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The aim of this thesis is to determine whether having an ability to choose otherwise aids our understanding of the kind of balanced autonomy that is required in order to claim that people should be held responsible for their actions. By looking to the theories of three historical philosophers (Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Jean Paul Sartre), I find evidence that suggests having an ability to choose otherwise should not be the ground on which we base responsibility for an agent’s actions; actions involve ‘choosing one’s self’ and there is a relationship one has to one’s self which is often overlooked. My investigation reveals evidence that existential authenticity is an inherent quality of autonomy and that the ‘genuine self’ which grounds an agent’s actions ought to be viewed as a ‘dependence’ rather than a ‘cause’. My investigation also reveals a concept of a ‘genuine self’ as distinct from the concept of a narratively structured ‘ego’; the self and the ego appear to be distinct entities which are existentially interdependent. This thesis raises questions which should be addressed in future investigations. First, how is, and how should responsibility be related to the dependences from which actions arise and second, is the objective world best understood as causally structured, in accordance with the doctrine of determinism, or rather, should we seek an understanding of the objective world as dependently structured. / Thesis / Master of Philosophy (MA) / Is having an ability to choose otherwise the best ground on which to hold persons responsible for their actions? This thesis considers the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre, which reveal some evidence that persons should not be held responsible for their actions on the basis of being able to choose otherwise. I argue that authenticity is an inherent feature of autonomy which involves the relationship one has to one’s self and ‘choosing one’s self’; and that there is a distinction to be made between the ‘ego’ and the ‘self’. Further, I advance an argument that actions are dependent on a ‘self’, but that the ‘self’ is not a cause of action. This thesis raises questions to be addressed in future investigations regarding the connection between responsibility and dependence as well as whether the world is best understood as dependently structured rather than causally structured.

Background. This study investigates the ways in which former offenders tell their life stories and integrate explanations for their previous criminal activity and desistance from crime into their personal narratives. It addresses an important gap in the desistance literature by including non-offenders as a comparison group. The specific aims of this study were to explore the similarities and differences in the personal narratives of desisters and non-offenders and to investigate the presence of generativity, agency and communion themes as well as the use of redemption sequences and contamination sequences in the life stories of both groups. Methods. Respondents were identified through snowball sampling and targeted advertising (e.g., an organization that provides services to ex-offenders). Two groups were interviewed: men who had committed multiple crimes after turning 21 years old but were crime-free for the past year (desisting ex-offenders) and men who grew up in similar neighborhoods but reported no involvement in crime as adults (non-offenders). The final sample consisted of 19 desisters and 12 non-offenders; groups were matched on age and other background characteristics. Data collection included a life story interview and a set of open-ended questions about the respondent's juvenile offending and adult criminal history. Participants also completed two standardized instruments to assess generative concern and generative behavior: the Loyola Generativity Scale (LGS) and the Generative Behavior Checklist (GBC). Analyses identified themes through open coding, examined the structure of life narratives, and applied pre-established coding schemes for agency, communion and generativity themes and redemption and contamination sequences. Results. Overall, the life stories of desisters and non-offenders were remarkably similar, even if they contained dramatically different content and reflected unique personal experiences. Respondents in both groups tended to craft narratives where they drew from earlier life experiences to identify reoccurring themes that helped to explain the trajectory of their lives and express deeply held beliefs about who they are as people. Desisters and non-offenders also were very similar in their use of redemption sequences and agency, communion and generativity themes. On the two generativity surveys, the desisting group reported levels of generative concern and generative behavior that were, at the very least, equivalent to average people their own age. While almost all desisting respondents reported some kind of cognitive transformation, the degree to which they saw themselves as changing and how they described that change differed depending on the type of offenses committed. Two types of desistance narratives were identified. The hustler desistance narrative was used by former drug dealers. These men believed that they were involved in drug sales primarily for economic gain and could replace this source of income with legal pursuits. They did not view their past illegal activities as inconsistent with who they were as people. In contrast, the “real me” narrative was used by respondents who had perpetrated acts of violence. They argued that they were innately good people. Conclusions. Overall, the study’s findings were consistent with previous research results that supported the “cognitive transformation and identity” view of desistance, which emphasizes behavioral change as resulting primarily from internal rather than external sources. Previous offending patterns played an influential role in how ex-offenders viewed their past criminal activity, the ways in which they decided to change their lives, and their understanding of the desistance process. Involvement in peer-based programming, mutual support groups and mentoring relationships, whether they were institutionalized, volunteer-oriented, or self-initiated, were identified as major life changing experiences by many desisting ex-offenders. These activities also played a key role in shaping personal narratives and self-concepts in important ways that helped to sustain desistance over time. / Criminal Justice

The topic of the thesis is epistemic certainty and uncertainty in Sophocles’ Ajax. Epistemic certainty refers to the quality of a character’s knowledge. I coined the term to describe the aspects of the play which seemed to explain this gap between Ajax’s actual and perceived character. Ajax is typically assessed by scholars as a character who makes decisions purely on the basis of self-assertion in the pursuit of glory. My thesis challenges this view, which has become a point of near-consensus among scholars. This effort differs from other studies of the Ajax in that it acknowledges the existence of both paradigms of action and personality: based either on the reason or the will. I conclude that Ajax acts on the basis of reason, but misleads other characters (and the audience) because of the dynamics of epistemic certainty and uncertainty. I view the Ajax as deliberately thematizing these dynamics of knowledge for the sake of provoking reflective thinking and discussion about this phenomenon in the play’s audience. At the same time, it pursues this investigation while preserving the expanded scope of recent works on the Ajax to include its implications for the play’s marginal characters, particularly Tecmessa and the Chorus. To that end, the investigation encompasses the entirety of the play while still addressing a major aspect of criticism concerning Ajax himself. Meanwhile, I describe how these two planes of engagement, that is, being epistemically certain or uncertain, mimic the condition of theatre-goers (or readers) as they move from being an audience member, an objective observer, to someone implicated in the action of their own lives once the play has ended. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA) / The topic of the thesis is epistemic certainty and uncertainty in Sophocles’ Ajax. Epistemic certainty refers to the quality of a character’s knowledge. I chose the topic because I was curious about the assessment of Ajax among scholars as a character who makes decisions purely on the basis of self-assertion in the pursuit of glory. The topic thus challenges what has become a point of near-consensus among scholars. This effort differs from other studies of the Ajax in that it acknowledges the existence of both paradigms of action and personality: based either on the reason or the will. It pursues this investigation while preserving the expanded scope of recent works on the Ajax to include its implications for the play’s marginal characters, particularly Tecmessa and the Chorus. To that end, the investigation encompasses the entirety of the play while still addressing a major aspect of criticism concerning Ajax himself.