O tema principal do Fédon de Platão é a imortalidade da alma. Meu objetivo nesta tese é apresentar um estudo dos argumentos sobre a imortalidade da alma no Fédon e uma tradução parcial do diálogo. / The main topic of the Platos Phaedo is the immortality of the soul. My aim in this thesis is to present a study of the arguments for immortality of the soul in the Phaedo and a partial translation of the dialogue.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2003. / Advisor: Dr. John Degen, Florida State University, School of Theater. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 29, 2003). Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis creatively reconsiders the ancient Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh and offers a design of the ancient epic as a contemporary, illustrated text. The work is concerned with notions of heroism, and methods relating to construction of imagery. The manifestation of this investigation is the illustrated book Gilgamesh, the Hero of Mesopotamia, which comprises the principal site of research in the project. It consists of thirty-six drawings that explore cyclic composition as a form of narrative discourse.

This thesis creatively reconsiders the ancient Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh and offers a design of the ancient epic as a contemporary, illustrated text. The work is concerned with notions of heroism, and methods relating to construction of imagery. The manifestation of this investigation is the illustrated book Gilgamesh, the Hero of Mesopotamia, which comprises the principal site of research in the project. It consists of thirty-six drawings that explore cyclic composition as a form of narrative discourse.

Thesis (Ph.D) -- McMaster University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 273-286). Also available via World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Southern California, 2001. / Adviser: Charlotte Furth. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 460-474)

Thesis (M.C.S.)--Regent College, Vancouver, B.C., 1998. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-129).

This essay aims to examine how immortality and immoral behavior are represented in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. The claim in this essay is that an immortal life is not a desirable life and that it traps you in a paradoxical existence that cannot be desirable. The method used in this essay is close reading of the narrative focusing on the protagonist Dorian Gray examined through two theories, ‘The Makropulos case’ and the subsequent analysis regarding contingent and categorical desires introduced by Bernard Williams as well as a theory focusing on endless frustration by Aaron Smuts that evolved through critiquing Williams’ theory on contingent and categorical desires. By analyzing Dorian Gray’s behavior and comparing his choices to the theories presented by Williams and Smuts the results are unanimous and support the claim that an immortal life is undesirable. Dorian Gray ended up confined to a life without meaning as he left everything that held meaning to him behind in his pursuit of pleasure and youth.

Musicians who die young often become more famous after their death and moreover, this popularity sometimes continues to exist years or even decades afterwards which consequently has a chance to turn these musicians into legends. Research has shown that the development of media and the growing celebrity culture have impacted the ways individuals perceive famous people. The fans may often view celebrities as a part of their personal lives which may be a reason for them to strive for maintaining the presence of deceased artists by, for instance, listening to their music or posting content connected to them on social media. This study aims to determine the ways in which individuals mourn and grieve over their idols, the role of media in this process and as a result, how the presence of deceased musicians is maintained in a long-term by the forces of fans, media or other heritage left after the artists. With this in mind, the research questions of this study cover such aspects as the extent to which fans’ lives are affected by their idol, common practices of mourning and grieving over deceased musicians, the role of media in this process, and the role of the audience in the growing popularity of deceased musicians. After exploring previous research and preparing the theoretical framework for the study, an online survey was distributed to the fans of the chosen deceased musicians. Respondents were asked questions about celebrities and their deaths, the ways in which the participants were coping with loss, the role of media in this process, and the reasons for them to continue getting back to the art created by those musicians. Analysis of the responses demonstrated that the development of media has made it easier for the fans to share their feelings, discuss difficult topics, and open up about their struggles online. Additionally, it turned out that despite a strong emotional connection with the late musicians, when listening to their music, the fans, in fact, were reconnecting not with the musicians, but with their own past that the music reminded them of. Given these points, it may be concluded that media performs an important function for individuals who have experienced loss through granting them a chance to speak openly about their feelings or struggles, connect with other adherents, and even more so, connect with their true selves.

Transhumanism is a movement dedicated to radically changing the human condition through technology, including by extending lifespan in one of three ways: (1) a biological approach that focuses on reducing the effects of aging, (2) a cybernetic approach that focuses on replacing the body with mechanical equivalents, and (3) a digital approach that focuses on reproducing human minds within computers. This dissertation focuses on the third way, digital immortality, because digitality can serve as a framework for further human enhancement that goes beyond mere life-extension, and thus has nearly unlimited potential to transform the human condition, and also because some forms of digital immortality are already technologically feasible. The dissertation examines transhumanist ideas of digital immortality from three perspectives. First, it employs the lens of theological anthropology to evaluate transhumanist arguments for how and why it is possible to reconstruct a person’s behavior patterns, and perhaps consciousness itself, in a machine. Second, it uses the lens of eschatology to examine the relationship between these immortality scenarios and the technological singularity, including the rise of superintelligent artificial intelligence. Third, it applies the lens of the philosophy of history to examine transhumanist ideas of evolution and the necessity of perpetual cycles of human enhancement to keep pace with AI and future generations of posthumans. The dissertation uses the anthropologies, eschatologies, and philosophies of history constructed by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and Jürgen Moltmann to create a framework for comparing Christian theology and transhumanist philosophy. The dissertation concludes that the real conflict between Christian theology and transhumanism is over supernaturalism, the degree to which God intervenes and directs human activity in history. As a result, transhumanists can find common theological ground with Christian naturalists as they pursue the religiously charged questions that transhumanists are asking about the essential nature, purpose, and destiny of humanity.