Counterfactual thinking is the tendency to view events that can easily be imagined otherwise as events that ought not to have been (Miller & Turnbull, 1990). Thirty-six male and sixty-five female subjects from introductory psychology courses completed a counterfactual thinking questionnaire and two personality measures assessing locus of control (Rotter Locus of Control Scale) and self-esteem (Texas Social Behavior Inventory). Results supported the hypothesis that people are more likely to generate counterfactual thoughts when their actions are perceived as easily mutable or when an event is easily imagined otherwise. Results also indicated that women were more likely to mutate events than were men. Finally, participants with high self-esteem were more likely to mutate events than were participants with low self-esteem. Results provided no evidence for a relationship between counterfactual thinking and locus of control. Factors that might have reduced the impact of the individual difference variables are considered. / Department of Psychological Science

Inaug.-Diss.--Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität zu München. / Bibliography: p. 585-614.

This work deals with the difference between man and animal in the context of the theme of time as treated by Heidegger and Derrida. The starting point of the work is the critique of early Heidegger and his characterization of animal as poor in world. This critique targets his thinking of time and possibility. As first two chapters try to show, despite his basic emphasis on time and on the possibility character of human being, Heidegger still thinks time on the basis of presence and possibility on the basis of reality. Only after taking this step can he think animal privatively as meaningless or poor - in a certain absence of time. This critique results in looking for a more consistent thinking of time and possibility as a way to a more welcoming thinking of animal. The third chapter is concerned with Derrida's objections to searching for other time and it maps the main problems connected with this project of Heidegger. The next three chapters present the main analysis of Heidegger's later thought of time. The differences between his late and early thought are emphasized as the differences between his late speech Time and Being and the early work Being and Time. Heidegger in his later works explores the unity of the three-dimensional time and bewares to think it as presence. The ground of the unity...

O espaço rural latino americano e o brasileiro têm passado por profundas modificações estruturais, econômicas, sociais e culturais, ligadas diretamente às urbanidades que tem invadido o rural. Esse fenômeno é percebido no rural do município de Ipatinga, Minas Gerais, e pode ser comprovado através de pesquisa de campo e entrevistas aplicadas aos moradores do rural. Foi demonstrando que a pluriatividade atinge cada vez mais propriedades rurais do município, principalmente com atividades ligadas ao lazer e ao turismo, mas também com aquelas ligadas à transformação de produtos agropecuários em semi-industrializados. A pluriatividade não significa necessariamente o abandono da agricultura, mas pode sim acabar sendo um reforço da mesma, promovendo uma melhor composição de renda para os agricultores e desenvolvendo o interesse de sucessão da terra pelos filhos desses agricultores, os quais podem ter aí uma possibilidade de rendimentos compatíveis com os que teriam na área urbana como empregado da indústria. Apesar disso e da presença de asfalto e iluminação pública em muitas áreas do rural, não existe uma política pública definida e nem um plano de desenvolvimento sustentável para esse rural, que alias, encontra-se todo inserido dentro dos limites da APA Ipanema e, portanto, deveria possuir políticas públicas diferenciadas e compatíveis com a legislação para áreas de proteção ambiental. O morador do rural está tendo que ressignificar sua identidade, e se torna impossível pensarmos isso se não aplicarmos o conceito de multifuncionalidade, que permitiu uma análise mais ampla, consistente deste rural e não apenas sobre a ótica econômica, o que seria um reducionismo da realidade. Antigos e novos proprietários de terra têm visões diferentes sobre essas mudanças e, para os primeiros, apesar de melhorias visíveis na qualidade de vida, principalmente dos filhos, a preferência é pelo rural antigo, pela tranqüilidade e pelas atividades que faziam parte de seu cotidiano. Já o proprietário mais recente, aquele que adquiriu a terra nos últimos 15 anos, quem muitas das vezes a usa como sítio de fim de semana, o rural é uma possibilidade de fugir da violência, da poluição e do estresse do urbano ou, simplesmente, um meio de complementar sua renda, principalmente quando aposentado. O rural não deixará de existir e muito menos se transformará em urbano, pois mesmo esse sofre influência das ruralidades, portanto, o que temos aqui, como já observado em outras regiões do país, é o surgimento dos espaços híbridos (Rua, 2006), que mesclam características rurais e urbanas e que, com políticas públicas corretas, podem servir de opção pra geração de emprego e renda e para manutenção dos jovens na sucessão da terra. / The Latin American and Brazilian rural space has undergone deep structural, economical, social and cultural modifications. These modifications are directly connected to the urbanization that has invaded the rural areas. This phenomenon is noted in the rural area of the city of Ipatinga, Minas Gerais and may be proven through field research as well as through interviews to those who inhabit these rural areas. This demonstrates that pluriactivity has gradually reached more rural proprieties of the city, especially those related to recreation and tourism. But it is also related to the transformation of agropecuarian products into semi-industrialized ones, as is the case of the “Usina de beneficiamento de Leite da Tribuna”. The pluriactivity does not necessarily imply abandoning the agriculture, but may actually be reinforcing towards it by generating a better income composition to the agriculturalist and developing in their children an interest for the succession of the land. Their children may here find revenues compatible to the ones available in the urban areas. Neither public policy nor any plan of sustainable development has been defined for this rural area, which, incidentally, finds itself inserted within the limits of APA Ipanema and should therefore have differentiated public policies at the same time compatible to the legislation for the areas under environmental protection. The rural inhabitant has had to redefine his/her identity. This becomes unconceivable of unless one applies the concept of multifunctionality. It has permitted a broader analysis that is consistent with this rural area not only under an economic perspective which would be a reductionism towards the reality. Old and new land owners have different views regarding these changes. For the former, despite clear improvements in their quality of life, particularly for their kids, the preference is for the old rural when the tranquility, chats between buddies, along with its other characteristics were a part of everyday life. The only certainty we have is that the rural will not cease to exist and will most definitely not become urban, since even the latter suffers the influences of the rural. Thus, what we have here, as has been observed in other regions of the country and defended by Rua (2006) is the emerging of hybrid spaces that combine rural and urban characteristics. With correct public policies, these hybrid spaces may present themselves as an option to the creation of employment and income. They may also make the succession of the land a possibility – as it was once considered by the older inhabitants and property heirs: a family inheritance. Meanwhile for the new land owners, those that have obtained the land within the last 15 years and frequently use it as a ranch for the weekends, the rural is a possibility to escape the violence, pollution and the stress of the urban. Either that or it is simply a means of complementing his/her income, especially for those under retirement.

The concept of Possibility Thinking (PT) has been investigated both conceptually and empirically for over a decade in early year settings and primary classrooms. The basic aim of this study was to investigate Cypriot primary teachers and how they nurture the PT of 9-10 year-old children by drawing on learning resources associated with museum visits. This PhD thesis had as a sample eight primary teachers with their students’ age 9-10 years and employed various data collection methods including semi-structured interviews, observations (field notes, video-recordings, still images), teachers’ reflections and the researcher’s reflective journals. This research builds on previous studies that have documented PT and the pedagogical strategies which foster it. The findings were compared with the existing literature and contribute to the field in a number of ways. Firstly, the findings offer an in-depth investigation of the PT features and argue that the features have a different range and they shape differently according to the characteristics of the observed group. Thus, the data revealed the existing PT features from the literature. Secondly, risk taking was not identified among the features. This study offers an explanation about the absence of risk-taking by proposing a new feature, giving as a result a solution to the problem of the existence of PT without the feature of risk-taking. Thirdly, the findings contribute to understanding how the teachers nurture students’ PT through alternative resources of learning like museum visits. This was achieved through the refinement of the existing pedagogies and the proposition of a new one, as well as the identification of three affordances that teachers perceive from the interactive programme in which the children participated. The study provides a starting point for further research on PT by drawing on learning resources associated with museum visits. This PhD thesis presents a model of pedagogy of PT linked with museum affordances identified from the data and ends with suggestions for further research.

Com esta pesquisa busquei constituir cenários para investigação para as aulas de matemática a partir da produção decorrente de pesquisas realizadas no Projeto de Iniciação Científica no Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Catarinense - Campus Rio do Sul. Para atingir os objetivos propostos por esta pesquisa, elaborei uma possibilidade educacional através da investigação de situações-problema da vida real, o que possibilitou identificar e significar os conceitos matemáticos em análise. A pesquisa foi embasada na teoria da Transposição Didática, discutida por Chevallard, com o intuito de auxiliar no trabalho de adaptar e transformar os conhecimentos produzidos em projetos de Iniciação Científica para um conhecimento que possa ser desenvolvido e produzido em sala de aula. Para que a transposição viesse acontecer num viés reflexivo procurei discutir a Educação Matemática Crítica, segundo Skovsmose. Provocando assim, uma reflexão sobre os conteúdos matemáticos envolvidos e a realidade inerente ao contexto. Ao procurar interagir os pressupostos teóricos com a realidade, atingi o objetivo da pesquisa e denominei este trabalho de Transposição Didática Reflexiva, com o intuito de unir as duas teorias num processo em que o saber a ser ensinado seja adaptado de forma a provocar reflexões, instituindo um cenário para investigação que propicie a participação do aluno no processo, provoque discussões e tomada de decisão, de modo a instigar o sujeito a ser transformador de sua própria realidade. Adotei na pesquisa uma abordagem qualitativa e para a coleta de dados desenvolvi a possibilidade educacional com as primeiras séries do Ensino Médio, observando as atitudes e considerações dos alunos perante as atividades propostas. Também apresento um quadro de limitações que permearam a proposta e como produto final, apresento três propostas de roteiros de aprendizagem que visam subsidiar outros professores que desejem desenvolver possibilidades educacionais, num viés que possibilite a constituição de um cenário para investigação de modo a instigar a curiosidade, o espírito investigativo e a criticidade dos sujeitos envolvidos no processo pedagógico. / Through this work I aimed at building investigative sceneries for the mathematics lessons from the current researches development carried through the Scientific Initiation Project of the Catarinense Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology - Campus of Rio do Sul. In order to reach the objectives set for this research, I developed an educational possibility through the investigation of real life problem-situations, which allowed me to identify and make sense of the analyzed mathematical concepts. The research was based on the Didactic Transposition theory - stated by Chevallard - aiming at getting support to the work in order to adapt and transform the knowledge produced with the projects of Scientific Initiation into a knowledge that can be developed and be produced into the classroom. So that the transposition happened into a reflective bias I tried to discuss the Critical Mathematical Education in accordance with Skovsmose, then bringing a reflection on the involved mathematical contents and the reality inherent to the context. When aiming at getting the interaction between the theoretical presuppositions and the reality, I reached the objective of this research and named this work as Reflective Didactic Transposition, intending to join the two theories into a process in which the knowledge to be taught be adapted to be reflectionsprovoking offering an investigation scenery that propitiates the participation of the student into the process and bringing discussions and decision taking, instigating the student - as an individual - to be the one who transforms his/her own reality. I used a qualitative approach in the research, and for the data collection I implemented the educational possibility at Junior High School classes, observing the attitudes and considerations of the students face the proposed activities as well. I also present a limitations figure that interfered with the proposal, and as the final result I present three learning approaches aimed at subsidizing other teachers who want to develop educational possibilities on a bias that turn into possible the constitution of a research scenery in order to instigate the curiosity, the investigative spirit and the critical view of the individuals involved in the pedagogical process.

Much ado has been made regarding Descartes's understanding of the creation of what he called the "eternal truths" because he described them, paradoxically, as both the free creations of God, and necessary. While there are many varying interpretations of Cartesian modality, the issue has heretofore been treated in a vacuum, as a niche issue having little import beyond being an interesting puzzle for Descartes Scholars. I argue that this treatment is misguided, and that in order to properly understand Cartesian philosophy at all, one must properly understand Descartes's theory of modality. This, however, is no small feat; in order to understand Descartes's seemingly peculiar view on modality, one must first make sense of what Descartes understood the nature of God to be. One reason for this, I argue, is the systematic nature of Cartesian philosophy; indeed when dealing with a dense inter-connection of philosophical issues, one must move from what is more known in itself to what is more known to us, and not the other way around. I argue that in the literature on Cartesian modality, insufficient attention has been paid to the influence of the French School of Spirituality (in particular the work of Cardinal Bérulle) on the Cartesian notion of the divine. I argue that this influence pushed Descartes to criticize traditional attempts (Aquinas's in particular) to split the horns of Plato's Euthyphro dilemma as violating a proper understanding of the doctrine of divine simplicity. Descartes's commitment to a radical form of the doctrine of divine simplicity leads him to a version of divine voluntarism wherein all `things' depend on God for their existence, and God cannot have had antecedent reason to prefer the creation of anything over anything else. There is little doubt that Descartes embraced the voluntarist horn of the Euthyphro dilemma, but just what that means for Cartesian modality and philosophy generally remains a contentious issue. I argue that Descartes is best read as what I call an `agnostic quietist' regarding God (and modality generally) given textual, historical, and systematic considerations. One virtue of an agnostic quietist reading is that I am able to square the passages where Descartes discusses the inconceivability of God's power with the conclusions reached regarding God's non-deceiving nature in the Meditations and elsewhere. Further virtues that I explore are the effects that a quietist reading has on the Cartesian scientific programme, the infamous mind-body problem, Descartes's seemingly inconsistent view regarding human free-will and Descartes's refusal to engage in "theology." Traditionally, Cartesian epistemology has been understood to be a purely a priori undertaking, which succumbs to deep and insurmountable problems. One of the greatest problems facing the Cartesian was the move from the mind to the world. Simon Blackburn, for example, says of the Cartesian epistemological project in the Meditations that Descartes "has put himself on a desert island from which there is no escape." This view is echoed by, and even motivates some of the contemporary views concerning Cartesian modality. I argue, however, that a proper understanding of the Cartesian doctrine of clear and distinct ideas circumvents this famous problem. By highlighting the proper understanding and application of the doctrine of clear and distinct ideas, I show that such ideas not only guarantee the existence of an external truth-maker, but also that such ideas do not do much more than show that there is a truth-maker. I argue that in instances of clear and distinct perception, the truth of the idea is normatively certain, but what makes it true is yet to be established. In this way, clear and distinct ideas are both powerful, in terms of guaranteeing truth, and relatively unhelpful, in that further work is required in order to determine to what the ideas conform. I argue that this is the case not only for actual truths, but for some clearly intuited truths about possibility. As an illustration of my overall thesis, I address the Cartesian argument for the separability of mind and body, and entertain the various interpretations of Descartes's view of human freedom. I argue that in order to understand Cartesian views on either of these issues, one must first make sense of his modal commitments. In both of these cases Descartes claims that finite minds can know that something is possible, even though what makes it possible is well beyond what they can understand.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, June, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Abstract The purpose of military service is to have enough manpower to form military and in order to maintain national security. Thus, the military service system has direct influence on the quality of military and has direct impact on the result of the conflict and survival of nation. History has told us the importance of military establishment, but most people still emphasis on ¡§force employment¡¨ and ignore military establishment, In recent years, when we talked about defense policy reform, you will always hear abolish conscript service and start volunteer service; most of disagreements think conscript is not suitable for the current condition in Taiwan, at the same time that volunteer force will bring us more professional military, and mobilization will only need during war time. The purpose of this research paper is to analysis the possibility of adopt full volunteer service, through the study of others¡¦ experience, lesson learned and would trend. Through the research discovered that volunteer service is the modern trend, and at current time period we can not suddenly switch to full volunteer, it should be divided into different phases and progressively transform from conscript to volunteer service, and reaching the final goal of full volunteer force and professional military establishment. To reach this final goal we have to develop a strategy and to improve our recruitment skill. Keyword : Military service, Volunteer service, Conscript service, Mixed volunteer system, Possibility

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