In this thesis, I propose an argument against the possibility of moral dilemmas, which I construe as situations in which moral wrongdoing is inescapable. The first chapter addresses some terminological matters and attempts to sort out the main issues of contention between proponents and opponents of moral dilemmas. The second chapter lays out my argument, which I dub the "Argument from Action-Guidingness," against proponents of moral dilemmas. Negative moral judgments of the sort "X is wrong" typically carry with them the implication that X ought not to be done. If judgments of wrongness always have this action-guiding force, then moral dilemmas, which say that all courses of action available to the agent are morally wrong, threaten morality with incoherence. To avoid this problem, proponents of dilemmas will be forced to abandon the action-guiding implications of negative moral judgments when dilemmas arise. But this move is not without its own difficulties, which I elucidate. The final chapter identifies flaws in two prominent arguments in favor of dilemmas: the argument from moral distress and the argument from incommensurable values. The latter half of the chapter examines Sayre-McCord's "fairness argument" against dilemmas, and contrasts it with the argument from action-guidingness. / Master of Arts

This dissertation examines the way the Pythagorean conception of the incommensurable structures the assertions of subjective agency in Blaise Pascal’s Pensées (1670), Søren Kierkegaard’s Concluding Unscientific Postscript (1846), and Alain Badiou’s Being and Event (1988). The Pythagoreans coined the term “incommensurable,” alogos, to describe magnitudes that cannot emerge within a specific system of signification. Across three chapters, I extend the Pythagorean understanding of the incommensurable into the areas of philosophy, religious studies, and mathematics in order to posit the fundamental instability at the core of subjective agency. Moving from Thomas S. Kuhn’s failure to define the incommensurable logically in his Structures of Scientific Revolutions, I argue that such a conception of the incommensurable must be understood as fundamentally faith-based. Given the fact that the incommensurable cannot emerge into signification, its existence must be posited on faith. Pascal, Kierkegaard, and Badiou each move from a faith-based assertion of the incommensurable to offer a conception of subjective agency within a specific system of signification. Thus, against the work of Bonaventura Cavalieri and Evangelista Torricelli, Pascal refigures the incommensurably infinite to establish a heterodox subjective agency within Augustinian faith-by-grace; Kierkegaard manages to navigate the incommensurability of direct communication and personal faith by effacing his pseudonym Johannes Climacus; and Alain Badiou relies on the incommensurable “event” to imagine the possibility the subject’s calling into being of the new. In each of these three texts, the incommensurable functions to guarantee the possibility of subject agency within a specific system of signification.

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This dissertation aims to contrast the differences between Montesquieu¡¦s and Quesnay¡¦s thoughts of China Despotism theory, to analyze the methodology and epistemology used by the two scholars to demonstrate and observe traditional China despotism, and, to expound and examine the description of traditional China despotism in Montesquieu¡¦s and Quesnay¡¦s thoughts. Montesquieu was a rare one among Enlightenment philosophers who profoundly discussed China Despotism in the eighteenth century. In the elaboration of Montesquieu¡¦s China Despotism, there were lots of contradictions in De L'espirt Des Lois. Traditional China government was depreciated by him. From the empirical induce methodology, positivism epistemology and ontology¡¦s point of view, this dissertation tries to deeply analyze and research Montesquieu¡¥s China Despotism. At the time, there were also some Enlightenment Philosophers who have a different view of China Despotism. The representative was a Physiocrat ¡V Francois Quesnay. In his Le Despotisme De La Chine, he marked traditional China government positively. Quesnay, who developed his view based on the same empirical facts about traditional China according to the eighteenth century¡¦s Jesuits, travelers and businessmen and with the same natural science methodology, had totally different views and thoughts about China Despotism from Montesquieu. This dissertation has a detailed study and review on these differences. Questions will be explored in this dissertation are as below. Did the natural science methodology and epistemology of Montesquieu¡¦s and Quesnay¡¦s China Despotism strengthen the judgment of how they valued traditional China government? Were there pre-judgments in their so-called neutral and objective denouncement about the way they researched China Despotism in the empirical induce methodology and epistemology? Were Montesquieu¡¦s and Quesnay¡¦s judgments about China Depotism enhanced by the natural science methodology and epistemology a kind of western centralism? Did they, in the name of neutral and objective empirical induce methodology and epistemology that could not reason non-western value, refuse and devaluate other non-western value? This dissertation has a deeply reflection on these from the ¡§paradigm¡¨ and ¡§incommensurable¡¨ methodological concepts of Thomas S. Kuhn¡¦s. If Montesquieu¡¦s China Despotism was the main point of western culture, was the way Quesnay observed traditional China government presenting a different value in the west culture and there were still some admiring this kind of value? Was this kind of evaluation neglected by recent Chinese intellects? This is a serious problem worthy of reconsideration and reflection. Keywords: Montesquieu, François Quesnay, Physiocracy, Despotism, enlightened despotism, China Despotism, natural science methodology, theory laden, Thomas S. Kuhn, paradigm, incommensurable

Ce travail concerne la synthèse des composés à anions mixtes (O, S, F) à base de terre rare et leurs propriétés d'absorption des radiations UV-visible. De nouveaux composés appartenant à la classe des (oxy)fluorosulfures de terres rares ont été isolés. Les déterminations structurales ont été réalisées à l'aide des différentes techniques de diffraction (X, neutrons, électrons). La plupart de ces réseaux dérivent soit de la matlockite PbFCl soit du type structural a-La2O3. Une de ces formulations se révèle être une structure modulée incommensurable dérivant de La2O2S par un mécanisme de cisaillement. Parmi ces matériaux, l'origine de l'absorption optique des fluorosulfures a-LnSF a été déterminée à partir d'une étude couplant calcul de structures électroniques et mesure XPS (bande de valence). Les propriétés optiques d'absorption des différents composés ont été corrélées à leurs caractéristiques structurales.

Ce manuscrit a pour sujet principal la diffraction par rayons X des matériaux ondes de densité de charges (ODC). Nous avons étudié le cristal quasi-1D NbSe3 ainsi que le quasi-2D TbTe3. Plusieurs grands instruments ont été utilisés pour cette étude, le synchrotron ESRF de Grenoble sur la ligne ID01 ainsi que le laser à électron libre LCLS à Stanford. Premièrement, grâce à la cohérence du faisceau X à LCLS, nous avons pu observer une perte de cohérence transverse dans NbSe3 lors de l’application d’un courant électrique au-dessus d’un certain seuil ainsi qu’une compression longitudinale de l’ODC. Ensuite, à l’ESRF, nous avons utilisé un faisceau X focalisé au micromètre par une Fresnel zone plate pour scanner l’ODC localement par diffraction sur NbSe3 puis ensuite sur TbTe3. Lorsqu’un courant est appliqué sur l’échantillon, nous avons observé une déformation transverse indiquant que l’ODC est bloquée au niveau de la surface de l’échantillon dans NbSe3. Dans le cas de TbTe3, l’ODC tourne sous courant présentant un cycle d’hystérésis lorsque le courant passe continument de positif à négatif. Nous avons aussi pu constater dans plusieurs régions, toujours pour TbTe3, la création de défauts d’irradiation localisés induisant une compression-dilatation de l’ODC. Dans une dernière partie théorique, nous montrons comment la théorie du transport électrique de l’ODC par un train de solitons portants chacun une charge ainsi que la prise en compte du blocage de l’ODC sur la surface de l’échantillon que nous avons vu expérimentalement permet de comprendre plusieurs mesures de résistivité en fonction des dimensions de l’échantillon trouvées dans la littérature. Nous présentons ensuite plusieurs idées pour expliquer du blocage de l’ODC sur les surfaces au niveau microscopique et proposons l’hypothèse d’une ODC commensurable en surface (et incommensurable dans le volume). / The main subject of this manuscript is the X-ray diffraction of charge density wave (CDW) materials. We studied the quasi-1D NbSe3 crystal and the quasi-2D TbTe3. Several large instruments facilities were used for this study, the ESRF synchrotron in Grenoble on the ID01 line and the LCLS free electron laser in Stanford. First, thanks to the coherence of the X-beam at LCLS, we were able to observe a loss of transverse coherence in NbSe3 when applying an electrical current above a certain threshold as well as a longitudinal compression of the CDW. Then, at the ESRF, we used an X-ray beam focused on the micrometer scale by a Fresnel zone plate to scan the CDW locally by diffraction on NbSe3 and on TbTe3. When a current is applied to the sample, we observed a transverse deformation indicating that the CDW is pinned on the sample surface in NbSe3. In the case of TbTe3, the CDW rotates under current showing a hysteresis cycle when one is continuously changing from positive to negative current. We have also observed in several regions, in TbTe3, the creation of localized irradiation defects inducing a compression-dilation of the CDW. In a last theoretical part, we show how the theory of electric transport in the CDW state by a train of charged solitons, as well as taking into account the CDW pinning on the surface of the sample that we have seen experimentally, allows us to understand several resistivity measurements, found in the literature, made on samples with different dimensions. Finally, we present several ideas for an explanation of the CDW pinning at the surfaces on a microscopic level and propose the hypothesis of a commensurate CDW on the surface (and incommensurate in volume).

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / O trabalho traz inicialmente uma abordagem histÃrica, da GrÃcia (com os pitagÃricos), com o matemÃtico Eudoxo, fazendo referÃncia a talvez à maior obra matemÃtica, os livros de Euclides. Em seguida, trazemos definiÃÃes e construÃÃes sobre os nÃmeros reais com um corpo completo, os conceitos de Ãnfimo, supremo, sequÃncias infinitas com destaque as convergentes, sequÃncia de Cauchy e os trÃs teoremas fundamentais para o curso de cÃlculo, o teorema do anulamento, do valor intermediÃrio e de Weierstrass. Logo apÃs, definimos mÃtrica e espaÃo mÃtrico no plano, mostramos que o processo de comparar um segmento arbitrÃrio com outro fixado como unidade nos conduz aos diversos tipos de nÃmeros reais positivos: inteiros, racionais e irracionais, onde a noÃÃo de segmento comensurÃvel à explicada. O cÃlculo de Ãrea para figuras planas, onde sÃo apresentadas as fÃrmulas usuais para as Ãreas dos polÃgonos mais simples, apresentamos uma aplicaÃÃo, a fÃrmula de Pick, sem demonstraÃÃo do teorema, simples, divertida, prÃtica e eficiente para o cÃlculo de Ãrea, um conteÃdo da disciplina de matemÃtica presente em todo o ensino bÃsico do Brasil sempre presente em avaliaÃÃes externas como a OBMEP. / The work initially brings a historical approach, Greece (with the Pythagoreans), with the mathematician Eudoxus, referring to perhaps the greatest mathematical work, Euclidâs books. Then bring definitions and constructions of the real numbers as a complete body, the concepts of tiny, supreme, infinite sequences especially the convergent, Cauchy sequences and the three fundamental theorems for the calculus course, the annulment of the theorem, the intermediate value and Weierstrass. Soon after, we define metric and metric space in the plan, we show that the process of comparing an arbitrary segment with another set as unit leads to various types of positive real numbers: integers, rational and irrational, where the notion of measurable and immeasurable segment is explained. The area calculation for plane figures, where the usual formulas for the areas of simple polygons are presented, we present and application, Pickâs formula, without demonstration of the theorem, simple, fun, practical and efficient for area calculation, one this mathematical discipline of content throughout basic education in Brazil always present in external evaluation as OBMEP.

Les alliages à base de Ni-Mn-In ont attiré une attention considérable en raison de leurs propriétés multifonctionnelles depuis leur découverte en 2004, telles que l’effet de mémoire de forme métamagnétique (Metamagnetic shape memory effect MMSME), l'effet magnétocalorique (MCE) et l'effet de magnétorésistance (MR). Cependant, certaines connaissances fondamentales sur ces alliages manquent toujours jusqu'à présent, telles que la structure cristalline de la martensite, les caractéristiques cristallographiques de microstructure et de transition magnétostructurale. Dans cette thèse, les caractéristiques cristallographiques, les comportements mécaniques et les propriétés magnétiques des alliages Ni-Mn-In base ont été étudiés théoriquement et expérimentalement. Tout d'abord, les structures cristallines des alliages Ni-Mn-In ont été déterminées avec précision par la méthode de Rietveld dans le cadre de la théorie du superespace. Ensuite, la microstructure de la martensite, notamment l'organisation et l'interface des variantes, ainsi que les caractéristiques cristallographiques de la transformation martensitique, telles que les relations d'orientation (OR), le chemin de déformation de la transformation et la compatibilité géométrique entre l'austénite et la martensite, ont été systématiquement étudiés. Enfin, avec cette connaissance fondamentale sur les alliages Ni-Mn-In, les comportements et les mécanismes de sélection /réarrangement des variantes de martensite sous deux types de stratégies de chargement mécanique, à savoir le chargement à l'état martensitique et le chargement durant la transition structurelle, et les effets du recuit sur l'effet MCE et les pertes d'hystérésis associées ont été explorées. Les principaux résultats sont les suivants. La martensite modulé a une structure cristalline incommensurable avec la structure cristalline 6M et le groupe de superespace I2/m(α0γ)00 qui peut être approximée par un modèle de superstructure de multiplicité 3 dans l'espace à tridimensionnel. La microstructure de martensite est en forme de plaques et auto-organisée en colonies. Chaque colonie a quatre variantes d'orientations distinctes. Le maximum de 6 colonies distinctes et 24 variantes peut être généré à l'intérieur d'un grain austénitique. Bien que jusqu'à 14 types de relations de maclage sont proposées dans le cadre des théories cristallographiques de transformation martensitique, seuls trois types de relations de maclage sont généralement observés, à savoir des macles de type I, type II et composées. Les interfaces des variantes sont définies à l'échelle mésoscopique par leur plan de maclage K1 correspondant. Cependant, à l'échelle atomique, la macle de type I a une interface cohérente, alors que celles de type-II et les macles composées ont des interfaces étagées. Les deux relations d'orientations K-S et Pitsch sont appropriés pour décrire la correspondance de réseau entre austénite et martensite dans les alliages Ni-Mn-In. Cependant, le chemin de déformation lié à la relation de Pitsch est mis en évidence pour être efficace pour la déformation de la structure. Avec le chemin de transformation déterminé, le mécanisme sous-jacent de l'organisation des variantes est révélé. À travers la transformation martensitique, en dépit de l'existence d'une relativement large couche contrainte (de l'ordre de 20 nm), le plan d'habitat est bordé par une variante de martensite simple avec l'austénite plutôt que la structure généralement observée "en sandwich", ce qui suggère une relativement bonne compatibilité géométrique entre les phases correspondantes. Pour le chargement en compression à l'état martensitique, l'arrangement des variantes est réalisé par des processus de démaclage. Il est démontré que l'état de variante unique dans certaines colonies pourrait être obtenu lorsque l'orientation de chargement est située dans la zone de Facteur de Schmid (SF) positif commune pour les trois systèmes de démaclage. [...] / Ni-Mn-In based alloys have attracted considerable attention due to their multifunctional properties since its discovery in 2004, such as metamagnetic shape memory effect (MMSME), magnetocaloric effect (MCE) and magnetoresistance (MR) effect. However, some fundenmental knowledge on these alloys is still missing until now, such as crystal structure of martensite, crystallographic features of microstructure and magnetostructural transition. In this dissertation, the crystallographic features, mechanical behaviors and magnetic properties of Ni-Mn-In based alloys were studied theoretically and experimentally. First, the crystal structures of Ni-Mn-In alloys were accurately determined by Rietveld method in the frame of superspace theory (Chapter 3). Then, the microstructure of martensite (Chapter 4), such as variant organization and interface structure, and the crystallographic features of martensitic transformation, such as orientation relationship (OR), transformation strain path and geometrical compatibility between austenite and martensite, were systematically studied (Chapter 5). Finally, with this fundamental knowledge on Ni-Mn-In alloys, the behaviors and mechanisms of martensite variant rearrangement/ selection under two kinds of mechanical loading strategies, i.e. loading at martensite state and loading across the structural transition, and the effects of annealing on MCE and its related hysteresis loss were explored (Chapter 6). The main results are as follows. The modulated martensite has an incommensurate 6M crystal structure with superspace group I2/m(α0γ)00 that can be approximated by a three-fold superstructure model in the three-dimensional space. The microstructure of martensite is in plate shape and self-organized in colonies. Each colony has four distinct orientation variants. The maximum of 6 distinct colonies and 24 variants can be generated within one austenite grain. Although as many as 14 kinds of twin relations are suggested in the frame of crystallographic theories of martensitic transformation, only three types of twin relations are generally detected, i.e. type-I, type-II and compound twin. Variant interfaces are defined by their corresponding twinning plane K1 at mesoscopic scale. However, at atomic scale, the type-I twin has a coherent interface, whereas type-II and compound twins have “stepped” interfaces. Both the K-S and Pitsch ORs are appropriate to describe the lattice correspondence between austenite and martensite in Ni-Mn-In alloys. However, the strain path related to the Pitsch relation is evidenced to be the effective for the structural distortion. With the determined transformation path, the underlying mechanism of variant organization is revealed. Across the martensitic transformation, despite the existence of a relative wide stressed layer (around 20 nm), the habit plane is bordered by single martensite variant with austenite rather than the generally observed “sandwich-like” structure, implying a relative good geometrical compatibility between the corresponding phases. For compressive loading at martensite, variant arrangement is realized by the detwinning process. It is evidenced that a single variant state in some colonies can be obtained when the loading orientation is located in the common positive Schmid factor (SF) zone of the three detwinning systems. For loading across the structural transition, the prestrain is obtained by variant selection in which the number of colonies is significantly reduced and the variant organization within colony is greatly changed. The SF for transformation strain path is introduced to evaluate the possible selection of variants. Heat treatment can significantly enhance the magnetic entropy change ΔSM but simultaneously increase the magnetic hysteresis loss. For ΔSM, the chemical ordered degree should play a prominent role [...]

This project, overall, involves a theory of law as dimensions. Throughout the history of the study of law, many different theoretical paradigms have emerged proffering different and competing ways to answer the question ‘what is law’? Traditionally, many of these paradigms have been at irreconcilable odds with one another. Notwithstanding this seeming reality, the goal of this project was to attempt to take three of the leading paradigms in legal theory and provide a way to explain how each might fit into a single coherent theory of law. I set out to accomplish this by drawing on the field of theoretical physics and that field’s use of spatial dimensions in explaining various physical phenomena. By engaging in a dimensional analysis of law, I found that I was able to place each paradigm within its own dimension with that dimension being defined by a specific element of time, and in doing so much of the conflict between the paradigms came to be ameliorated. The project has been divided into two main parts. PART I discusses the fundamentals of legal theory (Chapter 1) and the fundamentals of dimensions (Chapter 2). These fundamentals provide a foundation for a dimensional analysis of law which takes place throughout PART II. In Chapter 3, I argue that the three fundamental theses of Positivism coalesce with the 1st-dimension of law, which is defined as law as it exists at any one point in time. From there, I argue in Chapter 4 that the 2nd-dimension of law, being law as it exists between two points in time (i.e. when cases are adjudicated), is characterized by Pragmatism. I then turn, in Chapter 5, to argue that the 3rd-dimension of law, being law as it exists from the very first point in legal time to the ever changing present day, coalesces with the fundamental theses of Naturalism. Ultimately then, I argue that a theory of law as dimensions, through the vantage points of the specific elements of time, provides a more complete account of the nature of law.