This thesis explores reasons and disagreement in ethics, and their connection to personal identity. I begin by arguing that reasons are open; what gives them direction is how they feature in my life and weigh with me. Of course, this does not tell us what reasons are available to a person when they act. In this connection I argue against Bernard Williams’ internal reasons thesis, showing that there are occasions when we will want to say someone has a reason to act even though they are unable to see it. Continuing with Williams, I explore moral necessity, drawing also on the works of Winch, Rhees and Cordner, arguing that Williams too readily conflates psychological with ethical limits. In particular, the possibility of recanting what we took to be necessary should inform our view of moral necessity, since it can show that I had misconstrued the nature of the limits I took myself to have reached. Following this use of recantation, I explore narrative in detail, arguing that my narrative is partly constitutive of who I am. My agency is therefore interpretive. This has ramifications for thinkers such as Christine Korsgaard and Jonathan Dancy, whose work I explore in two excursuses. In different ways, both fail to appreciate the significance of our interpretive identities.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / “The constitution of the narrative and figural self in the complex temporality of Lobo Antunes” has as study object the novel What horses are those that make shade on the sea? (2009), by the contemporary Portuguese writer Antonio Lobo Antunes. In the novel it is narrated the story of the affective de-structure and the loss of the material goods of a traditional Portuguese family, through the voices of family‟s components. It is confused in the narrative, thus, the past experiences of the characters and their projections for the future. The characters-narrators, when remembering the past experiences and when projecting expectations for the future, defocus the present of the narrative in reflections that seem not to finish any conclusion about their experiences. It results from that a chaotic and bitter world, marked by multiple and contradicted affections of the characters in relation to their relatives, manifesting in the own structure of the narrative, with its ramifications, deviances and fragmentations. The configuration of the intrigue ends to evince, then, the conflicting and problematic nature of the own characters. This incessant returning to the past allied to this expectative of future and the reflections about the events reconstruct these distinct moments of experience of time in a present time always distended, in transition. The novel seems to reconstruct certain aporia of time, once that the time shows itself as makeable in the consciousness of the characters, and paradoxically, as fluid and transitory. This thick and complex character of temporality in the narrative configuration, the intertwine among told present, remembered past and expected future confers a psychological density to the characters, and never attributing to them an stable and cohesive identity and an integral image. We find, thus, in this dissertation, a reflection about the contemporary Portuguese literature, the work of the author, and an analysis of the novel based, mainly, on the studies of Paul Ricoeur about the interdependence among the configuration of intrigue, temporality and the constitution of a narrative identity. / “A constituição do eu narrativo e figural na temporalidade complexa de Lobo Antunes” tem como objeto de estudo o romance Que cavalos são aqueles que fazem sombra no mar? (2009), do escritor português contemporâneo António Lobo Antunes. No romance, é narrada a história de desestruturação afetiva e de perda dos bens materiais de uma tradicional família portuguesa, através das vozes dos componentes dessa família. Confundem-se na narrativa, então, as vivências passadas das personagens e as suas projeções para o futuro. As personagens-narradoras, ao relembrar as experiências do passado e ao projetar expectativas para o futuro, desfocam o presente da narrativa em reflexões que parecem não encerrar conclusão alguma sobre suas vivências. Resulta disso um mundo caótico e amargo, marcado pelos múltiplos e contraditórios afetos das personagens em relação aos seus familiares, manifestado na própria estrutura da narrativa, com suas ramificações, desvios e fragmentações. A configuração da intriga acaba por evidenciar, então, o caráter conflitante, problemático das próprias personagens. Esse retorno incessante ao passado aliado a essa expectativa do futuro e às reflexões sobre os eventos reconstroem esses momentos distintos da experiência do tempo em um tempo presente sempre distendido, em transição. O romance parece reconstituir certa aporia do tempo, visto que os tempos mostram-se como marcantes na consciência das personagens e, paradoxalmente, como fluidos e transitórios. Esse caráter denso e complexo da temporalidade na configuração da narrativa, o entrelaçamento entre presente contado, passado relembrado e de um futuro esperado confere uma densidade psicológica às personagens, sem nunca atribuir-lhes uma identidade estável e coesa e uma imagem íntegra. Encontra-se nessa dissertação, uma reflexão sobre a literatura portuguesa contemporânea, a obra do autor, e uma análise do romance com base, principalmente, nos estudos de Paul Ricoeur sobre a interdependência entre a configuração da intriga, a temporalidade e a constituição de uma identidade narrativa.

Essa tese realiza, em um primeiro momento, uma investigação sobre a vinculação e o diálogo que pensamento de Paul Ricoeur estabelece com outras tendências filosóficas, em especial aquelas formuladas por Wilhelm Dilthey, Martin Heidegger e Hans-Georg Gadamaer e com a fenomenologia de Edmund Husserl, com ênfase em seu método fenomenológico. Nesse momento, também apresenta o diálogo que Paul Ricoeur mantém com a filosofia reflexiva de Nabert e as críticas que faz às chamadas filosofias do sujeito, em especial ao Cogito cartesiano. Apresenta dessa forma, os principais conceitos da filosofia hermenêutica, desde Friedrich Shcleiermacher, seu principal precursor, até Hans- Georg Gadamer, com ênfase na contribuição que Paul Ricoeur oferece para esse campo. Em um segundo momento, este trabalho examina a aplicação, por Paul Ricoeur, dos conceitos de sua hermenêutica na exegese que faz da Poética de Aristóteles, precisamente do ternário mimesis, muthos e katharsis. Apresenta, em seguida, a reinscrição que Ricoeur promove de seus resultados em uma teoria da narratividade, que ele chama de metagênero do narrativo. Este trabalho faz um recorte nesse metagênero, passando a acompanhar apenas o desenvolvimento promovido por Ricoeur que dá lugar à narrativa de ficção. Em seguida, examina esses conceitos, que se endereçam para a constituição da hermenêutica do si e tem na noção de identidade narrativa seu principal núcleo. No último momento, este trabalho realiza uma apropriação, no sentido gadameriano, dessa noção promovendo uma aproximação dela com o universo ficcional de Grande sertão:veredas, de João Guimarães Rosa. Por último, de forma muito breve, apresenta uma síntese das principais decorrências éticas, no sentido aristotélico, dessa noção. / This argument holds, in a first moment, a research on the linkage and dialogue that Paul Ricoeur establishes with other philosophical trends, especially those made by Wilhelm Dilthey, Martin Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamaer and Edmund Husserl, with emphasis on the phenomenological method. At that time, it also shows the dialogue that Paul Ricoeur maintains with Naberts reflective philosophy and the critics made to the philosophies of the self, in particular the Cartesian Cogito. Thus presents the main concepts of hermeneutic philosophy, since Friedrich Shcleiermacher, its principal precursor, until Hans-Georg Gadamer, with emphasis on the contribution that Paul Ricoeur offers for this field. Later, this work examines the application done by Paul Ricoeur of the concepts of his hermeneutic at the exegesis done at Aristotles Poetics, precisely the mimesis ternary, Muthos and katharsis. Then it shows the reinscription that Ricoeur promotes of his results on a theory of narrative, which he calls \"narrative meta-category. This work highlights this meta-category, monitoring only the development promoted by Ricoeur giving rise to the fiction narrative. Then examines these concepts, which address for the establishment of the \"hermeneutics of self\" and the core is the narrative identity notion. After that, this work takes ownership, in a gadamerian sense, of notion promoting an approach with the fictional universe of Grande Sertão Veredas, from João Guimarães Rosa. Finally, very briefly, presents a summary of the main ethical consequences, the Aristotelian sense, of that notion.

Abstract This study explored mathematical identity work by drawing on the cases of Finnish and Slovenian pre-service elementary teachers. All cases reported having had negative experiences with mathematics during their school years. These experiences were shown to have a central meaning for pre-service teachers’ mathematical identities. However, identity also extends to the future. For this reason, pre-service teachers’ anticipations of the future were also explored. The concepts of narrative identity (Ricoeur, 1992) and possible selves (Markus & Nurius, 1989) were applied in the context of mathematics education. The overall narrative perspective of the study enabled a psycho-social understanding of identity. The special interest of the study was confined to an understanding of the role that educational contexts play in pre-service teachers’ mathematical identity work. Narrative inquiry was applied as a research methodology. In-depth interviews invited pre-service teachers to construct narratives of their mathematics-related experiences. These narratives were analysed holistically and categorically, as well as in terms of content and form. The findings showed striking similarities in pre-service teachers’ school-time memories. The cases in question felt like victims of their own mathematical experiences. The anticipations of mathematics teaching were also underlined by the challenges rooted in their school-time experiences. However, a surprising finding was that the identity work in which the Finnish and Slovenian cases engaged during their teacher education differed substantially. The main reasons for the differences in identity work seemed to stem from different emphases and pedagogical practices in mathematics education courses within the Finnish and Slovenian teacher education settings. The study argued that identity work can be facilitated during teacher education. To begin such a process, it would be central to focus on pre-service teachers’ biographical context through narrative pedagogical tools. The findings also showed that neglecting issues from school-time experiences might engender further challenges for pre-service teachers’ future mathematics teaching. Finally, the study argued for the need to openly address identity during teacher education. The significant theoretical contribution of the study is the conceptualisation of ‘mathematical identity work’. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin matemaattista identiteettityötä suomalaisten ja slovenialaisten luokanopettajaopiskelijoiden kokemusten kautta. Opiskelijoiden mukaan heillä oli ollut omana kouluaikanaan kielteisiä matematiikan opintoihin liittyviä kokemuksia, joilla osoitettiin olevan negatiivisia vaikutuksia opiskelijoiden matemaattisiin identiteetteihin. Koska tutkimuksessa korostuu identiteetin tulevaisuusaspekti, tarkastelun kohteina olivat opiskelijoiden tulevaisuuteen liittyvät toiveet ja odotukset. Tutkimuksessa sovellettiin narratiivisen identiteetin (Ricoeur, 1992) ja mahdollisten minuuksien (Markus & Nurius, 1989) käsitteitä matematiikan opetuksen kontekstissa. Identiteetin ymmärtämisen psyko-sosiaalisena ilmiönä mahdollisti narratiivinen näkökulma. Erityinen huomio kohdistettiin siihen, millainen merkitys kasvatuksellisilla konteksteilla on luokanopettajaopiskelijoiden matemaattisessa identiteettityössä. Tutkimusmetodologiana käytettiin narratiivista tutkimusta. Opiskelijat kertoivat syvähaastatteluissa matematiikkaan liittyvistä kokemuksistaan. Nämä narratiivit analysoitiin holistisesti ja kategorisesti ottaen huomioon myös niiden sisältö ja muoto. Tuloksista ilmenee merkittävää samankaltaisuutta luokanopettajaopiskelijoiden omaan kouluaikaan liittyvissä muistoissa. Monet esimerkiksi kuvailivat itsensä uhreiksi. Myös tulevaan matematiikan opetukseen liittyvät ennakko-odotukset olivat värittyneet opettajaopiskelijoiden omaan kouluaikaan liittyvien haasteellisten kokemusten kautta. Yllättävä tulos oli se, että suomalaisten ja slovenialaisten opiskelijoiden luokanopettajakoulutuksen aikainen identiteettityö erosi huomattavasti toisistaan. Erojen pääsyynä ovat nähtävästi erilaiset painotukset ja käytänteet opettajankoulutuksen matematiikan pedagogisissa opinnoissa. Tutkimus osoittaa, että identiteettityötä voidaan pyrkiä edistämään opettajankoulutuksen aikana. Prosessin aloittamiseksi olisi tärkeää kohdentaa huomio opettajaopiskelijoiden elämäkerrallisiin konteksteihin soveltamalla narratiivisia pedagogisia työkaluja. Sillä että omaan kouluaikaan liittyviä kokemuksia ei oteta huomioon, voi olla kielteisiä heijastuksia opettajaopiskelijoiden tulevaan matematiikan opetukseen. Tutkimuksen mukaan identiteetti on syytä ottaa avoimesti tarkasteluun opettajankoulutuksen aikana. Tutkimuksen teorian kannalta merkittävä anti on termin matemaattinen identiteettityö käsitteellistäminen.

This research seeks to adopt a post-foundationalist practical theology paradigm, as discussed by J C Müller, in order to create a bridge between the three concepts of the pastoral care perspective, the narrative perspective based on social-constructionism and post-foundationalism. Furthermore, I made use of Müller’s seven movements of methodology which laid a strong foundation to base my research on regarding married migrant women living within Korean multicultural families. Korean society which is a homogeneous culture is currently facing many challenges as a result of becoming more and more multicultural. These multicultural issues are becoming major social and political issues in South Korea. The main reason that South Korean society has become more multicultural is because of intercultural marriages which have also resulted in an increase in multicultural families. These migrant women are faced with many kinds of discrimination and prejudice as a result of their different appearance, culture and language. Furthermore, Korean culture often deprives women of having any position above men especially once they are married. After being married a woman should become invisible, voiceless, and nameless in order to become culturally acceptable. This often results in a migrant woman feeling stressed, fearful, isolated and alone which often results in the development of a low self-esteem, a lack of self-confidence and a low self-image. In my research, I sought to listen to and identify the stories of migrant women, namely foreign women who have married Korean men with a focus on the impact on their identities within a Korean multicultural family through a narrative perspective in order to have a positive growth and outcome from their intercultural differences within South Korea. I decided to view my co-researchers not as co-researchers but as companions on a journey which we could undertake together. The use of the metaphors ‘journey’ and ‘companions’ seemed to give my companions the freedom to speak more openly and placed us on an equal level. Furthermore, I not only discovered my companions’ identities through their own stories, but also developed my companions’ true identities/multi-identities through the broader, inter-relational stories of other people within multicultural communities through a six step process of Listening to the voice, Gaining voice, Giving voice, Finding alternative voice, Retelling voice and Creating future voice. I made use of the narrative approach in order to listen to my companions so that a unity would exist between their past, present and future stories. As I listened to the stories of my companions from a narrative perspective new possibilities were opened which lead to alternative and future stories. Furthermore, my companions were given the opportunity to find themselves and make new identities on the real journey of life. Through the process of my research I also developed a multicultural identity model specifically for married migrant women in South Korea, but ultimately the purpose of my research was not to show or develop a multicultural identity model regarding migrant women, but was more to help these migrant women find their identities themselves and in this become self-empowered to become contributors to Korean society. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Practical Theology / unrestricted

Contexte : La chronicité de la maladie est difficile, autant pour le soigné que pour le soignant. Malgré de nombreux travaux et recherches (réalisés principalement chez le soigné), la douleur chronique reste un fléau. Il est suggéré qu’une approche centrée sur la personne soit la meilleure pour aider ces patients. Il serait donc possible que la façon dont le médecin adapte sa clinique face au patient ait une influence. En regard de la douleur chronique, sa prise en charge difficile peut mener le soignant à ressentir de l’impuissance. Quelles stratégies utilise le soignant lorsque la pharmacopée est insuffisante ? S’il est répandu que les engagements spirituels des patients permettent d’attribuer un sens aux expériences de la douleur, peu de choses sont connues du côté des médecins. But : La présente étude explore les facteurs influençant la prise en charge par les médecins du patient douloureux chronique afin de comprendre comment leurs caractéristiques identitaires, spirituelles et relationnelles orientent leur approche de soins. Méthodes : Un dispositif de théorisation ancrée en recherche qualitative a été retenu. Le cadre conceptuel élaboré repose sur deux concepts clés : celui de l’identité narrative selon Ricœur et celui du temps selon Tillich. Les participants furent recrutés selon un échantillonnage de convenance. Des entrevues individuelles semi-structurées ont été conduites auprès de sept médecins de diverses spécialités, confrontés aux difficultés de prise en charge en contexte de douleur chronique. La moitié des participants ont été interviewés une seconde fois afin d’approfondir le thème de l’identité, et ce, jusqu’à saturation des données. Les transcriptions sont analysées selon la méthode de codification Strauss et Corbin. Résultats : Si le facteur temps était théoriquement connu de par la littérature sur la maladie douloureuse chronique, la collecte et l’analyse des données en a favorisé son émergence en tant que concept, révélant ainsi son importance implicite cruciale au sein de la relation thérapeutique. Notre approche, cadre à la fois théologique et inspirée de l’anthropologie philosophique, a permis d’identifier la reconnaissance en tant que processus émergent des données pour expliquer le cheminement de l’identité du médecin – professionnelle et personnelle – en contexte clinique de douleur chronique. Bien que non recherchée de façon explicite, la reconnaissance par le médecin (et indirectement par le douloureux chronique) apparaît comme source de motivation et d’énergie insoupçonnée afin d’entretenir une relation de qualité. La particularité du mot reconnaissance de se décliner en différents termes polysémiques a permis d’élaborer le processus de la re-connaissance vers la re-co-naissance mutuelle qui est ici proposé comme cadre explicatif de l’évolution de l’identité du médecin en contexte clinique relationnel de prise en charge du douloureux chronique. Le médecin doit ainsi se définir à nouveau en tant que thérapeute en vue de ne pas vivre l’échec. Conclusion : La compétence relationnelle acquise, ajoutée à sa compétence professionnelle, permet au médecin d’enrichir ses connaissances (savoir et expérience), mais aussi de cheminer, au fil du temps, avec son patient douloureux chronique, passant d’une re-connaissance (identitaire et spirituelle) à une re-co-Naissance mutuelle et dynamique dans la relation en contexte de douleur chronique. Les différentes perspectives pour les cliniciens et soignants s’occupant de ces patients sont discutées. / Abstract : Background: Chronic pain is difficult, both for the patient and the caregiver. Even though many studies and researches have been conducted (mostly with patients), chronic pain remains. It is suggested that a person-centered approach is the best way to help these patients. However, little is known about how physicians adapt their practice to their powerlessness when faced with chronic pain patient. Which strategies are to be used when the pharmacopoeia is insufficient? Though it is known that religious and spiritual commitments may allow patients to give meaning to their pain, little is known about how physicians deal with these commitments. Purpose: This study explores the factors influencing how physicians take charge of chronic pain patients to understand how their identity, their spirituality and their relationship shape their care approach. Methods: Within a qualitative research design in grounded theory, the conceptual framework developed is based on the two key concepts: the narrative identity by Ricœur and the concept of time by Tillich. Participants were recruited using a convenience sampling. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with seven physicians in various specialties dealing with the difficulties of chronic pain management. Four of them were interviewed a second time to further investigate the subjet, until data saturation. The transcripts were analyzed by Strauss and Corbin’s method of codification. Results: If the time factor was theoretically known from the literature on chronic pain, continuous and simultaneous data collecting and analyzing has brought its emergence as concept (axial coding), revealing thereby its implicit crucial importance within the therapeutic relationship. Our approach, inspired from both theological and philosophical anthropology‘s frames, have allowed us to identify “recognition” as an emerging process to explain the flow scheme of the physician’s professional and personal identity when faced with chronic pain. Although not researched explicitly, mutual recognition between patient and physician is a source of motivation to improve the quality of the relationship. The process of recognition to mutual re-co-birth (“re-co-naissance” in French) is proposed here as an explanatory framework for the development of the physician’s identity in the clinical context of chronic pain patient care. The French word “reconnaissance” (recognition) thus can be broken down into “re-co-naissance” (re-co-birth), the co-rebirth of a relationship to define oneself anew as a therapist and to not experience failure. Conclusions: The new acquired confidence and competence between physician and the patient, in addition to actual professional skills, enables the concerned physician not only to enrich his knowledge but also to make progress in time, along with his chronic pain patients, moving from professional identity to spiritual recognition and to a dynamic relationship of mutal re-birth and re-acknowledge (“re-co-naissance”), so that he no longer experiences medical failure. Various perspectives for clinicians and caregivers will be further discussed.

Mgr. Klára Soukupová Autobiography in the Context of the Positioning Theory Abstract This doctoral thesis is a theoretical and an interpretative study that deals with the genre of autobiography, its position in the contemporary literary theory and problems related to an interpretation of autobiographical texts. Autobiography as a genre of non-fictional literature refers to real characters and events, but at the same time it is a literary work of art, a verbal construct in which the representation of reality is subject to the intentions of the author and to the rules of construction, that are close to the compositional techniques of fictional texts. The first part of the thesis concentrates on the theory of autobiography and its interdisciplinary context. It summarizes the development of theory of autobiography from the late 19th century to the present. Also, the concepts of the memory studies (especially the concept of collective memory) and the problem of distinguishing fiction and non-fiction (discussed in philosophy of history in 1970s and 1980s, fictional worlds theory, pragmatics of fiction, etc.) are taken into account. The theoretical chapter critically reflects P. Lejeune's definition of autobiography, based on the concept of the autobiographical pact. In relation with the problem of how to define...

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