Thesis (Ph. D.)--Eberhard-Karls-Universität zu Tübingen. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 162-167).

Thesis (M.A.)--Kent State University, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Oct. 5, 2009 ) Advisor: David Odell-Scott. Keywords: Whitehead; Hartshorne; Thomas Aquinas; mises; process theism; immortality Includes bibliographical references (p. 67)

Few can claim to have never heard of Abraham or Gilgamesh. In terms of renown, the two are so rooted in our cultural awareness that it is highly unlikely that they will ever be truly forgotten. But whilst there have been many publication analyzing one or the other, few have ever attempted a side by side comparison of the duo. Therefore we shall not focus on introducing both characters, but try to see where their key differences lie. Since a complete comparison of every individual motive would be too broad for the purpose of this work, we are going to focus on three particular concepts: the hero's journey, immortality and relations to the divine. The first of these is also a brief introduction of the concept itself, since along with its author Joseph Campbell, it is a rather obscure topic on czech academic grounds. The second and third concepts are closer to an analysis of the cultural and religious settings and norms relevant for the authors of both texts.

Orientador: André Leonardo Chevitarese / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T06:57:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Guerra_LolitaGuimaraes_D.pdf: 3272234 bytes, checksum: bc2f37f5088831937e035ad9b21cb6f3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Os Hieroì Lógoi de Élio Aristides, compostos ca. 170 da Era Comum, constituem uma narrativa autobiográfica dedicada a Asclépio, cujo santuário, em Pérgamo, foi frequentado pelo autor ao longo de sua vida. Este, ao voltar-se em direção ao deus em busca de suas famosas curas praticadas por meio de sonhos, é transformado em meio a uma relação de favorecimento e intimidade com Asclépio que, em última instância, identifica-o a ele. Essa identificação, dada a ver no corpo de Aristides e por ele sentida é atravessada por valores paradoxais e inapreensíveis do ponto de vista de uma elaboração sistemática. Ela é entendida, assim, como uma iniciação mistérica, a qual dialoga com a cultura material de Asclepeia como os santuários de Pérgamo e o de Epidauro. Nesses espaços circulam sentidos e práticas cuja dinâmica resulta, não apenas, na produção da própria materialidade, como dos indivíduos que, no ocupar-se dela, são também constituídos. Esta relação circular com o mundo material ultrapassa o contexto dos santuários e deve ser também observada no próprio texto dos Hieroì Lógoi como produto humano e, ao mesmo tempo, produtor do humano. A escrita autobiográfica oferece-se, assim, como locus privilegiado para a reflexão sobre os modos de produção e existência do Eu enquanto ser no mundo. Ao mesmo tempo, na medida em que esta autobiografia é composta por meio de discursos nos quais se combinam elementos sobrenaturais e de transformação do si mesmo em algo para além do humano, ela deve ser pensada como parte de um antigo ocupar-se do Eu em ambiente greco-romano. Esta forma de tratar o Eu, tomá-lo e ocupar-se dele, prescinde da elaboração sistemática de um saber teórico e, simultaneamente, fundamenta toda reflexão desenvolvida em torno do problema do si mesmo a partir da perspectiva da primeira pessoa. A identificação de Aristides a Asclépio dialoga com temas caros a esses questionamentos: a unidade, a continuidade e a impermeabilidade do Eu, muitas vezes contestadas por ideias de multiplicidade, fragmentação e abertura. Essas reflexões frequentemente lançam hipóteses sobre a autonomia do indivíduo e sua vulnerabilidade perante os imortais. Na medida em que a identificação de Aristides a Asclépio se dá, em grande parte, por meio da visualidade e dos encontros face a face, sinaliza-se a necessidade de questionar a mortalidade e a imortalidade como pares antitéticos tributários de noções de alteridade próprias da dicotomia sujeito / objeto. Assim, a partir do discurso paradoxal de Aristides sobre suas experiências, o qual reatualiza antigas perspectivas sobre os limites entre deuses e homens como flexíveis, contestáveis e, até mesmo, apenas virtualmente existentes, defendemos uma abordagem da mortalidade e da imortalidade como pares incomensuráveis os quais, nos Hieroì Lógoi, constituem o Eu. Essa abordagem nos permite pensar mortalidade imortalidade como expressão particular de uma dimensão de trato, tomada e ocupação do Eu anterior, não-tributária e não-fundadora de um saber sistematizado das relações de alteridade. Os Hieroì Lógoi apresentam-se, portanto, como materialidade narrativa das possibilidades-Eu emergidas no sonho e na devoção de um homem do segundo século de nossa Era / Abstract: The Hieroì Lógoi of Aelius Aristides, composed ca. 170 C.E., constitute an autobiographical narrative dedicated to Asclepius, whose sanctuary, in Pergamon, the author visited many times throughout his life. As he turns to the god in search of his famous dream cures, Aristides is transformed through a favoritism and intimacy relationship with Asclepius which ultimately identifies them. This identification, bodily seen and felt by Aristides, is permeated by paradoxical and inapprehensible values from the perspective of systematic elaboration. Therefore, it is understood as an initiation into a mystery which is in close relation to the Asclepieia¿s material culture, as in Pergamon and Epidauros. In these spaces there are available meanings and practices in circulation whose dynamics result not only in the production of materiality but, also, in the fashioning of individuals who, as they deal with it, are constituted by it. This circular relation with the material world trespasses the sanctuaries¿ context and may be also observed in the Hieroì Lógoi text itself as a human product and, at the same time, it's producer. Autobiography is offered, therefore, as a privileged locus for the reflection on the modes of existence and fashioning of the Self as being in the world. At the same time, as this autobiography is composed by discourses which combine supernatural features and elements which transform the Self into something beyond human, it must be approached as part of the ancient self-occupation in the Greco-Roman world. This taking and occupation of the Self dispenses the systematic elaboration of a theoretical knowledge and simultaneously grounds all reflection on the problem of the Self from the first-person perspective. Aristides¿ identification with Asclepius engages in important themes to these inquiries: unity, continuity and the Self¿s impermeability, often contested by ideas of plurality, fragmentation and openness. These reflections frequently construct hypothesis regarding individual agency and autonomy, on the one hand, and vulnerability towards the gods, on the other. As Aristides¿ identification with Asclepius occurs, mostly, trough face-to-face visuality, comes to light the necessity to question mortality and immortality as antithetical pairs dependent on notions about otherness peculiar to the subject / object dichotomy. Therefore, from Aristides¿ paradoxical discourse on his experiences, which reactualizes ancient perspectives on the limits between gods and men as flexible, contested and even virtually absent, we assert an approach towards mortality and immortality as incommensurable pairs which constitute the Self in the Hieroì Lógoi. This approach allows us to consider mortality immortality as a particular expression of treatment, taking and occupancy of the Self which is prior, independent and non-constituent of systematized and discursively built alterity. The Hieroì Lógoi present themselves, therefore, as the narrative materiality of Self-possibilities arisen in this second-century man's dream and devotion / Doutorado / Historia Cultural / Doutora em História

The use of a mobile charger (MC) is a popular method to restore energy in wireless rechargeable sensor networks(WRSN), whose effectiveness depends critically on the recharging strategy employed by the MC. In this thesis, we propose a novel on-line recharging mechanism strategy, called Continuous Local Learning (CLL), which predicts the current energy level of the sensor nodes and dynamically updates the schedule to visit the nodes before their batteries get depleted. The strategy is based on simple computations done by the MC with little memory requirements, and the communication is strictly local (between the MC and neighbouring nodes). In spite of its simplicity, this strategy was experimentally shown to be highly effective in keeping the network perpetually operating, ensuring that the number of sensing holes (i.e., non-operational sensors due to battery depletion) and their duration are very small at any time, and achieving immortality (i.e., no node ever becoming nonoperational) under many settings even in large networks. We also studied the flexibility of CLL under a variety of network parameters, showing its applicability in various contexts. We particularly focused on network size, data rate, sensors’ battery-capacity, and speed of the MC, and studied their impact on operational size and disconnection time under a wide range of values. The experiments indicate the fact that the effectiveness of CLL holds under all considered settings. We then compared the proposed solution with the popular class of static strategies since they share with CLL the features of simplicity, strict local communication and small memory and computational requirements. Experimental results showed that CLL outperforms these strategies in effectiveness. Not only is the number of sensors that are operational at any time higher under CLL, but the average duration of a sensing hole is also significantly lower. Finally, we studied the adaptability of CLL to a network’s sudden changes, in particular changes in data rate, which we call spikes. We studied the impact of spikes parameters on the performance of CLL. Experimental results showed that CLL is capable of reacting and adapting to these sudden changes with only a slight increase in non-operational size and disconnection time.

In pharaonic times, religion, magic and medicine had little distinction between each other due to the commonly held belief that all parts of life were influenced and even controlled by divinity and the supernatural. To navigate life easier, and in true Egyptian fashion, a large corpus of text was composed of magic, medicine and religion. The latter includes the arguably most well-known work, the Egyptian Book of the dead, the religious scripture that would help the deceased navigate the netherworld in the hopes for eternal life. The papyri depict numerous plants and remedies as well as spell and healing methods accompanied by magical incorporation such as incantation or invocation of a god or goddess. These can be considered a basis for the fundamental ideas of religion and daily life of ancient Egypt, always consisting of divine involvement. This essay will deal with a symbol that the ancient Egyptians saw as synonymous with life, and immortality: The narcotic blue water lily, Nymphaea Caerulea. The study will be a work on the human religious experience with a plant that I will theorize as having been used for an entheogenic effect in order to connect with the divine by asking some key questions: How and why was the lily used? How is the flowers depiction on art, in texts, and different iconography indicative to a usage in religious experience and through the mythology produced in the civilisation?

The improvvisatore tradition in Florence Italy during the second half of the quattrocento featured poet-musicians who sang poetry for music (poesia per musica) accompanied by the lira (da braccio). This thesis researches Florentine literati and threads of humanism in relation to poetry written for music. By doing so, philosophical and literary trends are analyzed in relation to the Florentine improvvisatore style: frottola versification forms and divinus furor. Marsilio Ficino’s (1433-1499) direction at the Platonic Academy (founded c. 1463) outside Florence in the hills of Carregi influenced some of the greatest artists and musicians of his time. This thesis focuses on lyric improvisation as a means of connecting mind and body with the universe. In doing so, Ficino’s music-spirit-theory and astrological program are looked at in light of the Platonic sources. The instrument of the improvvisatore, the lira, will be analyzed in relation to affect (ethos) and wellness for mind (soul) and body

The end of life discussions can often be difficult for a multitude of reasons. Our culture is pervasive with ideas of mortality, and that medicine can avert this human constant. Medicine, as a field, must embrace our limitations so that we can engage in honest discussions with the families and the patients regarding the end of life care.

This work is the structured indictment of mediality in us. It argues that media do not satisfy us, nor we are controlled by them. We are much rather satisfied and at the same time controlled by the mediality inside ourselves. Mediality phenomenon is postulated here in the spirit of Jean Baudrillard's theory, not as a mediator of the relations between people, but as their killer. The expansion of digital media doesn't bring us closer to others, but it separates others from us in time and space. The others are transmitted to us only in the form of selected mosaic of images. This alienation is the result of a desire for our own particular worlds, not the conspiracy of power. Efficiency, speed, focus on result and positive thinking are the values that define the orientation of media development. The result is not imitation, but perfection. That's why we use the media. It lures us by the promise of immortality, but in conclusion it only creates a lifeless sign from us. Every human desire is ambivalent, and the desire to create our own post-mortem images can become in its hypertrophy the fatal fulfilment of the death instinct.

[pt] A presente tese aborda um tema de viva atualidade e de suma importância para quem reflete a fundo sobre o sentido da vida humana e da morte. Trata-se de uma questão que inquieta o ser humano desde a antigüidade, desperta a reflexão de filósofos e teólogos e tem obtido respostas diferentes nas diversas épocas, culturas e religiões. Qual o destino do ser humano após a morte? Ímpios e justos estão fadados à mesma sorte? A vida do justo atribulado se extinguiu em vão? Esta tese procura encontrar uma resposta para a questão pesquisando a perícope de Sb 3,1-9 à luz do contexto do livro da Sabedoria. A investigação leva também em consideração a literatura bíblica e extra-bíblica contemporânea à sua redação. Após determinar o texto, o gênero literário e o Sitz im Leben, o estudo focaliza sua atenção na perícope de Sb 3,1-9, analisada através do prisma de suas duas principais dimensões: a escatológica e a apocalíptica. Pergunta-se então: a palavra imortalidade - a/qanasi/a (termo desconhecido na LXX e de singular valor no livro da Sabedoria) - deixa entrever (inclui) também o sentido de ressurreição - a/na/stasij? Depois de ponderar as interpretações e os argumentos de estudiosos - uns afirmam que Sb só fala de imortalidade e não de ressurreição; outros afirmam que a ressurreição está implícita -, a tese coteja as duas posições e opta por uma terceira via, na qual o conceito grego de imortalidade, assumido pelo autor judeu, permite entrever o conceito semítico de ressurreição. A conclusão do trabalho é dúplice: constata a confluência entre o significado de a/qanasi/a e a/na/stasij; e que o conceito de a/qanasi/a oferece uma contribuição para compreender melhor a ressurreição dos mortos, crença comum para judeus e cristãos. / [en] The present thesis deals with a current and very important theme to those who reflect deeply about the meaning of human life and death. This is an issue that has worried the human being since antiquity, has raised the reflection of philosophers and theologians and different answers have been obtained at different times, cultures and religions. What is the destiny of the human being after death? Are the impious and righteous predestined to the same fate? Was the life of the troubled just extinguished in vain? This thesis looks for an answer to the issue through researching the pericope of Wis 3,1-9 in the light of the context of the book of Wisdom. The investigation also considers the biblical literature and the extra-biblical literature contemporaneous to this writing. After determining the text, the literary gender and the Sitz im Leben, the study focus its attention on the pericope of Wis 3,1-9, analyzed through the prism of its two main dimensions: the eschatological and the apocalyptical one. Then one may ask: does the word immortality - a/qanasi/a (unknown term in the LXX and bearing singular value in the book of Wisdom) - also suggest (include) the meaning of resurrection - a/na/stasij? After pondering about scholars interpretations and arguments - some assert that Wis only talks about immortality, not resurrection; others assert that resurrection is implicit -, the thesis considers both positions and chooses a third via, in which the Greek concept of immortality, as taken by the Jewish author, allows one to perceive the Semitic concept of resurrection. The conclusion of the paper is double: it ascertains the confluence between the meanings of a/qanasi/a and a/na/stasij; and that the concept of a/qanasi/a contributes to a better understanding of the resurrection of the dead, a common belief among both Jewish and Christians.