This research project investigates Confucian thinker Dai Zhen (1724-1777) and Jewish thinker Emmanuel Levinas’s (1906-1995) philosophical discourses on desire from a comparative perspective. First, I look at Dai Zhen and Levinas individually each in their own philosophical contexts, while framing my readings with parallel structure that pivots on a hermeneutic strategy to examine their ideas of desire within the larger prospect of the human relation with transcendence. Then, my inquiry leads to a critical analysis of several interesting issues yielded in my interpretive readings of the two thinkers as regards transcendence and immanence and the self-other relationship. Methodologically, my study combines careful textual analysis, philosophical reflection, and historical sensitivity. We might want to say that there is in fact no correlative of the Levinasian desire in Dai Zhen’s philosophy. Dai Zhen’s notion of desire perhaps comes closer to Levinas’s concept of need. However, the disparity of their conceptual formulations does not keep us from discerning their shared ethical concern for the other, the weak, marginalized, and underprivileged group of society, which provides me the very ground for a dialogical comparison between the two thinkers. Henceforth, my writing is hinged on a comprehension of their conception of desire as an articulation of human striving for what is lying beyond themselves, as a redefinition of the being or essence of humankind in relation to the transcendent which in both philosophers’ ethical thinking is translated into a sympathetic understanding of and care for the other, particularly the stranger, the widow, the orphan, the young, the weak and the like. Through the comparative study of the two thinkers’ ideas of desire, I want to argue that “desire,” which is most readily directed to human egoism and instinctive propensity in both Confucian and Western philosophical traditions, can be at once the very driving force to open us to the other beyond ourselves and an actual moral creativity to produce ethical being out of material existence.

This thesis investigates artifacts and concepts present in the Noahide world and how they affect Noahide identity. Five factors are analyzed, namely Noahide law, religious pluralism, ritual, sectarianism, and conversion. I consult the Hebrew Scriptures as well as early, medieval, and modern rabbinic sources to set the conceptual background of the Noahide movement before moving into the primary, contemporary sources written by Orthodox Jews, Orthodox rabbis, and Noahides. To supplement my literary analysis, I have conducted a survey of self-identifying Noahide practitioners. This survey collects data concerning religious background, religious behavior, demographics, and free responses. I aim to show first and foremost that Noahidism is a new, exclusive religious tradition which comprises the lay order of Orthodox Judaism. This is born out of a theology which requires belief in the Jewish God and Jewish revelation, a strict ritual system based on Orthodox Jewish prescriptions, and a sectarian typology which mirrors Orthodox Jewish sectarianism. Additionally, my analysis of conversion shows Noahidism is not a gateway to Orthodox conversion, but an end in itself.

This thesis examines whether the theological method currently known as inculturation was used in the Supper Narratives of the New Testament. A methodology is set up in which texts are examined against the backdrop of Graeco-Roman, Judaic and early Christian cultures. This methodology focusses on family resemblances and analogies, rather than genealogy or causal dependence to examine the links between text and context. It also avoids claims for orthodoxy dependent on claims about origins. Engaging with the claims of writers from Schweitzer, through Jeremias and up to the present, three themes are identified: meals, sacrifice and eschatology. The manifestations of each are examined against the three cultural groups:Judaic, Graeco-Roman and early Christian. The Supper Narratives (Mk 14:12-26, Matt. 26:17-30 and Luke 22:7-23 and 1 Cor 11:17-34) are then mapped against these themes. Analogies to the cultural groups are then traced. This process leads to conclusions that the New Testament writers did use a methodology which can be identified as inculturation. It manifests itself particularly through patterns identified by anthropologists as bricolage and re-accentuation. A notable example is "sacrificialisation", in which events and items are invested with a fresh sacrificial significance. Judaic concepts (e.g., covenant and Atonement) and rituals (e.g., sacramentals and Passover) dominate the interpretations of Jesus' last meal with his disciples. This does not mean that inculturation only took place in relation to Jewish culture. Many of the concepts used (e.g., sacrifice and sacrament) share commonalities with Graeco-Roman thought which allows them to engage with such world-views. This process sees Judaic understandings used as correctives to Graeco-Roman thinking about sacraments. It also sees Jewish concepts used to address Graeco-Roman values, and give an added historical depth (antiquitas) to a comparatively recent event. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / D.Th. (New Testament)

Text in Afrikaans with summaries in Afrikaans and English / Opsomming In hierdie verhandeling word die ontologie van Eriugena in oënskou geneem, met spesifieke verwysing na sy negatiewe ontologie, oftewel sy opvatting van nie-syn. Ter inleiding word daar na die Latynse en Griekse agtergrond van sy ontologie verwys. Dit word opgevolg deur `n bespreking van die verskillende wyses van syn en nie-syn waarvan Eriugena in die Periphyseon gebruik maak. Klem word geplaas op sy negatiewe ontologie, wat meer gevorderd is as enigiets in die Westerse denke tot heelwat na sy leeftyd. Die historiese konteks van Eriugena se lewe en denke word geskets, met inbegrip van die invloede wat op hom ingewerk het en sy eie nawerking. Sy viervoudige verdeling van die werklikheid word vervolgens bespreek, met aanduiding hoedat die ganse werklikheid gesien kan word as `n wisselwerking tussen syn en nie-syn. `n Dinamiese ontologie word dus deur Eriugena voorgehou, eerder as die statiese ontologie wat kenmerkend van veel Judaïsties-Christelike denke is. Summary In this dissertation the ontology of Eriugena is reviewed, with specific reference to his negative ontology, in other words his concept of non-being. By way of introduction the Latin and Greek background of his ontology is pointed out. It is followed by a discussion of the various modes of being and non-being that Eriugena employs in the Periphyseon. Emphasis is placed on his negative ontology, which is more advanced than anything in Western thought until much later than his time. The historical context of Eriugena's life and thought is sketched, including the influences acting on him and the influence he exerted on others. His fourfold division of reality is then discussed, indicating how the whole of reality can be viewed as an interaction between being and non-being. Eriugena thus postulates a dynamic ontology, rather than the static ontology that is characteristic of much of Judaistic-Christian thought. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Religious Studies)

There is dissatisfaction with the Collects when scholastically (classically) understood. An alternative phenomenological understanding is an engaging and artistic philosophical enquiry. Phenomenological philosophical enquiry engages the individual in meaningful interpretation and construction of the life-world founded on a non-dichotomous ontology. Phenomenological enquiry (existential philosophy) interprets the present and relates to the future such as is not possible in scholastic (classical) philosophy. The early twentieth century philosophers, Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger, conceived a phenomenological method of interpretation which innovatively placed the subject and object in a dialectical union. Understanding the Collects phenomenologically presents new insights susceptible to consensus within a community. At present, the Collects are structured on the principles of classical (dichotomous) ontology. The Collects reflect the collective religious meaning of the life-world and provide a vision upon which a community may build. In phenomenological interpretation an individual and a community, in the presence of that which is divine, participate as co-creators of the life-world. Thus, in contemporary western society phenomenological methodology ~ay be more helpful and therefore more desirable than scholastic methodology for theological interpretation. The hypothesis that phenomenological philosophy is more helpful, thus more desirable, than scholastic philosopl1y began as a hunch on my part. From a theological perspective, I examined data obtained from a particular focus group. Intelligent reflection, phenomenologically not classically understood, is a working principle in this thesis. / Taking into account phenomenological methodology and conceptualising the problem as originally and scientifically as circumstances permit, I offer a resolution to the dissatisfaction with the Collects. I suggest replacing scholastic ontological understanding with the more helpful phenomenological ontological understanding in liturgical interpretation. This replacement-solution hypothesis is evidenced in this study minimally, but sufficiently, to conclude that such replacement is occurring in theological understanding. There are clear existential intimations of a shift from classical understanding to phenomenological understanding. The results of the survey show traditional understanding to be favoured, however. In the concluding remarks, I evaluate my findings and suggest what direction future studies may take. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Practical Theology)

Revelation is God's Word addressed to the human being and so speaks of God in relation to the person and the world. Revelation can therefore only be fully understood, proclaimed and lived through an encounter with the world and its conceptions. To understand the evolution of human consciousness and the creation of the soul, we look to the sources of revelation (scripture and tradition) in dialogue with secular anthropology. The latter's paradigm of development and growth is not foreign to the former's understanding of conversion and growth in grace . The image of God, which characterises the human person, is shown to be an emergent likeness, which is created and drawn to its fullness by God. This accounts for Pius XII' s insistence that the soul is created immediately by God, who is responsible for the physical dynamics that bring forth consciousness and the personal dynamics that empower the human soul to develop. / Philosophy Practical andSystematic Theology / M.Th (Systematic Theology)

O presente trabalho tem como finalidade principal demonstrar que não existem maiores divergências entre o criacionismo bíblico e a teoria da evolução, quando olhamos o fato à luz do transformismo do Pe. Teilhard de Chardin, isto é, sem desprezar a ciência, mas com um profundo conhecimento bíblico, no qual seja possível detectar a verdade científica e, ao mesmo tempo, ter uma visão da verdade bíblica revelando-se a ponto de ver e sentir a união entre matéria e espírito. Quanto ao criacionismo bíblico, fizemos questão de apresentar as duas narrativas da criação descrita nos Gênesis e algumas interpretações hermenêuticas sobre elas, bem como a aceitação da segunda narrativa no Antigo e no Novo Testamento. No que se refere à teoria da evolução, preocupamo-nos em apresentar os pontos de vista científicos, com as naturais divergências entre eles, para que se possa entender melhor o conteúdo de tal teoria, que se empenha em mostrar como surgiu o ser humano na terra, através de uma enorme cadeia de ocorrências até a aparição inexplicável do homo sapiens. Após colocarmos as bases do criacionismo e do evolucionismo é que tratamos dessa possibilidade de equilíbrio entre os dois temas através do transformismo teilhardiano, que nos deixa ver bem claro que o elo perdido da evolução é o sopro de Deus, que promove aquele salto, inexplicável pela ciência, através do fenômeno complexidade-consciência, promovendo o equilíbrio tão almejado / This Work aims meanly at demonstrating that there are not so great divergences between biblical Creationism and Evolution Theory, as we look onto the fact on its whole, in view of Fr. Teilhard de Chardins Transformism, i. e. without disregarding Science, but with a biblical deep knowledge in which it could be possible detecting up scientific truth, revealing itself in a such way that turns possible seeing and feeling deep unity, fusion between matter and spirit. Regarding to biblical Creationism, we have assumed, we have undertaken presenting the two narratives in reference to Creation, described in Genesis and some hermeneutic interpretations about them the two narrations as weel as our adoption, acceptance with regards to second narration in Old and New Testament. As for Evolution Theory, we have been concerned focusing the scientifical viewpoints, with natural divergences among them, in order to make possible a better comprehension, understanding regarding to such a theory content that strives showing up the way human being arose in earth, through a large events, accurences chain, series until Homo Sapiens inexplicable appearance. Since we have delt with we have discussed this equilibrium possibility between these two themes, through Teilhardian transformism, that enables us seeing very clearly that Evolutions missing link is Gods Breath that moves on, through complexity consciousness, that leap, jump, inexplicable for Science, moving on the so longed for equilibrium

Submitted by Maike Costa (maiksebas@gmail.com) on 2016-02-19T12:43:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1245396 bytes, checksum: a1ecc307325da2e0c864335f93e5799b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-19T12:43:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1245396 bytes, checksum: a1ecc307325da2e0c864335f93e5799b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-11-16 / This thesis has as its goal to study the problem of evil through literature with the aid of the literary philosophical hermeneutics. In order to develop this theme, in first place, we seek to localize this study within the religion studies. We propose that hermeneutics can be a mediator among philosophy, theology, religion studies, and their respective approaches to religion. Next, we present exemplary how the discussions of philosophy, theology, and religion studies occur inside literature. We show also, briefly, how the problem of evil is placed as a theme of interest for philosophy and theology. At the end of this part, we present C. S. Lewis, the author whose work Out of the Silent Planet is the object of our study, and we expose the methodology of this thesis. In the second chapter, we discuss panoramically the problem of evil in philosophy and theology. Then, we present a panel with the major studies that examine the interface between the problem of evil and the works of C. S. Lewis. At the end of the chapter, we list the main categories/aspects of the problem of evil which are articulated in the apologetic approach of Lewis in The Problem of Pain, and that echoes in the fictional narrative of our object of study. The main categories/aspects of the problem of evil, which relate to the first volume of the Space Trilogy are: divine omnipotence, the fall of man, the human pain and the animal pain. In order to study the problem of evil in the literature, we seek in the literary philosophical hermeneutics of Paul Ricoeur a model of analysis. We abstract from the work Time and Narrative the Ricoeurian triple mímesis as an itinerary for the study of Out of the Silent Planet. At last, we apply the resulting model to the analysis of the first volume of the C. S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy. In mímesis I, we study the fiction environment and the characters of the story. In mímesis II, we locate the chapter in the work where the narrative can be seen as a whole. Then, we describe how the categories/aspects of the problem of evil are articulated in this part of Out of the Silent Planet, we verify how the narrative shares elements of the literature body of the time in which it was produced, and how it breaks from this tradition. In mímesis III, we approach the values and the ethical practical implications that can be verified in the reading of the book. C. S. Lewis proposes in his narrative a theodicy from a theist Christian standpoint, using fiction to transmit his way of understanding the problem of evil and its implications. / Esta dissertação tem como objetivo estudar o problema do mal através da literatura com o auxílio da hermenêutica filosófica literária. Para desenvolver esse tema, em primeiro lugar, buscamos localizar este estudo dentro das ciências das religiões. Propomos que a hermenêutica pode ser uma mediadora entre filosofia, teologia, ciências das religiões e suas respectivas abordagens à religião. Depois, apresentamos exemplarmente como as discussões da filosofia, da teologia e das ciências das religiões ocorrem dentro da literatura. Mostramos também, brevemente, como o problema do mal se coloca como tema de interesse para a filosofia e para a teologia. No final da primeira parte, introduzimos C. S. Lewis, o autor cuja a obra Além do planeta silencioso é o objeto do nosso estudo e expomos a metodologia dessa dissertação. No segundo capítulo, discutimos panoramicamente o problema do mal na filosofia e na teologia. Em seguida, apresentamos um painel com os principais estudos que examinam a interface entre o problema do mal e as obras de C. S. Lewis. Ao final do capítulo, elencamos as principais categorias/aspectos do problema do mal que são articuladas na abordagem apologética de Lewis em O problema do sofrimento e que ecoam na narrativa ficcional do nosso objeto de estudo. As principais categorias/aspectos do problema do mal que se relacionam com o primeiro volume da Trilogia cósmica são: a onipotência divina, a queda do homem, o sofrimento humano e o sofrimento animal. Para estudar o problema do mal na literatura, buscamos na hermenêutica filosófica literária de Paul Ricoeur um modelo de análise. Abstraímos da obra Tempo e narrativa a tríplice mimese ricoeuriana como roteiro para o estudo de Além do planeta silencioso. Por fim, aplicamos o modelo resultante à análise do primeiro volume da Trilogia cósmica de C. S. Lewis. Em mímesis I, estudamos a ambientação da ficção e os personagens da história. Em mímesis II, localizamos o capítulo da obra onde a narrativa pode ser vista como um todo. Então, descrevemos como as categorias/aspectos do problema do mal são articuladas nessa parte de Além do planeta silencioso, verificamos como a narrativa compartilha elementos do corpo literário da época em que foi produzida e como ela rompe com essa tradição. Em mímesis III, abordamos os valores e as implicações éticas práticas que podem ser verificadas na leitura do livro. C. S. Lewis propõe em sua narrativa uma teodiceia desde um ponto de vista teísta cristão, utilizando-se da ficção para transmitir sua maneira de entender o problema do mal e suas implicações.

Shakespeare's ideas about free will and moral choice, as illustrated in his play Macbeth, may have been influenced by Dante's Inferno. Dante was known to Shakespeare's contemporaries, and therefore most likely to the Bard himself. Current literature has not conclusively addressed this topic, and a focused examination is important, because it offers both an additional perspective on free will in Inferno, and adds to the understanding of free will in Macbeth. Read at face value, Macbeth seems to bear no responsibility for his actions because they were preordained by the fates. Dante believed in free will, and Macbeth bears more than one similarity to his Commedia. Read through a Dantean lens, Macbeth has free will - even if choosing not to exercise it. Through the mere contemplation of the four reasons for not killing Duncan, Macbeth recognizes that he has the choice whether to become a traitor, with the consequences of suffering contrapasso damnation. But Macbeth elects to disregard the wisdom passed down in Dante's Commedia, and knowingly commits a heinously immoral act. Shakespeare uses his predecessor Dante as a tool to advocate for human agency and moral choices in a text that would otherwise be fatalistic. Both then and now, Shakespeare sought to influence his audiences' understanding of their own free will. One first has to believe in possessing free will, in order to use it to make the best possible choices. Dante and Shakespeare reaffirm our possession of free will to help us avoid individual and societal tragedies.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-07-04T19:33:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 romulogomesdeoliveira.pdf: 629952 bytes, checksum: 5c6eb922d630905d0cb040685d77f711 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-07-13T16:22:19Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 romulogomesdeoliveira.pdf: 629952 bytes, checksum: 5c6eb922d630905d0cb040685d77f711 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-13T16:22:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 romulogomesdeoliveira.pdf: 629952 bytes, checksum: 5c6eb922d630905d0cb040685d77f711 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-12 / Este trabalho visa analisar alguns conceitos relevantes para a compreensão de uma filosofia da religião no pensamento de Søren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855), bem como a interrelação entre eles, assumindo como problemática central a relação entre ser humano particular e Deus. Embora a obra de Kierkegaard se caracterize por uma grande complexidade, este trabalho apóia-se sobre um eixo conceitual capaz de conferir uma unidade de sentido ao conjunto de seus escritos: a relação de fundamento do indivíduo em Deus no processo existencial de tornar-se si-mesmo. Este procedimento permite demonstrar a viabilidade, do ponto de vista da Ciência da Religião, de se ler a construção de uma filosofia da religião por Kierkegaard, a partir das condições necessárias para que um ser humano alcance sua individualidade efetiva. A ideia basilar deste trabalho é a de que, embora toda pessoa nasça humana, é preciso que se torne um si-mesmo, um indivíduo, pois, conforme a antropologia kierkegaardiana, a individualidade não é um dado a priori, mas a potencialidade mais específica do ser humano que só pode ser alcançada com empenho pessoal. Ela corresponde à máxima realização humana numa dimensão absoluta. Por isso, sua possibilidade está ligada a uma relação em que Deus – o absoluto – é seu único fundamento. Por meio deste trabalho, é possível inferir que Kierkegaard desenvolve uma noção própria de religião que não se restringe à dimensão cúltica nem a uma função da vida social. Trata-se de compreender a vida humana como existir diante de Deus. O modo da existência, em sua configuração necessária segundo a qualidade da relação que se estabelece com Deus, é a marca fundamental do que se pode entender por religião na filosofia kierkegaardiana. / This study aims to examine some relevant concepts to an understanding of a philosophy of religion from the Søren Aabye Kierkegaard’s thought (1813-1855) as well as the interrelationship between them, taking as a central problematic relationship between particular human being and God. Although Kierkegaard's work is characterized by great complexity, this work rests on a conceptual axis capable of conferring a sense of unity to the whole of his writings: the relationship of the individual foundation in God in the existential process of becoming oneself. This procedure allows demonstrating the viability, from the standpoint of the science of religion, to read the construction of a philosophy of religion by Kierkegaard, from the conditions necessary for a human being effectively reach his individuality. The basic idea of this work is that, while every person is born as a human being, every person must become a self, an individual, because, according to Kierkegaard anthropology, individuality is not an a priori given, but the most specific human potentiality which can be accomplished only through the personal commitment. It corresponds to the highest human achievement in absolute dimension. Therefore, its possibility is linked to a relationship that God - the absolute - is its only grounding. Through this work, we can infer that Kierkegaard develops his own concept of religion that is not restricted to the cultic dimension or to a function of a social life. It is to understand human life as there is with God. The mode of existence in its necessary configuration according to the quality of the relationship established with God, is the fundamental feature of what one can understand to be the religion in Kierkegaard’s philosophy.