Vi upplever att det finns en brist på forskning om nyreligiösa rörelser i läroböcker. Denna brist gör vårt arbete särskilt relevant för att fylla tomrummet. Genom att bygga vidare på befintlig forskning och identifiera nya vägar, hoppas vi kunna bidra till en bättre förståelse för hur nyreligiösa rörelser presenteras och förmedlas i läroböcker. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur nyreligiösa rörelser framställs i läroböcker och hur stort utrymme de får i de utvalda läroböckerna för religionskunskap 2 på gymnasiet. Arbetet kommer att besvara följande frågeställningar: Hur framställs nyreligiösa rörelser i de utvalda läroböckerna? Hur stort utrymme får de nyreligiösa rörelserna i de utvalda läroböckerna i förhållande till bokens omfång? Hur förhåller sig framställningen om nyreligiösa rörelser i läromedelsböckerna till de centrala målen i religionskunskap 2?   För att besvara frågeställningarna har vi använt oss av en kritisk diskursanalys som metod, vilket innebär att vi undersöker maktstrukturer och sociala strukturer som reproduceras i texterna. Vi genomför både en kvalitativ och kvantitativ analys där vi identifierar tematiska ord och mäter hur stort utrymme nyreligiösa rörelser får i läroböckerna. Studiens resultat visar att nyreligiösa rörelser porträtteras stereotypt i läroböckerna och tilldelas begränsat utrymme i förhållande till böckernas totala omfång. Dessutom visar resultatet att framställningen av dessa rörelser delvis förhåller sig till det centrala innehållet, men på ett ytligt och grundläggande sätt.

In this paper, the Hexaemeron is approached using a new perspective. This perspective has been used in other papers or books on the Hexaemeron, but only briefly and without any in-depth evidence or investigation. Many scholars have pointed out, in one way or another, that the Hexaemeron contains density of philosophy, doctrine, sciences of Basil’s era, and density of literal interpretation, in addition to the interpretive and moral components; They stated that it is therefore better to consider this work as an apologetic work, instead of merely an interpretive work. But on the other hand, Basil composed this work to be preached to laypeople. So, I had inquiries about this: Why did Basil use these components to preach in front of this audience? What are his motives? And what are his goals? In this paper, the historical-critical method is used to prove that this work is actually an apologetic work composed by Basil because he found that his people are surrounded by heretical thoughts, and it is necessary for them to understand their orthodox faith in order to guarantee a good afterlife. Therefore, before his death, he conveyed his orthodox thoughts briefly, using Genesis 1. I first looked at the doctrinal and philosophical thoughts that he discussed in the Hexaemeron, and then after some investigation into his earlier works, it became clear to me that he had argued the same ideas before, so the Hexaemeron is actually a summary of his entire life. I then investigated his use of both literal and allegorical methods in dealing with Scriptures, and demonstrated that he intentionally used literal method in the Hexaemeron, rather than in the rest of his interpretational works, to extract dogma from Genesis 1. Finally, I investigated the situation of his audience to prove that his audience, regardless of their intellectual levels, need this discourse to support their faith. This paper highlights the importance of using doctrines, philosophy, and contemporary science in sermons addressed to laypeople, and not just the spirituality, in order to protect them from false doctrines, and urges priests to become familiar with them.

Detta är ett skriftligt arbete om ett musikaliskt verk jag studerat in inför min examenskonsert som avslutar min kandidatutbildning vid Kungliga Musikhögskolan. Det skriftliga arbetet ska tillsammans med min inspelning ses som en helhet. Här presenterar jag mina reflektioner över musikaliskt uttryck, tekniska lösningar och tankar kring musik i allmänhet. Verket heter Hard- Boiled Capitalism And The Day Mr. Friedman Noticed Google Is A Verb och är ett solo för vibrafon komponerad av den amerikanske slagverkaren Ben Wahlund. Som teoretisk utgångspunkt har jag Maurice Merleau–Pontys (1908-1961) filosofi, och jag börjar mina resonemang utifrån ett avsnitt i hans bok Kroppens Fenomenologi (1945). I den försöker han komma fram till hur förhållandet ser ut mellan kroppen och världen: att det är genom erfarenheten vi når objekten. Övning som metod ser jag ur det ljuset. Resultatet är en övergripande analys av verket samt nedslag i olika delar, med beskrivningar av – och resonemang kring – musiken. Jag följer musiken kronologiskt och avslutar arbetat med en Coda.

On the assumption that there are no objective normative facts, what is the best theory of normative language? I try to answer this question. Chapter 1 argues for a presumption against noncognitivism and explains why error-theories are of limited interest: they concern adverbs and adjectives like ‘moral’, but not words like ‘ought’, ‘good’ and ‘reason’. This narrows down the options: the best subjectivist theory of normative language is a truth conditional, non-error-theoretic account. Chapter 2 argues for contextualism about normative statements. Contextualists hold that their truth conditions (can) vary with the context of utterance. Chapter 3 starts the assessment of contextualist theories. It looks into Humean accounts. Problems are revealed with both Harman’s and Schroeder’s versions. Chapter 4 develops a form of indexical relativism according to which the truth of normative statements depends on contextually salient rules. I present imperative-based analyses of ‘ought’ and ‘reason’ and show how they can explain why ‘A ought to X’ entails that the balance of reasons favours that A X-es. Chapter 5 further develops the theory of chapter 4 and applies it to the words ‘good’ and ‘must’. It turns out to be hard to analyse ‘good’. It also emerges that ‘must’ and ‘ought’ cannot be given different truth conditions. Chapter 6 explains Stephen Finlay’s end-relational theory. On this account, normative statements concern the relation in which acts or objects stand to contextually salient ends. In the case of ‘ought’ and ‘good’, this relation is one of probability raising. Chapter 7 discusses and answers some familiar objections to Finlay’s view. Chapter 8 raises some new problems, related to the fact that normative judgments are often made in the light of several ends. Chapter 9 explains why the end-relational theory is nonetheless the best subjectivist theory of normative language.

In my DPhil thesis I critique a philosophical ideal of mental organization: that one’s mind ought to be integrated, that is, lack conflicts or ambivalence between mental states, because disintegration is argued to impair one’s agency and undermine one’s well-being. My argument has three parts. In part one, I describe Plato’s maximalist version of the ideal where, if ideally organized, one’s psyche lacks conflicts because one’s rational faculty, aware of what is valuable, harmonises one’s motivational and affective states. I also argue that any dispute about integration is orthogonal to the dispute between value monists and value pluralists. In part two, I contest the integration ideal by criticizing three manifestations of it in contemporary philosophy. I focus on the organization of desire, and on deliberative and affective ambivalence. My arguments have a similar structure. First, I challenge the link between the integrated mind and the purported benefits of unimpaired agency and well-being. On investigation, this apparent connection is largely contingent. Not all conflicts or ambivalence are harmful, and other social or psychological factors are relevant in case where they really are damaging. Secondly, I argue that there are contexts where integration is a form of mental rigidity or harmful impoverishment. Thirdly, I argue that being disintegrated seems morally good in some situations where one manifests fitting states of mind, particularly emotions. In part three, I ask whether integration can be reinterpreted to salvage an alternative ideal. After rejecting a promising candidate found in Kleinian psychoanalytic theory, I offer my own account of integration as a two-part capacity to tolerate difficult mental states (not necessarily bad mental states - excitement can be hard to tolerate), and to avoid being reflectively passive as one’s mental organization changes. This capacity has rational and non-rational elements. Finally, I consider how this reinterpreted capacity relates to the practice of virtue. I conclude that integration is not a virtue, and may be compatible with some viciousness, but it enables one to be virtuous in situations where there are pressures towards being insensitively singleminded.

The Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act and its subsequent backlash serve as a case-study to raise ethical concerns both about the characterization of contemporary western liberal democracy as a political theory and a prevailing religious extremism acting as a legislative power within governments; Developing and reflecting on these issues this study will attempt to show a need to evaluate the moral principles attributed to modern political systems and the governmental delineation of power over individuals within a society. Applying Rawlsian concepts, this study will show that laws such as the RFRA are representative of weak and superficial democracies that in most cases are actually centres of power, funded by corporations and organisations in direct conflict with liberal principles.

No description available.

This thesis analyses the concept of hospitality in the context of migration ethics. The underlying philosophical ideas of Kant, Levinas and Derrida are outlined and critically discussed. The use of hospitality in migration ethics as mainly a concern within the political dimension of society, devalues the concept and neglects the social dimension of hospitality. I argue that migration ethics should be more concerned with integration and that it is more relevant to speak of hospitality in relation to integration rather than migration, since hospitality has to do with interpersonal interactions. In order to view hospitality in the social dimension of society, I present some cases of interpersonal hospitality practiced today. Drawing from those examples whilst using a virtue ethics approach, I consider three virtues that I deem to be prerequisites for hospitality: courage, humility and patience. Hospitality is a rich and multi-layered concept and practice. I conclude that one such layer is hospitality fostering integration. That is, hospitality functioning as social cohesion with a potential to bring different parts together as a whole.

No description available.

During spring 2012, an elementary and middle school, Östermalmsskolan, located in Stockholm, was accused of having religious elements intertwined in the existing school education. The school had during the spring term of 2012 started a collaboration with a company named Skolyoga. The purpose of this collaboration was that an educated yoga teacher practiced yoga with the students. The yoga practice was motivated as a way for the children to become relaxed and train their focus. The yoga practices were in the eyes of Östermalmsskolan, along with the yoga-teacher and the company Skolyoga, not religious. However, the one who reported Östermalmsskolan to the Swedish school inspection claimed that the yoga practices indeed were of religious nature. The report on Östermalmsskolan, was a very debated dispute in media during 2012 and the discourse displayed the two counterparties’ arguments in articles as well as in TV. The discourse in these media source also offered the reader two different adaptations off yoga: one religious and one non-religious. The purpose of this essay is to analyze the discourse in chosen media material from 2012 that described the dispute and report on Östermalmsskolan and the Skolyoga company, with the aim to show what kind of arguments were presented regarding this specific yoga practice as a religious or nonreligious. This essay also seeks to display how these arguments regarding Skolyoga as religious or non-religious relate to Ninian Smarts seven dimensions of religion. The results show that by relating the argumentations shown in the media discourse, regarding Skolyoga as religious or non-religious, to Smarts religious theory, several different adaptations of yoga are to be found. The result of the analysis is that the practice of yoga by Skolyoga at Östermalmsskolan 2012, which was described in the discourse, was non-denominational. The result also shows that the perception of yoga as religious, which is too found in the discourse, is made with a valid point. Yoga is a word and practice that can be full of religious aspects and training, but it can also be stripped of its religious aspects completely. The dispute regarding Skolyoga at Östermalmsskolan 2012 is in large a matter of opinion on what one estimates as religious or non-religious.