<p>Syftet med det här arbetet är att få en insyn i vad förskolebarn har för tankar om de frågor som berör döden.</p><p>Frågeställningen som besvaras är: ”Vad har förskolebarn för tankar om döden?”</p><p>Kvalitativa intervjuer har skett med tio förskolebarn i åldrarna fyra till sex år vilka ligger till grund för undersökningen i arbetet. Även teckningar av barnen som förtydligar deras tankar ingår i undersökningen. Förskolebarnen tillhör samma förskola i Värmland.</p><p>Det som sägs i intervjuerna kan inte generaliseras att gälla alla förskolebarn, utan gäller enbart för de förskolebarn som intervjuerna är utförda med.</p><p>Undersökningsresultatet påvisar att förskolebarn har en öppen syn på döden. Barnen har haft tankar om det mesta som berör ämnet. Deras teckningar visade också en bred variation av tolkningar av döden.</p> / <p>The purpose of this thesis is to gain an insight into pre-school pupils’ thoughts concerning death.</p><p>The question at issue is: “What thoughts do pre-school pupils have concerning death”?</p><p>Qualitative interviews have been done with ten pre-school pupils of four to six years of age which are the foundation of this work. Drawings by the children that clarify their thoughts are also included in the thesis. The pupils all go to the same pre-school in Värmland.</p><p>Everything that is said in the interviews is only applicable to the pre-school pupils that have been interviewed and can not be generalized to apply to other pre-school children.</p><p>This thesis proves that pre-school pupils have an open mind regarding death. The children have had a wide range of thoughts on the subject. Their drawings also showed a wide range of interpretations regarding death.</p>

In some recent papers, the weight based statistical bounds have arguably explained time complexity better than the count based mathematical bounds. This is definitely true for average case where for an arbitrary code it is difficult to identify the pivotal operation or pivotal region in the code for taking the expectation and/or when the probability distribution, over which expectation is taken, becomes unrealistic over the problem domain. In worst case, it can certify whether a mathematical bound is conservative or not. Here we revisit the results on Bubble sort in sequential mode and make an independent study of the same algorithm in parallel mode using statistical bound

The central argument of this thesis is that, contrary to what is generally believed, Critical Theory (CT) – as understood by the Frankfurt School (FS) – does exist and is developed in Spain influenced by and parallel to the Frankfurt School’s own research during the second half of the twentieth century. Hence, the aim of this research is to provide evidence of the existence in Spain of thought developed in line with Frankfurtian CT. To this end, we shall explore the thought developed by three leading Spanish thinkers: José Luis López Aranguren, María Zambrano Alarcón, and Jesús Aguirre y Ortiz de Zárate. This will be done from the perspective of two pivotal currents of thought arising from Germany: neo- Marxism and Heideggerian thought. By doing so, not only will this research draw attention to the much overlooked issue of CT in Spain, but it will also help to re-contextualize Spanish thought of the second half of the twentieth century in the broader sociological and philosophical discussions which were taking place in post-war Europe and the United States. To this end, the thesis has been structured in two parts. The aim of the first part is to provide an introduction as well as a methodological and historical contextualization which will establish the framework for the rest of the thesis. In the second part, I will carry out an interdisciplinary comparative study analysing which aspects of the thought of these Spanish thinkers converge with the thought of the FS, and which differ from them. Attention will also be paid to the socio-political atmosphere they are immersed in, so as to find out how it contributes to shape their thought.

Kant famously claims that autonomy is the ground of dignity. If he is correct about the grounding relationship, then doubts about our autonomy entail doubts about our dignity. Here, I attempt to show that Kant is sensitive to this problem, and invokes the ‘fact of reason’ (Faktum der Vernunft) as the key piece of evidence for our autonomy, and therefore our dignity. But as is well known, Kant’s appeal to the Faktum is controversial. After presenting an exegetical case for the connection between dignity and the fact of reason, I respond to two prominent criticisms of Kant’s strategy in the Critique of Practical Reason in attempt to defend Kant’s use of the Faktum, and hence to preserve his conception of the dignity of humanity.

This thesis on William Faulkner's concept of knowledge beyond reason includes a study of style and characterization and a study of possible sources.

Dans cette thèse a été analysée la relation triangulaire entre le monde politique, l’armée et les médias autour de laquestion particulièrement sensible et controversée de la relation entre la morale et la raison d’Etat. Dans une sociétémondialisée qui a vu émerger une conscience universelle, ces trois acteurs doivent en effet de plus en plus coopérer,bien qu'ils poursuivent des aspirations souvent divergentes. Aux yeux du Politique, par-delà toute autre considération, les intérêts dits « supérieurs de la nation » peuvent primer sur la règle morale. Les impératifs liés à la défense et la sécurité nationale justifient l’existence d’un encadrement juridique dérogatoire au droit commun qui permet au pouvoir exécutif de garder secrètes des informations aux pouvoirs législatif et judiciaire. Les stratégies de défense prises au niveau politique ont des implications directes pour les unités combattantes déployées à l’extérieur du territoire national à qui on demande d’agir conformément aux règles de droit et à l’éthique. Dans une société de l’information, la gestion de la guerre implique également le monde de la presse, pour qui la transparence doit primer. L’équilibre de la relation entre ces acteurs peut être considéré comme un enjeu de la société contemporaine. C’est d’autant plus vrai que les attentes des populations occidentales en matière de morale et d’information sont aujourd’hui particulièrement fortes. Celles-ci sont par ailleurs en demande de sécurité, ce qui peut apparaître comme un paradoxe. Parvenir à une harmonie entre les droits fondamentaux que sont la liberté et la sûreté doit dès lors constituer un axe prioritaire dans la préservation d’un Etat de droit. / In this PhD, we have analysed the triangular relationship between the political world, the army and the media around the very sensitive and controversial issue of morale and reason of State. In a globalized society, which has seen the emergence of a universal consciousness, these three actors must indeed cooperate more and more, although they often pursue divergent goals. In the eyes of the politics, before every other consideration, the so called ‘Superior interests of the nation’ can override moral rules. Imperatives linked to defense and national security justify the existence of a legal framework contrary to common law, which allows the executive power to keep information secret from judicial and legislative powers. In the information society, war management also involvesthe media world, for which transparency should prevail. This is particularly the case since the expectations of occidental populations in terms of morale and information are very strong nowadays. At the same time, theseask for more security, which might appear as a paradox. Ensure harmony between these two fundamental rights, i.e. freedom and security, must thus constitute a priority axis in order to preserve the rule of law.

O papel da razão (logos) em meio às ações (praxis) ainda vigora como um grande problema filosófico. Procura-se aqui tratá-lo a partir da filosofia de G. W. Leibniz. O ponto de partida é o próprio paradigma racional, deus. Delineia-se um panorama sobre as principais ideias envolvidas na escolha divina do melhor dos mundos, as quais servem para mostrar como podem ser pensados os atos humanos. Leibniz costuma desenvolver sua filosofia com o apoio de outros pensadores; dentre eles, Aristóteles tem lugar especial. Assim, busca-se mostrar parcialmente como Leibniz tira proveito de teses aristotélicas quando o filósofo moderno reflete sobre as ações humanas. Para isso, com relação a Aristóteles, monta-se um quadro geral de alguns dos principais conceitos da sua teoria da ação, como as noções de voluntário, de deliberação, de escolha deliberada, dentre outros que permitam esboçar sua noção de razão prática. Em seguida, é desenvolvida a ideia de ação humana desde os seus fundamentos segundo o pensamento leibniziano. Nessa perspectiva, para se chegar ao conhecimento do ato denominado racional, parte-se da ação das substâncias e mostra-se gradualmente como a razão passa a fazer parte das faculdades de certo grupo de seres, os quais a usam quando se movem. Por meio de todos esses passos, finalmente tenta-se chegar às especificidades do pensamento leibniziano quando ele trata do movimento humano e se ele teria o direito de invocar o pensamento aristotélico ao refletir sobre a ação racional. / The role of reason (logos) among the actions (praxis) still stands as a great question of philosophy. This work intends to explore it from G. W. Leibniz philosophical point of view. The starting line is the rational paradigm itself, god. Outlining an overview of the key elements involved in the divine choice of the best of worlds that serve to show how we can understand the human acts. Leibniz tends to develop his philosophy with the support of other thinkers, among them, Aristotle has a special place. Therefore we try to show partially how Leibniz takes advantage of Aristotelian theses when the modern philosopher reflects about human acts. To do this, regarding to Aristotle, a general framework about some of the main concepts of his theory of action is shown, such as the notions of voluntary, deliberation, deliberative choice, among others that allows sketching his notion of practical reason. Thereafter we develop the idea of human action from its basis according to Leibniz thought. From this perspective, to get to the knowledge of the act named as rational, we start with the action of the substances and shows up gradually as the reason becomes part of the faculties of a certain group of beings, which use it when they move. Through all these steps, we attempt to reach the details of Leibnizian thought when he comes to human movement and if he would be entitled to invoke the Aristotelian thought to reflect on rational action.

Thesis advisor: Robert C. Bartlett / This study examines Dante Alighieri's presentation of the relation between Church and State and of their foundations in either the Christian faith or philosophic reason. It seeks to demonstrate how Dante's unmodern acceptance of a teleological understanding of the world and man’s place in it allows him to distinguish the two while also showing how both work together even as they understand differently the role that reason should play in human life. It is because of this distinction that Dante's Monarchia shares in the political principle of “separation” that underlies the secular regimes of the West, thereby making his work immediately accessible to modern-day readers. It is because of the way reason and faith also work together in his political treatise, however, that Dante does not endorse, as readers today would, the further separation of his State from Society. This is because for Dante the very ideas of Church and State not only presuppose the existence of the highest goods of man -namely, that terrestrial good that pertains to man insofar as he is a natural being, and that spiritual good that pertains to man insofar as he is a creature capable of being transfigured by the divine grace of God. They also are intended to embody and publicly promote these two goods. Thus for Dante the Church is meant to help man attain his immortal end, which consists in the supernatural act of seeing God "face to face," while the State is meant to help man attain his mortal end, which consists in grasping philosophic truths. And so it is for these teleological and illiberal reasons that Dante's work remains as inaccessible as it does familiar to readers today. Yet it is by virtue of his refusal to forge our distinctively modern course, and so because of his acceptance of an "outdated" Aristotelian principle of teleology, that Dante's philosophic politics establishes a clearer demarcation between Church and State or reason and faith than modern political philosophies do. His Monarchia is therefore an invaluable guide for all those who wish to acquire a better understanding of the nature and limit of each. This latter claim can prove to be true, however, only if the end of his treatise is understood in light of what many scholars have either ignored or denied in their reading of the Monarchia, and that is Dante’s "Latin Averroism." / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Political Science.

O conjunto de textos e fragmentos que compõem a obra de Blaise Pascal e também uma parte da tradição interpretativa deixam entender que há no pensamento deste filósofo certas cisões radicais. Assim, frequentemente, chega-se à conclusão de que, em maior ou menor grau, a filosofia de Pascal é fragmentada e descontínua. Por uma obra fragmentada ou descontínua, não entendemos aqui o inacabamento dos textos ou a estrutura em aforismos ou pequenas digressões aparentemente independentes (de fato presentes em Pascal), mas aquela obra a que falte um elemento comum entre os textos, a que falte o mínimo de continuidade temática e conexão argumentativa, ou seja, uma obra que careça de um solo mínimo para a leitura do conjunto de seus textos. Embora alguns temas em Pascal notadamente a doutrina das três ordens evoquem uma espécie de cisão, isso não nos parece ser verdade quando tomamos seu pensamento na totalidade. Não é claro que o pensamento de Pascal careça totalmente de organização interna. Com efeito, ao lermos com mais atenção a obra pascaliana, tomamos consciência da originalidade e importância que tem, em seus escritos, o conceito de coração, entendido como a faculdade do sentimento. O que pensamos é que, embora não torne a filosofia do nosso autor um sistema fechado (à maneira cartesiana, por exemplo), o conceito de coração, na medida em que é definido pela capacidade de sentir seja aos princípios, seja a Deus , é capital na obra de Blaise Pascal e por isso nos oferece uma chave de leitura para entendermos os textos pascalianos em seu conjunto. Da ciência à teologia, passando pelo desejo de ser feliz e o divertimento, o conceito de coração cumpre papel central na filosofia de Pascal. / The set of texts and fragments that make up the work of Blaise Pascal and also a part of the interpretative tradition lead to understand that there is in the thought of this philosopher certain radical decisions. So, often, one comes to the conclusion that, to a greater or lesser extent, the philosophy of Pascal is fragmented and discontinuous. For a fragmented or discontinuous work, we do not understand here incompleteness of the text or structure in aphorisms or small seemingly unrelated digressions (actually present in Pascal), but that work that lacks a common element between the texts, that lacks the minimum thematic continuity and argumentative connection, that is, a work that lacks a minimum ground for reading the set of their texts. Although some issues in Pascal - notably the doctrine of the three orders - evoke a kind of rupture, it does not seem to be true when we take his thoughts in full. It is not clear that the thought of Pascal totally lacks internal organization. Indeed, when we read with more attention Pascals work, we become aware of the originality and importance of, in his writings, the concept of \"heart\", understood as the faculty of feeling. What we think is that, though it doesnt make the philosophy of our author a closed system (in cartesian manner, for example), the concept of the heart, to the extent that is defined by the ability to feel - wether the principles, or God - is capital in the work of Blaise Pascal and therefore offers us a reading key to understand pascalian texts as a whole. From science to theology, through the desire to be happy and diversion, the concept of heart plays a central role in Pascal\'s philosophy.

Ce travail de recherche traite de la mise en scène du conflit entre raison et irrationalité qui se produit dans les romans et essais de l'écrivain argentin Ernesto Sábato (1911-2011), du point de vue de la formation, de la consolidation et de la synthèse apparente de ladite confrontation symbolique. Notre objectif est principalement d'examiner la représentation de ce conflit, dans le cadre duquel ses particularités seront analysées, ainsi que la relation qu'il établit avec des thèmes tels que la dichotomie entre connaissance scientifique et création artistique, la représentation littéraire de l'irrationnel et l’expérimentation avec les genres du roman et de l’essai que l'auteur a entreprise tout au long de sa carrière littéraire. Dans ce contexte, notre attention se porte particulièrement sur les trois romans de l'auteur El Túnel (Le Tunnel) (1948), Sobre Héroes y Tumbas (Alejandra) (1961) et Abbadón el exterminador (L’ange des ténèbres) (1973), tout comme sur ses quatre principaux essais, Uno y el universo (Un et l’univers) (1945), Hombres y engranajes (Hommes et engrenages) (1951), Heterodoxia (Hétérodoxie) (1953) et El escritor y sus fantasmas (L’écrivain et la catastrophe) (1963). Cette étude sera réalisée à travers les connexions et les liens établis entre les textes en question à partir du thème commun de la mise en scène du conflit entre raison et irrationalité, en réfléchissant aux manières particulières dont chacun d’entre eux, dans son propre discours et par rapport aux autres, génère un fil conducteur qui les relie et les unifie sous une même unité thématique. Cette analyse nous permettra d'établir que la représentation symbolique du conflit entre raison et irrationalité dans les romans et essais d'Ernesto Sábato constitue la base de son travail littéraire.Pour cette raison, il a été pertinent de réfléchir aux thèmes susmentionnés, traités dans la perspective de celui qui était considéré comme l'un des écrivains latino-américains les plus importants et les plus représentatifs de la seconde moitié du XXe siècle. / This research work deals with the staging of the conflict between reason and irrationality that occurs in the novels and essays of the Argentine writer Ernesto Sábato (1911-2011), from the point of view of the formation, consolidation and apparent synthesis of said symbolic confrontation. Our objective is primarily to examine the representation of this conflict, within which its particularities will be analyzed, as well as the relationship it established with topics such as the dichotomy between scientific knowledge and artistic creation, the literary representation of the irrational and the experimentation with the novelistic and essayistic genres that the author undertook throughout his literary career. In this context, our attention is focused in particular on the three novels by the author El Túnel (1948), Sobre Héroes y Tumbas (1961) and Abbadón el exterminador (1973), as well as in his four main essays, Uno y el universo (1945), Hombres y engranajes (1951), Heterodoxia (1953) and El escritor y sus fantasmas (1963). This study will be carried out through the connections and links established between the texts in question based on the common theme of the staging of the conflict between reason and irrationality, reflecting on the particular ways in which each one, in his own discourse and in relation to others, generates a common thread that connects and unifies them under the same thematic unit. This analysis will establish that the symbolic staging of the conflict between reason and irrationality in the novels and essays of Ernesto Sábato is the basis of his literary work. For this reason, a reflection on the aforementioned issues has been relevant, treated under the perspective of who was considered one of the most important and representative Latin American writers of the second half of the 20th century.