Proefschrift--Utrecht. / "Voornaamste bronnen in dit geschrift geraadpleegd": p. 6-7.

O presente trabalho procura entender como Anthony Ashley Cooper (o Terceiro Conde de Shaftesbury) concebeu a noção de caráter moderno a partir da análise de alguns elementos de sua filosofia, a saber: a relação entre o gênero humano e a natureza, a formação da identidade individual e a de uma época, o vínculo entre a questão da escritura e a atividade filosófica. Cada um dos três capítulos de nosso estudo foi dedicado (respectivamente) a um desses assuntos. Tendo como base Os moralistas, a Investigação sobre a virtude e a Carta sobre o entusiasmo, o primeiro capítulo busca examinar o vínculo que Shaftesbury estabelece entre o homem e o sistema da natureza, ou seja: como o gênero humano se relaciona com o universo e qual é o seu papel no interior do mundo natural. A partir da idéia shaftesburiana de solilóquio (exposta no texto que leva o mesmo nome: Solilóquio ou conselho a um autor), o segundo capítulo procura compreender como o filósofo inglês pensa o liame entre o que ele mesmo denomina processo de personificação e o surgimento das artes, da filosofia e da identidade de uma época. Por fim, o terceiro capítulo visa mostrar que a questão da polidez e do aprimoramento do gosto não apenas foi um dos principais temas da obra do filósofo inglês, como também está intimamente ligada à sua concepção de filosofia. / The object of this thesis is the philosophy of Anthony Ashley Cooper, third earl of Shaftesbury, and more specifically the conception it presents of a modern character. Shaftesbury\'s understanding of modernity in philosophical terms is present in at least three of the main themes of his philosophy: the relation between mankind and nature, the formation of the individual character as a component of the character of the times, the bounds that tie philosophical reflection to the art of writing. The first chapter of the thesis examines Shaftesbury understanding of man\'s role in the natural world, or the relations between mankind as a species and nature as a system. The focus is on The moralists, a philosophical rhapsody, An inquiry concerning virtue or merit and A letter of enthusiasm. The second chapter deals with the text of Soliloquy, or advice to an author, in order to show how Shaftesbury conceives the process of personification as the precondition for the rising of the arts (including philosophy) which in turn are taken as the defining element of the character of the times. The third chapter shows that politeness and the refinement of taste, far from being mere motifs of fashion, are understood by Shaftesbury as philosophical topics of major importance. The focus here is on the texts of the Miscellaneous reflections and of Plastics.

The philosophy of Henry Fielding turns more upon a study of human nature than upon any stated adherence to a system of beliefs. The thesis of this paper is that he was a moderate law-and-order Anglican of his time, but strongly influenced by the deist Shaftesbury's studies of the psychological characteristics of men. These inquiries into motivations and Shaftesbury's advocacy of the social virtue of desiring good for others seem to have helped determine Fielding's philosophy.

Shaftesbury believed that the height of virtue was impartial love for all of humanity. But Shaftesbury also harboured grave doubts about our ability to develop such an expansive love. In The Moralists, Shaftesbury addressed this problem. I show that while it may appear on the surface that The Moralists solves the difficulty, it in fact remains unresolved. Shaftesbury may not have been able to reconcile his view of the content of virtue with his view of our motivational psychology.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Hessische Ludwigs-Universität zu Giessen, 1914.

Freie Univ., Diss.--Berlin, 2006. / Literaturverz. S. 464 - 488.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Hessische Ludwigs-Universität zu Giessen, 1914.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--New York University, 1909. / Bibliography: p. 48.

Slightly rev. ed. of the author's thesis, Münster, 1976. / Some text in English. Bibliography: v. 2, p. [789]-804.

Inaug.-diss.--Strassburg. / Curriculum vitae. "Bibliographie": p. vi-vii.