Films of every era reflect the concerns and fears of Western society. The acceleration of technology, the loss of a concrete world, the uneasy relationship with humans and ever increasing complex machines are inducing a fear of losing the ability to discern reality. The reality of ideas from science and the world around are woven into the narratives that we use to explain life.The films we watch reflect our hopes and fears and as the fears increase so do films with a shared theme of alternative realities. To know reality and search for the true Self is the job of the hero and the protagonist in recent alternative reality films.

In his paper, The Paradoxes of Time Travel, David Lewis posits a defense for the possibility of time travel by arguing that the grandfather 'paradox' is not, in fact, paradoxical at all. Two alternative solutions to the grandfather paradox are discussed in this paper. The first is a result of Paul Horwich’s reply to Lewis and aims to pit the Lewisian conception of compatibility against Horwich’s improbability defense. Proposed by Nicholas Smith and C.G. Goddu, this theory explains that any attempt at backward time travel will lead to the creation of long strings of improbable coincidences. An alternative thesis of the multiverse is also discussed, wherein it was proposed that instead of traveling into his past, the time traveler enters an alternate, yet completely identical universe. The multiverse thesis did not stand up to any philosophical critique, and it was posited that the thesis changes the nature of the question entirely. It is evident that Lewis’ discussion of the grandfather paradox raises several fundamentally interesting philosophical questions regarding the logical and causal irregularities of changing the past. This paper aims to adress some of these questions through a metaphysical analysis of Lewis' view, backwards causality, and the nature of time itself.

The judgment that a given event is epistemically improbable is necessary but insufficient for us to conclude that the event is surprising. Paul Horwich has argued that surprising events are, in addition, more probable given alternative background assumptions that are not themselves extremely improbable. I argue that Horwich's definition fails to capture important features of surprises and offer an alternative definition that accords better with intuition. An important application of Horwich's analysis has arisen in discussions of fine-tuning arguments. In the second part of the paper I consider the implications for this argument of employing my definition of surprise. I argue that advocates of fine-tuning arguments are not justified in attaching significance to the fact that we are surprised by examples of fine-tuning.

The work I create is informed by questioning reality/identity, the fractalizing planes of existence our essence occupies, and the artifacts of memory experience navigating through space time. While existing in this realm of oversaturated media and neon glow, I question the effects of pervasive data systems overloading or programming the mental software we possess. My work includes humor as a means of exploring these conventions while also displaying psychedelic surrealist imagery to help break away from the conscious prison this existence births our concept apparatuses within.

This dissertation brings a new philosophical perspective to an important topic in the contemporary theology and science dialogue, specifically the theological reception of multiverse thought in modern cosmology. In light of recent cosmological speculation about the plausibility of a 'multiverse,' a cosmic ensemble in which our own universe is just one of many, theological responses have largely focused on the question of whether such a multiverse might be an alternative to divine design (or might itself be compatible with divine design). However, this approach neglects the fundamental metaphysical issues entailed in the multiverse proposal, including its entanglement of the one and the many (a paradox which has itself been a central concern of theological reflection), as well as its intimations of cosmic multiplicity, diversity, and infinity. In this dissertation I provide the first systematic theological engagement with these metaphysical implications. My approach is to draw on ancient and medieval resources (neglected not only in multiverse discussions but also in the theology and science field more generally) to show that the concept of metaphysical participation provides a particularly fertile ground on which theology can engage constructively with multiverse thought. To that end, I focus specifically on the participatory thought of Plato, Aquinas, and Nicholas of Cusa, each of whom seek to understand how a physical cosmos of complexity and immensity might share in divine existence of unity and simplicity. I bring their insights into interaction with a diverse range of contemporary theological, philosophical, and scientific figures to demonstrate that a participatory account of the relationship between God and creation argues for greater continuity between theology and the multiverse proposal in modern cosmology.

A young man disappointed with the way his life has turned out is forced to live two other versions of himself from other universes that made different choices in life.

Uppsatsens syfte är att jämföra olika gudsbilder, den monarkiska bilden, gud sett ur ett ekologiskt perspektiv och gud utifrån en vetenskaplig hypotes, hur skiljer sig dessa åt och vad förenar dem. Ur boken The Omniverse beskrivs gud ur ett metafysiskt perspektiv där transdimensionella dimensioner är en del samt de andliga dimensionerna, vilket inkluderar intelligenta civilisationer av själar, andliga varelser och skapelsen gud. Studien bygger på en jämförande litteraturstudie av böckerna The Omniverse av Alfred Lambremont Webre, och Imaging a Theology of Nature: The World as God’s bodyav Sallie McFague. Den mest framträdande skillnaden i jämförandet av författarnas gudsbilder är de olika förklaringsmodeller de båda ger Webre utifrån en vetenskaplig hypotes och McFague utifrån ett teologiskt perspektiv. Det som förenar dem är en holistisk gud sett utifrån en naturlig teologi detta relaterar till en skapelsebaserad gud sett utifrån ett kosmiskt perspektiv, en gud som står i direkt relation till människan.

A number of philosophical questions, all connected to modern research in quantum gravity, are discussed in this dissertation. The goal of research in quantum gravity is to find a quantum theory for gravitation; the other fundamental forces are already understood in terms of quantum physics. Quantum gravity is studied within a number of different research programmes. The most popular are string theory and loop quantum gravity; besides these a number of other approaches are pursued. Due to the lack of empirical support, it is relevant to assess the scientific status of this research. This is done from four different points of view, namely the ones held by: logical positivists, Popper, Kuhn and Lakatos. It is then argued that research in quantum gravity may be considered scientific, conditional on scientists being open with the tentative and speculative nature of their pursuits. Given the lack of empirical progress, in all approaches to quantum gravity, a pluralistic strategy is advised. In string theory there are different theoretical formulations, or dualities, which are physically equivalent. This is relevant for the problem of underdetermination of theories by data, and the debate on scientific realism. Different views on the dualities are possible. It is argued that a more empiricist view on the semantics of theories, than what has been popular lately, ought to be adopted. This is of importance for our understanding of what the theories tell us about space and time. In physics and philosophy, the idea that there are worlds or universes other than our own, has appeared in different contexts. It is discussed how we should understand these different suggestions; how they are similar and how they are different. A discussion on, how and when theoretical multiverse scenarios can be empirically testable, is also given. The reliability of thought experiments in physics in general and in quantum gravity in particular is evaluated. Thought experiments can be important for heuristic purposes, but in the case of quantum gravity, conclusions based on thoght experiments are not very reliable.

In 2004, Christakis and colleagues published findings that he and others used to argue for a link between early childhood television exposure and later attention problems, a claim that continues to be frequently promoted by the popular media. Using the same National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 data set (N = 2,108), we conducted two multiverse analyses to examine whether the finding reported by Christakis and colleagues was robust to different analytic choices. We evaluated 848 models, including logistic regression models, linear regression models, and two forms of propensity-score analysis. If the claim were true, we would expect most of the justifiable analyses to produce significant results in the predicted direction. However, only 166 models (19.6%) yielded a statistically significant relationship, and most of these employed questionable analytic choices. We concluded that these data do not provide compelling evidence of a harmful effect of TV exposure on attention.

Com a presente dissertação de mestrado, tivemos o objetivo de analisar o essencial das políticas destinadas ao Ensino Superior no Brasil, principalmente as implantadas no século XX e início do XXI, tendo em vista a persistência dos dilemas e desafios que permeiam os comportamentos e as ações sociais no país. Partimos da perspectiva de que o sistema de ensino enfrenta, de um modo geral, uma série de entraves institucionais, repercutindo na falta de qualidade da educação, na contenção e evasão dos estudantes, no baixo reconhecimento e remuneração dos profissionais da área, no oportunismo político que nada de positivo acrescenta ao país etc. Na metodologia, utilizamos pesquisas bibliográficas e documentais. Em termos bibliográficos, consideramos as áreas de contato entre a sociologia, a ciência política, a filosofia, a economia e a física; no que diz respeito às políticas públicas, a importância da sociedade civil organizada, o liberalismo, a ciência etc. No aspecto documental, por sua vez, utilizamos leis, decretos, relatos, enfim, registros que, quando observados conjuntamente, resultaram em evidências e hipóteses que se entrelaçam e que foram organizados em três momentos do trabalho. No primeiro, a consideração da \"realidade\" histórica, social, política e econômica em que as políticas para o Ensino Superior estão sendo implantadas, corroborando uma hierarquia social autoritária. No segundo, a necessidade de se conceituar as políticas públicas num contexto de relativo avanço democrático, revelando estratégias destinadas a limitar a participação social no que diz respeito à deliberação sobre a destinação dos fundos públicos. No terceiro momento, a análise do conjunto das políticas adotadas, tendendo a reafirmar uma sociedade excludente e desigual. Concluindo, o enfretamento das questões prementes para o Ensino Superior a partir do conjunto das políticas, que poderiam ser pensadas com a perspectiva da sociedade na qual estão inseridas, indicou uma continuidade de princípios e diretrizes, de cunho liberal, a ser superada. Sem a perspectiva de uma ruptura política profunda, pode-se considerar que a atualização, em termos de políticas educacionais, tem sido totalmente contrária às demandas que pautam o país. Na ausência de uma transformação ampla desse quadro, a lógica que tem pautado as políticas no Brasil continuará respondendo a um projeto de país subordinado, contrário aos interesses da sociedade e, portanto, de nada adiantando tal ou qual política sem a consideração da \"força das coisas\" na sua totalidade e a sua aceitabilidade interna. / With the present dissertation, we had the goal of analyze the essential of the policies addressed to higher education in the Brazil, mainly those implanted at XX and earlier XXI century, considering the persistence of dilemmas and challenges that permeate the human behavior and social actions in the country. We started from the perspective that, in a general way, the educational system faces a range of institutional bridles, rebounding on the lack of educational quality, on the students hold and school evasion, on the low recognition to and payment for the professionals of this area, on the political opportunism that nothing of positive adds to the country, and so on. At the methodology, we utilized bibliographic and documental researches. In terms of bibliography, the study considered contact areas between the sociology, the politic science, the philosophy, the economy, and the physics; what was concerned about public policy, the importance of organized civil society, the liberalism, the science and so on. At the documental aspect, for your turn, we utilized laws, decrees, accounts, in short, records that, when observed jointly, resulted in evidences and hypothesis that interlace themselves and that were organized in three moments of the work. At the first, the consideration of the historical, social, political and economical reality in what the policies for the higher education are been implanted, that corroborates an authoritarian social hierarchy. At the second, the necessity of making conception of the public policies in a context of relative democratic advance, revealing strategies destined for limiting the social participation concern decision about the destination of public founds. At the third moment, the analyses of the policies set adopted, tending to reaffirm an excluding and unequal society. Concluding, the confront of pressing questions to the higher education starting from the policies set, that could be thought with the perspective of society in whose they are insert, indicated a continuity of principles and guidelines, with liberal matrix, to be overcome. Without the perspective of a deep politic rupture, we can consider that the update, in terms of educational policies, has been totally contrary to the demands that rule the country. In the lack of a broad transformation of this frame, the logic that has ruled the policies at Brazil will keep responding to the subordinated country project, opposed to the society interests and, therefore, its not worth this or that policy without the consideration of the things power in its totality and its intern acceptability.