<p> Despite myriad causes given to the end of Republican Rome and the beginning of Imperial Rome, there still remains a basic truth: the form of political rule and the institutions that structured this rule changed in the span of about a hundred years, from Sulla&rsquo;s first armed takeover in 88-87 B.C. to Augustus&rsquo;s death in 14 A.D. After Sulla, the political institutions of Republican Rome became a fa&ccedil;ade; within a couple of generations they were a farce. I argue in this paper that the effect of the individual on this loss of institutional inviolability is vital to understanding both how it happened and what came after.</p>

In a letter of May 14, 1922, Sigmund Freud noted the profound similarities between himself and Viennese playwright, Arthur Schnitzler. Their kinship, according to Freud, rested upon shared determinism and skepticism: "what people call pessimism." Both men were graduates of the University of Vienna medical faculty, where they were exposed to two significant non-medical controversies. By examining and interpreting late works of Freud and Schnitzler, in the context of the issues debated earlier at the Medical School, this study assesses the validity of Freud's conclusion. Chapter One provides an intellectual history of the Second Viennese Medical School and the concepts discussed just prior to the matriculation of Freud and Schnitzler: Therapeutic skepticism and the materialist world-view. The first of these positions, which cast doubt on the ability of medicine to help, is correlated with Freud's suggestion of a shared determinism with Schnitzler. The second, due to its religious implications, is linked to Freud's contention of a shared skepticism. These two issues are employed in interpreting the later, parapsychological, works of Freud, as well as Beyond the Pleasure Principle, The Ego and the Id, and The Question of Lay-Analysis. The thesis is put forth that Freud was more a determinist than a skeptic, especially as he became convinced of the validity of his discovery. Chapter Three explores themes in Schnitzler's works along the same lines used in the discussion of Freud. Extensive use is made of early and late unpublished diaries of the author, as well as works roughly contemporaneous with those of Freud. Analysis leads to an assessment of Schnitzler different in emphasis from that of Freud. A conclusion offers a brief discussion of the two authors' notes concerning war, for these epitomized their philosophical differences. The thesis is advanced that the world-views of these men were shaped by their varying proximity to the medical school, its faculty, and the practice of medicine itself. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-12, Section: A, page: 4489. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.

Jacques Derrida's first book, Edmund Husserl's 'Origin of Geometry' : An Introduction, offers a critique of Husserl's phenomenology. An assessment of this critique has been attempted. The primary aim of this assessment has been to defend Husserl against Derrida's criticisms, however the latter have also been employed as a catalyst for eliciting and elaborating certain implications of Husserl's phenomenology. / After a general discussion of the work of both philosophers, the above-mentioned text by Derrida and Husserl's essay "The Origin of Geometry" are each closely exposited and condensed to a number of main points. These points are then reintegrated in an overview, which serves as the basis upon which Derrida's criticisms are themselves critically examined. / Derrida's observations are found to contribute to an understanding of the methodological interrelationships that make up the framework of Husserl's phenomenology, and to point to the need for further clarification of some of the aspects of phenomenological method. However, Derrida's claims that Husserl employs regulative ideas in the absence of sufficient evidence, that he suppresses factuality, and that phenomenology is methodologically incapable of achieving its aims are found to be unjustified. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-04, Section: A, page: 0998. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.

Although historians have focused on the relationship between art and science in the past few decades, the representations of the heliocentric theory in art from 1543-1750 have not been studied thoroughly. In this dissertation, images representing the Copernican universe have been compiled and analyzed to determine the kind of artistic response to the "Copernican revolution." Art historians have interpreted the retention of traditional ideas and the lack of great numbers of examples as evidence that artists remained unaffected by the heliocentric theory except through their interest in the telescopic images. This study proves that artists during the Renaissance were cognizant of Copernican ideas and did respond to his discoveries but through traditional methods, often combining symbols of the new astronomy with astrological, alchemical and mystical imagery. Traditionally, the scientific diagram has been ignored as a legitimate art form, but the diagram was the most important vehicle for artistic expression of the Copernican universe. A stylistic analysis of the known diagrams representing the heliocentric universe is included. This analysis illustrates that while astronomers grappled with the dynamics of celestial mechanics, the artist also struggled to depict the concepts of dynamics. A chronological study of the diagrams underscores this fact. By the early eighteenth century, artists had moved from the standard format developed in the Middle Ages to conscious attempts to render the movement and flux of the heavens. With the work of Sir Isaac Newton in universal gravitation and the development of calculus in particular the bonds between the artists and scientists, once so strong in the Renaissance, began to separate. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-02, Section: A, page: 0326. / Major Professor: Francois Bucher. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.

During the Age of Exploration, navigation evolved from a field filled with superstition into a modern science in Portugal, Spain, and England. The most common navigation instruments utilized and their subsequent innovations are discussed. The refinement of these instruments led to increased accuracy in cartography, safer shipping, and increased trade globally in the period. In order to have the most comprehensive collection of navigation instruments, I investigated 165 shipwrecks dated between 1500 and 1700. Each of these vessels have been located, surveyed, and/or excavated in whole or in part. A comprehensive list of these vessels, compiled for the first time, has been included. This thesis analyzes navigation-related artifacts recovered from 27 of these shipwreck sites. These instruments provide the basis to develop a typology for archaeologists to more closely date these finds. The navigation instruments recovered from the wreck of LaBelle (1686) are discussed in detail. These instruments and related historical documents kept by the navigator provide a more comprehensive picture of the instruments’ accuracy and usefulness. This thesis particularly focuses on the nocturnal/planisphere recovered from the site. This unique instrument is one of only four known to exist worldwide and remains accurate enough to be utilized today. Analysis by a modern astronomer has been included, as well as a partial translation of the common names for constellations inscribed on the instrument. These common names provide some important insights into the received knowledge of sailors and non-academic astronomy during this period. It is hoped that this thesis will be of assistance to archaeologists working to identify, study, and appreciate navigational instruments recovered from shipwrecks. With increased documentation and closer dating, these instruments will become a more valuable portion of the archaeological record.

Propelled by a desire to understand natural language, American linguists of the postwar period brought the tools of the era to bear on the study of syntax: computer science, math- ematical graph theory, and even Cold War strategy. Three syntactic theories were enun- ciated, each trying to untangle the mysteries of our ability to form and use sentences. These theories interacted on a nearly daily basis, influencing and challenging each other through the s. By the end of the decade, one had established clear dominance: Noam Chomsky’s theory, developed at . Combining contemporary history of science tools with linguistics-specific concepts, this study explores the dynamics of the syntactic theory- choice debates from  to . I argue that these debates can only be fully understood through a confluence of four themes: explanation, pedagogy, knowledge transmission, and lay linguistics. Together, these themes explain how linguists selected and evaluated theories, how students were trained to think about and use syntax, how ideas and people spread across the United States, and how academic theories played out in peripheral disci- plines. They also resolve the central paradox running through this study: how did Noam Chomsky’s theory – a theory whose proponents valued the private transmission of un- derground knowledge and actively prevented outsiders from accessing research – spread across the country and gain a majority of supporters? By paying particular attention to the ideas and problems which mattered to the linguists of the time, this study presents a critical and novel history of postwar American linguistics. In doing so, it rectifies the lack of a balanced, historically-informed account of the discipline. What little literature exists on the history of syntax in America bears the imprint of Whig interpretations: it omits the rival syntactic theories which competed with Chomsky’s theory, the technical linguistics debates of the period, and pedagogy and the training of young linguists. Most impor- tantly, it cannot account for the paradox of private knowledge. This study contributes to our historical understanding by both providing the first history of science based investiga- tion of postwar American syntax and showcasing a powerful way of investigating theory development, theory choice, and theory change.

Propelled by a desire to understand natural language, American linguists of the postwar period brought the tools of the era to bear on the study of syntax: computer science, math- ematical graph theory, and even Cold War strategy. Three syntactic theories were enun- ciated, each trying to untangle the mysteries of our ability to form and use sentences. These theories interacted on a nearly daily basis, influencing and challenging each other through the s. By the end of the decade, one had established clear dominance: Noam Chomsky’s theory, developed at . Combining contemporary history of science tools with linguistics-specific concepts, this study explores the dynamics of the syntactic theory- choice debates from  to . I argue that these debates can only be fully understood through a confluence of four themes: explanation, pedagogy, knowledge transmission, and lay linguistics. Together, these themes explain how linguists selected and evaluated theories, how students were trained to think about and use syntax, how ideas and people spread across the United States, and how academic theories played out in peripheral disci- plines. They also resolve the central paradox running through this study: how did Noam Chomsky’s theory – a theory whose proponents valued the private transmission of un- derground knowledge and actively prevented outsiders from accessing research – spread across the country and gain a majority of supporters? By paying particular attention to the ideas and problems which mattered to the linguists of the time, this study presents a critical and novel history of postwar American linguistics. In doing so, it rectifies the lack of a balanced, historically-informed account of the discipline. What little literature exists on the history of syntax in America bears the imprint of Whig interpretations: it omits the rival syntactic theories which competed with Chomsky’s theory, the technical linguistics debates of the period, and pedagogy and the training of young linguists. Most impor- tantly, it cannot account for the paradox of private knowledge. This study contributes to our historical understanding by both providing the first history of science based investiga- tion of postwar American syntax and showcasing a powerful way of investigating theory development, theory choice, and theory change.

During the Age of Exploration, navigation evolved from a field filled with superstition into a modern science in Portugal, Spain, and England. The most common navigation instruments utilized and their subsequent innovations are discussed. The refinement of these instruments led to increased accuracy in cartography, safer shipping, and increased trade globally in the period. In order to have the most comprehensive collection of navigation instruments, I investigated 165 shipwrecks dated between 1500 and 1700. Each of these vessels have been located, surveyed, and/or excavated in whole or in part. A comprehensive list of these vessels, compiled for the first time, has been included. This thesis analyzes navigation-related artifacts recovered from 27 of these shipwreck sites. These instruments provide the basis to develop a typology for archaeologists to more closely date these finds. The navigation instruments recovered from the wreck of LaBelle (1686) are discussed in detail. These instruments and related historical documents kept by the navigator provide a more comprehensive picture of the instruments’ accuracy and usefulness. This thesis particularly focuses on the nocturnal/planisphere recovered from the site. This unique instrument is one of only four known to exist worldwide and remains accurate enough to be utilized today. Analysis by a modern astronomer has been included, as well as a partial translation of the common names for constellations inscribed on the instrument. These common names provide some important insights into the received knowledge of sailors and non-academic astronomy during this period. It is hoped that this thesis will be of assistance to archaeologists working to identify, study, and appreciate navigational instruments recovered from shipwrecks. With increased documentation and closer dating, these instruments will become a more valuable portion of the archaeological record.

<p> Popular government in the United States requires an American citizenry capable to confront the difficult questions of a self-governing people. As political science deepens our understanding of the political behavior of the American people, it also narrows our understanding of the citizen's role to election cycles and policy outcomes. The Madisonian Framework for Civic Involvement represents an understanding of the citizen's role as complex and varied as the proposition of popular government itself. The Framework traces three themes (interaction, input and integration) that recur in James Madison's writing as a political theorist and his work as a political actor. </p><p> Rather than a prescription of specific behaviors required from each individual, Madison's work provides a framework for understanding the patterns, perspectives and principles giving shape to an American citizenry capable of countering the worst tendencies of popular government and their own nature. The work presented here revisits an understanding of the citizen's role as Madison imagined it, embedded in his commitments about the proper role of government, the institutional scheme of an extensive republic and the lessons of America's past.</p><p> The Framework demonstrates how the study of American Political Behavior has worked to shrink our ideas about the citizen's role while promoting studies constrained by specific commitments about the relationship between citizens and government. The Madisonian Framework for Civic Involvement makes it possible to suspend debate over Madison's liberal, democratic or civic republican commitments in order to extend our own understanding of civic involvement as it aligns with the more complex understanding of the nature of humankind and government that guided the original design of the American system of government. Finally, the author demonstrates how the Framework has potential to help us understand the political debates (Lincoln-Douglas Debates), social programs (President Johnson's Community Action Programs) and policy initiatives (President Obama's online petition) of the past and future where the understanding of the citizen's role makes all the difference.</p>

There are few doubts about the significance of science and technology for modern human culture and society. But as historians, we are still struggling to find appropriate descriptive terms to capture the broad processes of transformation brought about by “techno-science,” the merging of technical production and modern institutionalized science. This dissertation argues that the term “experience” may serve as such an analytic lens in the specific historical setting of German aviation research from the 1920s through 1945. I reconstruct, on the one hand, the theorization of experience as a concept by the technical physicist Paul von Handel, influenced by the British astronomer Sir Arthur Eddington’s distinction between "scientific" and "everyday" experience. On the other hand, I use the term as a historian’s analytic concept to investigate practices in the context of flight experiments that I take to be constitutive of my historical actors’ experiences. These are recordings of experimental pilots’ cognitive judgements and bodily actions, some of them—such as in-flight note taking—continuous with older cultural technologies. On both of these levels of analysis, I explore the different resonances of “experience” as a term with a legacy as a central epistemological concept in the modern sciences, and as capturing the changing everyday reality in an increasingly technicized environment. My analysis of the textual theorization and simultaneous practical constitution of "techno-scientific experience" serves to read in a new light the story of the pilot and physicist Melitta Schiller-Stauffenberg. Of Jewish descent, Schiller chose to work for the Luftwaffe, the German air force, until her death in 1945 on a flight searching for her husband, Count Alexander Stauffenberg, who was imprisoned after his brother’s failed attempt to assassinate Hitler. The concept and practical reality of “experience” are key to understanding the two striking choices Schiller made as intrinsically connected: the professional choice of working simultaneously as a pilot and a physicist, and the political choice of supporting the Reich’s war effort. Schiller’s story may be understood as exemplifying the fragile identity of the experiencing and the knowing self in 20th-century techno-scientific modernity. / History of Science