of God as an attempt to give a metaphysical and a religious answer to the problem of the sense, as well of certain arguments in defense of this idea. - But mainly this essay intends to investigate the failure of the theodicy in finding a solution to the problem of evil.