Abstract   The amount of evil that we can see in our world might make the thought of a kind and caring God as its creator paradoxical. This is what is generally called the problem of evil and the topic of this study. This is a litterary study which is based on qualitative analysis and hermeneutics as our method. We have chosen to research this problem with the emphasis on two different theodices. One of these theodices is written by John Hick and the other by C.S Lewis. We have researched both the theodices, and the background to the problem itself. In this study we have expanded on important concepts regarding the problem of evil and we will show you two different explanations as to why God and evil coexists.  We have reviewed both theodices and analysed them. We have reviewed similarities and differences as we tried to reach the core of each theodicy. Both theodices have been evaluated according to a model for what constitutes a successful theodicy and from that we have drawn the conclusion that both of these theodices are credible, despite our original thoughts.

The general view of pragmatism holds that universal moral norms cannot be justified within a pragmatic perspective. Pragmatism, thus, is associated with relativism. C.I. Lewis says that pragmatism without universal norms is a self-contradiction. I defend the view that there are two dimensions to pragmatism. I claim that Lewis' philosophy encompasses both. I argue that there are two different pragmatic justifications implicit in his philosophy; while one is associated with relativism, the other is not. I call them: "the pragmatic choice of the best" and "the pragmatic justification of the non-repudiable," respectively. What is justified by the first is a choice from alternatives; what is justified by the second is the Categorical Imperative--the imperative to be practically consistent. I argue that the imperative governing ethics is secured as one aspect of, or derivation from, the imperative of practical consistency. I argue that there are ethical alternatives but that this flexibility occurs within the discipline; I propose that pragmatic choice of the best be the determining methodology for selection of an alternative. While the first justification belongs to the dimension of pragmatism as understood by the conventional wisdom, the second belongs to the dimension I call "foundational pragmatism." / From the Introduction to Chapter 2, I present my position. From Chapter 3 to 7, I explain the structure which underlies and makes possible the two different justifications: this requires a careful, and at times helpful, approach to the way Lewis structures a complex and unified system of norms, knowledge, decisions and choices. In Chapters 8 and 9, I explain how Lewis justifies the Categorical Imperative as pragmatically a priori: I also provide a definition of practical consistency, which is lacking. In Chapters 10 through 12, I develop some ideas connecting the later Wittgenstein, Apel and Winch in order to argue for a convergence between Wittgenstein and Lewis. In the concluding chapter, I argue that Richard Rorty's claim that pragmatism and foundationalism are incompatible is incorrect--indeed, it is not upheld by his own version of pragmatism. By these arguments, I bring Lewis' pragmatism into the contemporary arena of the struggle to ground ethics.

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The interactions between ligands and transition metals have been an essential subject in inorganic chemistry. Other than the commonly known L-type (two-electron donors) and X-type ligands (one-electron donors), Z-type ligands (two-electron acceptors) have begun to surface in the past decade. Capable of drawing a pair of d-electrons away from a metal, Z-ligands affect the electronic structures of transition metals leading to fascinating properties as well as reactivity. In particular, recent advance in Z-ligand chemistry have resulted in the discovery of transition metal borane complexes featuring metal → boron interactions. Owing to the presence of a metal → boron interaction which stabilizes the low valent state, these complexes have been shown to activate small molecules such as H2, CO2, and CHCl3. Further, the concept of Z-ligand has been extended to s- and d-block Lewis acids. In spite of these achievements, Z-ligands that contain Group 14-16 elements as Lewis acids remain scarce and relatively unexplored. For this reason, we have launched a series of investigations targeting complexes with transition metal → Group 14-16 interactions. These investigations have allowed us to synthesize a series of novel complexes with palladium, platinum, or gold as metallobasic late transition metals and tin, antimony, bismuth, and tellurium as Lewis acids. The transition metal → Lewis acid interactions of these complexes, which are supported by o-phosphinophenylene, 1,8-naphthalenediyl or 8-quinolinyl buttresses, have been established experimentally and theoretically. Further, the reactivity of these complexes toward anions and oxidants has also been explored. These experiments have led to the discovery of tellurium-platinum complexes that sustain reversible two-electron redox processes including the photo-reductive elimination of chlorine. Other noteworthy outcomes of this research include the isolation of the first telluroxanyl-metal complex as well as the discovery of complexes with HgII → SbV interactions.

Research Doctorate - PhD English / This thesis challenges the idea that children’s literature is an inherently colonising act. By applying Mikhail Bakhtin’s theories of dialogism and the carnivalesque to the nonsense literature of Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll, I show that children’s texts can be read as non-colonising. A dialogic reading of Edward Lear’s limericks and Lewis Carroll’s Alice books shows that these texts are non-colonising and emancipatory because they do not promote one worldview or impose a concept of the essentialised child onto the reader. Instead, they challenge the arbitrary boundaries established and maintained by tools such as language and threats of social judgement that support imperial dichotomies of self and other. I also show how the discourse surrounding children’s literature perpetuates a “politics of innocence” concerning a dominant social concept of the child. This discourse encourages purposive adaptations of children’s books, in this case, Lear’s and Carroll’s nonsense texts, that are more colonising than the original texts.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Canterbury, 2008. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves [144-145]). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2008. / Title from title screen (site viewed Mar. 31, 2009). PDF text: 251 p. ; 2 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3331409. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [52]-59).

Thesis (M. Div.)--Trinity International University, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-69).