The purpose of this study was to explore the concept of human nature in the writing of the British author Graham Greene and the ways it is revealed in his works. Two novels by G. Greene were subjected to analysis – The Heart of the Matter (1948) and A Burnt-Out Case (1960). The research method chosen for the study was textual analysis. The research demonstrated that according to Greene, it is impossible to draw a clear line between good and evil. The characters that seem to be failures – in comparison with what they wished and hoped to do – are seen as being nearer to God than those more successful in worldly ways and in the end the greatest sinners turn out to be the truest believers. The research also demonstrated that to reveal his vision of the human nature, Greene applied paradox mixed with severe irony and social satire. Further studies must be conducted in order to go deeper into certain aspects of the human nature in other G. Greene’s fictional works. / Savo kūriniuose britų rašytojas G. Greene‘as nagrinėjo daugybę socialinių, filosofinių bei religinių klausimų, tokių kaip nuodemė, išganymas ir pasmerkimas, blogis ir jo kilmė, išdavystė, fizinė ir dvasinė kančia, vaikystės nekaltumo praradimas, ir t.t. Tačiau labiausiai Greene‘ą traukė paslaptinga žmogaus prigimtis, vis kitaip pasireiškianti įvairiausiose situacijose bei santykiuose. Jo turbūt svarbiausias klausimas – Kaip gali žmogus, gyvenantis netobulame pasaulyje, išlikti sąžiningas bei išsaugoti garbę? – apibrėžia pagrindinį šio tyrimo klausimą: kas, pagal Greene‘ą, yra žmogaus prigimtis? Kaip ji pasireiškia jo kūryboje? Klausimo suformulavimas leidžia apibrėžti tyrimo tikslą – ištirti žmogaus prigimties sąvoką G. Greene‘o kūryboje ir tai, kaip ji atsiskleidžia jo kūriniuose. Analizei buvo pasirinkti du G. Greene‘o kūriniai – „Būties esmė“ (1948) ir „Neišdildoma žymė“ (1960). Šie romanai buvo pasirinkti dėl jų brandumo bei gylaus žvilgsnio į žmogaus prigimties gelmes. Norint pasiekti užsibrėžtą tikslą buvo numatyta:  ištirti G. Greene‘o filosofinius ir estetinius požiūrius, taip pat pateikti periodo po Antrojo Pasaulinio karo bendro istorinio ir literatūrinio fono analizę ir nustatyti, kokios įtakos turėjo minėti elementai žmogaus prigimties sąvokos pasireiškimui pairinktuose kūriniuose;  pateikti pasirinktų romanų analizę;  atskleisti G. Greene‘o žmogaus prigimties sąvoką;  nustatyti, kokios stilistinės bei kontekstinės priemonės buvo naudojamos žmogaus... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Living in harmony with nature is a pervasive ideology, or cultural blueprint, of how a "sustainable future,” a "good society,” and a "fulfilled life" would look like. However, this notion of harmony with nature is highly paradoxical, as consumers often want and even must dominate and control nature. The current thesis explores consumers’ desires of living in harmony with nature through a post-human analysis of how backcountry hikers negotiate tensions between utilitarian and romantic discourses of nature vis-à-vis their experience of material forces of nature. Through conceptualizing nature as an active actor in a symmetric assemblage of material and cultural entities (i.e., nature agency), this thesis contributes to our understanding of the human/nature relationship, materialism, and sustainable consumption. Findings are presenting through three interrelated themes. The first theme highlights how hikers appropriate romantic discourses by seeking harmony in a nature that is perceived as external to civilization. Noting the contradiction that hikers’ quest for being in harmony with a “romantic nature” oftentimes exposes them to higher physical dangers in material nature, the subsequent themes explore how harmony can arise when hikers have to struggle with physical dangers of nature. Focusing on physical dangers that are experienced in material nature, theme 2 finds that hikers’ relationship with nature is highly ambivalent: They strive to experience “more nature and less civilization”, but also “more civilization and less nature.” The third theme explores how meanings of nature and technology emerge from fluidly shifting assemblages, finding that the same technological resources can both distract from and enable feelings of harmony with nature. These findings contribute to consumer research by broadening our understanding of the human/nature relationship and by challenging previous notions (Canniford and Shankar 2013) that technology and civilization must always betray consumers’ experiences of “romantic nature.” Furthermore, the notions of nature agency and that no single actor can unilaterally shape the assemblage of heterogeneous entities contribute to the emerging material turn in consumer research. Finally, this post-human analysis of consumers’ relationships with nature offers theoretical and practical implications for sustainable consumption and sustainable marketing. / Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2014-01-31 14:58:31.326

Despite most educated people now accepting Darwinian explanations for human physical evolution, many of these same people remain reluctant to accept similar accounts of human behavioural or cognitive evolution. Leftists in particular often assume that our evolutionary history now has little bearing on modern human social behaviour, and that cultural processes have taken over from the biological imperatives at work elsewhere in nature. The leftist view of human nature still largely reflects that of Karl Marx, who believed that our nature is moulded solely by prevailing social and cultural conditions, and that, moreover, our nature can be completely changed by totally changing society. Ethical philosopher Peter Singer challenges this leftist view, arguing that the left must replace its non-Darwinian view of an infinitely malleable human nature with the more accurate scientific account now made possible by modern Darwinian evolutionary science. Darwinism, Singer suggests, could then be used as a source of new ideas and new approaches that could revive and revitalise the egalitarian left. This thesis defends and develops Singer’s arguments for a Darwinian left. It shows that much modern leftist opposition to evolutionary theory is misguided, and that Darwinism does not necessarily have the egregious political implications so often assumed by the egalitarian left – even in such controversial areas as possible ‘biological’ differences between the sexes or between different human populations.

Inaug.-diss.--Erlangen. / Cover title. Vita.

This study aims to develop an understanding of how circular economy should be implemented to result in sustainable development and to analyze the potential of one particular implementation to result in sustainable development. “The sustainable development way of implementing circular economy” is presented by understanding circular economy with system thinking and considering the factors affecting the implementation of circular economy. Interviews and text-analysis are conducted to analyze the character and potential of ReTuna, a reused items mall in Eskilstuna, to result in sustainable development. Results show circular economy should be implemented as a way of reasoning that can result in a systemic transformation of the economic system to result in eco-centric sustainability. Implementations that do not explicitly derive from a an understanding of circular economy as a new way of reasoning are despite this valuable due to a system’s character of interconnectedness. ReTuna is implemented as a set of practices and an organizational structure but it also demonstrates an honorable effort to change people’s perception of the human-nature relationship. It is concluded that way of implementation has to reflect and be synchronized with the aspiration behind implementing circular economy. ReTuna has potential to result in sustainability but does not yet.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:11:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 723774 bytes, checksum: b7faf3aab257b281988f8f619b4d8aab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-04-07 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This study aims to understand the conceptual web that permeates the notion of labor by Marx in the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts. We relate the notion of labor, as productive human activity, to three other concepts: human essence, strangeness and freedom. In the relationship between labor and human essence labor shall be viewed, generally, as the activity of the metabolism between man and nature, and in that sense it is the peculiar brand of men to the animal kingdom, because only they have the ability to create their own world according to their will. The relationship between labor and strangeness intends to show particular forms of labor in what private property prevails, especially to describe the modern conditions of life. The last part inserts a problem to healthy understanding of Marx's thought, is also the labor that creates possibilities of human emancipation, thus relating directly to the concept of freedom, seen as an overcoming of estrangement and, at the same time, the realization of the human essence. The three concepts are therefore complementary and indispensable to understanding the meaning of human history in Marx. / Este estudo tem o objetivo de compreender a teia conceitual que permeia a noção de trabalho apresentada por Marx nos Manuscritos Econômico-filosóficos. Relacionamos a noção de trabalho enquanto atividade produtiva humana a três outros conceitos: essência humana; estranhamento e liberdade. Na relação entre trabalho e essência humana o trabalho deve ser visto de maneira geral, como a atividade de metabolismo entre o homem e a natureza, e nesse sentido ele é a marca peculiar dos homens perante o reino animal, pois somente eles possuem a capacidade de criar o seu próprio mundo de acordo com sua vontade. A relação entre trabalho e estranhamento serve para expor formas particulares de trabalho em que impera a propriedade privada, sobretudo para descrever as modernas condições de vida. A última relação insere um problema salutar à compreensão do pensamento de Marx, é também o trabalho que cria as possibilidades de emancipação humana, relacionando-se assim diretamente ao conceito de liberdade, vista como uma superação do estranhamento e ao mesmo tempo a realização da essência humana. Os três conceitos são, portanto, complementares e indispensáveis para o entendimento do sentido da história humana em Marx.

Submitted by EFRAIN MACIEL E SILVA null (efrainmaciel@gmail.com) on 2017-10-25T20:01:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese - Efrain Maciel e Silva.pdf: 418032 bytes, checksum: fa5c286d491df38291bac659680a53e6 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Monique Sasaki (sayumi_sasaki@hotmail.com) on 2017-10-31T17:20:44Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_em_dr_arafcl.pdf: 418032 bytes, checksum: fa5c286d491df38291bac659680a53e6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-31T17:20:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_em_dr_arafcl.pdf: 418032 bytes, checksum: fa5c286d491df38291bac659680a53e6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-25 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O objetivo desta tese foi analisar os fundamentos ontológicos do trabalho educativo por meio do estudo do trabalho como mediação entre ser humano e natureza, tomando como objeto o conceito de trabalho educativo proposto por Dermeval Saviani e preconizado pela pedagogia histórico-crítica. Para se compreender o trabalho educativo, na perspectiva histórico-crítica, faz-se necessário o entendimento do método histórico-dialético de Marx, no entanto, além dos textos marxiano buscou-se em Lukács e na ontologia este necessário aprofundamento entre teleologia, trabalho e natureza humana. Este foi um trabalho de cunho teórico fundado no método histórico-dialético, que utilizou da técnica de pesquisa bibliográfica considerando como referência os principais autores da pedagogia histórico-crítica, em especial a obra de Dermeval Saviani, Newton Duarte e Lígia Márcia Martins. No âmbito mais geral dos fundamentos, tomou-se como principais referências as obras de Karl Marx e György Lukács. Justificou-se a conceituação da atividade educativa como trabalho devido a seu caráter de atividade mediadora que atua sobre a natureza humana visando a produção intencional da humanidade nos indivíduos. Para alcançar este propósito foi realizado a discussão sobre teleologia e casualidade e suas relações com o trabalho educativo. Fazendo a análise de como os processos causais das relações humanas possui uma relação dialética com a ação teleológica desenvolvida no trabalho educativo, em especial na formação de funções psicológicas superiores e pelo domínio intencional dos signos na ação do ato instrumental. Conclui-se que a educação escolar desempenha um papel fundamental, pois é por meio dela que os seres humanos têm a possibilidade de desenvolverem suas máximas capacidades e possibilidades. Apenas nossas relações sociais cotidianas darão conta de nossa formação enquanto seres sociais, no entanto, o que a pedagogia histórico-crítica defende é a possibilidade do desenvolvimento das máximas capacidades humanas e são estas que não estão imediatamente disponíveis em nossas relações cotidianas e devem ser teleologicamente produzidas pelos seres humanos para que possamos ter acesso a elas. Ao analisar o trabalho como categoria fundante do ser social, procurou-se compreender como se dá a relação dialética da ação humana com a natureza e por que esta relação é fundamental para a compreensão do desenvolvimento social da natureza humana. Ao analisar as relações entre trabalho educativo e a natureza humana foi possível um maior aprofundamento sobre os fundamentos ontológicos da pedagogia histórico-crítica, compreendendo os limites da atividade educativa nas relações sociais capitalistas e suas possibilidades de vir a ser na proposição de uma teoria pedagógica que entende dialeticamente as relações entre educação e sociedade, bem como a sua especificidade enquanto um espaço que, ao promover diretamente o máximo desenvolvimento dos indivíduos, contribui indiretamente para a transformação das bases sociais. / The aim of this thesis was to analyze the ontological foundations of educational work through the study of work as mediation between human being and nature, taking as object the concept of educational work proposed by Dermeval Saviani and advocated by historical-critical pedagogy. In order to understand the educational work, in the historical-critical perspective, it is necessary to understand Marx's historical-dialectical method; however, in addition to the Marxian texts, Lukács and ontology sought this deepening of teleology, work and human nature. This was a theoretical work based on the historical-dialectical method, which used the technique of bibliographical research considering as reference the main authors of historicalcritical pedagogy, especially the work of Dermeval Saviani, Newton Duarte and Lígia Márcia Martins. In the more general context of the grounds, the works of Karl Marx and György Lukács were taken as main references. The conceptualization of the educational activity as work was justified because of its character of mediating activity that acts on the human nature aiming at the intentional production of the humanity in the individuals. To achieve this purpose, the discussion about teleology and chance and its relation with educational work was carried out. Analyzing how the causal processes of human relations have a dialectical relationship with the teleological action developed in the educational work, especially in the formation of higher psychological functions and by the intentional domination of the signs in the action of the instrumental act. It is concluded that school education plays a fundamental role because it is through it that human beings have the possibility to develop their maximum capacities and possibilities. Only our everyday social relations will account for our formation as social beings; however, what historical-critical pedagogy advocates is the possibility of the development of the highest human capacities, and these are not immediately available in our daily relations and must be teleological produced by human beings so that we can have access to them. In analyzing work as a founding category of social being, we sought to understand how the dialectical relation of human action to nature occurs and why this relationship is fundamental for understanding the social development of human nature. In analyzing the relationship between educational work and human nature, a deeper understanding of the ontological foundations of historical-critical pedagogy was possible, understanding the limits of educational activity in capitalist social relations and their possibilities of becoming a proposition of a pedagogical theory that understands dialectically the relationship between education and society, as well as its specificity as a space that, by directly promoting the maximum development of individuals, contributes indirectly to the transformation of social bases.

A reconstrução do pensamento hobbesiano acerca do Estado, com foco no tema da liberdade, é o que foi feito neste trabalho. Como é possível a compatibilidade entre liberdade e necessidade?; Qual a relação entre liberdade, guerra e paz?; Como a justiça está relacionada com a questão da liberdade?; Qual a liberdade dos cidadãos frente ao Estado?; Qual a liberdade do soberano pelo Estado? - constituem questionamentos que refletem o caminho percorrido. Sempre possuindo a liberdade como foco, foi-se do homem à máquina e da máquina ao homem, por meio da exploração articulada do pensamento hobbesiano acerca dos campos da Física, da Antropologia/Psicologia, do Direito e da Moral. / The reconstruction of the hobbesian thought on the State, with focus on the liberty\'s question, is what was done in this research. How it is possible the compatibility between necessity and liberty?; What is the relation between liberty, war and peace?; How justice is related with the liberty\'s question?; What is the liberty of the citizens?; What liberty has the sovereign by the State? - constitute the questions which reflect the itinerary done. Always with focus on liberty, I went from the man to the machine and from the machine to the man by the articulated exploration of the hobbesian thought on the Physics, Anthropology/Psychology, Law and Morality.

Alors que disparaissent les témoins des événements qui ont marqué le XXe siècle, les récits de mémoire contemporains prétendent pallier la menace d’oubli de la violence passée. Ils ne veulent cependant pas se substituer aux récits des disparus, ni simplement transmettre la mémoire des atrocités commises durant les guerres et au sein des camps de concentration : la transmission de la transmissibilité de l’expérience passée demeure leur véritable enjeu. Ces témoignages littéraires, écrits à distance des événements, par des survivants (M.Rigoni Stern, J.Semprun, I.Kertész) ou par des témoins de seconde génération (A.Tabucchi), imposent au genre du témoignage de se retourner sur sa forme et ses ambitions. Le rejet de la violence, jugée inhumaine, se révélant inséparable du devoir de mémoire, ils interrogent les modalités de prise en charge de l’héritage laissé par ce passé récent, et affrontent l’impossible reniement de la violence en l’homme. En dévoilant les limites imposées à la représentation du passé, les témoignages contemporains réévaluent et interrogent le mystère de la distinction posée entre humanité et inhumanité. Le travail de mémoire se révèle ainsi indissociable de la quête d’une donnée permanente sur laquelle la notion d’homme puisse se fonder. Le choix de la fiction pour témoigner, donne une chance d’atteindre une définition de la spécificité humaine par la représentation d’une expérience passée. Facteur d’appropriation de l’héritage, elle autorise la prise en charge de la nature contradictoire de l’homme. Double de l’éthique, elle manifeste le désir humain de donner forme à son existence : l’homme demeurant inlassablement en quête de lui-même. / While the witnesses of the events which have shaped the twentieth century have been disappearing, the contemporary memory’s relations pretend speaking against past violence’s forgetfulness. Although, they aim neither at replacing the missing ones’ relations, nor simply at handing down atrocities’ memory committed during the wars and in concentration camps: the transmission of past experience’s transmissibility is the real stake. These literary statements, written a long time after the happenings, by survivors (M.Rigoni Stern, J.Semprun, I.Kertész) or by second generation’s witnesses (A.Tabucchi), compel statement’s style to rethink its form and its ambitions. The rejection of violence, judged inhuman, appearing tightly bounded to the obligation of remembrance, they question the ownership modalities of this recent past legacy, and confront the impossible denial of violence in human. Also, by revealing the frame imposed to the representation of past, the contemporary testimonials reappraise and question the mystery of the edge between humanity and inhumanity. Memory work therefore proves to be inseparable from the quest for an everlasting base to found the notion of human. Choosing fiction to testimony grants a chance to reach a definition of humanity’s specificity through representation of a past experience. Enabling self-appropriation of the legacy, it allows consideration of the contradictory nature of man. As ethics, it expresses the will in human to shape his being: man remaining relentlessly chasing for himself.

Voltaire a-t-il été rénovateur ou défenseur du classicisme ? Bien qu’il l’appréciât, il s’opposait à l’introduction de la galanterie qui était la tradition classique. Car, pour lui, la puissance de la tragédie, c’était d’inspirer la crainte et la pitié afin d’instruire les hommes. À ses yeux, la galanterie ne pouvait qu’affaiblir le rôle éducatif de la tragédie. Ainsi, il a tenté d’instruire dans le théâtre français des scènes qui inspirent la terreur, tout en respectant la bienséance du classicisme. Pour ce qui est de la pitié, il a mis en avant l’importance des liens familiaux ; les liens du sang font entendre la voix de la nature. Cela nous amène à la question de la nature humaine. En réalité, Voltaire avait confiance en la nature de l’homme, tout en soutenant l’empirisme. De là, une contradiction apparaît. Si l’homme est façonné par son environnement, il y a des cas où il se dénature et commet un crime. Voltaire pensait plutôt que l’homme était originellement l’être faible qui commit la faute. Alors, le crime s’unit à la nature humaine. Cependant, il croyait malgré tout à la bonté de l’homme car ce dernier possède la capacité de se régénérer. C’est là qu’intervient la force du remords. Pour Voltaire, ce sentiment est une des composantes de la vertu gravée dans la nature humaine. Même si un mortel commet un crime, il peut se régénérer grâce au remords. L’être humain, selon lui, résulte de sa nature bonne et l’empirisme. Voltaire a tenté jusqu’à sa mort d’être à la fois dramaturge et philosophe afin de mettre en lumière le rapport de la vertu et de la régénération. Pensant toujours à éduquer l’homme, tantôt il défend la tradition classique, tantôt il introduit de la modernité dans le classicisme. Toutefois, pour lui, moderniser la tradition classique était un moyen de la conserver, non pas de la détruire. En effet, il pensait que la tragédie classique était la plus efficace manière d’éduquer les hommes. La tragédie voltairienne, c’est donc l’intégration de la modernité à la tradition du classicisme. / Was Voltaire the refomer or the guardian of the classicism ? Although he appreciated it, he opposed the insertion of the coquettish story which was the classical tradition. For him, the power of the tragedy that was to inspire fear and pity in order to educate humain being. In his eyes the coquettish story weakens the educational role of the tragedy. And so, for fear, he tried to introduce the spectacle of terror in the French theatre. But at the same time he minded the reserve of the classicism. In terms of pity, he highlighted the importance of family ties. He emphasized the voice of the nature in the same blood. This brings us to the problem of human nature. He trusted actually the nature of man, whereas he supported the empiricism. That so, the contradiction happens inside him. If human being is shaped according to his environment, there are cases where he is corrupted and commits a crime. Rather, he thought that man was originally the weak creature who committed the fault. In this thought, the crime joins human nature. However, Voltaire still believed in the goodness of human nature, because man has also the ability to regenerate : it is the power of remorse. For Voltaire, that feeling is one of the components of virtue engaved in human nature. Even if he commits crime, man has the possibility of regeneration, thanks to the felling of remorse. Such a fusion of the human nature and of empiricism was his thought about man. Voltaire tried until his death to be both playwright and philosopher in order to highlight importance of the relation between virtue and regeneration. Always thinking to educate man, sometimes Voltaire defends the classical tradition, sometimes he introduces modernity in classicism. However, for him, modernizing the classical tradition was a way to conserve it, not to destoy it. Indeed, he thought that the classical tragedy was the most effective manner to educate man. So, Voltaire’s tragedy is characterized by the integration of modernity into the classical tradition.