The project of this thesis is to begin the task of re-assessing the notion of personhood, particularly in respect of its role in the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, in the light of post-structuralist critical theory. Taking Jacques Derrida's critique of western thought as its starting point, the author attempts to undertake a deconstructive reading of the notion of pesonhood and its conceptual background through the texts of philosophy and theology. In Chapter 1 the author portrays, in the style of cultural criticism, the central themes of Hebrew and Greek thought, and tradition has dominated our western thought, yet our Hebraic heritage remains important. In juxtaposing these two traditions the author sets up two terrains upon which the critique will be developed. The critique begins in Chapter 2. The author explores the way in which philosophy has marginalised the polysemous features of language. The author argues that it is in these features, and not in the logical structures of analysis, that the essence of language lies. The author goes on to portray language as risk taking. The author then examines the ways in which philosophy has attempted to master the `flux' of change and temporality by privileging the present. The author establishes, through a re-reading of Husserl, that an escape from the flux is impossible. Using Kierkegaard's notion of repetition, he distinguishes two movements in which Being is possible amidst the flux, viz. recollection and repetition. The author goes on to discuss the approaches of three philosophers, Aquinas, Heidegger, and Derrida, who recognize in Being a differential structure. Three key terms are picked out for special examination: Aquinas' use of the term <i>subsistentia</i> in his understanding of Being <i>per se</i>, Heidegger's notion of the <i>Ereignis</i>, and Derrida's exposition of <i>difference</i>. Finally, the author presents his own account of Being in terms of the movements of recollection and repetition. Here the political and ethical prejudice which underpins the conceptual framework of the tradition becomes exposed. The author then develops an account of personhood drawing on the work of Emmanuel Levinas. Being is to be understood in terms of the relation of identity and alterity, a relation of responsibility. This results in a re-interpretation of the themes of <i>Ereignis, difféance</i>, and <i>subsistentia</i>. The author goes on to examine Levinas' notion of `being in responsibility', explaining it in terms of the movement of <i>repetition</i>. This leads to an interpretation of the meaning of pesonhood in terms of the meaning of the word <i>persona</i>. Finally, the author demonstrates that persons only `come to be' in the context of society, in which `being as responsibility' issues forth as a concern for justice, and it is out of the concern for justice that consciousness is born. On this basis, the author argues that all language is fundamentally theological. If, as Levinas argues, all speech bears witness to the Infinite as a concern for justice between persons in society, then in this witness the Trinity is revealed. The author goes on to discuss the attempts of Moltmann and Zizioulas to explain the Trinity in social rather than ontological terms. Developing their insights, the author goes on to sketch out an account of the Trinity as the foundation and source of the divine life and being, which in turn is to be understood in ethical terms - as infinite justice. The whole argument is presented within the framework of extracts from T.S. Eliot's `Four Quartets', to which the argument adverts, and to which the body of the thesis acts as an indirect commentary.

Abstract Adult education provided by society has been on the rise. From the Church's standpoint, however, adult education has not been developed sufficiently to meet the demands of today. In my study I deal with the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran concepts of adult education, adult learning and teaching as well as the underlying concepts of man during the years 1958 to 1990. The main sources for my thesis are the documents concerning adults in the Total Plan for Church Education and the specialist discussion in the magazine of Kristillinen kasvatus. In addition, I look at the supplementary material of the adult education of the beginning of the 1980's. As the theoretical basis I have the framework of adult educational philosophy and learning theory (behaviorist, cognitive-constructive and humanistic). My method of study is a qualitative content analysis. The Christian concept of man as an open concept of man enables making good use of knowledge. Yet the tension between the theological and the pedagogical framework is evident. The relation of faith and education is defined as dialectic and the relation of theology and pedagogics is defined as dialogic. The adult right for the kind of adult education that supports personal growth is defended, the adult education of society is criticized because of its emphasis on utility. The discussion conveys the experience of an adult not being seen as a subject but being made into an object instead, which refers to the behaviorist concept of man. The humanistic concept of man is given support, there is a certain boundary aspect in relation to man's goodness and unrealistic educational optimism, but it is also the Christian concept of man that considers it man's duty to develop himself. The emphasis on life-long learning awakes one to see that the idea is based on the grounds of the Church. Living as a Christian is a life-long growth and learning process. Adult education is most generally understood as supportive to the holistic growth of an adult. When setting educational goals the behaviorist view is given up and the setting of the goals in interaction with adults is emphasized. The relation to the adult education of society is defined as complementary and advanced. Along with the Total Plan for Church Education largely based on behaviorist model, it is learning, however, that is regarded as more important than teaching. While knowledge cannot be transmitted, the process nature of learning cognitive-constructively is emphasized. In adult education learning is seen as humanistic growth, growing humanistically. Freire's educational philosophy gives support to seeing adults as subjects in a parish. Parish pedagogics wishes to make parishes into intergenerational learning communities. Adult teaching needs to change from the one-way communication of the Catechism tradition into a dialogue. Interaction and making use of experience are considered integral elements in adult encounter. Different concepts of learning live side by side in the Church. The humanistic concept of learning has gained a footing since the 1970's in the field of adult education, especially in supplementary training. On the official and specialist level the adult educational thinking of the Church seems to have kept up with pedagogical knowledge. Teaching methods may change in parishes when parish workers adopt a new concept of learning, which is a challenge to education.

Abstract The research is based on the historic wooden town as a cultural heritage site and as an everyday environment for its inhabitants. A cultural environment takes shape in interaction with people living it. In the preservation of a historic town finding a continuing balance between change and permanence has nevertheless become a challenging issue. This research examines the opportunities that a historic wooden town has of continued prosperity, taking as a starting point the safeguarding of its cultural environment as a good living environment. Empirical cases are Old Porvoo and Old Raahe. The significance of a historic wooden town as a living environment is examined in relation to the objectives of a heritage conservation as viewed by the authorities. Urban planning documents and personal interviews provide the research material. These depict the significance of a wooden town both as a place for living and as a cultural heritage site. Based on the holistic concept of man, the human-environment relationship is seen as one in which the individual has a chance for complete personal participation inseparable from the environment. Being content with the environment, the individual feels affinity to the options afforded and can make good use of them relatively independently. It is historically characteristic of wooden towns to be formed in a close interaction between the individual and the environment and to conform to real-life situations of its inhabitants. According to this research, this characteristic is also highly appreciated by the current inhabitants. It can also be seen as an important factor that guarantees the continuity of both a good living environment and the cultural-historical significance of these towns. Thus, the cultural-historical value can be seen as relating to the characteristic change of the environment as an expression of the human-environment relationship. Instead of material authenticity, of primary importance is the authenticity of a way of living coherent with the environment, which gains meaning when compatibility between people and their environment is found. Nevertheless, as the inhabitants’ sense of the qualities of the environment deepens, the need for material change decreases. Maintenance of the cultural environment is best sustained by humane way of life, made possible as the human-environment relationship deepens into holistic participation. The holistic preservation of the built environment means taking care of the whole – the mutual relationship between the individual and the environment. As humane work progresses in dialogue, it favours the unique quality of individuals and their personal life situations as the impulses of a culture. Holistic preservation can be further promoted by widening the expertise of cultural heritage in issues concerning human welfare, by co-operation between various administrative organs and also by strengthening the local communality. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimusasetelma perustuu historialliseen puukaupunkiin kulttuurihistoriallisesti arvokkaana suojelukohteena ja asukkaidensa arkiympäristönä. Kulttuuriympäristö muotoutuu vuorovaikutuksessa sitä elävän ihmisen kanssa. Sen suojelussa jatkuvuutta toteuttavan tasapainon löytäminen muutoksen ja säilyttämisen välille on muodostunut kuitenkin vaikeasti ratkaistavaksi kysymykseksi. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan historiallisen puukaupungin jatkuvuuden mahdollisuuksia lähtökohtana kulttuuriympäristön suojelu hyvänä elinympäristönä. Empiiriset kohteet ovat Vanha Porvoo ja Vanha Raahe. Historiallisen puukaupungin merkitystä nykyihmisen elinympäristönä on tuotu esiin suhteessa rakennussuojeluviranomaisten asettamiin tavoitteisiin. Kaupunkisuunnittelun asiakirjoihin ja haastatteluihin perustuva aineisto kuvaa puukaupunkiin liitettyä merkityksenantoa elettynä ja suojeltuna. Holistiseen ihmiskäsitykseen perustuen inhimillisenä ympäristösuhteena on pidetty yksilön mahdollisuutta kokonaisvaltaiseen osallisuuteen ympäristöstään erottamattomana. Kokiessaan elinympäristönsä hyväksi ihminen oivaltaa sen tarjoamia mahdollisuuksia mieltymyksiään vastaaviksi ja voi niitä myös hyödyntää ympäristöön suhteellisen omaehtoisesti suuntautuen. Ihmisen ja ympäristön välittömässä suhteessa muotoutuminen ja elämäntilanteisiin vastaava joustavuus on puukaupungille historiallisesti ominainen rakentumisen tapa ja tutkimuksen perusteella myös nykyasukkaiden arvostama ominaisuus. Sitä voidaan pitää jatkuvuuden tekijänä sekä hyvän elinympäristön että kulttuurihistoriallisen merkityksen kannalta. Kulttuurihistoriallinen arvo voi siten liittyä ympäristölle luonteenomaiseen muuttumisen tapaan ihmisen ja ympäristön välisen suhteen ilmaisuna. Materiaalisen autenttisuuden sijasta primääriä on ympäristölle ominaisen elämäntavan autenttisuus, joka saa merkityksensä ihmisen ja ympäristön yhteensopivuuden löytymisestä. Asukkaan oivaltavuuden kasvaessa ympäristön tarjoamien mahdollisuuksien suhteen tarve aineelliseen muuttamiseen kuitenkin vähenee. Kulttuuriympäristön suojelussa jatkuva ylläpito toteutuu aidoimmillaan elämäntapaan sisäistyneenä inhimillisen asumisen taitona, joka kehittyy ympäristösuhteen syventyessä kokonaisvaltaiseksi osallisuudeksi. Rakennetun kulttuuriympäristön holistinen suojelu merkitsee kokonaisuuden eli ihmisen ja ympäristön välisen suhteen hoitamista. Tasavertaisissa vuorovaikutustilanteissa etenevänä ihmistyönä se suhtautuu suopeasti yksilölliseen ainutlaatuisuuteen ja henkilökohtaisiin elämäntilanteisiin kulttuurin tekijöinä. Holistista suojelua edistää kulttuuriperintöalan osaamispohjan laajentaminen ihmisen hyvinvointia koskevissa kysymyksissä, eri hallintokuntien välinen yhteistyö sekä paikkaan sitoutuneen yhteisöllisyyden vahvistaminen.

Abstract The research is based on the historic wooden town as a cultural heritage site and as an everyday environment for its inhabitants. A cultural environment takes shape in interaction with people living it. In the preservation of a historic town finding a continuing balance between change and permanence has nevertheless become a challenging issue. This research examines the opportunities that a historic wooden town has of continued prosperity, taking as a starting point the safeguarding of its cultural environment as a good living environment. Empirical cases are Old Porvoo and Old Raahe. The significance of a historic wooden town as a living environment is examined in relation to the objectives of a heritage conservation as viewed by the authorities. Urban planning documents and personal interviews provide the research material. These depict the significance of a wooden town both as a place for living and as a cultural heritage site. Based on the holistic concept of man, the human-environment relationship is seen as one in which the individual has a chance for complete personal participation inseparable from the environment. Being content with the environment, the individual feels affinity to the options afforded and can make good use of them relatively independently. It is historically characteristic of wooden towns to be formed in a close interaction between the individual and the environment and to conform to real-life situations of its inhabitants. According to this research, this characteristic is also highly appreciated by the current inhabitants. It can also be seen as an important factor that guarantees the continuity of both a good living environment and the cultural-historical significance of these towns. Thus, the cultural-historical value can be seen as relating to the characteristic change of the environment as an expression of the human-environment relationship. Instead of material authenticity, of primary importance is the authenticity of a way of living coherent with the environment, which gains meaning when compatibility between people and their environment is found. Nevertheless, as the inhabitants’ sense of the qualities of the environment deepens, the need for material change decreases. Maintenance of the cultural environment is best sustained by humane way of life, made possible as the human-environment relationship deepens into holistic participation. The holistic preservation of the built environment means taking care of the whole – the mutual relationship between the individual and the environment. As humane work progresses in dialogue, it favours the unique quality of individuals and their personal life situations as the impulses of a culture. Holistic preservation can be further promoted by widening the expertise of cultural heritage in issues concerning human welfare, by co-operation between various administrative organs and also by strengthening the local communality. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimusasetelma perustuu historialliseen puukaupunkiin kulttuurihistoriallisesti arvokkaana suojelukohteena ja asukkaidensa arkiympäristönä. Kulttuuriympäristö muotoutuu vuorovaikutuksessa sitä elävän ihmisen kanssa. Sen suojelussa jatkuvuutta toteuttavan tasapainon löytäminen muutoksen ja säilyttämisen välille on muodostunut kuitenkin vaikeasti ratkaistavaksi kysymykseksi. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan historiallisen puukaupungin jatkuvuuden mahdollisuuksia lähtökohtana kulttuuriympäristön suojelu hyvänä elinympäristönä. Empiiriset kohteet ovat Vanha Porvoo ja Vanha Raahe. Historiallisen puukaupungin merkitystä nykyihmisen elinympäristönä on tuotu esiin suhteessa rakennussuojeluviranomaisten asettamiin tavoitteisiin. Kaupunkisuunnittelun asiakirjoihin ja haastatteluihin perustuva aineisto kuvaa puukaupunkiin liitettyä merkityksenantoa elettynä ja suojeltuna. Holistiseen ihmiskäsitykseen perustuen inhimillisenä ympäristösuhteena on pidetty yksilön mahdollisuutta kokonaisvaltaiseen osallisuuteen ympäristöstään erottamattomana. Kokiessaan elinympäristönsä hyväksi ihminen oivaltaa sen tarjoamia mahdollisuuksia mieltymyksiään vastaaviksi ja voi niitä myös hyödyntää ympäristöön suhteellisen omaehtoisesti suuntautuen. Ihmisen ja ympäristön välittömässä suhteessa muotoutuminen ja elämäntilanteisiin vastaava joustavuus on puukaupungille historiallisesti ominainen rakentumisen tapa ja tutkimuksen perusteella myös nykyasukkaiden arvostama ominaisuus. Sitä voidaan pitää jatkuvuuden tekijänä sekä hyvän elinympäristön että kulttuurihistoriallisen merkityksen kannalta. Kulttuurihistoriallinen arvo voi siten liittyä ympäristölle luonteenomaiseen muuttumisen tapaan ihmisen ja ympäristön välisen suhteen ilmaisuna. Materiaalisen autenttisuuden sijasta primääriä on ympäristölle ominaisen elämäntavan autenttisuus, joka saa merkityksensä ihmisen ja ympäristön yhteensopivuuden löytymisestä. Asukkaan oivaltavuuden kasvaessa ympäristön tarjoamien mahdollisuuksien suhteen tarve aineelliseen muuttamiseen kuitenkin vähenee. Kulttuuriympäristön suojelussa jatkuva ylläpito toteutuu aidoimmillaan elämäntapaan sisäistyneenä inhimillisen asumisen taitona, joka kehittyy ympäristösuhteen syventyessä kokonaisvaltaiseksi osallisuudeksi. Rakennetun kulttuuriympäristön holistinen suojelu merkitsee kokonaisuuden eli ihmisen ja ympäristön välisen suhteen hoitamista. Tasavertaisissa vuorovaikutustilanteissa etenevänä ihmistyönä se suhtautuu suopeasti yksilölliseen ainutlaatuisuuteen ja henkilökohtaisiin elämäntilanteisiin kulttuurin tekijöinä. Holistista suojelua edistää kulttuuriperintöalan osaamispohjan laajentaminen ihmisen hyvinvointia koskevissa kysymyksissä, eri hallintokuntien välinen yhteistyö sekä paikkaan sitoutuneen yhteisöllisyyden vahvistaminen.