Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This dissertation reports on a content analysis of the written communications of one hundred Unitarian ministers on their current concepts of the liberal ministry and the role of the liberal church in today's society written for the use of churches seeking ministers. The primary task was to identify the range and priority of vocational values, i.e. whatever these ministers considered significant in connection with the liberal ministry and church. A further task was to measure the effects that years of professional experience, age and Unitarian as contrasted with non-Unitarian seminary training might have on vocational values. The classification system consisted of two dimensions and three levels. The horizontal dimension included six of Abraham Maslovr's seven major need categories and represented the first classification level. The vertical dimension consisted of the second and third levels representing themes and sub-themes under each of the major categories. The second level themes, representing various areas of concern relative to each major category, were defined by indices offered by Maslow. The third level sub-themes were variations on the second level themes derived from the communications data. The three classification levels were composed of six, twenty-five, and one hundred and seven theme categories respectively. Each of the nearly four thousand assertions constituting the one hundred essays was classified according to all these levels and the classification was cmded and recorded on an IBM data processing card [TRUNCATED] / 2031-01-01

In 1960 Louis Kahn’s theoretical concerns began to focus on a concept which he called “form”, not meaning a building’s three dimensional shape, but the essence of its underlying type. The current study considers Kahn’s post-1960 concept of “form”, as espoused in his 1961 article, “Form and Design”, in relation to Plato’s theory of Forms, as that theory is presented in The Republic. A deeper appreciation of Kahn’s text is achieved through an examination of the hypothesis that the word “form”, as it is defined in Kahn’s article, is congruous with Plato’s famous concept, whereby Forms are said to be independent of humans and particulars. This leads to a related hypothesis, that Kahn’s shift in emphasis towards transcendent types is reflected in his development of what could be called Platonising architectural strategies, because they reflect parallel aims between Plato and Kahn. While Kahn and Plato are quite different figures, separated by time, profession and intentions, consideration of Plato’s treatment of the Forms in The Republic illuminates a new interpretation of “Form and Design” and the building which is most closely associated with that text, Kahn’s First Unitarian Church and School in Rochester. The thesis identifies ideas within Kahn’s text which resonate with Plato’s philosophy, suggesting that Kahn’s theory can be interpreted through notions stemming from the early moments of the Western philosophical tradition. It also identifies inconsistencies between Kahn’s text and Plato’s and between various statements made by Kahn, highlighting the fact that Kahn’s philosophical musings are not those of a trained philosopher. / PhD Doctorate