La thèse examine, à partir d’une relecture de Peirce et de certaines de ses interprétations des philosophes et des problèmes antiques, les arguments qui peuvent permettre à une conception pragmatiste des croyances et de la signification de parer aux accusations de conduire au relativisme. Ces arguments résident dans la façon dont ces conceptions s’articulent entre elles, et acceptent une forme de réalisme / This thesis examines arguments taken from Peirce’s reading in Ancient philosophy, which could be used to block accusations of relativism being latent in a pragmatist conception of belief and concepts. The argument lies in the articulation of the two conceptions and their compatibility with a realist view

Aim of the thesis is to analyze the ability of media to provide a sense of ontological security to their users. Changes, related to the transformation of traditional society into a modern society caused in the opinion of Anthony Giddens a weakening of the sense of ontological security of individuals. Such an outcome was a result of the space-time distanciation and individuals opting out of social systems as an impact of some globalization processes. Mass media in the modern society work as a main factor of social integration and differentiation. The ability to construct the sense of ontological security among its recipients is attributing in the field of television studies attributed to the traditional medium, television. But some basic characteristics of television broadcast and the role of television in households have changed with a digital television transition. Employing the methods of qualitative sociological research I will analyze whether new media have the potential to substitute television in the role of providing the sense of ontological security among its users. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

Bakgrund: Kärnfamiljen ses generellt som den gyllene normen för familjebildning men verkligheten visar att familjer ledda av en ensamstående förälder, främst då mammor, är en familjeform som stadigt ökar. Samtidigt visar forskningen att ensamma mammor är en utsatt grupp i samhället med mer generella hälsoproblem. Statistiken lyfter fram att det är negativt för kvinnors hälsa att vara ensamstående mamma. En mer sammansatt bild av mammornas upplevelse av sin vardag kan vara en viktig förutsättning för distriktsköterskan vid mötet med dessa kvinnor. Syfte: Syftet med denna litteraturgranskning var att identifiera upplevelser av vardagslivets utmaningar som ensamstående mamma. Metod: Litteraturstudie som inkluderade 12 studier med kvalitativ ansats. Analys av data genomfördes utifrån Evans tolkande datasyntes. Resultat: För den ensamstående mamman utgjorde vardagens alla krav en stress. Det som främst stressade var hennes ekonomiska situation och att allt ansvar låg enbart på henne, att det inte fanns någon att dela kraven och intrycken med. Detta gav en känsla av trötthet och utmattning som gav mammorna en känsla av ohälsa både fysiskt och psykiskt. Den främsta faktorn till välbefinnande hos mammorna var i interaktion till andra, sitt sociala nätverk. I de granskade studierna framkom en stolthet över sin förmåga och själva moderskapet lyftes fram som en givande och stärkande roll. Slutsats: Granskningen visade på vikten av ett socialt sammanhang, att ha ett socialt nätverk oavsett storlek. Det gav stora positiva effekter på mammornas välbefinnande. / Background: The ”Cosby-family” is viewed as a standard for family formation, but reality shows that families led by a single parent, especially mothers, are a family form that is steadily increasing in societys. At the same time, the research shows that it is a vulnerable group in society with more general health problems. The statistics emphasize that being a single mother is negative for women's health. A more complex picture of the single mothers' experience of their everyday life can be an important prerequisite for the district nurse in the meeting with these women. Aim: The purpose of this literature review was to identify the experiences of everyday life's challenges as a single mother. Method: A literature study that included 12 studies with a qualitative approach.  The analysis of data was carried out based on Evans interpretive data synthesis. Results: For the single mother, the everyday demands were a stressfactor. What mainly stressed her was her financial situation and that all the responsibility lay solely on her, that there was no one to share the demands and feelings with. This gave a feeling of fatigue and exhaustion that gave the mothers a sense of ill-health both physically and mentally. The main factor of well-being of the selected group was when they interacted with others, their social network. In the examined studies, a sense of pride came out for their accomplishments and the motherhood itself was highlighted as a rewarding and strengthening role. Conclusion: The review showed the importance of a social context, to have a social network regardless of it´s size. It had great positive effects on the mother's wellbeing.

A finalidade dessa pesquisa foi pensar no contexto complexo de conflitos em torno da conservação dos sócios-ecossistemas da Terra a função estratégica que vem ocupando por milênios o modo de ser indígena na reprodução e conservação das florestas. Seu modo de ser com a floresta inclui uma forma de manejo no qual a reproduz em todas as suas características essenciais. Embora, esse tipo de manejo encontrar-se imbricado na composição e funcionamento das florestas tropicais, constituindo-se desse modo num elemento essencial e eficaz na formação e na compreensão das paisagens que resultam dessa conexão. Tal manejo encontra-se, não obstante diversas descobertas das teorias antropogênicas sobre sua importância, ainda profundamente invisibilizado na nossa sociedade, pelas teorias e políticas da conservação do meio ambiente no Brasil. Foi realizada uma pesquisa de campo com os Guarani da tekoa Peguao Ty, Sete Barras, São Paulo, sociedade indígena originária da Mata Atlântica, no sentido de compreender melhor essa relação indígena com as florestas. Diante da situação de conflito em que a comunidade se encontra, devido à sobreposição de uma Unidade de Conservação Integral sobre seu território, e a complexidade exigida na compreensão do seu modo de ser com a floresta, optou-se por adotar estratégias de acesso ao seu ponto de vista, inspirados nas metodologias e abordagens da pesquisa-ação participante transdisciplinar. Essa interação entre pesquisa e comunidade explicitou não só um modo próprio de conceberem e se relacionarem com as florestas como também um conflito latente entre seu modo de ser e o ponto de vista dos atores envolvidos, representado principalmente, segundo os Guarani, pela Unidade de Conservação Integral que move contra eles um processo jurídico para expulsá-los do local e pelos pesquisadores que os acusam de gerarem impactos destrutivos na natureza. Ao aproximar-se melhor da questão a pesquisa revelou estar nesse conflito imbricado além do processo histórico de expropriação das sociedades indígenas, uma diferença radical entre o modo de ser indígena fundado nas trocas de perspectivas com as florestas e o modo de pensar metafísico ocidental, que reduz previamente o ser da floresta, suas sociedades originárias e toda complexidade de suas manifestações, a objetos perscrutáveis ou utilizáveis, reduzindo-os às formas empobrecidas de simples recursos naturais ou matérias-primas para delas se servirem a interesses exclusivos, procurando tornar nulo o valor das florestas e as sociedades das florestas. Essa diferença ontológica se radicaliza quando são confrontadas com a necessidade de conservação e recuperação das florestas e outros domínios naturais num território em disputa. A não compreensão da radicalidade dessa diferença tem impedido um conhecimento mais aprofundado do modo de ser indígena com as florestas os quais por meio de sua cosmogenia tem co-produzido e conservado a pujança das florestas tropicais que ainda exibem até hoje, e ao mesmo tempo tem impedido refletir com mais rigor sobre a profunda ignorância do outro manifestado por um conhecimento que se supõe, apesar de suas evidentes limitações, como saber válido universal / The purpose of this research was to ponder about the complex context of conflicts around the conservation of the social-ecosystem of the Earth, the strategic function that has been for millenniums the indigenous way of living and in the reproduction and conservation of the forests. Their ways of living with the forest includes a form of management in which it reproduces itself in all its essential characteristics. Although this type of management is embedded in the composition and functioning of tropical forests, it constitutes an essential and effective element in the formation and understanding of the landscapes resulting from this connection. This management is found, despite various discoveries of the anthropogenic theories about its importance, still deeply invisible in our society, by the theories and policies of the conservation of the environment in Brazil. A fieldwork was carried out with the Guarani of Tekoa Peguao Ty, Sete Barras, São Paulo, an indigenous society originally from the Atlantic Forest, in order to better understand this indigenous relationship with forests. In view of the conflict situation in which the community is, due to the overlap of an Integral Conservation Unit on their territory, and the complexity required in understanding their ways of living with the forest, it was decided to approach it from their perspectives, inspired by the methodologies and approaches of trans-disciplinary participatory research. This interaction between research and community revealed not only a proper way of conceiving and relating to the forests but also a latent conflict between their ways of living and the point of view of the people involved, represented mainly, according to the Guaranis, by the Conservation Unit Integral that moves against them a legal lawsuit to evict them from the place and the researchers who accuse them of creating destructive impacts on nature. In approaching the question better, research revealed that in this conflict, which was imbricated beyond the historical process of expropriation of indigenous societies, a radical difference between the indigenous ways of living founded on the exchange of perspectives with the forests and the Western metaphysical way of thinking, which it reduces previously the people of the forest, their original societies and all complexity of their manifestations, to inscrutable or usable objects, reducing them to the impoverished forms of simple natural resources or raw materials for them to serve exclusive interests, trying to make the forests and the forest societies worthless. This ontological difference becomes radicalized when confronted with the need for conservation and recovery of forests and other natural domains in a desired territory. The lack of understanding of the radical nature of this difference has prevented a more in-depth knowledge of the indigenous ways of living with the forests, which through their \"cosmology\" has co-produced and preserved the strength of the tropical forests that still exists today, and at the same time has prevented us from rigorously reflecting on the deep ignorance of the others, manifested by a knowledge that is supposed, despite its evident limitations, as a valid universal knowledge

Cette thèse vise à définir des techniques pour mieux exploiter les connaissances du domaine dans l’objectif de rendre compte de la réalité de systèmes qualifiés de complexes et critiques. La modélisation est une étape indispensable pour effectuer des vérifications et exprimer des propriétés qu’un système doit satisfaire. La modélisation est une représentation simplificatrice, mais réductionniste de la réalité d’un système. Or, un système complexe ne peut se réduire à un modèle. Un modèle doit s’intégrer dans sa théorie observationnelle pour rendre compte des anomalies qu’il peut y contenir. Notre étude montre clairement que le contexte est la première problématique à traiter car principale source de conflits dans le processus de conception d’un système. L’approche retenue dans cette thèse est celle d’intégrer des connaissances du domaine en associant le système à concevoir à des formalismes déclaratifs qualifiés de descriptifs appelés ontologies. Notre attention est portée au formalisme Event-B dont l’approche correct-par-construction appelée raffinement est le principal mécanisme dans ce formalisme qui permet de faire des preuves sur des représentations abstraites de systèmes pour exprimer/vérifier des propriétés de sûreté et d’invariance. Le premier problème traité concerne la représentation et la modélisation des connaissances du contexte en V&V de modèles. Suite à l’étude des sources de conflits, nous avons établi de nouvelles règles pour une extraction de connaissances liées au contexte par raffinement pour la V&V. Une étude des formalismes de représentation et d’interprétation logiques du contexte a permis de définir un nouveau mécanisme pour mieux structurer les modèles Event-B. Une deuxième étude concerne l’apport des connaissances du domaine pour la V&V. Nous définissons une logique pour le formalisme Event-B avec contraintes du domaine fondées sur les logiques de description, établissons des règles à exploiter pour l’intégration de ces connaissances à des fins de V&V. L’évaluation des propositions faites portent sur des études de cas très complexes telles que les systèmes de vote dont des patrons de conception sont aussi développés dans cette thèse. Nous soulevons des problématiques fondamentales sur la complémentarité que peut avoir l’intégration par raffinement des connaissances du domaine à des modèles en exploitant les raisonnements ontologiques, proposons de définir de nouvelles structures pour une extraction partiellement automatisée / This thesis aims at defining techniques to better exploit the knowledge provided from the domain in order to account for the reality of systems described as complex and critical. Modeling is an essential step in performing verifications and expressing properties that a system must satisfy according to the needs and requirements established in the specifications. Modeling is a representation that simplifies the reality of a system. However, a complex system can not be reduced to a model. A model that represents a system must always fit into its observational theory to account for any anomalies that it may contain. Our study clearly shows that the context is the first issue to deal with as the main source of conflict in the design process of a system. The approach adopted in this thesis is that of integrating knowledge of the domain by associating the system to design with declarative formalisms qualified of descriptive ones that we call ontologies. We pay a particular attention to the Event-B formalism, whose correct-by-construction approach called refinement is the main mechanism at the heart of this formalism, which makes it possible to make proofs on abstract representations of systems for expressing and verifying properties of safety and invariance. The first problem treated is the representation and modeling of contextual knowledge in V&V of models. Following to the study looked at the different sources of conflict, we established new definitions and rules for a refinement context knowledge extraction for Event-B V&V. A study of logical formalisms that represent and interpret the context allowed us to define a new mechanism for better structuring Event-B models. A second study concerns the contribution that domain knowledge can make to the V&V of models. We define a logic for the Event-B formalism with domain constraints based on the description logic, and we define rules to integrate domain knowledge for model V&V. The evaluation of the proposals made deal with very complex case studies such as voting systems whose design patterns are also developed in this thesis. We raise fundamental issues about the complementarity that the integration of domain knowledge can bring to Event-B models by refinement using ontological reasoning, and we propose to define a new structures for a partially automated extraction on both levels, namely the V&V

The Arctic region is changing. This is an oft-cited statement researcher, policy-makers and the general public say about the Arctic. But who can change the Arctic order? This academic paper is interested in determine Greenland’s role and ‘actorness’ in this changeable region. Adopting an interpretivist approach, I advocate to embrace the narrative turn in IR as a useful move to understand how Greenland, as a sub-state regional entity, can enhance its agency capacity in Arctic affairs. Using phronetical case study, govermentality and narrative analysis as main methodologies, this study decipher how the Arctic governance has changed and been shaped by different narratives and governmental practices. Greenland’s possibilities to exercise more power have been analysed through the lenses of ontological security theory because this theory is intimately related to human agency. However, this theory presents several challenges that must be overcome by doing a revision of the theory. The final results are discusses in a reflexive manner adopting four phronetical value-rational questions that policy-makers should take into account when planning any relevant strategic action, such as Greenland’s visibility and empowerment in Arctic affairs.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2018-05-14T13:06:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Roberta Magalhães Gubert_.pdf: 2454824 bytes, checksum: 2034a86fa9e3e4d3b4b805b0bf52a0ed (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-14T13:06:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Roberta Magalhães Gubert_.pdf: 2454824 bytes, checksum: 2034a86fa9e3e4d3b4b805b0bf52a0ed (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-01-05 / UNISINOS - Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos / A tese de doutorado versa sobre o tema das Fontes do Direito e a necessidade de uma concepção atualizada de fontes, congruente com o contexto da teoria do Direito contemporânea, fundada na importância do constitucionalismo e na discussão que emerge da tensão provocada pelas crises do Estado moderno e suas implicações – perda de soberania, internacionalização e privatização das fontes – e está delimitada, especificamente, pelo objetivo de desenvolver uma teoria das fontes adequada à Crítica Hermenêutica do Direito (CHD), de Lenio Streck. Desta forma, o problema de pesquisa está centrado no questionamento acerca do sentido de fonte que, enquanto categoria que tradicionalmente compõe a teoria do Direito, é mais adequado à realidade contemporânea, visivelmente alterada pelo constitucionalismo e pela internacionalização. Como hipótese original, o trabalho defende a tese de uma nova formulação da diferença ontológica heideggeriana entre “ser e ente”, para o âmbito do Direito, agora denominada diferença ontológica entre fonte normativa e norma jurídica. O método de trabalho é o fenomenológico-hermenêutico, fundado principalmente na filosofia hermenêutica de Martin Heidegger e na hermenêutica filosófica de Hans- Georg Gadamer, nos conceitos-chave de diferença ontológica e de círculo hermenêutico (pré-compreensão) e na crítica ao pensamento metafísico. O principal referencial teórico no âmbito do Direito é a Crítica Hermenêutica do Direito (CHD), de Lenio Streck. No capítulo dois enfrentam-se os aspectos dogmáticos das fontes, sua evolução histórica e principais classificações, tema bastante emaranhado, em decorrência da plurivocidade de sentidos do termo figurativo “fontes do Direito”. O capítulo três trata de forma crítica das concepções de fonte desenvolvidas pelas correntes positivistas dos séculos XIX e XX. O capítulo quatro aborda o contexto brasileiro e analisa de forma crítica a Lei de Introdução às Normas do Direito Brasileiro. O capítulo cinco, mais propositivo, apresenta o cenário contemporâneo de internacionalização e privatização das fontes, e propõe um novo conceito de diferença ontológica no Direito, entre fonte normativa e norma jurídica, como forma mais adequada de superar as teses positivistas de fontes e harmonizar as fontes tradicionais – leis, doutrina, jurisprudência – às novas fontes do Direito – princípios, tratados, normas, contratos e decisões internacionais, standards e indicadores, entre outros –, e que seja compatível com a Crítica Hermenêutica do Direito e sua preocupação com a autonomia do Direito, capaz de superar a arbitrariedade judicial. / The doctorate thesis explores the theme Sources of Law and the necessity of an updated concept of sources, congruent with the contemporary law theory. Founded in the importance of constitutionalism and the debate that emerges from the tensions raised by the crisis in the classical elements that characterizes modern States, such as the sovereignty principle, and today’s implications – internationalization and privatization of sources. The theme is specially delimitated by the purpose of developing a source theory that is suitable for the Critical Hermeneutics Legal Theory, proposed by Lenio Streck. The research problem questions the meaning of source that, as a traditional category in law’s theory, is more suitable for contemporary’s reality, clearly altered by constitutionalism and internationalization. As the original hypothesis, the paper suggests a new formulation for Heidegger’s ontological difference between “being and entity” in the context of Law, now denominated ontological difference between normative source and legal norm. The methodology adopted was the hermeneutical-phenomenology of Martin Heidegger’s hermeneutical philosophy and Hans-Geog Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics. The main concepts of this current of thought used were ontological difference and hermeneutical circle (previous comprehension) and the criticism of metaphysical thought. The main theoretical frame in the scope of Law was Lenio Streck’s Critical Hermeneutics of Law Theory. Chapter two confronts conceptual and theoretical aspects of sources, as well as its historical evolution and main classifications, which considering the plurality of possible meanings attributed to the figurative term “sources of law” is a very tangled matter. Third chapter critically analyzes XIX and XX’s century positivism conceptions about sources of law. Chapter four talks specifically about the Brazilian context and criticizes the “Introduction to Brazilian Norm’s Statue”. The fifth chapter, more propositional, presents the current scenario for the new international and private sources and proposes a new concept for ontological difference in the field of Law, between normative source and legal norm. This is considered a more suitable alternative to overcome positivist thinking as well as to harmonize traditional sources – statues, jurisprudence, precedents – with new kinds of sources – principles, treaties, contracts and international decisions, standards and indicators, and others. This new concept is also considered to be the most compatible with Lenio Streck’s Critical Hermeneutics Legal Theory, that is very concerned with Law’s autonomy and the surpassing of judicial arbitrariness.

Orientador: Marcos Tadeu Del Roio / Banca: Antonio Carlos Mazzeo / Banca: Paulo Douglas Barsotti / Resumo: Este trabalho se propôs a abordar dois momentos da receptividade das idéias de Lukács no Brasil: a das idéias filosófico-estéticas; a das idéias filosófico-ontológicas. Demonstrou-se que o significativo consiste no caráter ídeo-político que se conferiu a ambos momentos - configurando uma unidade de continuidade-descontinuidade. No decurso dos anos 1960, jovens comunistas inspiraram-se nas idéias estéticas do filósofo para a elaboração de um projeto de política cultural como um momento de uma "renovação" política (do PCB). Neste contexto, se enfatizou dois pontos: que a política cultural de extração lukacsiana é incompatível com a tradição cultural do partido, que, no campo específico da arte, além de determinar-se por categoriais não-imanentes à produção estético-artística, caracterizara-se por elementos estéticos de extração stalinistazhadnovista; e, que em razão de conceber dialeticamente as relações entre as revoluções burguesa e proletária, As Teses de Blum se distinguem das Teses (de extração terceiro-internacionalista stalinizada) estratégico-políticas propugnadas pelo PCB após 1958. Mediados pelas idéias ontológicas de Lukács, no contexto do capitalismo contemporâneo, autores marxistas (Sérgio Lessa, Ricardo Antunes, José Chasin, José Paulo Netto, Ivo Tonet), explicitam, primeiro, a falácia das teses que propugnam a descentralidade do trabalho do mundo humano-social, segundo, que a determinação do trabalho como o fundamento ontológico do ser social une-se à imperiosa necessidade de se emancipar a humanidade dos ditames do capital - neste sentido, conferem à sua adoção destas idéias lukacsianas, ainda que no âmbito das atividades acadêmicas, uma dimensão ídeo-política. Enfatizou-se esta dimensão em três momentos: mediante a explicitação de que o trabalho abstrato fundamenta as sociedades contemporâneas...(Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This work has the objective to learn about two moments of receptivity of the ideas of Lukács here in Brazil: Philosophical Esthetics and Philosophcal-Ontologics. It demonstrated it's importance based on the aspect of political ideology in both cases forming a unity of continuitydiscontinuity. In the nineteen sixties young communist were inspired by the esthetics of the philosopher to formulate a political-cultural project as part of renovating political ideas (PCB). In this context two important aspects were enphesized: the political-cultural views of Lukács are incompatible with the cultural tradition of the party, arts specifically, are not judged on there esthetic artistic value, but are more an enlightening on esthetics based on Stalin-Zhadnov; because of that there is a dialectic relationship between the bourgeois and proletarian revolution. The Blum Theses distinguish them selves from the Theses (influenced by the third international under Stalin) political strategies defended by the PCB party after 1958. Applying the ontological ideas of Lukács to contemporary capitalism, marxist authors like (Sérgio Lessa, Ricardo Antunes, José Chasin, José Paulo Netto, Ivo Tonet) in first place show fallacy In the theory that defend decentralization of work in the human social society, secondly a definition of work as an ontological foundation that meets the imposing necessity to overcome exploration by capital and in this way they atribute to the receptivity of Lukács ontology ideas, although in the academic world this was a political ideology. In three occasions this ideology demonstrated itself: highlighting that employment is the fundament of contemporary society which confirms Marx social theory to confront the consequences of offensive capital over work; by defending the thesis of ontological dependency of other social interactives in relation to work...(Complete abstract, acess undermentioned eletronic adress) / Mestre

Le platonisme mathématique, la thèse selon laquelle les mathématiques portent sur des objets abstraits existant de manière indépendante à notre esprit et notre langage, est un des sujets les plus débattues dans la philosophie des mathématiques. L’image des mathématiques qui s’en dégage est souvent perçue comme se heurtant à des problèmes épistémologiques considérables : si il est vrai que les mathématiques sont une science qui porte sur des objets en dehors de l’espace et du temps, comment nous, des êtres situés spatio-temporellement, pouvons avoir une quelconque connaissance mathématique ? En conséquence, la défense du platonisme et le débat sur l’ontologie des mathématiques se sont largement concentrées sur cette dimension épistémologique. Dans ce travail de thèse, nous essaierons de réitérer le rôle de la métaphysique et de la pratique des mathématiques dans le débat sur l’ontologie des objets mathématiques. Notre objectif principal est plus particulièrement le développement et l’application d’un programme métaphysique général, capable de rendre compte des aspects ontologiques des mathématiques qui sont propres à une interprétation platoniste des mathématiques. Pour ce faire, notre stratégie consiste à insister tout d’abord sur le besoin de clarification des thèses platonistes concernant la nature abstraite des objets mathématiques et l’indépendance de ces objets et à essayer d’étendre la portée du platonisme au-delà des concepts et théories mathématiques habituelles. / Mathematical platonism is the idea according to which mathematics is about a domain of abstract objects, existing independently of our though and language. It is one of the central subjects in philosophy of mathematics, and is often considered to face important epistemological problems. If, as the platonist thinks, mathematics really are a science of objects outside of space and time, then how is mathematical knowledge even possible? As a consequence of the epistemological problem, the debate has focused mainly around the epistemological dimension of platonism. In this study however, we will try to move away from epistemology and restate the role of metaphysics and mathematical practice in the ontological debate on mathematical objects. Our main objective will be to develop and apply a general metaphysical program in order to explain the ontological aspects of a platonist interpretation of mathematics. In order to do this, it will be necessary to clarify the abstract nature of mathematical objects and the ontological independence of these entities, and to extend the scope of platonism beyond the usual concepts and mathematical theories.

This research study explored the meanings former patients attributed to being on long-term mechanical ventilation in a critical care unit (CCU). An interpretive phenomenological-ontological perspective informed by the philosophical tenets of Heidegger (1927/1962) was used to examine the lived experience of a group of people who had previously been hospitalised in one of three critical care units in southeast Queensland, Australia, during which time they were on a mechanical ventilator for a period of seven days or more. Data were collected using 14 unstructured audio-taped interviews from participants, who had indicated that they were willing and able to recall aspects of their critical care experience. The data were analysed using the method developed by van Manen (1990). A total of nine people participated in the study, of which six were male and three female. Their ages ranged from 21 to 69 years. Thematic analysis of the data revealed four themes: Being thrown into an uneveryday world; Existing in an uneveryday world; Reclaiming the everyday world; and Reframing the experience. Throughout the description of these themes, excerpts from the interviews with the participants are provided to demonstrate, and bring to light the meaning and interpretations constructed. From this thematic analysis, a phenomenological description drawing on Heidegger's tenets of Being was constructed. Titled Being at its most elusive, this description showed that participants experienced momentary lapses of: situation, engagement, concern and care, temporality, and the ability to self-interpret. These findings highlight and affirm the relevance of Heidegger's ontological tenets to reveal Being. The findings of this study served as a basis for a number of recommendations relating to nursing practice, education and research. Recommendations relating to practice include: constructing a more patient-friendly critical care environment, increased involvement of patients and their families in decision making and patient care activities; ensuring adequate critical care nursing staff levels; ensuring and maintaining appropriate skill level of critical care nurses; enhancing methods of communication with patients; planning for effective patient discharge and adoption of a designated nurse position for discharge planning; providing opportunities for follow up contact of patients once they are discharged from CCU; and promoting the establishment of follow up services for former CCU patients, and their families. Recommendations relating to critical care education include: incorporating more in-depth information of the psychological and social aspects of patient and family care into care planning; incorporating communication and counselling education and training to assist nurses caring for mechanically ventilated patients, and their families; further education regarding the role and responsibilities of patient discharge planning from CCU; incorporating more advanced research skills training and utilisation of research findings into practice; and the provision of appropriate and ongoing training and education in areas such as manual handling and communication skills for all health care staff involved in the direct care of CCU patients. This study also recommended that further research be undertaken to: examine and compare different sedative and analgesic protocols and their effects on the incidence of nightmares and hallucinations reported by CCU patients; replicate this study in a group of patients from different cultural or ethnic backgrounds; evaluate the efficacy of current methods for communicating with intubated and mechanically ventilated patients in the CCU; develop, test and evaluate the efficacy of new methods for communicating with intubated and mechanically ventilated patients in the CCU; examine CCU patients' perceived level of control and power; explore the extent and type of involvement patients would like to have in their care whilst in the CCU; investigate the extent and type of problems experienced by CCU patients after discharge; explore the usefulness and appropriateness of personal diaries for individual patients as an aid to assist in understanding and resolving their CCU experience; and examine the value of follow up contacts by CCU staff to former patients and their families. In summary, the findings from this study add substantial knowledge to critical care nurses' understanding and knowledge about what it means to be on long-term mechanical ventilation in a critical care unit. Findings will help inform future critical care nursing practice and education, and the provision of holistic and evidenced-based care.