This thesis endeavors to reveal that Martin Luther's dogmatic adherence to one absolute interpretation of the Word of God restricted man's freedom, both religious and personal. His intolerant and authoritarian attitude toward individualistic groups, called into existence by his polemics stressing Christian freedom, is broadly discussed. Luther's theology denied man responsibility for his salvation, either through works, the exercise of divine reason, or through living a lifestyle in the imitation of Christ, leaving man with the inability to accept responsibility for his actions. The authoritarian religions that developed after Luther brought confusion and indifference regarding the nature of religion, leaving modern man in search of alternate authorities in which to place his faith and assume responsibility for his actions, thereby limiting his independence and freedom.

This thesis takes as its starting point recent variations on the old narrative that seeks to make the Reformation, and Calvinism in particular, the catalyst for generating modern liberal politics. Using David VanDrunen’s Natural Law and the Two Kingdoms as an example, I show how these narratives often involve attempting to accomplish a “transfer” from the realm of spiritual liberty to that of civil liberty, a transfer against which John Calvin warns in his famous discussion of Christian liberty. In making such a transfer, such narratives are often insufficiently attentive to the theological complexities of the Reformation doctrine of Christian liberty, and the tensions that could lie concealed in various appeals to the doctrine. Accordingly, adopting as a lens John Perry’s concept of the “clash of loyalties,” (the conflict of religious and civil commitments which helped give rise to liberalism), I attempt to trace how different understandings of Christian liberty, and its accompanying concept of “things indifferent,” served both to mitigate and to exacerbate the clash of loyalties in the sixteenth century. This narrative culminates in the attempt of English puritans in the reign of Elizabeth to resolve the conflict by subjecting all ecclesiastical, political, and moral matters to the bar of Scriptural law, thus undermining earlier understandings of what Christian liberty entailed. Against this backdrop, I survey the work of Richard Hooker as an attempt to recover and clarify the doctrine of Christian liberty. This involves a careful distinction of individual and institutional liberty, and different senses of the concept “things indifferent,” a rehabilitation of the role of reason in moral determinations, and a harmonization of the believer’s loyalties by clarifying the relation of divine and human law. The result is a vision of a Christian commonwealth free to render corporate obedience to Christ while at the same time enabling the freedom of its citizens.

...this war is lost, and the surge is not accomplishing anything... - Harry Reid, April 19, 2007 Human nature prevails. Our desire is to live. Our unalienable right is to be free; to enjoy the fruits of our labor. How we spend our limited time on this earth pursuing happiness is up to each of us: uniquely, individually, with our own distinctive personality, intellect and motivation. In the following personal exploration and scholarly analysis, I discuss how our inherent gift of life and the desire for liberty form an integrated platform from which leadership personifies itself in the lives of many. I examine how my life and the lives of others from both Iraq and America connected on the plains of Al Anbar Province to form a common bond of humanity - not of clashing cultures - that ultimately led a nation of thirty million people to freedom; and identify how leadership decisions led to an Islamist invasion from Syria that threatens that very freedom that 4,400 Americans died to provide I integrate conversations with Iraqis to inform my conclusions about the utility of our occupation, the role leadership played and the implications for theory and practice. This dissertation explores the political, economic and religious distinctions and underlying similarities between perceptions and reality as they relate to life, liberty and leadership in disparate cultures framed by war and peace, and concludes with suggestions how multi-cultural organizations in general, and educational leadership communities in particular, can practically apply what I learned in their daily work processes and relationships. If ever time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent ruin. - Samuel Adams, 1780

L’importance des enjeux attachés à l’attractivité fiscale du territoire peut conduire certains Etats membres à exercer des discriminations ou à adopter un comportement protectionniste. Toutefois, l’absence d’harmonisation en matière de fiscalité directe au niveau européen ne doit pas être subie par le contribuable mais utilisée dans un but d’optimisation fiscale. En effet, ce phénomène résulte de la concurrence des législations fiscales et c’est la raison pour laquelle le droit communautaire interdit aux Etats membres de contrecarrer leurs effets en l’absence de fraude ou d’évasion fiscale. Le droit communautaire ne remet pas en cause la compétence des Etats membres pour délimiter leurs pouvoirs de taxation, mais l’exercice de ce pouvoir se heurte à la nécessité de respecter les libertés communautaires consacrées par le traité de Rome. Ainsi, l’obligation de conformité des dispositifs nationaux au droit communautaire est une garantie capitale pour le contribuable. / .

Trata-se, neste trabalho, de perscrutar pela noção de glória em O Príncipe de Nicolau Maquiavel. Para tanto, propõe-se articular a basilar noção maquiaveliana de virtù a ação humana para o enfrentamento da fortuna e constituição da política com a noção de glória a avaliação da ação política. A hipótese de investigação da presente dissertação é de que a relação entre a virtù e a glória revela um momento privilegiado de justificação de um desejo de liberdade como paradigma da exposição de O Príncipe. / In this work, I intend to analyze the concept of glory present in The Prince, by Niccolò Machiavelli. In order to do so, I propose to articulate his fundamental notion of virtù the human action to confront fortune and constitute politics with the notion of glory the evaluation of political action. My hypothesis is that the relationship between virtù and glory reveals a see-through moment for the understanding of a desire for liberty as the paradigm within The Prince.

Em Memórias póstumas de Brás Cubas, percebe-se uma referência frequente à natureza. Pela análise das situações em que ela se apresenta, podese notar que lhe são atribuídas funções e papéis variados e que, portanto, não é possível que se a defina como unidade. Ora o narrador a imputa o domínio de forças metafísicas, ora a determinação dos sentimentos humanos. De modo geral, o narrador recorre à natureza quando se evidencia o caráter condenável de sua conduta, sugerindo que suas ações não poderiam ter-se dado de outro modo, em vista de forças naturais. Em contraste com os contextos históricos apresentados na narrativa, os argumentos naturalistas de Brás Cubas são pouco convincentes, o que põe em relevo o cinismo irônico do defunto autor, de modo que seus pretextos e justificativas infundadas acabem por acusá-lo. Na tentativa de embasar seu discurso, o narrador distorce e se apropria de teorias e correntes de pensamento, como Positivismo, Naturalismo, Darwinismo Social. Ao instrumentalizar-se de conceitos filosóficos e teorias sociais, o romance redunda na paródia desconstrutiva destes e do próprio narrador. O modo como essa instrumentalização cômico-irônica se dá é o que se procurou demonstrar com este trabalho. / In Memórias póstumas de Brás Cubas, it can be noted a frequent reference to nature. Analyzing the situations in which it is presented, one can perceive that different roles and functions are ascribed to it; thus, as a consequence, it cannot be defined as a unity. At times the narrator makes it responsible for metaphysical forces, at other times he attributes to nature the power to determine human feelings. In general, Brás Cubas recurs to nature when the condemnable character of his conduct is evident, suggesting that his actions could not have been otherwise due to natural forces. In contrast with the historical contexts presented in the narrative, Brás Cubas naturalist arguments are little convincing, what highlights the self-accusing sarcasm of the dead author, in a way that his flimsy pretexts and justification end up turning against him. In the attempt to ground his discourse, the narrator distorts and makes use of theories and systems of thought, such as Positivism, Naturalism and Social Darwinism. By doing so, the novel results in a deconstructive parody of these systems and of the author himself. Demonstrating the way it happens in the narrative is the aim of this research.

Aqui investigamos o conceito de liberdade individual na teoria de Benjamin Constant. Partimos da conferência intitulada De la Liberté des Anciens comparée à celle des Modernes, e verificamos que o contraste entre a liberdade individual dos modernos e a liberdade política dos antigos não exclui completamente da vida dos modernos a necessidade de participação política. Assim, recorremos, no segundo capítulo, a outros textos de Benjamin Constant, sobretudo aos Principes de Politique, para examinar os pressupostos da sua teoria política: o problema da soberania do povo, a construção da noção de representatividade política e a dupla autoridade da natureza e da história que fundamentam respectivamente as noções de liberdade e igualdade. No terceiro capítulo buscamos os desdobramentos do conceito de liberdade moderna, isto é, o que caracteriza o liberalismo de Constant e o diagnóstico que ele aponta sobre o indivíduo moderno. Por conseguinte, sustentamos que a peculiaridade do liberalismo de Constant é articular a liberdade civil do indivíduo e a liberdade política de participação. Mas, no grande romance seu que é Adolfo, Constant relaciona indivíduo e sociedade de uma maneira que tanto recorda sua defesa da liberdade dos modernos quanto mostra os limites desta. Nossa conclusão é portanto uma pergunta, que sustentamos estar presente no próprio Constant: qual o valor, quais as perspectivas dessa liberdade moderna? / Here we inquire the concept of individual liberty in Benjamin Constants theory. We started with the conference entitled De la Liberté des Anciens comparée à celle des Modernes, and verified that the contrast between individual liberty for the moderns and political liberty for the ancients doesnt prevent the moderns from having the necessity of political participation. Therefore, in the second chapter, other texts by Benjamin Constant are studied, mainly Principes de Politique, in order to scrutinize the background of his theory: the issue of the peoples sovereign, the creation of the idea of political representativeness, and the double authority of the nature and the history that are base for the concepts of liberty and equality, respectively. In the third chapter we analyze the implications of the concept of modern liberty, that is, what characterizes Constants liberalism and how he diagnosis the modern individual. By doing so, we affirm that what is peculiar about Constants liberalism is how he connects the civil liberty of the individual to the political liberty of participation. However, in his great novel Adolfo, Constant links individual and society in such a way that it recalls his defense of liberty in the moderns but also shows the limits of that. Our conclusion is, therefore, a question, that we affirm to be present in Constant: what value, what perspectives of this modern liberty?

Em Memórias póstumas de Brás Cubas, percebe-se uma referência frequente à natureza. Pela análise das situações em que ela se apresenta, podese notar que lhe são atribuídas funções e papéis variados e que, portanto, não é possível que se a defina como unidade. Ora o narrador a imputa o domínio de forças metafísicas, ora a determinação dos sentimentos humanos. De modo geral, o narrador recorre à natureza quando se evidencia o caráter condenável de sua conduta, sugerindo que suas ações não poderiam ter-se dado de outro modo, em vista de forças naturais. Em contraste com os contextos históricos apresentados na narrativa, os argumentos naturalistas de Brás Cubas são pouco convincentes, o que põe em relevo o cinismo irônico do defunto autor, de modo que seus pretextos e justificativas infundadas acabem por acusá-lo. Na tentativa de embasar seu discurso, o narrador distorce e se apropria de teorias e correntes de pensamento, como Positivismo, Naturalismo, Darwinismo Social. Ao instrumentalizar-se de conceitos filosóficos e teorias sociais, o romance redunda na paródia desconstrutiva destes e do próprio narrador. O modo como essa instrumentalização cômico-irônica se dá é o que se procurou demonstrar com este trabalho. / In Memórias póstumas de Brás Cubas, it can be noted a frequent reference to nature. Analyzing the situations in which it is presented, one can perceive that different roles and functions are ascribed to it; thus, as a consequence, it cannot be defined as a unity. At times the narrator makes it responsible for metaphysical forces, at other times he attributes to nature the power to determine human feelings. In general, Brás Cubas recurs to nature when the condemnable character of his conduct is evident, suggesting that his actions could not have been otherwise due to natural forces. In contrast with the historical contexts presented in the narrative, Brás Cubas naturalist arguments are little convincing, what highlights the self-accusing sarcasm of the dead author, in a way that his flimsy pretexts and justification end up turning against him. In the attempt to ground his discourse, the narrator distorts and makes use of theories and systems of thought, such as Positivism, Naturalism and Social Darwinism. By doing so, the novel results in a deconstructive parody of these systems and of the author himself. Demonstrating the way it happens in the narrative is the aim of this research.

Esta dissertação busca mostrar as questões envolvidas no teatro de Sartre. Para tanto, partese de uma descrição da consciência em geral para atingir uma caracterização da consciência imaginante - é esta consciência que toma o objeto estético como tal, posto que tal objeto é um objeto imaginário. A partir dessa caracterização da obra de arte em geral, busca-se descrever a especificidade da obra de arte teatral, de forma a mostrar a formulação do gênero teatral proposto por Sartre, o teatro de situações, a maneira como sua descrição sobre o evento teatral lhe serve como recusa do teatro burguês e para a crítica da produção dramatúrgica de sua época, e como o teatro opera uma descrição da vivência humana concreta que a filosofia descreve de forma estrutural. / This dissertation aims at opening up questions involved in Sartre\'s theatre. Firstly, beginning with a description of the consciousness in general one comes to a characterisation of the imaging consciousness - the one that takes into account the aesthetic object as such, given that this is an imagined object. Secondly, considering this characterisation of the work of art in general one intends to point out the characteristics of the theatrical work of art. The elaboration of the theatrical genre proposed by Sartre, i.e., the theatre of situations, is a description of the theatrical event that allows him to refuse the bourgeois theatre and to criticise the dramaturgical production of his period. For the French philosopher, the theatre operates a description of the concrete human lived experience that philosophy can only describe in a structural way.

Wong Kun Chun, Eric. / Bibliography: leaves 70-88 / Thesis (M.Div.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong