<p>This thesis is a critical examination of' the claim that metaethics is ethically neutral and that it has no ethical content. Broadly speaking, I have dealt with each of the three different categories of metaethical theory - naturalist, nonnaturalist and non-cognitivist. Chapter I is an outline of the differences between ethics and metaethics and a discussion of the relation between the two in the case of a non-naturalist metaethical theory (i.e. that of G.E. Moore in Principia Ethica.) Chapter II is an examination of the various possible interpretations of the claim of ethical neutrality in an attempt to see what is being claimed and how the claim can be best formulated. Chapter III is first an explanation of the non-neutrality of Naturalistic metaethical theories and secondly a critique of the fundamental presupposition (i.e. that all naturalistic theories are false) of those who claim neutrality. Chapter IV is a discussion of further problems of and prospects for the construction of a neutral metaethic. These problems which burden even the non-cognitivist, while perhaps not insurmountable, indicate that any truly neutral metaethic will be so only at the cost of being irrelevant to ethics.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

Considered as a whole, the seven novels written by Frank Norris contain enough of naturalism to justify classifying him as a naturalist. His failure to fully comprehend the implications of the naturalistic philosophy results in both strengths and weaknesses. He fails in The Octopus to maintain the objective point of view that the naturalists set for themselves, and a looseness of conception and a diffuseness of effect result. By allowing the ranchers freedom of choice in the matter of the means to be employed against the railroad, he achieves something very close to tragedy. Vandover, too, has a choice, and the novel suffers as a study in determinism, but Vandover becomes a more interesting character than he would have been without will.

Wilderness has been a central value in the development of the American environmental tradition and has been established in our laws and institutions, first in the National Park System and then more extensively through the Wilderness Act. Some have suggested that valuing wilderness, understood as nature without people or culture, is a peculiarly modern sentiment and that it is internally inconsistent, pathological, and a hindrance to solving real environmental problems. Contrary to this approach, I defend a richer conception of wilderness that undermines each of these claims. Beginning with an etymology of wilderness and a history of the development of wilderness appreciation, I argue that wilderness is not essentially an absence of people or culture but the flourishing of natural purposes: land characterized by untamed animals and plants in untamed relations. This interpretation of wilderness allows for a more cogent reading of the wilderness preservation tradition and the Wilderness Act. It also elucidates philosophical difficulties surrounding the practices of wilderness management and ecological restoration.

No description available.

This study attempts to demonstrate that Upton Sinclair's The Jungle was modeled upon Emile Zola's Germinal. A comparative analysis of their novels is the method by which the latter statement is substantiated. A close reading of these works unveils their overlappings in terms of characterization, theme and narrative. Following the introduction, the second chapter focuses on both authors' character constructions with the purpose of tracing the modeling process. The third chapter is a discussion of their similar thematic issues. The penultimate chapter deals with the identical formats of the writers' plots. Authorial differences are also considered in this work, but overall the main finding simply corroborates the validity of the aforementioned thesis. Its significance lies in the extent to which it sheds light on the close relationship between American and European literatures.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on October 23, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.

abstract: Natural history is, and was, dependent upon the collection of specimens. In the nineteenth century, American naturalists and institutions of natural history cultivated and maintained extensive collection networks comprised of numerous collectors that provided objects of natural history for study. Effective networks were collaborative in nature, with naturalists such as Spencer Baird of the Smithsonian trading their time and expertise for specimens. The incorporation of Darwinian and Neo-Lamarckian evolutionary theory into natural history in the middle of the century led to dramatic changes in the relationship between naturalists and collectors, as naturalists sought to reconcile their observations within the new evolutionary context. This dissertation uses the careers of collectors Robert Kennicott, Frank Stephens, Edward W. Nelson, E.A. Goldman, and Edmund Heller as case studies in order to evaluate how the changes in the theoretical framework of late nineteenth century natural history led to advances in field practice by assessing how naturalists trained their collectors to meet new demands within the field. Research focused on the correspondence between naturalists and collectors, along with the field notes and applicable publications by collectors. I argue that the changes in natural history necessitated naturalists training their collectors in the basics of biogeography - the study of geographic distribution of organisms, and systematics - the study of the diversity of life - leading to a collaborative relationship in which collectors played an active role in the formation of new biological knowledge. The project concludes that the changes in natural history with regard to theory and practice gradually necessitated a more professional cadre of collectors. Collectors became active agents in the formation of biological knowledge, and instrumental in the formation of a truly systematic natural history. As a result, collectors became de facto field naturalists, the forerunners of the field biologists that dominated the practice of natural history in the early and middle twentieth century. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. History 2011

Esta pesquisa procurou descrever e explicar a permanência, a variação e a mudança dos topônimos na região da Estrada Real Os estudos toponímicos, no alcance pluridisciplinar de seu objeto de estudo, constituem um caminho possível para o conhecimento da cosmovisão das diversas comunidades linguísticas, que ocupam ou ocuparam um determinado espaço. Revelam-se de grande importância para o conhecimento de aspectos histórico-culturais de um povo, pois permitem a identificação de fatos linguísticos, de ideologias e crenças presentes no ato denominativo e, posteriormente, na permanência ou não de uma comunidade. O homem tem a necessidade de nomear o ambiente físico e social que o cerca, sendo esta uma condição sine qua non para a garantia de sua sobrevivência. Por meio da Toponímia, ramo da Onomástica que tem por objeto de estudo o exame da origem e do significado dos nomes dos lugares, pode-se analisar a estreita relação que se estabelece entre o homem e o topos que designa o espaço que o circunscreve. Este trabalho centra-se no estudo da motivação toponímica da Estrada Real tendo por base os relatos dos Viajantes Naturalistas dos séculos XVIII e XIX que passaram por estes caminhos. A pesquisa foi realizada através do mapa elaborado pelo Instituto Estrada Real. O presente trabalho está inserido no ATB Atlas Toponímico do Brasil Diversidade e Variedades Regionais (Dick, 1996). Da análise das fichas toponímicas propostas para cada um desses itens, verifica-se que os topônimos de natureza antropocultural são a maioria e que, dentre esses, predomina a taxe dos antropotopônimos. / For the present work, a description and an explanation of the toponimic maintenance, variation and change within this area was attempted of Royal Road. The toponimic studies, in the multidisciplinary reach of its object of study, constituye a possible way for a cosmovision knowledge of the diverse linguistic communities, which occupy or did in the past a certain area. The toponimic studies are of great relevance to the sociohistorical and cultural aspects of a community since they enable the identification of various linguistic facts, ideologies and beliefs which are present in the naming act later in their maintenance within a community. Human beings occupy space and, as they need to locate themselves geographically in the environment, they had to name the physical-social environment around. This process of name giving is a sine qua non condition that assures mans survival. Though Toponymy, a branch of Onomastics that studies the origin and the meaning of the names of places, it is possible to analyze the close relationship developed between men and topos.This work focuses on the study of motivation toponymic Royal Road based on the reports of Travelers Naturalists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that have gone through these paths. The survey was conducted across the map prepared by the Instituto Estrada Real. This work is inserted in ATB Atlas Toponymic Brazil Diversity and Variety Regional (Dick, 1996). From the analysis of the toponimic cards proposed one verifies that the toponimy of antropocultural nature are the majority and among them the anthropotoponimy class predominates.

Esta tese visa a mostrar que a comédia As Nuvens de Aristófanes (423 a.C.) possui um valor heurístico para os alunos de graduação de Pedagogia, isto é, que a obra possibilita um trabalho de cotejo de textos para a formação de um quadro complexo da educação ateniense da época. Compõe-se de duas partes, a primeira dedicada ao estudo da peça e de suas possíveis relações com o ensino da filosofia em Atenas e a segunda dedicada ao relato do trabalho com alunos, desenvolvido durante duas experiências com o Curso Experimental. A metodologia utilizada baseia-se em três pilares, a pesquisa bibliográfica, a análise textual e a aplicação experimental em sala de aula. A avaliação final do trabalho mostra que As Nuvens possui um caráter altamente heurístico e que a sua aplicação em sala de aula apresenta resultados altamente satisfatórios. / The aim of this thesis is to show that the comedy Clouds (423 b. C.) by Aristophanes has a heuristic value to the graduation students in Education, i. e., that this play allows a text comparative work in order to form a complex scene of the Athenian education at Aristophanes time. It consists of two parts, the first one shows the play study and its possible relations with the philosophy teaching at Athens and the second one is the report of the work whit graduation students, during two Experimental Course. The methodology used is founded in three cornerstones, the bibliographical research, the textual analysis and the experimental application in class. The conclusive evaluation of this work shows that The Clouds has a highly heuristic character and the use in classrooms has highly satisfactory results.

Esta pesquisa procurou descrever e explicar a permanência, a variação e a mudança dos topônimos na região da Estrada Real Os estudos toponímicos, no alcance pluridisciplinar de seu objeto de estudo, constituem um caminho possível para o conhecimento da cosmovisão das diversas comunidades linguísticas, que ocupam ou ocuparam um determinado espaço. Revelam-se de grande importância para o conhecimento de aspectos histórico-culturais de um povo, pois permitem a identificação de fatos linguísticos, de ideologias e crenças presentes no ato denominativo e, posteriormente, na permanência ou não de uma comunidade. O homem tem a necessidade de nomear o ambiente físico e social que o cerca, sendo esta uma condição sine qua non para a garantia de sua sobrevivência. Por meio da Toponímia, ramo da Onomástica que tem por objeto de estudo o exame da origem e do significado dos nomes dos lugares, pode-se analisar a estreita relação que se estabelece entre o homem e o topos que designa o espaço que o circunscreve. Este trabalho centra-se no estudo da motivação toponímica da Estrada Real tendo por base os relatos dos Viajantes Naturalistas dos séculos XVIII e XIX que passaram por estes caminhos. A pesquisa foi realizada através do mapa elaborado pelo Instituto Estrada Real. O presente trabalho está inserido no ATB Atlas Toponímico do Brasil Diversidade e Variedades Regionais (Dick, 1996). Da análise das fichas toponímicas propostas para cada um desses itens, verifica-se que os topônimos de natureza antropocultural são a maioria e que, dentre esses, predomina a taxe dos antropotopônimos. / For the present work, a description and an explanation of the toponimic maintenance, variation and change within this area was attempted of Royal Road. The toponimic studies, in the multidisciplinary reach of its object of study, constituye a possible way for a cosmovision knowledge of the diverse linguistic communities, which occupy or did in the past a certain area. The toponimic studies are of great relevance to the sociohistorical and cultural aspects of a community since they enable the identification of various linguistic facts, ideologies and beliefs which are present in the naming act later in their maintenance within a community. Human beings occupy space and, as they need to locate themselves geographically in the environment, they had to name the physical-social environment around. This process of name giving is a sine qua non condition that assures mans survival. Though Toponymy, a branch of Onomastics that studies the origin and the meaning of the names of places, it is possible to analyze the close relationship developed between men and topos.This work focuses on the study of motivation toponymic Royal Road based on the reports of Travelers Naturalists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that have gone through these paths. The survey was conducted across the map prepared by the Instituto Estrada Real. This work is inserted in ATB Atlas Toponymic Brazil Diversity and Variety Regional (Dick, 1996). From the analysis of the toponimic cards proposed one verifies that the toponimy of antropocultural nature are the majority and among them the anthropotoponimy class predominates.