The purpose of this thesis is to increase our knowledge about the thinking of idiocy behind the formation of the first institutional schools for idiots in the Scandinavian countries. The source materials – publications, articles, documents, photos – has been studied and interpreted through a hermeneutic existential method. The final interpretation is connected to Ludwik Fleck´s theory of thought-style and thought-collective. Thought-style in this context has different aspects: The quality or characteristics of the conception or diagnosis of idiocy The ideas about underlying causes The educational, medical and social measures required The expected results or goals The environmental influence Three historical perspectives are traced in the thesis: a biographical history perspective, an educational/medical and a comprehensive perspective of the history of knowledge. The Nordic thinking of idiocy was strongly influenced from French, Swiss and Prussian forerunners. The first efforts in the Nordic countries were attempted by psychiatrists, theologians and teachers for the deaf and dumb. The precursor in Sweden, a woman, had to connect to the available female/religious strategy of the time for her participation. The study concludes that although the activists spoke about “the time of the idiots” it was also a time for the activists to create possibilities for entrepreneurship and professional careers. The medical knowledge of idiocy was in its infancy. The educational progression was moderate and built upon the theories of the time.

<p>The present thesis is based on a scientifically informed reading of Fleck. In addition to the monograph, the material includes his additional philosophical writings and also his internationally published scientific articles. The sources provided by Fleck have been traced back to the time of their origin. Based on the above material, it is argued that rather than relativizing science, and thereby deeply influencing Kuhn, Fleck, attempting to participate in the current debates, is an ardent proponent of science, offering an internal account of its pursuit that accords with his often-contested epistemic concepts. The exposure of his description of the Wassermann reaction discloses a highly selected reading of the, at the time, available sources, but also its relation to the current debate on Einzelwissenschaften, or the standing of new emerging disciplines versus age-old ones, all occasioned by the remarkable progress of science that also affected philosophy. The divide between philosophers and scientists on the philosophical implications of modern physics is exposed as well as Fleck’s heuristic use of the latter topic in his epistemology. A more realistic account of his scientific accomplishment is provided that includes the unfeasibility of the manufacturing of an anti-typhus vaccine based on urine. It is finally argued that the modern interpretation, or the received humanist view of Fleck, is based on the, at the time of the rediscovery of the monograph, already endorsed program of STS writers opposing a scientifically informed reading of his texts.</p>

The present thesis is based on a scientifically informed reading of Fleck. In addition to the monograph, the material includes his additional philosophical writings and also his internationally published scientific articles. The sources provided by Fleck have been traced back to the time of their origin. Based on the above material, it is argued that rather than relativizing science, and thereby deeply influencing Kuhn, Fleck, attempting to participate in the current debates, is an ardent proponent of science, offering an internal account of its pursuit that accords with his often-contested epistemic concepts. The exposure of his description of the Wassermann reaction discloses a highly selected reading of the, at the time, available sources, but also its relation to the current debate on Einzelwissenschaften, or the standing of new emerging disciplines versus age-old ones, all occasioned by the remarkable progress of science that also affected philosophy. The divide between philosophers and scientists on the philosophical implications of modern physics is exposed as well as Fleck’s heuristic use of the latter topic in his epistemology. A more realistic account of his scientific accomplishment is provided that includes the unfeasibility of the manufacturing of an anti-typhus vaccine based on urine. It is finally argued that the modern interpretation, or the received humanist view of Fleck, is based on the, at the time of the rediscovery of the monograph, already endorsed program of STS writers opposing a scientifically informed reading of his texts. / QC 20101130

The main purpose of this thesis is to investigate how future pre- and primary school mathematics teachers change their approaches to mathematics and mathematics education during their subject studies, and also how this view has affected their teaching of mathematics after graduation. A qualitative interview method was used in combination with observations, notes, sound recordings, video recorded mathematics classes and materials produced by the teacher in order to answer the research questions. The research was carried out in two parts.The institutional theory has been used as theoretical framework throughout. This perspective was supplemented by a design theoretical perspective in part two.In the first investigation it became clear that the language used by the students is under change, and that they use terms from the national curriculum as well as the aims of the programme syllabus when they discuss mathematics teaching. The results from the observations later show that four out of five of the teachers have a clear connection to the sort of teaching they said they want to conduct, in that there is a clear relationship between the sort of teaching that they claim to perform and the sort of teaching they actually perform. From the overall results, it is apparent that teachers one year after graduation describe that they feel well prepared for teaching mathematics in preschool and primary school. This is interesting in the light of their dissatisfaction with the limited emphasis on concrete recommendations and &quot;tips&quot; directly after their graduation. In fact, the teachers said that in practice it turned out that their education provided a more stable and secure foundation than they described it to be shortly after having completed their mathematics studies. They say that during their education they developed knowledge and skills that enabled them to be better prepared for their future work roles than they believed themselves likely to become. / Disputationen sker den 2009-10-16, Tillbergsalen, Campus Konradsberg, hus T, Rålambsvägen 32, Stockholm, 10:00

The main purpose of this thesis is to investigate how future pre- and primary school mathematics teachers change their approaches to mathematics and mathematics education during their subject studies, and also how this view has affected their teaching of mathematics after graduation. A qualitative interview method was used in combination with observations, notes, sound recordings, video recorded mathematics classes and materials produced by the teacher in order to answer the research questions. The research was carried out in two parts. The institutional theory has been used as theoretical framework throughout. This perspective was supplemented by a design theoretical perspective in part two. In the first investigation it became clear that the language used by the students is under change, and that they use terms from the national curriculum as well as the aims of the programme syllabus when they discuss mathematics teaching. The results from the observations later show that four out of five of the teachers have a clear connection to the sort of teaching they said they want to conduct, in that there is a clear relationship between the sort of teaching that they claim to perform and the sort of teaching they actually perform. From the overall results, it is apparent that teachers one year after graduation describe that they feel well prepared for teaching mathematics in preschool and primary school. This is interesting in the light of their dissatisfaction with the limited emphasis on concrete recommendations and "tips" directly after their graduation. In fact, the teachers said that in practice it turned out that their education provided a more stable and secure foundation than they described it to be shortly after having completed their mathematics studies. They say that during their education they developed knowledge and skills that enabled them to be better prepared for their future work roles than they believed themselves likely to become.

Esse trabalho propõe uma reflexão sobre a relação entre a organização da estrutura hospitalar baseada em sua divisão por enfermarias de especialidades e a perpetuação da lógica fragmentadora própria da Biomedicina, racionalidade médica hegemônica ocidental. O campo estudado foi o Hospital Universitário Pedro Ernesto. Através de entrevistas semiestruturadas com médicos clínicos, especialistas e profissionais responsáveis pela regulação de vagas desse hospital é discutida a existência de dois discursos diferentes: o discurso clínico e o discurso especialista. A partir da análise dessas entrevistas, foi apontada e debatida a profunda relação entre esses discursos, a estrutura hospitalar e a assistência médica oferecida aos pacientes. A análise realizada evidencia que embora os dois discursos estejam absolutamente inseridos no paradigma biomédico, a clínica médica se identifica e é identificada como responsável pelo paciente como um todo, enquanto as especialidades são reconhecidas como responsáveis apenas por uma determinada parte. Essa diferença apresentou influência tanto na forma de cuidar do paciente, como na função de cada serviço dentro do hospital. As enfermarias de clínica se caracterizaram por serem setores consensualmente capazes de conduzir satisfatoriamente a maioria dos pacientes.Se por um lado a abrangência da clínica é motivo de orgulho para os clínicos, por outro, a falta de autonomia decorrente dessa característica determina um sentimento de depreciação por parte desses profissionais. Esse trabalho foi realizado sob perspectiva hermenêutica filosófica proposta por Hans-Georg Gadamer e com o auxílio dos conceitos de paradigma proposto por Thomas Kuhn e estilo de pensamento elaborado por Ludwik Fleck. / This work proposes a reflection on the relation between the hospital organizational structure based on its division in specialties infirmaries and the perpetuation of the fragmenting logic peculiar to biomedicine, the hegemonic western medical rationale. The field of study was Pedro Ernesto University Hospital. Through semi-structured interviews with general physicians, specialists and professionals in charge of hospital admissions the existence of two different discourses is examined: the clinical discourse and the specialist discourse. The analysis of these interviews pointed out and considered the deep relation between both discourses, the hospital structure and the medical care provided to patients. The investigation reveals that, although both discourses are definitely inserted in the biomedical paradigm, internal medicine identifies itself and is identified as responsible for the patient as a whole, whereas the specialties are seen as responsible for only a specific part. This difference influenced not only the manner of treating the patient but also the purpose of each service within the hospital. The clinical infirmaries were characterized as sectors consensually capable of satisfactorily dealing with the majority of patients. If on the one hand the broad scope of internal medicine is a source of pride to physicians, on the other hand the lack of autonomy that follows this characteristic determines a feeling of self-deprecation among some of these professionals. This work was made from a hermeneutic philosophical perspective such as one proposed by Hans-Georg Gadamer, with the aid of Thomas Kuhns concept of paradigm and Ludwik Flecks concept of thought style.

<p>The focus of this study is the opposition of Ludwik Fleck to the logical positivism. The main interest focuses on the mutability of knowledge and the inherent problems of incommensura-bility, as well as on Fleck´s notion of reality. Fleck emphasizes a rational and continuous de-velopment of knowledge, in contrast to Thomas Kuhn´s discontinuous and irrational devel-opment, and rejects all forms of reality independent of human beings.</p><p>Fleck´s monograph Entstehung und Entwicklung einer Tatsache is a rich and multifac-eted inquiry into the nature of knowledge, emphasizing the social and historical aspects of the epistemology of science at the expense of certain logical precepts. With his concepts thought style and thought collective, Fleck is generally acknowledged as a precursor to Kuhn´s con-cepts of paradigm and scientific community. Fleck maintains a relativistic view of science and develops a comparative epistemology which challenges the logical positivists in many re-spects. He dismisses every form of reality and has therefore been regarded as an idealist, al-though there are certain aspects to his epistemology which point toward an implicit ontology based upon his idea of the passive components of knowledge.</p><p>The chief epistemological works of Fleck and his contemporary Karl Popper were published within a year of each other, 1934 and 1935, respectively, by which Popper had left the Continent to eventually become one of the leading British philosophers, while Fleck spent several years during the Second World War as a prisoner in Nazi camps. Both were firmly opposed to the logical positivism, one as a critical rationalist, the other as a sceptical relativist. Fleck was also a forerunner to the constructivist ideas and the Strong Programme.</p><p>The word ”incommensurability” has been ascribed Kuhn but the term had already been used by Fleck in 1927. The ”incommensurability thesis” dominates Kuhn´s notion of scientific revolutions and is accordingly the reason why scientific progress is considered an irrational process. The debate on the incommensurability thesis has continued to interest epistemologists and philosophers of science and many solutions have been suggested, some in line with the one proposed by Fleck.</p>

This paper has two objectives. First: the humanistic idea of knowledge, philosophically formulated by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), should be presented in relation to history of ideas. In the meeting with different kinds of cultural and social needs in Central Europe during the decades of the turn of the 20th century, Steiner developed his idea of knowledge into a singular Thought Style (Ge. Denkstil). A Thought Style can be described as a selective and aimed cognitive preparedness. The idea of knowledge and the Thought Style are here described as anthroposophical humanism. The second objective is to show how the Thought Style, in a historical way, was established in Sweden, and how it, until the mid 1980s, changed and was adapted to Swedish culture, i.e. how the style in various ways became Swedish. Organisations and movements that were influenced by the anthroposophical humanism were The Anthroposophical Society, the biodynamic movement, the movement for anthroposophic medicine, the medical pedagogical movement with special pedagogical institutions and social therapeutic homes for treatment, the Waldorf movement, the Christian Society, anthroposophic architecture and art practice etc. Since they co-operated with a common background, they formed a Thought Collective (Ge. Denkkollektiv). The anthroposophical humanism has its roots relating to history of ideas far back in the Central European Middle Ages. During the new humanism era, the idea of knowledge had a renaissance in German culture life. Rudolf Steiner remodelled the idea at the end of the 19th century and developed it into the singular Thought Style. When Steiner was a theosophical teacher he gave it an esoteric design. After the First World War, when Steiner was working as a social reformer, he gave it a humanistic design. Within The Anthroposophical Society, the double image of the anthroposophical movement, internationally and in Sweden, led to severe opposition and conflicts. Right until the mid 1980s, reorganisations were common in order to handle the two directions of the Thought Style when it came to differences in traditions, ideology and sociology. In Sweden, the anthroposophical movement has undergone four stages of development: the reception period 1890-1935, the conversion period 1935-55, the expansion period 1955-1985 and the integration period as from 1985. As from 1913, when The Anthroposophical Society was established, until 1985, the development of ideas in the anthroposophical Thought Style and the Thought Collective can be described as a wandering from Christian esotericism to an anthroposophical humanistic idea of knowledge, with a cultural education in the ideological focus of the Thought Style. The traditional development of ideas can also be described as an anthroposophical process of secularisation. There are mainly four things that have contributed to the expansion of the anthroposophical movement in Sweden during the phase of expansion: the post-war period economic expansion, the development of the educational system, the renaissance of esotericism in the late 1960s, as well as the need for an alternative to the post-war abundance consumerism and waste of resources. The Swedish development indicates similarities with the international development within those areas where different activities have been adapted to Swedish legislation, traditions and views, mainly through care and education.

The focus of this study is the opposition of Ludwik Fleck to the logical positivism. The main interest focuses on the mutability of knowledge and the inherent problems of incommensura-bility, as well as on Fleck´s notion of reality. Fleck emphasizes a rational and continuous de-velopment of knowledge, in contrast to Thomas Kuhn´s discontinuous and irrational devel-opment, and rejects all forms of reality independent of human beings. Fleck´s monograph Entstehung und Entwicklung einer Tatsache is a rich and multifac-eted inquiry into the nature of knowledge, emphasizing the social and historical aspects of the epistemology of science at the expense of certain logical precepts. With his concepts thought style and thought collective, Fleck is generally acknowledged as a precursor to Kuhn´s con-cepts of paradigm and scientific community. Fleck maintains a relativistic view of science and develops a comparative epistemology which challenges the logical positivists in many re-spects. He dismisses every form of reality and has therefore been regarded as an idealist, al-though there are certain aspects to his epistemology which point toward an implicit ontology based upon his idea of the passive components of knowledge. The chief epistemological works of Fleck and his contemporary Karl Popper were published within a year of each other, 1934 and 1935, respectively, by which Popper had left the Continent to eventually become one of the leading British philosophers, while Fleck spent several years during the Second World War as a prisoner in Nazi camps. Both were firmly opposed to the logical positivism, one as a critical rationalist, the other as a sceptical relativist. Fleck was also a forerunner to the constructivist ideas and the Strong Programme. The word ”incommensurability” has been ascribed Kuhn but the term had already been used by Fleck in 1927. The ”incommensurability thesis” dominates Kuhn´s notion of scientific revolutions and is accordingly the reason why scientific progress is considered an irrational process. The debate on the incommensurability thesis has continued to interest epistemologists and philosophers of science and many solutions have been suggested, some in line with the one proposed by Fleck.

The main part of the dissertation is a text. The other is an exhibition mainly presenting a bow-lathe and some furniture designed and produced in that bow lathe. Interior- and furniture design are disciplines in which sensory qualities are important. Within these disciplines there are well established methods and languages for developing these qualities. However, such development has rarely been achieved through the medium of text. Sensory qualities tend to be ignored in highly textualized knowledge environments. Within education textualized knowledge is often valued higher than forms of knowledge developed through other medias than text. This situation has led to a dichotomized perception of knowledge where textualized knowledge attained through writing and conceptualizing, is valued higher than knowledge developed through physical work. The thesis argues that this hierarchical view on different forms of knowledge also has an influence on the practical profession of the designer, manifest in the paradoxical situation where the form aspects of design is neglected and over shadowed by various forms of textualized knowledge. The central research question posed in the text part is: Which adverse effects might an increasing emphasis on textualized theory have on the design practices? The questions are highlighted from perspectives such as; epistemology, tradition, history and power. The central research question in the exhibition part examines if any possible negative effects on design resulting from the above mentioned scenario, may be prevented through engaging in a highly physical and non-conceptual design- process? The purpose of the exhibition part is to introduce methods and design that may provide the impetus for further development in the fields of design. The bow lathe is presented as an example of a productive tool for the development of relevant contemporary design. / Avhandlingen består av två delar i vilken huvuddelen redovisas i textform och den andra som en utställning innehållande en bågsvarv samt bågsvarvade möbler. Utställningen dokumenteras som film. Rumsgestaltning och möbelformgivning är yrkespraktiker vilka laborerar med materiella, rumsliga och sinnliga aspekter. Inom fältet finns sedan gammalt väl utvecklade metoder och språk för att undersöka och utveckla dessa men dessa är sällan i textform och ofta inte ens i ordform. Avhandlingen diskuterar hur textbaserad teoretisering av ett visst ämne tenderar att leda till en försämrad förmåga att uppfatta och värdera sinnliga och formmässiga aspekter på det ämne som textualiseras. De akademiska institutioner som arbetar med textualiserad teoribildning har av gammal hävd tolkningsföreträde i utbildnings- och kunskapssammanhang. Denna situation har bidragit till ett dikotomiserande synsätt på kunskap vilket tenderar att värdera textteoretiska kunskapsformer högre än sådana kunskapsfält som i högre grad utvecklar kunskap praktiskt genom mer sinnesbaserat arbete i form snarare än genom text. Avhandlingen visar hur denna hierarkiska kunskapssyn också har utövat inflytande på formgivningsfälten och hur den där bidragit till det paradoxala att formaspekter på formgivning ofta hamnar i skymundan. Huvudfrågan som ställs i textdelen är: Vilka negativa effekter kan en ökande grad av textualiserad teoribildning befaras ha på formgivningspraktikerna? I avhandlingens formgivningsdel är forskningsfrågan: Kan en hög grad av fysiskt deltagande i designprocessen bidra med impulser som motverkar eventuella negativa effekter av en textualiseringen av teoribildningen inom, i första hand, fälten för inredningsarkitektur och möbeldesign? Syftet med avhandlingens textdel är att genom kritisk analys och tolkning av sådana kunskapskulturer som starkt präglas av läsande och skrivande som medel för sina teoribildningar kunna synliggöra vissa problem då dessa medel och språk tillämpas inom fälten för formgivning. Dessa textualiseringstendenser belyses också utifrån perspektiven; epistemologi, tradition, historia och makt. Avhandlingens formgivningsdel, utställningen, har som syfte att presentera metoder och formgivna resultat som kan ge impulser till vidareutveckling inom främst möbel- och inredningsfältet. Undersökningen i denna del sker via formgivning genom konstnärligt informerat hantverksarbete. / <p>QC 20140814</p>