Il s'agit d'étudier la rencontre entre le vécu intime du deuil et sa réception collective. en effet, qu'est-ce que vivre un deuil ? c'est souffrir de la mort d'un être proche et aimé et devoir s'adapter à l'absence, se réorganiser. mais les évolutions possibles d'un deuil sont variées et dépendent largement de facteurs extérieurs. la notion d'attachement dont la perte d'un être cher est la rupture physique laisse subsister une relation vitale d'un genre particulier qui est appelée à évoluer et qui constitue le deuil. le deuil concerne un fait psychologique qui possède sa mécanique et ses enjeux existentiels propres mais il ne nous coupe pas du monde et nous pousse au contraire à aborder autrui de façon différente, nouvelle. cette épreuve qui relève de l'intime, qui bouleverse le moi profond change pourtant notre vision du monde et de ses habitants : la relation moi-autrui change de pôle. mais cette interaction est réciproque : l'autre me regarde et se comporte différemment. la société possède des codes sociaux qui attribuent une place déterminée à chaque membre de la communauté : ainsi, la veuve, le veuf, les orphelins. il est parfois difficile de s'en rendre compte, mais la communauté qui entoure l'endeuillé n'agit pas de façon naturelle : ses actes et ses paroles sont le fruit d'une éducation, d'une série de conventions apprises. mais il en est de même pour la personne en deuil : notre vécu intime cherche ses 'réponses' en autrui, en ceux qui l'entourent et donc dans les codes sociaux qui lui fournissent un modèle de comportement. en quoi le rapport normalisé à autrui fait partie du vécu intime du deuil ? comment la notion de 'faire son deuil' est vitale en tant qu'elle se fait en présence d'autrui ? de même, quelle place le collectif accorde à l'intime, au sentiment personnel et à sa manifestation ? / The challenge of this work is to address bereavement as an existential experience in a contemporary social context - living through the lost of a loved one is an abrupt change in a subject's life. Nevertheless, the subject is part of a collective, located in a society that reacts by regulating the experience of bereavement. Faced with the apparent solitude of mourning, the death of a loved one brings us to question identity as fundamentally relational beings. We focus our reflection on the abrupt change change that comes at the sudden news of the death of a loved one in the course of our existence, and which, as such, represents an abrupt change itself. Journeying through a period of mourning means being faced with the intensity and pointlessness of loss, of which no words can be said at the beginning. Starting from the unspeakable and incommunicable nature of bereavement, we address the question of meaning and of implementing practices in response to this situation of abrupt change.Problematising the expression "to be in mourning" reflects the creativity of the human subject when it is called to be a part of a social, economical, political and cultural environment upon the news of a loss. It is therefore important to emphasise the historical and social aspects of our reflection as it analyses the knowledge basis for bereavement. this epistemological analysis tends to consider bereavement as an "object" appropriate for both thought and practice. The objectives here are therefore normative and affect a singular conception of offering support to those in mourning and to those at the end of life in order that those involved in the issue may become involved in experiential continuity.

[pt] A história política da Espanha franquista caracterizou-se por paradoxos e por contradições. A sua Política Externa foi um dos maiores e talvez o mais notável desses paradoxos, pois aponta para compromissos que contradiziam a ideologia do regime e a sua política interna. Esse foi o caso das relações que a Espanha manteve com Cuba após a revolução liderada por Fidel Castro. Este trabalho objetiva explicar as razões dessa relação especial contrapondo duas variáveis, sendo a primeira de caráter cultural e identitário, e a segunda, de natureza econômica. Procura, por fim, demonstrar que a explicação mais adequada é aquela que conjuga as duas variáveis. / [en] The political history of Franco s Spain was characterized by paradoxes and contradictions. Its Foreign Policy was one of the major and perhaps the most remarkable of these paradoxes, because it points out to commitments which contradict the ideology of Franco s regime and its internal politics. This was the case of the relationship between Franco s Spain and Cuba under Fidel Castro. This work seeks to explain this special relationship opposing two variables, one from cultural and identity nature, and the other from economic kind. Finally, it tries to demonstrate that the most appropriate explanation is the one that combines both variables.

L'existence de mécanismes efficaces de contrôle de l'activité administrative est une problématique commune aux pays européens. Le contrôle des juges y apparaît fondamental. Il est un gage de la soumission de l'administration au droit, via le respect du principe de légalité. Le rôle qu'ils jouent ne selimite toutefois pas à cette simple fonction. C'est ce que tend à démontrer une étude comparée globale du recours pour excès de pouvoir français et la judicial review anglaise. Alors que chacun de ces deux mécanismes apparaît comme une forme limitée de contrôle de la légalité, ils ont en réalité une portée plus étendue. Sous l'effet du développement des contraintes pesant sur l'action administrative, conséquence de l'enrichissement normatif des ordres juridiques, le rôle des juges s'accroît. La place qu'ils occupent au sein des institutions nationales doit être clairement définie, afin d'en assurer la légitimité.N'étant plus uniquement les garants de la volonté d'un Parlement de plus en plus contraint, les juges voient les fondements de leur rôle être renouvelés. La liberté dont ils disposent va croissante. Ce mouvement révèle leur double figure : tantôt acteurs du contrôle de légalité, et principal outil de soumission de l'administration à un droit en constant développement, ils sont également un moteur de ce mouvement. Cela leur permet d'en fixer les limites afin de ne pas scléroser l'activité administrative, elle aussi porteuse d'une légitimité propre. L'étude comparée du recours pour excès de pouvoir et de la judicial review permet la mise en lumière de cette dualité : les juges en définissent les différentes facettes et participent ainsi activement à la définition de leur propre rôle. / The existence of efficient mechanisms of control for administrative activity is a common problem in European countries. Judicial control is of primary importance. It is a guarentee of the respect of law by public authorities, through the principle of legality. But, the role of judges is not only defined by this function. This can be demonstrated by a global comparison of the French recours pour excès de pouvoir and the English judicial review. While both mechanisms seem to allow a limited control of legality, the picture is not as simple. Because of the development of the strains on administrative action, due to the normative enrichment of legal orders, the role of the judiciary is extending. The position of judges within national institutions has to be clearly defined, in order to guarantee their legitimacy.As they can no longer be described as protectors of the will of Parliament, the foundations of their role is reassessed. Their discretionary power is increasing. It reveals their dualiaty: they are active in the control of legality, and as such they are the main instrument of the submission of public authorities to a developing legality, and they are also actors of this movment. As such, they draw limits in order not to ossify administrative activity, which is also legitimate. The comparision between the recours pour excès de pouvoir and judicial review can reveal this duality : the judges define its various aspects and actively participate to the definition of their own role.

The goal of this thesis is to influence a re-evaluation of self conceptions in America in order to influence an alternative relational understanding of one’s self and others. This thesis begins based on the premise that individualism is a prominent aspect of American societies meaning its member’s understandings of their selves are self-centered, often non-empathetic, and in general more concerned with their own lives than that of others. The first half of this thesis is dedicated analyzing the American situation through an analysis of the sources of individualism and proving that individualism is actually an illusion that individuals falsely believe in. American Pragmatists John Dewey and George Herbert Mead are primarily discussed to offer a more socially oriented understanding of the self that begins the process of this thesis in defending a relational model of selfhood. The second half of this thesis introduces Ancient Chinese philosophy where the relationally constituted model of self is thoroughly fleshed out. An analysis of Confucian and Daoist philosophy is given to explain those traditions unique vocabulary and drastic differences from traditional Western theories of morality and self-understanding. The third half of this thesis uses an hybrid self conception derived from a combination of Pragmatist and Chinese thought to argue the Philosophy For Children (P4C) pedagogical model is the medium in which Americans can learn to re-evaluate their selves starting with educating their children. P4C is shown to be itself a model of relationality where children begin from younger ages to be more other-focused, empathetic, and communally involved.

In the contemporary U.S., the state, through the Legislative Assembly, the State Board of Education, and the Department of Education, sets policies for K-12 education. These include goals and standards that affect the kinds of influences local officials, parents, and students can have on various education programs, required and elective coursework, graduation requirements, and curriculum content. The state ought to be able to justify their education policies to citizens. I argue here for a pragmatist informed "minimalist approach" to justifying education policies. This approach has state officials (and subsequently local officials) use local, situated reasons for justifying their education standards, goals, and curriculum. I argue that if state officials utilize a minimalist approach to justify education policies, it will be easier for citizens to contest (or support) the state's policies because the language employed will better represent citizen's local, situated common experiences, and be contestable on those grounds. One consequence of this minimalist approach is that state officials could exclude justifications that are made by appealing to isolated, abstract conceptions. Isolated, abstract conceptions are, as pragmatists such as Rorty have argued, transcendental in nature and doomed to failure; fortunately, as the pragmatist defense of a minimalist approach shows, they are also unnecessary. Some implications of adopting a pragmatist-informed approach is that the state should give up terms and phrases that attempt to (i) construct a unifying theory for justification or for truth; (ii) construct and somehow universally justify a single best particular method for interpreting texts and analyzing scientific processes; and/or (iii) construct comprehensive and complete standards. Rather, state officials ought to identify local, situated reasons for particular policies. From these local appeals, state officials could construct a minimal set of education policies that leave room for local officials and teachers to have particular freedoms in constructing programs, projects, and curricula. I approach this argument through a critique of select education policies in Oregon, Texas, Arizona, and Tennessee. I argue that these policies, like many education policies and standards, lack adequate justifications. Those justifications that are provided are too vague and susceptible to interpretations that are not relevant to the particular purposes of the policies. For instance, certain policies have illegitimately led to the denial of funding for "Ethnic Studies" programs in Arizona, or allowed for irrelevant teacher and student criticisms of theories within the sciences to be explored and entertained as legitimate in Tennessee classrooms. My recommendations, if followed, would give state officials grounds for excluding the concerns of citizens that are not relevant to particular policies and provide a legitimate, justifiable basis for constructing state education policies. / Graduation date: 2013

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The focus in this thesis is on sensemaking in organisations and the aim was to offer an interpretation of the thought of Karl E. Weick. The interpretation subsequently consists of a description and discussion of concepts, underlying theories and paradigmatic perspectives that are integrated into and deployed in Weick's sensemaking framework. After a description and definition of sensemaking terms and concepts, it is argued that a process cosmology forms the ground theory in Weick's sensemaking framework. In order to elucidate this interpretation, the organic model of the world of Bergson and Whitehead is introduced. Special attention is given to pragmatism's underlying process ontology and themes which social consructionism, symbolic interactionism and ethnomethodology share in common with pragmatism. The aim is to show how these perspectives and themes are taken up in Weick's sensemaking in organisations and organisational theory. A failure to make sense is both consequential and existential. This aspect of Weick's thought is discussed in the context of Bergson's process cosmology. It is followed by a description and discussion of Weick's use of systems theory with special attention given to Weick's concept of 'enactment' . How and why does an organisation becomes what it becomes? This question is addressed in the context of a description and discussion of complexity theory. A core concept in both complexity theory and Weick's thought is self-organisation. The aim is to show how sense making appears on systems level. Finally, this thesis attempts to addresses the question of the relationship between organisation and organising and how both terms is to be understood in terms of Weick's ontological view of the world. This aim is to show that Weick's understanding of "the" organisation (noun) can be conceived of as an abstraction and organisation (verb - 'organising') in terms of relating and as process in becoming and how he thereby gives social construction an ontological twist. The conclusion reached is that, in the type of world Weick describes, it makes sense to make sense. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis fokus op 'sensemaking' in organisasies - om die dubbelsinnige, onduidelike en onverwagse meer duidelik, begryplik and redelik te maak vir persone om te weet wat besig is om te gebeur en gepaste aksies te neem. Die doel was derhalwe 'n interpretasie van die denke van Karl E. Weick. Die interpretasie omvat gevolglik 'n beskrywing en bespreking van konsepte, teorieë en paradigmatiese perspektiewe wat Weick in sy sensemaking raamwerk integreer en ontplooi. Ná 'n definiëring en beskrywing van terme en konsepte word geargumenteer dat 'n proses beskouing van die werklikheid Weick se sensemaking raamwerk onderlê. Hierdie interpretasie word toegelig met 'n bespreking en beskrywing van die organiese model van Bergson en Whitehead, sowel as die proses ontologie onderliggend aan pragmatisme. Gevolglik kom pragmatisme, sosiale konstruksionisme, simboliese interaksionisme en etnometodologie aan die orde. Verskeie temas word beskryf en bespreek in die konteks van sensemaking en organisasie-teorie. 'n Mislukking in sensemaking het newe gevolge en is dit ook eksistensieël van aard. Hierdie aspek van Weick se denke word beskryf en bespreek in die konteks van Bergson se proses kosmologie en word die interpretasie opgevolg met 'n bespreking van sisteem-teorie. Hoe en waarom verander organisasies wanneer hulle verander? Die antwoord op hierdie vraag kom aan die orde in die konteks van 'n bespreking van kompleksiteits-teorie. 'n Kern konsep in beide Weick se sensemaking en kompleksiteits-teorie is self-organisasie. 'n Baie belangrike doel is om aan te dui hoe sensemaking voorkom en plaasvind op sisteem-vlak. Ten slotte poog die tesis om die verband tussen organisasie en organisering in Weick se denke meer verstaanbaar te maak. Die argument hier is dat Weick se verstaan van "die" organisasie (selfstandige naamwoord) as 'n abstraksie en organisasie (werkwoord) in terme van relasies en proses in wording geïnterpreteer kan word, en Weick sodoende 'n ontologiese kinkel in die verstaan van sosiale konstruksionisme teweeg bring. Die slotsom tot waartoe in hierdie studie gekom word is dat, in die wêreld wat Weick beskryf, maak dit 'sense' om 'sense' te maak.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:35:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseTRPGTO.PDF: 1388465 bytes, checksum: f55f0bacc8862ee0a7b3ab5d8e7a607e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004-12-10 / This study in the educational field displays the results of the bibliographic, documental and field researches. These were studies about the war through the teaching of Military History as this discipline is taught in the Brazilian Armed Forces schools. It highlights the study of war in History classes, the formation of the war leader in Brazil prepares the soldier for his war performance but this educational orientation has proven insufficient because it does not consider characteristics that are specific to the Brazilian military personnel. That s an educational process that focuses the History of War in a positive way and that does not necessarily prepare the officer for his career in the Brazilian society, a society that is not interested in the topic of Defense. That lack of interest can be explained by the fact that Brazil has rarely run any risks of attack against its territory or its sovereignhood. That s why the people find civical or subsidiary military action to be more important than actions of war. The Army schools programs do not approach polemic topics in the Armed Forces trajectroy in the Brazilian society. That s because our forces have never been on a battlefield. They have mostly done territorial defense and administration. Moreover, it has been involved in both social and political issues. Therefore, its educational formation aims for a performance that will not actually take place in Brazil. It s insufficient for the officer in his actual professional life. To prove our theory, we analyze the politics concerning national defense. These politics have existed since 1996 and we ll also see what they say about military performance and its scarce presence in the teaching-learning process. The element that brings about such analysis is the Military History content because it shows that the civilians society keeps getting more and more estranged from defense issues. Next, we present aspects of Military History in the three Brazilian army schools from 1996 through 2004. We also present its specific features in the teachinglearning process, the orientation for a study of war as an educational element in the preparation of an officer and the way this discipline is regarded by education authorities. We also show the way students of the three Brazilian military schools see Military History, a regular part of their formation, and the way they see their own preparation for the military career. Finally, we reflect upon the political and institutional role of the Brazilian Armed Forces, as it is in the National Defense Policy. We also reflect upon the difficulties to build a program that encloses the multiple functions to be performed by a Brazilian military officer nowadays. / O presente trabalho de pesquisa na área de Educação apresenta os resultados da pesquisa bibliográfica, documental e de campo acerca do estudo da guerra por meio do ensino de História Militar ministrado nas Escolas de formação de oficiais das Forças Armadas brasileiras. Ao dar um enfoque privilegiado para o estudo da guerra no ensino de História, a formação do líder guerreiro no Brasil segue a linha de preparo do soldado profissional em seu desempenho na guerra, mas este direcionamento educativo demonstra ser insuficiente, pois não considera os aspectos peculiares dos militares brasileiros, em um processo educacional com enfoque sempre positivo e exemplar no trato da História da guerra, o que não efetiva o preparo de sua oficialidade no exercício profissional vinculado à realidade da sociedade brasileira, na qual não se interessa pelas questões referentes à defesa, já que a nação sofre pouquíssimos riscos contra sua integridade territorial e sua soberania e, por isso, considera mais relevante a atuação dos militares em ações subsidiárias e cívicas do que aquelas relacionadas à prática da guerra. Os programas curriculares das Escolas de formação castrense brasileiras não abordam os conteúdos polêmicos da trajetória das Forças, que não se constituíram em campo de batalha e sim majoritariamente em seu emprego na defesa territorial e na manutenção administrativa das mesmas, além de seu envolvimento nas questões políticas e sociais de ordem interna vinculadas às determinações histórico-sociais de seu país. Portanto, sua formação educacional objetiva um desempenho profissional que, na prática, não se efetiva na realidade brasileira, de maneira utilitária e insuficiente na consolidação do oficial militar em seu desempenho profissional na atual sociedade brasileira. Para demonstrar nossa tese, o trabalho realiza uma análise das políticas públicas concernentes ao sistema de defesa nacional em vigor desde 1996, o que preconizam quanto ao desempenho dos militares na consecução desse sistema e a incipiente presença de suas determinações no processo de ensino-aprendizagem efetivado nas instituições castrenses brasileiras atualmente, cujo elemento provocador da análise é o conteúdo de História Militar ministrado nas mesmas, denotando a existência de um dis- tanciamento da sociedade civil aos temas vinculados à defesa e à organização das Forças militares brasileiras e a decorrente manutenção da autonomia das instituições castrenses, tanto em sua organização quanto na formação educacional de sua liderança. Em seguida, o trabalho apresenta os aspectos vinculados ao ensino de História Militar nas três Escolas de liderança castrenses brasileiras no período de 1996 a 2004, suas especificidades no processo de ensino-aprendizagem, o direcionamento da divulgação de um conhecimento no estudo da guerra enquanto elemento educativo no preparo para o exercício profissional militar e as percepções desse ensino por parte dos agentes educadores em História Militar na formação dos futuros líderes guerreiros das Forças Armadas brasileiras. Apresentamos, também, a maneira como os alunos das três Escolas de formação de oficiais brasileiros compreendem a importância do estudo da guerra em História Militar, efetivado em sua formação, e a percepção de seu preparo para o exercício profissional militar. Finalmente, realizamos uma reflexão do papel políticoinstitucional das Forças Armadas brasileiras, previsto na Política de Defesa Nacional vigente no país, e as dificuldades existentes na constituição de um programa curricular para contemplar as múltiplas funções a serem desempenhadas pelo profissional militar brasileiro na atualidade.

The thesis is focused on a subjective perspective of students from Faculty of Education of University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice on attitudes in education and on potential application of these methods in their practise. In this thesis is covered general exploration which characterizes particular types of alternative schools and alternative approaches in the process of education. Data were gained from questionnaire and with usage of didactical test. On research were participated 139 students from Faculty od Education of University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. In the result part are covered finding outs which refer to fact that most of students would use alternative attitudes during their practise even if only small part of them have ever visited any of alternative schools. The higher percentage of respondents answered that they have only limited information about alternative education which was verified by didactical test. The average access from the test was 50%.

The evidence from the literature suggests that Information Technology adoption (IT) governance in organisations is still a challenge. The diversity of application and the ever-increasing use of IT results in making decisions on IT adoption a major challenge for organisations. The decision about using a particular technology from an organisational perspective is problematic since individual users have different worldviews. The implicit assumption in IT adoption literature is that stakeholders always reach consensus during IT adoption decision making in organisations. This study explored the existing models and frameworks in order to develop a preliminary improved IT adoption governance framework. This study used a case study sequential explanatory mixed methods research approach to validate the preliminary IT adoption governance framework. The first validation phase of the framework was done using a quantitative approach followed by the second validation phase based on qualitative interviews. The last validation was done after integrating the quantitative and qualitative results to produce the refined framework. The results suggest that the developed framework may improve IT adoption governance in organisations. The results showed that the framework components facilitate IT adoption governance in organisations. The results also suggest that the components have an association with each other except for the Technology Acceptance Model component. The results indicate that stakeholder participation and hard systems thinking components have a strong predictive impact on IT governance framework component perception in organisations. The study results suggest that IT adoption decision makers need to balance different stakeholders’ demands during IT adoption decision making in organisations. The framework helps in that regard by reconciling different stakeholders’ demands through collective IT adoption decision making. The strength of the framework is its integration of theories from various disciplines in understanding stakeholder expectations. On that basis the framework is in a better position to offer more insight into understanding challenges of IT adoption decision making than existing frameworks and models. The framework offers a potentially valuable basis for future research in IT adoption decision making in organisations. The results suggest that the framework may facilitate IT adoption in organisations using different components. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information systems)

SOARES, José Rômulo. O (neo)pragmatismo como eixo (des)estruturante da educação contemporânea. 2007. 189f. . Tese (Doutorado em Educação) – Universidade Federal do Ceará, Faculdade de Educação, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação Brasileira, Fortaleza-CE, 2007. / Submitted by Maria Josineide Góis (josineide@ufc.br) on 2012-07-10T12:37:07Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2007_Tese_JRSoares.pdf: 1102713 bytes, checksum: 5b65ba48a2d88a330c8d1b404c56a6e3 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Josineide Góis(josineide@ufc.br) on 2012-07-17T13:44:16Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2007_Tese_JRSoares.pdf: 1102713 bytes, checksum: 5b65ba48a2d88a330c8d1b404c56a6e3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-07-17T13:44:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2007_Tese_JRSoares.pdf: 1102713 bytes, checksum: 5b65ba48a2d88a330c8d1b404c56a6e3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / The present thesis looks into pragmatic philosophy and its historical ability for subsistence in the field of education. After some years of decline, pragmatism has reemerged in the form of neopragmatism, adjusted to a new context and imposing its principles upon contemporary education. The World Bank has been of crucial importance in the establishment of a new educational model, destined especially for the poor or “developing” countries. We analyzed the notion of society which underlies the political philosophy of John Dewey (1859-1952), an American Democrat and intellectual and perhaps the most influential pragmatic philosopher in education. We provide a critical analysis of his commitment to liberal democracy as well as his role as an influential intellectual in his country and elsewhere. Likewise, we examine the notion of society held by Richard Rorty (1931), the main advocate and driving force of the reemergence of pragmatism. In his redefinition of the phenomenon, Rorty attributes post-modern characteristics to pragmatism and questions the philosophical debate from Plato to Hegel, along with Marxism and analytical philosophy, which he considers to be philosophical systems dominated by metaphysics. In his antitheoretical and antiphilosophical outlook, Rorty proposes to hold creative conversations in which intersubjective relationships generate new words capable of solving everyday problems through enhanced use of language games suitable for each situation. Rorty believes that the improvement of society, for which he takes North American democracy as a model, requires the use of language games as a way of justifying beliefs, but not the purpose of reaching truth. Thus, to this neopragmatic thinker, social change should no longer rely on the great narratives, such as Marxism, which he thinks has lost its historical relevance. In contrast to the (neo)pragmatic approach and under the guidance of Marx and his followers, we see the presence of (neo)pragmatism as part of today’s capital crisis and urgent need to deal with humanity’s huge problems―problems generated by capital itself. Since (neo)pragmatism emerged in concert with the establishment of the United States, it has always been an essential support of the American, conservative way of life. Thus, we offer a critique of (neo)pragmatism through the ontology of the social being and considering work as a central ontological category of human life and essential element of human emancipation. / Este trabalho aborda a filosofia pragmática e sua capacidade histórica de recomposição no meio educacional. Após alguns anos de refluxo, o pragmatismo ressurge na forma de um neopragmatismo e se adequa ao contexto, ao mesmo tempo em que impõe seus princípios à educação contemporânea. Nessa direção, O Banco Mundial aparece como instituição fundamental na consecução de um novo modelo educativo, especialmente para os países pobres ou “em desenvolvimento”. No intento de atingir nossos propósitos investigativos, analisamos a concepção de sociedade subjacente à filosofia política de John Dewey (1859-1952), intelectual democrata dos Estados Unidos e o mais notável filósofo pragmático na educação. Nesse sentido, analisamos criticamente seu compromisso com a democracia liberal, como também seu papel de intelectual influente em seu país e no mundo. Da mesma forma, examinamos a concepção de sociedade veiculada por Richard Rorty (1931-2007), principal responsável pelo ressurgimento do pragmatismo, como também o seu maior difusor. Ao reeditar o pragmatismo, Rorty lhe atribui características pós-modernas e questiona o debate filosófico de Platão a Hegel, como também o marxismo e a filosofia analítica, para ele, sistemas filosóficos dominados pela metafísica. Em sua proposta antiteórica e antifilosófica, Rorty propõe a constituição de conversações criativas, nas quais as relações intersubjetivas criem novos vocabulários e esses passem a resolver seus problemas cotidianos utilizando cada vez mais e melhor, os jogos de linguagem propícios a cada situação particular. Para Rorty, o aperfeiçoamento da sociedade, da qual toma como modelo a democracia norte-americana, passa pelo uso dos jogos de linguagem, como forma de justificar crenças e jamais como meio de encontrar a verdade. Assim, para o autor neopragmático, a mudança social não se relaciona mais às grandes narrativas, como por exemplo, ao marxismo, que para o referido autor, perdeu seu sentido histórico. Na contracorrente da abordagem neo(pragmática) e sob a orientação de Marx e de seus adeptos, compreendemos a presença do (neo) pragmatismo como parte da atual crise do capital e de sua necessidade em responder aos graves problemas hoje vivenciados pela humanidade, problemas esses criados pelo próprio capital. Como filosofia nascida junto com a construção do império norte-americano, o (neo)pragmatismo se firma atualmente como aporte do estilo de vida americano, revelando-se, portanto, muito conservador. Assim, realizamos a crítica ao neo(pragmatismo) pela via crítica da ontologia do ser social e tomando o trabalho como categoria ontológica central na constituição da vida humana e também como elemento essencial da emancipação da humanidade.