Political thinkers of the Renaissance, foremost among them Niccolò Machiavelli and Desiderius Erasmus, authored works commonly referred to as “mirrors of princes.” These writings described how princes should rule, and also often recommended a certain arrangement or relationship between the intellectual class and the political powers. François Rabelais’s five books of Pantagruel also depict and recommend a new relationship between these elements of society. For Rabelais, the tenets of a philosophy that he calls Pantagruelism set the terms between philosophers and rulers. Pantagruelism, defined in Rabelais’s Quart Livre as “gaiety of spirit confected in contempt for fortuitous things,” suggest a measured attitude toward politics. Rabelais’s prince, Pantagruel, accordingly rejects the tendencies of ancient thinkers such as Diogenes the Cynic who viewed politics as futile. Yet Pantagruel also rejects the anti-theoretical disposition of modern thinkers such as Machiavelli who placed too much confidence in politics. I demonstrate how Rabelais warns against the philosophers’ entrance into public service, and how he simultaneously promotes a less selfish philosophy than that of Diogenes. I argue that Pantagruel’s correction of his friend Panurge through the consultations of experts regarding the latter’s marriage problem shows that fortune will always trouble human life and politics. I also argue that Pantagruel’s rule over the kingdom of Utopia exemplifies a Socratic form of rule—reluctant rule—which relies on a trust that necessity (embodied in the Tiers Livre in the Pantagruelion plant) and not fortune (embodied in the Tiers Livre in Panurge’s future wife) governs the world, including the political world.

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We are living in the information age and this has had an effect on both science and theology. Our understanding of the fundamental role of information has increased significantly. One can even say that information has become an overarching metaphor in the world of science. This dissertation gives an overview of the impact of the information-based scientific world-view on the dialogue between science and theology. The study investigates the metaphorical use of information concepts to secure a better understanding of God's action in the world and the role that information plays in the processes of life. The focus is on the role of biological information, and its relation to divine action is investigated. The scientific importance of information and the possible impact of information concepts on the science and theology dialogue of the future are discussed. / Systematic Theology & Theological Ethics / M. Th.(Systematic Theology)

Thesis (MPhil (Philosophy))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Are violent and non-violent mass atrocities morally different? According to the United Nations, they are. But why? The answer to this question is important as it in part determines our obligations to people living in other countries. This thesis seeks to determine if violent and non-violent mass atrocities are morally different and, if not, whether the latter should be included under the United Nations’ doctrine of the responsibility to protect. In order to do this, the thesis first examines the conditions under which sovereignty exists in order to understand when intervention can occur. It also analyzes just war theory to discern when military intervention to halt nonviolent mass atrocities is justified. Having established these two concepts, the thesis then presents three arguments for why non-violent mass atrocities are morally indistinguishable from violent ones and should also be included under the doctrine of the responsibility to protect. A discussion of the feasibility of implementing this extension and the long-term effects of these types of interventions follows. Finally, the thesis contains three case studies in order to apply the arguments presented earlier. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Is daar ‘n morele verskil tussen gewelddadige en nie-gewelddadige gruweldade? Volgens die Verenigde Nasies is daar so ‘n verskil, maar hoekom? Die antwoord tot hierdie vraag is deels belangrik omdat dit ons verantwoordelikhede tot mense in ander lande bepaal. In hierdie tesis word daar gepoog om te bepaal of daar so ‘n verskil tussen gewelddadige en nie-gewelddadige gruweldade is, en, indien nie, of nie-gewelddadige gruweldade ook moet tel onder die Verenige Nasies se verantwoordelikheid om te beskerm. Die tesis poog eerstens om die kondisies vir soewereiniteit te bepaal ten einde te probeer verstaan wanneer ‘n intervensie moreel regverdigbaar is. Dit analiseer ook die teorie van geregverdigde oorlogvoering ten einde te bepaal wanneer militêre inmenging om nie-gewelddadige gruweldade stop te sit geregverdig is. Na hierdie twee konsepte ondersoek is word daar drie argumente verskaf om aan te toon dat nie-gewelddadige gruweldade nie moreel onderskeibaar is van gewelddadige gruweldade nie, en dus dat nie-gewelddadige gruweldade onder die verantwoordelikheid om te beskerm behoort te tel. Dit word gevolg deur ‘n bespreking van die praktiese haalbaarheid van die implementering van so ‘n uitbreiding van die verantwoordelikheid om te beskerm, asook ‘n bespreking van die langtermyn effekte van hierdie tipes intervensies. Die tesis eindig met drie gevallestudies ten einde die argumente wat reeds gemaak is toe te pas.

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Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2017-05-24T13:29:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Fabrina Moreira Silva.pdf: 1145243 bytes, checksum: 42289cd86c73d79791aac33f727a44ae (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-24T13:29:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fabrina Moreira Silva.pdf: 1145243 bytes, checksum: 42289cd86c73d79791aac33f727a44ae (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-05-19 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This thesis aims to investigate to what extent the concept of transhistoricity of scientific knowledge, according to Pierre Bourdieu, reverberates the presence of the philosophy of science on the occasion of the last course taught by him, entitled Science de la science et reflexivité, at the Collège de France in the university year 2000-2001. Bourdieu synthesizes, in this last course, the epistemological foundations of sociology and takes them as object of study, thus making a science of science. Avoiding the totalizing pretensions, Bourdieu proposes the concepts of habitus and field, elaborating a closed system of concepts that allows him the scientific self-reflexivity, specifically applied to the sociology. Assuming the French theoretical epistemological line of Bachelardian tradition, Bourdieu affirms that the scientific knowledge is transhistorical, that is to say, a social construct that has managed to make its transhistorical truth. Transhistoricity implies questioning the ways in which science is made, and this questioning is the central problem that P. Bourdieu's critical reflexivity takes as his starting point for his investigation of the production of scientific knowledge. Epistemological vigilance is the guarantee of the scientificity of sociology; it is certainty of the method appropriate to the specificities of the object, in this case the production of sociological knowledge. The thesis that underlies the problem investigated by Bourdieu in his last course - in what way does science produce transhistoric knowledge? – is evidence of the presence of a thinker, whose analyses reaches a wide spectrum of themes, however, it is in the game of the scientific field with the scientific habitus that is, if and only if, it is possible to speak of transhistoricity of scientific knowledge. This scheme Concept of analysis demonstrates the always present reflexivity in scientific practice / Nesta tese, objetiva-se investigar em que medida o conceito de trans-historicidade do conhecimento científico, segundo Pierre Bourdieu, reverbera a presença da filosofia da ciência, na ocasião do último curso ministrado por ele, intitulado Science de La science et reflexivité, no Collège de France no ano universitário 2000-2001. Bourdieu sintetiza, nesse último curso, os fundamentos epistemológicos da sociologia e os toma como objeto de estudo, fazendo assim uma ciência da ciência. Evitando as pretensões totalizantes, propõe os conceitos de habitus e de campo, elaborando um sistema de conceitos fechado que lhe permite a autorreflexidade científica, em específico aplicado à sociologia. Assumindo a linha teórica epistemológica francesa de tradição bachelardiana, Bourdieu afirma que o conhecimento científico é trans-histórico, ou seja, um constructo social que conseguiu tornar sua verdade trans-histórica. A trans-historicidade implica questionar os modos como se faz ciência, e esse questionamento constitui o problema central que a reflexividade crítica de P. Bourdieu toma como ponto de partida para a sua investigação acerca da produção do conhecimento científico. A vigilância epistemológica é a garantia de cientificidade da sociologia, é certeza do método adequado às especificidades do objeto, no caso a produção do conhecimento sociológico. A tese que subjaz no problema investigado por Bourdieu em seu último curso – De que modo a ciência produz conhecimentos trans-históricos? – evidencia a presença de um pensador cujas análises alcançam um espectro amplo de temas; entretanto, é no jogo do campo científico, com o habitus científico que, se e somente se, torna-se possível falar de trans-historicidade do conhecimento científico. Esse esquema conceitual de análise demonstra a reflexividade sempre presente na prática científica

This dissertation seeks a concept of freedom that is compatible with Michel Foucault’s descriptions of power and its role in the constitution of the subject. Discovering the concept of freedom that properly opposes the Foucauldian concept of domination reveals the possibilities and limitations of the usefulness of Foucault’s account of power for social criticism. The first step in this endeavor is therefore to distinguish between Foucault's own use of the terms 'power' and 'domination' – the conflation of which is a source of criticism of his social theory. With this distinction in hand, I argue that Foucault’s genealogical period with its diagnosis of subjection is wholly compatible with, and indeed inseparable from, his ethical period with its emphasis on self-transformation. Read as two sides of a coin, these periods of Foucault’s work establish the terms in which we must understand the ethico-political struggle in which we constantly find ourselves as subjects of self-transformation embedded in identity-constituting relations of power. I then explore Foucault’s criticism of the modern concept of autonomy, which he believes to be inherited from the Enlightenment and, more specifically, Kant. In spite of these criticisms, Foucault does not dispense with the concept of freedom as autonomy altogether, but instead must embrace a concept of social freedom, similar to that which is found in contemporary recognition theory. Therefore, we should characterize Foucault’s normative stance as that of a coupling of a general concept of social freedom with what I call a "metaethico-political openness principle" committing us to acts of resistance that would attempt to push the boundaries of recognition so that we may affirm previously unimagined ways of life.

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore research assistants&rsquo / opinions regarding the courses they take during their graduate study in terms of improving their science perception and research skills. The research questions include research assistants&rsquo / assessments about the effectiveness of graduate courses on research skills and science perception, their evaluation of the graduate programs in terms of improving science perception, and their suggestions on the improvement of the quality of the graduate program regarding science perception and research skills. The sample for the present study contains 12 interviewees from four different v institutes of Middle East Technical University. The interviewees are all PhD candidates at METU. The sample was chosen by using purposive sampling. In this study, the data collection instrument was a semi-structured interview guide designed by the researcher. There were 8 main questions and 9 sub-questions. The collected data was analyzed through content analysis. The results of the study are presented under four main themes, which were derived from the research questions. First theme was the assessment of research skills which was about usefulness of courses, competence about research methods, reasons for not taking courses, problems because of not taking them. The second theme was the assessment of science perception which was about contributions of courses, reasons for not taking courses. The third theme was the evaluation of the graduate programs which consisted of should-be-developed and positive aspects. The last theme was about suggestions which could be realized by university administration and by personal efforts. In conclusion, the findings revealed that the research assistants are aware of the importance of research methods course for enhancing research skills, and of effectiveness of history and philosophy of science course regarding the improving of science perception. In this respect, based on literature review and the research assistants&rsquo / views it is suggested that history and philosophy of science course utilizing explicitly-reflective inquiry approach should be included curriculum of graduate programs.