L'acédie alliée à la mélancolie nous permet de rendre compte de la totalité de la nature humaine, en tant qu'elle est composée d'une âme, d'un esprit et d'un corps. Ces deux pathologies distinctes autant par leur inscription dans un temps et un espace particuliers et déterminés, ainsi que par les dimensions de l'être humain auxquelles elles s'attaqueront se verront ici rapprochées de sorte à faire émerger un paradigme qui fera de la folie pathologique un moyen d'accès au divin. La mélancolie, de par son bagage grec antique qui faisait d'elle l'apanage des hommes de génie, contaminera au XIIIe siècle l'acédie au point que celle-ci ne sera plus envisagée sous la perspective d'une passion, d'un vice - le plus redoutable de tous – mais une grâce, cherchée et convoitée par les saints hommes de cette époque, selon Guillaume d’Auvergne. Pour ce faire, l'acédie se révélera être une pathologie de la volonté en tant que celle-ci se voit éteinte, asphyxiée devant un idéal inaccessible qui épuiserait en elle tout dynamisme, idéal de l'impassibilité que l'on retrouve sous les traits de l'ange chez les Pères du désert et celui de la performance que l'on retrouve sous les traits du surhomme à notre époque, deux modèles qui se voient être pervertis dès leur conception et dévoilés comme tel par l'acédie. D'une maladie mortelle, celle qui vient autant emporter le corps de l'ascète que la vie de son âme, se révèle protéger l'individu d'un mal encore plus redoutable, celui de l'orgueil, en venant par la même occasion préserver la puissance de la volonté de l'individu en celle de Dieu par le truchement d'une grâce divine. Eau de mort pour le commun des mortels, elle devient eau de vie, porteuse d'une grâce efficace, pour les fous de Dieu dont la folie n'a d'égale que leur amour ; l'acédie devenant par là-même la maladie de l'amour fou de Dieu. / Acedia combined with melancholy allows us to account for the totality of human nature, insasmuch as it is composed of a soul, a spirit and a body. These two distinct pathologies, as much by their inscription in a particular and determined time and space, as by the dimensions of the human being that they will attack, will be brought together here in such a way as to bring forth a paradigm that will make pathological madness a means of accessing to the divine. Melancholy, by its ancient Greek heritage, which made it the prerogative of men of genius, will contaminate acedia in the thirteenth century to the point that it will no longer be considered from the perspective of a passion, a vice – the most awe-inspiring of all – but a grace, sought for and coveted by the holy men of that time, according to William of Auvergne. For this to happen, acedia will prove to be a pathology of the will inasmuch as it is extinct, asphyxiated in the face of an inaccessible ideal that would exhaust all dynamism, ideal of the impassibility that we find under the features of the angel of the Desert Fathers and that of the performance that we find under the features of the übermensch in our time, two models that become perverted from the time they were conceived and unveiled as such by the acedia. From a mortal disease, the one that takes away both the body of the ascetic and the life of his soul, is revealed to protect the individual from an even more dangerous evil, that of pride, by coming at the same time to preserve the power of the individual's will in that of God through the means of divine grace. Water of death for the common man, it becomes water of life, bearer of an efficacious grace for the fools of God, whose madness is matched only by their love ; acedia thereby becoming the disease of God's love.

The Thesis aims to explore the problem of Freedom and Creativity in Nietzsche. It attempts to do so in respect to the two main concepts of his high and late writings. Concept of Superman and concept of the Eternal recurrence of the same. In this respect our text follows especially interpretations of Martin Heidegger. We begin our treatise with situating Nietzsche's concept of freedom among more traditional thought and we put emphasis on comparison of it to the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza. In the next phase we reject (with Martin Heidegger and Ivan Dubský) simplifying understanding of the Eternal reccurence which understands it as dull determinism. We also analyse the topic of Creativity in Nietzsche and introduce it as fundamental anthropological theme. In the following chapters we identify certain moods that allow us to experience perspective of the Eternal reccurence and the one of Superman, which gives us chance to understand both concepts in their connection. But this connection remains enigmatic and in the last chapter we try, with help of Kierkegaard's concept of the moment, to understand both thoughts in their complementarity not only united in the concept of creativity, but also through Nietzsche's concept of the moment, understood as the original understanding of one of the aspects of...

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L'objectif de cette thèse est de montrer le déclin de la figure du superhéros dans les films américains après le 11 Septembre. Les films de superhéros n?ont jamais été si nombreux. Jamais le moral du superhéros n'a été si bas. Ce paradoxe trouve sa meilleure illustration dans l'image double de Batman relégué au ras du sol, alors que le symbole commercial de la chauve-souris brille au firmament de Gotham City. La marchandise culturelle transcenderait donc un superhéros considérablement amoindri. Ce travail se concentre sur trois domaines en particulier : la perte de masculinité du superhéros à la fin du siècle dernier, qui amène à une confrontation symbolique entre le quarterback et la majorette, ou entre Superman et un hypothétique Everyman, et la réémergence d'un monomythe réactionnaire après 2005 ; les errances d'un Surmoi freudien affaibli, et sa relation fluctuante avec un Ça très séduisant, incarné par le superméchant du vingt-et-unième siècle ; la toile de fond sociopolitique contemporaine hostile aux exploits du superhéros, pour qui l'isothymie fukuyamienne omniprésente constitue une injuste condamnation de son action salvatrice. Icône d'une démocratie libérale qui règne désormais sur notre planète, le superhéros postmoderne semble singulièrement désadapté à la culture qui l'a vu naître. / The main topic of this doctoral thesis is the study of the decline of the superhero icon in American films after 9/11. Superhero productions are at an all-time high, and yet, the superhero's morale is at an all-time low. This paradox is best illustrated with the dual image of Batman stuck at Ground Zero, staring up at the projection of his chevron looming large in the sky of Gotham City. The glowing merchandise transcends an otherwise sullied character. This dissertation focuses on three main realms: the superhero's loss of masculinity at the end of the twentieth century, leading to the formal opposition between the figures of the quarterback and the cheerleader, or between Superman and Everyman, and the reactionary, warpath revival which started in 2005; the travails of the flailing Superego and its shifting relationship to the almighty Id, represented by the twenty-first century glorified supervillain; and, finally, the inimical sociopolitical backdrop for the superhero's prowess, in which Fukuyama's prevalent isothymia eventually denies the superhero his just laurels. The postmodern superhero thus appears as a national misfit, also because this cultural commodity now reaches far beyond the traditional boundaries of the « American Way », to embrace an increasingly globalized market.

The first part of this thesis makes the task to illuminate Nietzsche 's basic concepts, as is "The Will of Power", "Superman" and The Eternal Return" to be understood as the most directly substance of his basic filosophic views. This understanding is a necessary assumption for the second part. Its intention is refer the connection of Nietzsche with this age. It opens question for ethos. The author talks about ontologic diference and its connection in relation to a man of today in the third part. The ethos at thinker do not find it finally, and so it forges to fourth part to only possible relevant step forward. Though it is finding etics in source of every man as background from postmodern 's nihilism. The aim of the thesis is to show not only that Niezzsche destroyed ethical values. These values were inculcated by institutions of power for a long time. By this destroying, he created the bridge to finding himself. It is task and postmodern still does not mature to it, but environment has already been ready here.

The desire for heroes is a global and cultural phenomenon that gives a view into society’s very heart. There is no better example of this truism than that of the superhero. Typically, Superheroes, with their affiliation to values and morality, and the notion of the grand narratives, should not fit well into postmodernist theory. However, at the very core of the superhero narrative is the ideal of an individual creating his/her own form of morality, and thus dispensing justice as the individual sees fit in resistance to metanarrative’s authoritarian and restrictive paradigms. This research will explore Superhero comic books, films, videogames and the characters Superman, Spider-Man and Batman through the postmodernist conceptions of power, plurality, and morality.

This study explores the representation of the hero in Lawrence and Andrew Wachowski’s Matrix film trilogy, which comprises The Matrix (Wachowski, Wachowski&Silver 1999), Matrix Reloaded (Wachowski, Wachowski&Silver 2003a) and The Matrix Revolutions (Wachowski, Wachowski&Silver 2003b). Special reference is made to how Neo embodies a postmodern view of heroism. This implies an exploration into the relationship between Neo, the protagonist and hero in the Matrix trilogy, and his mythological predecessors, as well as the relationship between the representation of Neo and ideas concerning heroism. In order to further understand the nature of heroism in the Matrix trilogy, the ideas of two philosophers, namely Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) and Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936), are explored and compared. It is argued in this study that the heroism presented to the viewer by the Matrix trilogy can be interpreted as being representative of the meeting of the apparently contradictory ideas of these two philosophers. Both of these philosophers, though striving for a heroic ideal, arrived at vastly different conclusions. This study, whilst considering the nature of heroism in these two views, also seeks offer an examination of the relationship that Nietzsche’s and Chesterton’s writings have to one another. This examination is not an attempt to take sides with either of these philosophers, but merely to point out certain aspects of their two distinctive viewpoints as they relate to the films in question. This study especially seeks to investigate the claim that Neo is the embodiment of the Übermensch, the figure that most clearly resembles Nietzsche’s heroic ideal. Chesterton’s views of heroism are referred to in order to counter-balance and contextualise Nietzsche’s views on this. Mainly ethical aspects of the character and narrative of the hero are focused on in this study in order to show, firstly, that these more abstract aspects are implicit in the representation of the hero in the Matrix trilogy, and secondly, that the hero belongs to a moral taxonomy. The final aim of this study is to present a coherent view of the many facets of heroism that incorporates an assessment of how philosophy, ideology and semiology underpin the visual. / Dissertation (MA (Visual Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Visual Arts / unrestricted

Present thesis aims at revealing both touching points and different points of departure in Nietzsche's and Dostoevsky's concept of superman by using so called philosophical- anthropological approach to the questions matter. It takes into account not only complete context of oeuvre of both authors but also wider cultural and historical context of their time. Basic point of departure of this thesis is expectation of crucial position of man in the oeuvre of Nietzsche and Dostoevsky as well, both understanding man as essentially defined as free to choice. Analysis of characteristics defining essence of man leads after to elaboration of idea of superman - conclusion of final judgement of human beings' essential characteristics and visions of future principle of man. Having closely analysed particular landmarks on the way from man to superman in the form of particular types of relations to each person's being and freedom - last man, upper man and superman (or common and exceptional man) - we are arriving to systematic comparison of motif of superman in the thinking of both authors, to associated concepts (negative and positive freedom, suppression of nihilism and so on) and finally to its general meaning. KEY WORDS F. Nietzsche, F. M. Dostoevsky, superman, freedom, nihilism, upper man, last man, will to...

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