This thesis aims at formulating a human rights justification based on the assumption that disbelief in human rights is found in communicative grounds, rather than some sort of unreasonable evil. I first identify what I believe to be a flaw in the communicative strength of existing human rights justifications in explaining why rights should be. I suggest that there is a gap between the justifications of human rights that contain metaphysical narrative, and the justifications that rely on subjective experience of rights as good. I further explain how this is a gap that political consensus and the idea of Kantian moral reason cannot seem to fill. I subsequently boil this gap down to the concept of value, since the foundation for each justification is based on a type of value. These are categorized as either given value – which applies to all attributes of value that is “given” to us independently of our actions or opinions, or created value – which applies to all attributes of value that stem from social interaction (thus action) and experience. As justifications are funneled into either of these two categories of value, it begins to look like no other type of value exist, and as a result no one looks for it. To respond to this problem, I formulate a philosophical explanation, in Robert Nozicks terms. This explanation shows that there may be other routes to apply to value than sticking to simply given or created value. My explanation utilizes the three theories of philosophical anthropology, internal metaphysical realism and Wittgensteins philosophy of language, and it is based on the result of an analysis of material consisting of human rights justification arguments by Nicholas Wolterstorff, Alasdaire MacIntyre, Martha Nussbaum and Richard Rorty. The actual philosophical explanation I formulate utilizes the metaphysics of Helen Steward to provide a given-value foundation for the primitive reactions of Stefan Eriksson, which creates value through social organization. Overall, I find that there are untried possibilities which may allow for a different type of value to act as the foundation for a human rights justification. My contribution to the field rests in the novelty of the theories used in my explanation, and the angle of the problem formulation.

The aim with this paper is to study the different portrayals of evil as seen in Mary Shelley ́s Frankenstein. The analysis of the material is supported by two theories of evil, to further establish an objective aspect to the main subjective interpretation of the content. The analysis is conducted with the support of Claudia Card ́s theory of evil from the book The Atrocity Paradigm, as well as Arne Johan Vetlesen ́s theory of evil from the book Studies of evil. Card ́s theory of evil takes the rains in determining whether or not a deed should be deemed as evil or just unethical. Meanwhile, Vetlesen ́s theory focuses more on determining the causes of evil and what motivates evildoers to commit acts of violence towards other people. These two theories work well together to better understand the abstract and concrete shapes of evil in the novel. The conclusion drawn in the paper is that both Frankenstein and his creature are capable of evil deeds. The creature does do more evil deeds than Frankenstein, but nevertheless, they both commit acts of evil according to Card ́s criterium for atrocities. Furthermore, while the creature seems to lack Vetlesen ́s articulated cultural symbols, Frankenstein seems to lack in a sense of responsibility and growth. Since neither Card nor Vetlesen claim to be able to determine whether or not a person is predominantly evil or good, this paper will not try to answer that question, but rather discuss the characters as a whole based on the results from the analysis.

In her philosophical work, Luce Irigaray questions the universal genderless subject and advocates that it should be recognized as being implicitly male. As a result of this she proclaims a need for a new type of language, with a different set of logic, that is able to include women as subjects – which she calls “womenspeak”. In this essay I will account for Irigaray’s understanding of “womenspeak” in order to see if what she is describing also could work as a new understanding of art. “Womenspeak” is a language that defies logic, and contains contradictions without losing factuality – which also could be considered as a valid description of art. I will later argue that using Irigaray’s philosophy’s emphasis on practice, our conception of art could shift from being mainly oriented towards finished art works, to also include the artist’s practice, which would lead to a fuller understanding of art as a whole.

The aim of this study was to explore the purposes and effects of women’s leadership in rituals in relation to their social and religious role in society. This was carried out by using qualitative methods and analyzing the data by using ritual theory and theories on religion and gender. The interviews and observations focused on two rituals carried out by women: the Partiv Puja and the Chhath Puja. The results show that women participate in the rituals for religious, cultural, and social reasons, and that their participation in the rituals could be viewed as a reclaim of the public space of religious practice. Furthermore, the women’s participation and leadership in rituals could also, from a ritual theoretic perspective, be viewed as a tool to refuse and change social power structures. The research was carried out in Varanasi, India, during an eight-week Minor Field Study and the study was performed by using observations and interviews, which were conducted between the 21st of October and the 2nd of December 2018 / Målet med denna studie var att utforska syften och följder av kvinnors ledarskap och deltagande i religiösa ritualer i relation till deras sociala och religiösa roll i samhället. Studien genomfördes genom kvalitativa metoder samt en analys av resultaten ur ett ritualteorietiskt perspektiv, samt med hjälp av teorier om religion och kön. Intervjuerna och observationerna fokuserade på två ritualer som utförs av kvinnor: Partiv Puja och Chaath Puja. Resultaten visar att kvinnor deltar i ritualerna av religiösa, kulturella och sociala anledningar, samt att deras deltagande skulle kunna ses som ett återtagande av den offentliga platsen för religiöst utövande. Tilläggningsvis skulle kvinnors deltagande och ledarskap i ritualer, ur ett ritualteoretiskt perspektiv, även kunna ses som verktyg för att gå emot, och förändra, sociala maktstrukturer. Studien genomfördes i Varanasi, Indien, under en åttaveckors Minor Field Study och utfördes genom observationer och intervjuer. Dessa ägde rum mellan den 21:a oktober och den 2:a december 2018.

In this paper I argue that aesthetic appreciation of nature should be reflective and based on respect for nature. I believe first-hand experience is crucial and that nature can be aesthetically experienced freely in a multi-sensory way. Aesthetic experience will bring attention to features of the environment which the subject needs to reflect on and make sense of. My main argument is how Yuriko Saito’s metaphorical notion of “lending your ears to nature’s own story” and “recognize its reality as apart from your own” can manifest the moral obligation of reflecting on what is given in experience. Some implications of this notion will be looked at. First, the perplexity that nature has its own reality and story apart from us while nature is also what encompasses our own life and grounds the experience of judging it. Contemplation on this issue may bring with it a strong sense of self- and environmental awareness that potentially can result in a sublime response. Second, to lend your ears to a story of a landscape leads to considerations about authenticity and true wilderness. I argue that one can think of wildness and authenticity to acquire a better understanding and one should not see those terms as a basis for value judgments. I will then take a closer look at the links between the moral considerations and the aesthetic experience itself. To preserve the autonomy of taste I separate the perceptive and reflective parts of aesthetic experience, saying that although both levels can inform one another, knowledge or moral considerations don’t necessarily determine aesthetic judgment. Departing from other cognitivists, I don’t think the wild is per definition beautiful, it is even sometimes difficult to aesthetically appreciate at all. In the last chapter I consider the significance of the sublime affect in establishing aesthetic relationships with more diverse environments.

Undersökningen som gjorts i denna studie bygger på en analys om hur de mänskliga rättigheterna aktualiseras i samhällsdebatten om trossamfunds statsbidrag. Syftet med uppsatsen har varit att genom ett mänskliga rättigheters perspektiv titta på hur samhällsdebatten ser ut i Sverige om trossamfund och vad för argument författarna lägger fram för deras sak. Trossamfund har under en tid kommit att bli ett aktuellt ämne, på grund att en del trossamfund som använt skattemedel till ändamål som rekrytering till terrororganisationer. Medan andra i stället har blivit kritiserade för att ha tolkat heliga skrifter homofobiskt, hedersförtryckande och icke främjande av barns rättigheter. Med detta sagt har det huvudsakliga syftet varit att undersöka statens inställning gentemot trossamfunden i förhållande till de mänskliga rättigheterna. Detta har kunnat göras genom att titta på om författarna argumenterar för att staten ska respektera en positiv eller negativ skyldighet av religionsfrihet. Tillexempel att staten anser sig ha en skyldighet att respektera religionsfrihet i en positiv mening, genom statligt stöd till trossamfund. Medan om staten i stället anser sig ha en skyldighet att respektera religionsfrihet i en negativ mening, i och med det inte heller skyldighet att stödja religion så får även då staten inte heller hindra religionsutövning. Av materialet som använts i denna uppsats har det framgått tre olika positioner i fråga om statens stöd till trossamfund. Den första är att inte främja trossamfund i form av statsbidrag, samt att staten bör ta bort hela bidraget som går till trossamfund. Detta eftersom trossamfunden inte gör nytta i samhället och staten har inte skyldighet att stödja religion, i och med detta bör staten fortsätta respektera religionsfrihet i en negativ mening. Den andra positionen hävdar att trossamfund bör fortsätta främjas i form av statsbidrag, men med striktare demokratikrav. Denna position påstår också att trossamfund som religiös aktör gör nytta i samhället. Medan den sista positionen i stället tittar på utredningen som gjordes på Myndigheten för stöd till trossamfund, där man år 2018 kom fram till att trossamfund gör nytta och att bidraget kommer fortsätta gå ut till trossamfund. Denna position argumenterar för att trossamfund är en nyttig religiös aktör i samhället som värderar demokratiska principer lika mycket som sekulär verksamhet, samt att staten bör fortsätta ha en positiv skyldighet till religionsfrihet.

In this scientific essay I am describing and analysing the digital challenges in the classroom which lead to situations where the students take the role of a teacher leading to a situation which may challenge the teacher's authority. By implementing theories about teaching and practical knowledge I am evaluating the meaning of the teachers role in the nowadays more digital classroom from the perspective of a mothers tongue teacher, doing so by  evaluating my own experiences and through interviews with other teachers and reflections of existing research literature. The method in this study is essay-writing and my own reflection about the situation of new working conditions that I describe in my story that takes place in an ongoing pandemic. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to new working methods including the inevitable usage of digital tools. In the reflection part I am studying the materials from the semi structured interviews with my colleagues where the teachers get to describe their own experiences and fears towards the increasing digitalization in their classrooms. The results have shown that the technical and digital challenges have had an ambivalent impact on teachers during the pandemic. It appears that digital tools are a support for their teaching and learning but can be used in different ways during lessons. Today all the teachers are using digital tools in the classroom, some more than others. The informants have confirmed my hypothesis that digitalizatilization affects the teachers status and authority. But the question if digitalisation increases or decreases the authority of a teacher can still be debated. Based on the decisions that we make, our authority is being affected - this sentence is a part of the conclusions in my study. The method of trial and error when approaching different bumps on the road allows us to find ways to approach those obstacles by implementing practical knowledge that appears with professional practice. With experience as a base one can experiment as well as question the used methods and therefore find new solutions to new challenges. / I min vetenskapliga essä beskriver jag och analyserar de digitala utmaningar i klassrummet som lett till situationer där elever klivit in i lärarrollen och får vara de som lär läraren och på så sätt kan utmana lärarens auktoritet. Med hjälp av teorier om lärandet och praktisk kunskap omfamnar jag betydelsen av lärarens roll i nutidens, allt mer digitala klassrum utifrån ett modersmålslärares perspektiv, egna berättelser, via intervjuer och reflektioner över existerande forskningslitteratur. Metoden i denna studie är essäskrivandet och min reflektion kring nya arbetsförhållanden vilka jag tar upp i min berättelse som utspelar sig under en pågående pandemi. Covid-19 pandemin har lett till nya arbetssätt med bland annat ofrånkomlig användning av digitala verktyg. I min reflektion ankrar jag således i mitt materialurval från semistrukturerade intervjuer med mina kollegor där modersmålslärarnas egna utsagor kring erfarenheter och farhågor inför den ökade digitaliseringen sätts i relation till tidigare forskning. Det har visat sig att de nya tekniska och digitala utmaningarna har haft en ambivalent påverkan på modersmålslärarens praktik under pandemin. Det framträder att digitala verktyg är ett stöd i undervisningen men de kan användas på olika sätt i modersmålslärarnas arbete. Idag använder alla lärare digitala verktyg i klassrummet, en del mer, andra mindre. Informanterna har bekräftat hypotesen att digitaliseringen påverkar lärarnas status och auktoritet men frågan om digitaliseringen höjer eller sänker lärarnas auktoritet kan fortfarande ställas och diskuteras. Av beslut vi gör, i vårt omdöme påverkas vår auktoritet - denna mening leder till en av slutsatserna i min studie. Att testa sig fram är en metod som kan passa bra för att tillämpa de praktiska kunskaper som uppstår i modersmålslärarnas yrkespraktik. Med erfarenhet som bas kan en experimentera, ifrågasätta och på så sätt finna nya lösningar.

The Jewish orientation "Haredi" in Israel is the most conservative group and believes that historical traditions are important to follow while waiving from modern society. In today's society, it is difficult to distance ourselves from modernization. This incuses the haredic communities in Israel and the inferior position of women. This study analyzes three contemporary media materials that illuminate the haredi woman's roles as well as her position to Halacha and modern developments. The research aims to answer to what kind of roles the haredi-woman are ascribed in the programs Shtisel, Israel talar and Extrema äktenskap.

The migration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans- and queer (LGBTQ) people from Central America to or through Mexico has increased in recent years. People are leaving spaces of violence and exclusion related to their sexual and/or gender identity and search conditions for a livable life. Yet, the migration implies an exposure to different sorts of violence, wherefore this thesis explores how the vulnerability of Central American queer people is (re)produced in a situation of human mobility in Mexico. Further, the thesis examines how protection is made (im)possible for the LGBTQ community in religious shelters. The research is based on qualitative research and thirteen semi-structured interviews, carried out in Mexico in 2020, with representatives from shelters, universities and civil society organizations working with migrants and LGBTQ people.   Queer people are disproportionally exposed to vulnerability in Mexico and migrating does not necessary imply that life becomes livable. Since their lives are likely to be understood as ungrievable lives by the heteronormative society, the violence and the exposure to vulnerability of this populations becomes largely invisible. Thus, religious shelters both include and exclude LGBTQ people, depending on how they imagine boundaries.

Syftet med denna uppsats har varit att undersöka och ge förståelse för hur religionslärare upplever attundervisa i ämnet religionskunskap digitalt på gymnasienivå, i ljus av att en pandemi har tvingat störredelen av gymnasieskolformen till digital undervisning. Totalt åtta observationer kring digitalreligionsundervisning och över fem timmars intervjuer fördelat på sju olika religionslärare utgör grundenför studien, som pekar mot att lärare upplever varierad problematik och större utmaningar kring digitalreligionsundervisning än möjligheter. Samtliga lärarintervjuer betonar att dom föredrar den fysiskaundervisningen framför den digital. Majoriteten har negativa kopplingar och känslor kring digitalundervisning, och upplever att det behövs mer stöttning från högre instanser. Den digitala undervisningenhar krävt utökat administrativt arbete för lärarna, vilket leder till känslor av försämrade arbetsförhållanden.Lärarna belyser hur digital undervisning kräver mer av dom både personligen och professionellt, ochflertalet lyfter lärarnas behov av digital kompetens. Två områden beskrivs som synnerligen problematiska.Det första är att religiösa föremål, teman och platser inte nödvändigtvis får samma effekt ochgenomslagskraft i ett digitalt format där flera sinnen försvinner och upplevelsen kan kännas platt. Detandra är att det så viktiga samtalet - ämnets kärna - blir svårare att genomföra kontrollerat och personligtvia skärmar, tekniska problem med mera. Diskussionen haltar och intimt kopplade frågor som etik, moraloch tro blir svårare att skapa ett tryggt och pedagogiskt rum för. Men lärare belyser även att det finnspositiva aspekter, så som att mindre elevgrupper kan fungera bättre digitalt. Det upplevs att vissa mindreelevgrupper jobbar bättre och mer kooperativt på distans, men att större grupper och klassrum fungerarsämre. Lärarna lyfter även att övergången till digital undervisning har fått lärarna att tänka igenom och blimer noggrann med sin undervisning; endast det viktigaste tas upp och lektionsplaneringen blir konkret.Även nya former av uppföljning, översikt och digitala kvitton på elevernas arbete har gjort det lättare attfölja elevernas utveckling, samt gett bättre underlag för betygssättning. Sist men inte minst har lärarna avnöd behövt lära sig digitala verktyg, så som att spela in sig själva och att jobba med video, bild och ljudpå andra sätt än tidigare.Studiens slutsats är att den digitala undervisningen, som den ser ut idag, blir framtvingad på ett sätt somgör att den inte når upp till samma kvalitetskrav och standard som undervisningen i det fysiskaklassrummet. Kunskapsutvecklingen är inte lika god och eleverna får inte samma möjligheter tillpedagogiskt stöd. Digital undervisning kopplar inte in lika många sinnen och det sociala är svårare, vilketockså gör att det är svårare att få fram kunskapen till eleverna. Studien belyser lärarnas upplevda situationoch ökar kunskap om hur religionsämnet undervisas under en pandemi, men det kvarstår viktig forskningkring hur eleverna själva upplever digitala distansstudier. Lärarnas egna upplevelser är dock att digitalundervisning idag påverkar att elevernas kunskaper inom ämnet blir betydligt mindre. / The purpose of this study has been to research and provide understanding on how teachers of religionexperience digital teaching in Swedish senior high school curriculum, in light of the switch to digitalclassrooms and education due to the current pandemic. In total eight observations, along with more thanfive hours of interviews distributed over seven different teachers is used as the foundation for this study,finding that teachers experience a varied set of problems and increased difficulty concerning teaching andpedagogical teaching of the subject of religion, more so than possibilities and positive effects. All teachersemphasize that they prefer physical teaching face to face in the classroom, as opposed to digital teaching.The majority have negative experiences and feelings around the shift to digital education and mention thatthey think more support is required from a top level in the educational system. Digital education hasrequired more administrative efforts for already stressed teachers, and this in turn leads to a feeling of aworse working climate. The teachers emphasize that digital education requires more of them bothprofessionally as well as personally, as well as the need for more digital tools and skills to being able todo their job properly. Two areas stand out in particular, one being the lessened effect of religious artifacts,themes and places when the students lose certain senses and tactile ways of experiencing – the other beingthat the vital discussion and social climate is lost, making intimate discussions of moral, ethics and otherpersonal elements of belief harder to approach. At the same time, teachers do lift certain positive trends inthe digital shift, mainly the need to plan properly and to reexamine their lesson plans, leaving only thevital parts in. Beyond that many teachers are now for perhaps the first time really learning themselves touse video, recordings, pictures, audio and other media as means to evolve their digital skills.The study seems to show that the, as of writing, current shift to digital education in a time of ongoingpandemic is a forced and not fully optimal way of teaching. This in turn lessens the quality of educationand, in several ways, actually hinders the students in their educational progress. Support is not as readilyavailable, and many senses are left out of the pedagogical context of the classroom. The study lifts theexperiences of the teachers, but important research is still needed from a student perspective and how theyview digital education from their end.