The thesis offers an exposition and tentative solution of two problems: a definition of the Idea of Progress, and classification of social philosophers and sociologists according to this definition. Twelve propositions, or assumptions, are used to define the Idea, and works of selected philosophers from Hesiod to Parsons are examined in the light of this definition. Historical examination reveals that the Idea's acceptance reaches a zenith in the early nineteenth century, after which it lost credibility, becoming virtually discarded by mid-twentieth century.

Analysis and reflection of selected utopian writings with the aim of presenting utopia as a hope for society about the possibility of the existence of better worlds, as well as a valuable historical source from the times when their authors lives. Introducing utopia as a fictious, artificial place with ideal social structure, attributed to its their authors, and focusing, with use the probe of personal choice, especially regarding the social order, property and religion in these "ideal" states. Submitting a comprehensive and well-arranged elaboration of the whole topic from its general characteristics, through the analysis of selected writings to the final reflection. Brief characteristics of the work content: "Fantastic voyage of the barque of emotions and reason under the rudder of ancient philosophers on the vast oceans criticizing the social conditions inside the soul of the ideal states."

A presente dissertação busca analisar como a concepção de representação é desenvolvida na filosofia de Leibniz tendo como pano de fundo a crítica que o filósofo faz ao modo como Descartes e Locke compreendem o conceito. Tomaremos como ponto de partida a crítica que Leibniz formula ao conceito de ideia tal como ele se encontra em Descartes, e a reformulação do conceito que ele opera a partir da compreensão da ideia como um gênero expressão. A partir dela, podemos compreender em que sentido Leibniz se vale do paradigma imagético da ideia em um sentido completamente diverso de Descartes. Ademais, ele nos permitirá compreender como, aos olhos de Leibniz, as noções de representação em Descartes e Locke se aproximam, por mais que suas concepções sobre a origem das ideias sejam opostas. Pretendemos com isso mostrar que, apesar da doutrina leibniziana da representação estar implicada em seu sistema, ela é profundamente marcada pela oposição ao cartesianismo e ao empirismo de Locke. / The following thesis aims to study how the concept of representation is developed in the philosophy of Leibniz having as a background the philosophers critic of the way Descartes and Locke understand the concept. We will take as our starting point the critique that Leibniz formulates the concept of idea as it is in Descartes, and the reformulation of this concept understanding the idea as a genre of expression. From this, we can understandin what sense Leibniz make use of the imagetic paradigm to understand the representative content of the idea in a completely diferente sense as Descartes. Furthermore, it will allow us to understand how, in Leibniz point of view, the concept of representation in Descartes and Locke are similar, albeit the description of its origins differ completely in both philosophers. We intend to show that despite the fact that Leibnizian doctrine of representation is implicated in his system, this doctrine is deeply marked by the opposition to cartesianism and Lockes empiricism.

A tese é uma análise interpretativa do trecho conhecido como símile do Sol na obra República de Platão (508b-509b). Esta análise tem por base dois vieses: i) aquele das questões de relação entre autor e seus personagens, e das questões da relação dos personagens com o próprio drama vigente no diálogo; e ii) aquele das questões relativas à argumentação metafísica apresentada nesta parte do debate, seja quanto aos seus conteúdos, seja quanto aos métodos nela empregados. Estas duas perspectivas de abordagem do símile são atravessadas tendo como fio condutor da exegese o elemento dramático que o próprio autor Platão fez questão que se seguisse à exposição de Sócrates da analogia solar: a reação do personagem Glauco, sobretudo a seguinte passagem: E Glauco muito humorosamente falou: Ah, Apolo, mas que exagero extraordinário! (República VI 509c1-2). O símile do Sol assim é analisado segundo os seus possíveis aspectos de autoria, drama, comicidade e religiosidade, de um lado, e, do outro, segundo os aspectos de sua relação com alguns pontos filosóficos apresentados pelo próprio personagem Sócrates platônico no diálogo e alhures, como a assim chamada Teoria das Ideias, o chamado caminho mais longo, e alguns aludidos métodos de investigação. A partir disso, o presente estudo pretende discutir com, e lançar dúvidas sobre, algumas posições que a tradição da filosofia ocidental construiu nos séculos XX e XXI a respeito da Ideia de Bem dentro do texto da República. / This thesis is an interpretative analysis of the analogy known as simile of the Sun in Plato\'s Republic(508b-509b). The analysis is based on two perspectives: i) that of issues about relationship between author and his characters, and about relationship between the characters and own living drama in the dialogue; and ii) that of issues related to metaphysical argumentation presented in this part of work, whether about its contents or about its methods. In both these approach perspectives of the simile the exegesis\' leitmotiv is the dramatic element that author Plato himself decided put after Socrates\' exposition of analogy of sun: the reaction of character Glaucon, mainly this passage: And Glaucon very comically said: Oh, Apollo, what an extraordinary exaggeration! (RepublicVI 509c1-2). Therefore simile of Sun is analyzed according to its possible features of authorship, drama, comicality and religiosity, on one hand, and, on the other, according to its features about relationship between it and some points made by character Socrates himself in the dialogue and elsewhere, as so called Theory of Ideas, so called longer way, and some alluded to methods of inquiry. With these bases, this study intends discuss with, and cast doubts on, some positions developed at XX and XXI centuries by Western Philosophy tradition about Idea of Good within Republic\'s text.

No seu Tratado sobre os Princípios do Conhecimento Humano, publicado em 1710, George Berkeley realiza uma filosofia da mente, da ideia e da linguagem, através do ponto de vista da imaterialidade da realidade percebida pelo homem, explicada por uma teoria do conhecimento com base na totalidade perceptiva compreendida pela mente, ou espírito, ou percipiente. Historicamente, a questão da inexistência da matéria como um ser exterior à mente, inerte, independente do percipiente, interpretada dentro de um contexto filosófico rigidamente empirista, é o cerne da contenda que Berkeley propõe à filosofia de Locke. Porém, ultrapassando os limites de seu século, o ponto de vista de Berkeley doravante não poderá ser ignorado em qualquer debate concernente à teoria do conhecimento posterior à sua época, articulando-se com traços de importantes correntes filosóficas, tais como o idealismo em Kant e a filosofia da linguagem em Wittgenstein. E por conter em seu núcleo a problematização da falha intrínseca ao dualismo do pensamento, a filosofia de Berkeley ainda é capaz de alimentar e iluminar a natureza do artifício dessa falha, cujo apagamento é denunciado por Habermas no final do século XX, mas cujo ponto de partida parece ter sido estabelecido pela remota herança de Anaxágoras, a qual implica a reiteração da radicalidade existencial no espírito, ponto central da filosofia de Berkeley. / In A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge published in 1710, George Berkeley realizes a philosophy of the mind, the idea and the language through the point of view of the immateriality of the reality perceived by man, explained by a theory of knowledge based on the perceptive totality understood as the mind, the spirit or the perceiver. Historically, the issue of the inexistence of matter as a being external to the mind, inert and independent from the perceiver, interpreted in a rigid empirical philosophic context, is the core of the debate offered by Berkeley to the philosophy of Locke. Overpassing the limits of his century, Berkeley\'s point of view, articulated on important philosophical currents such as Kant\'s idealism and the philosophy of language of Wittgenstein, could not be ignored anymore in any debate about the theory of knowledge posterior to that time. In spite of ncompassing in its core the problematic of the intrinsic fissure of the dualism of thought, Berkeley\'s philosophy is still able to feed and enlighten the nature of the device of this fissure, which deletion is denounced by Habermas at the end of the twentieth century, but which starting point seems to have been established by the remote inheritance of Anaxagoras which involves the reiteration of existential radicalism in the spirit, core point of Berkeley\'s philosophy.

Syftet med vårt arbete var att utforma en affärsplan, där idén är att sälja arbetskläder till privatpersoner via e-handel. Bakgrunden är att vi ser ett ökat intresse för fritidsaktiviteter hos privatpersoner som kräver någon form av arbetskläder. Exempelvis har vi noterat de populära tv-programmen om matlagning, bakning, heminredning och trädgårdsarbete. Vi har även observerat att den moderna människan gärna pysslar om sitt hem och vi vill att de skall kunna göra det i stil. Vi tycker att kombinationen funktionalitet och design är en intressant infallsvinkel för denna typ av kläder. Att sälja via e-handel tycker vi är ett modernt och demokratiskt val av försäljningskanal. E-handel är tillgängligt för en mycket bred målgrupp och ökar kontinuerligt i användarantal. Vi har valt att fokusera mycket på att tillfredsställa kundens behov och har därför valt att inrikta vår affärsidé på att effektivisera kundservice, kundnytta och leverans. Vi har sett att våra konkurrenter brister på detta område. Några av dem har exempelvis endast webb-baserad kundsupport och långa leveranstider. Vi kommer inte i inledningsskedet att kunna konkurrera med det stora sortiment som flera av de andra aktörerna på marknaden har. Det är också en av anledningarna till att vi valt att nischa oss mot en genomgripande kundservice. Med anledning av att arbetet i huvudsak skall handla om detaljhandel så har vi avgränsat arbetet till att endast se till privatpersoner och lämnat företagskunder därhän. Vår målgrupp är då en mycket hobbyintresserad kvinna eller man som vill bruka arbetskläder med stil och hög kvalitet. Men det kan även vara en kvinna eller man som har högre krav på sina yrkeskläder vad gällande modegrad och hållfasthet än vad arbetsgivaren kan erbjuda. Vi har intervjuat systemutvecklaren och e-handelsexperten Ralf Lindberg på 3bits Consulting AB. Han har hjälpt oss med ett flertal frågor kring det praktiska arbetet kring en webb-butik. Vi har även tagit hjälp av ett flertal medarbetare på Segers Fabriker AB för hjälp kring detaljerade frågor kring sortiment, logistik och inköpspriser. Den referenslitteratur vi har använt oss av har varit aktuell och relevant. Vi har försökt att vara källkritiska i vårt val av elektroniska källor och har i största mån undvikit internetlexikon så som Wikipedia där ursprunget är osäkert. De konklusioner vi gjort i arbetet är att vår affärsplan och affärsidé är genomförbar men med den konkurrens och de förutsättningar som finns på marknaden gör det till ett tufft uppdrag att erövra marknadsandelar. / <p>The aim of our report was to develop a business-plan, where the idea is to sell work wear to consumers through e-commerce. The background is that we are seeing an increased interest in free time activities that require some form of working clothes. For example, we have taken notice to the many TV-programs about cooking, baking, home decorating and gardening and that they are very popular. We have also observed that modern people like to fix their homes and we want them to be able do it in style. We think that the combination of design and functionality is an interesting approach for this type of clothing and we think that selling by e-commerce is both modern and democratic. E-commerce is available to a very broad audience and is steadily growing in number of users. We have chosen to concentrate our attention on the satisfaction of our customer and have therefore chosen to focus our work at customer service, customer satisfaction and delivery. We have seen that our competitors fail to compete in this area. Some, for example, do only have Web-based customer support and long delivery time. We will not initially be able to compete with the large range of products that several of our competitors have. It is also one of the reasons for our choice to position ourselves on the market with an advanced customer service. We have defined this report to concern the topic of consumers only, leaving our corporate customers behind. This since our restrictions from the beginning was that the report had to involve retailing. We have decided our target group to be a woman or man with a big interest for her/his hobby and with a need for stylish working clothes with high quality. But it could also be a woman or man with higher standards for her/his working clothes regarding fashion and quality, then what is offered by their employer. We have interviewed system developer and e-business expert Ralf Lindberg from 3bits Consulting AB. He has helped us with answering several questions about the practical work around a web-shop. We have also taken the help of several employees at Segers Fabriker AB for help on specific issues regarding assortment, logistics and purchasing prices. The reference books we have used have been updated and relevant. We have tried to be critical in our choice of sources and have tried to avoid online dictionaries such as Wikipedia, where the origin is uncertain. The conclusions we made in our report is that our business plan and business concept is viable. However, the competition and the market conditions makes it hard to succeed.</p><p>Program: Butikschefsutbildningen</p>

This thesis is an investigation into fundamental questions concerning the aims, purpose and goals of the university within the emerging 21st Century post-industrial, Knowledge Society (KS). Inquiries of this nature are often referred to as the 'idea' of the university and whilst a growing academic literature questions what an 'idea' for the institution may look like in light of the arguably unique context of the Knowledge Society, it has yet to be fully addressed. In order to do so, this thesis is methodologically framed by the sociological school of neo-institutionalism. This is a perspective within institutional theory which views institutions as not passive recipients of social values but able to dictate their own ideals upon society. The university in this view becomes a 'primary institution' capable to imprint its values upon the KS and thus giving it a prominent role in that society. In order to articulate an 'idea' of the university, the thesis begins with a critical review of the literature, specifically the manner in which university-KS relations are conceived. This concludes with a summative statement about such relations in the form of the 'problem of knowledge' i.e. an attitude which increasingly reduces knowledge in the university to means-end and economic propositions. An alternative conceptualisation is proposed which offers an optimistic approach to the university in the KS, one conceived through presumptions by the neo-institutionalist school and coined 'Knowledge Plasticity'. As there are no formal methods for creating an 'idea', the second part of the thesis undertakes an extensive review of seminal works in the field revealing three conditions to which such proposals generally conform. Taken together, these conditions serve as the methodological frame for creating an 'idea' for the university. The first of these, contextual clarity, having been achieved through the literature review, moves to the second condition, theoretical development, and entails an exploration of Knowledge Plasticity. This investigation reveals a 'tension of imbalance' within this concept which the 'idea' of the university must resolve, this being the final condition of the 'idea'. In order to do this, the 'University of Imagination' is identified as the 'idea' whose purpose is to bring about dynamic balance within the institution. Finally, the proposed University of Imagination is compared with the classical Liberal university suggesting a more effective means for the liberal 'idea' to become realised in the KS namely, through engaging with the former. As a philosophical contribution to the literature, the University of Imagination encourages us to be optimistic and emboldened by the project of education and offers a path to navigate the challenges and uncertainties facing the university in the 21st Century.

Autism is the fastest growing serious developmental disability in the United States and more children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes, and cancer combined (Autism Speaks, 2013). Supporting and caring for the child with autism can be devastating socially and emotionally for the families (Neely, Amatea, Doan, & Tannen, 2012). The purpose of this study is to investigate the changes in the life of families that have a child diagnosed with autism. Four families were interviewed in this qualitative study and each was from East Tennessee. These different families were led by a mother and father, a grandmother, and two divorced mothers. Through this research, I learned how each family was impacted by autism. Autism dramatically affected each family and each was impacted in many different aspects of life.

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The study of perfection, progress and evolution is a central theme in the history of ideas. This thesis explores this theme seen and understood as part of a discourse in the new fields of anthropology, sociology and psychology in the nineteenth century. A particular focus is on the stance taken by philosophers, scientists and writers in the discussion of theories of human physical and mental evolution, as well as on their views concerning the nature of social progress and historical change. The wisdom and feasibility of improving the human species is discussed alongside an analysis of new methods of investigating and measuring physical and mental attributes of the human organism. The instruments used to assess the development of mind, body and society are described, and are viewed as part of an increased emphasis on the use of technology as an integral part of modern life, and as a means toward the ordered gathering of information in social-scientific practice. An international perspective is taken by observing the way in which ideas about the physical and mental development of humankind was discussed in light and consequence of English and European scientific exploration in the Southern Hemisphere. Further, an evaluation is made of the manner of the spread of new thought in the social sciences from the intellectual and cultural �centre� of England and Europe to the Anglo-European community located at the �periphery� in Australia in the late nineteenth century. In particular the educative role played by the non-professional enthusiast as a pivotal conduit for the dissemination of these ideas is highlighted and linked back to a significant tradition of amateur scholarship as a central phenomenon in the study of the history of ideas.