In this essay, I intend to presuppose the existence of objective value and investigate the problems that the objective view faces further ahead, in its effort to answer the question of life’s meaning. Objectivism claims that in order for a life to be meaningful, one must engage in some way with values that are objective, values that exists independent of the subject. The aim here is to show that even with the existence of objective values the objective view hasn’t yet finally answered the question. In order for the objectivistic answer to be relevant for us we need to know what it is that has objective value and thereto, that this is a meaning-giving value. In addition, we either need to find internal reasons to engage in it, otherwise objectivism need to, besides assuming the existence of objective value, also assume the existence of external reasons.

Erik Olof Burman, som disputerat 1872 på en boströmianskt präglad avhandling, efterträddes 1911 som professor i praktisk filosofi i Uppsala av sin adept Axel Hägerström. Denne kom att utveckla en materialistisk realism som bröt med Burmans och de närmaste föregångarnas subjektivism. Enligt vad han själv omvittnade, hade Hägerström inspirerats till filosofisk forskning genom att läsa Burmans skrift Om Kants kunskapslära (1884; Kk). I föreliggande studie undersöks dels om denna skrift innebär någon förskjutning av Burmans filosofi i realistisk riktning, dels om den påverkat utvecklingen av Hägerströms realism. Resultat: 1) Kk är väsentligen trogen den boströmianska metafysiken men innehåller formuleringar om rummet och tiden som kan tolkas objektivistiskt; 2) ingen specifik tanke i just Kk kan visas ha påverkat Hägerström; 3) Burmans betoning av verkligheten som logiskt bestämd, hans krav på systemisk enhet i kunskaps- och verklighetsteorin, och Kants avståndstagande från metafysisk spekulation påminner om Hägerström. / In 1872, Erik Olof Burman had defended a Boströmian idealistic dissertation in Uppsala. He was succeeded there in 1911 as professor of practical philosophy by his student Axel Hägerström, who was to develop a materialistic realism in contrast to the subjectivism of Burman and his predecessors. According to Hägerström’s own testimony, he had been inspired to take up philosophical research by reading Burman’s essay Om Kants kunskapslära (1884; ”Of Kant’s theory of knowledge”, Kk). In the present paper, an attempt is made at answering whether Burman’s essay on Kant represents any shift of Burman’s philosophy towards realism, and whether it has influenced Hägerström in that direction. Results: 1) Kk remains largely faithful to Boströmian metaphysics but contains expressions about space and time which may be interpreted in a more objectivistic manner; 2) no thought specifically from Kk can be shown to have influenced Hägerström; 3) Burman’s emphasis on reality as logical determination, his demand for systematic unity in the theory of knowledge and reality, and Kant’s rejection of metaphysical speculation are reminiscent of Hägerström.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka den eventuella konflikten mellan sekulariserad och religiös etik och moral.  Studien tar sin utgångspunkt i religiös absolutism kontra sekulariserad relativism. Jag vill även ta reda på om det finns etiska grundtankar som flertalet kan vara överens om.

The European Union has created a common plan regarding narcotics use and abuse within the European member states. The aim here is to reduce the supply and demand for drugs among the citizens of the Union. However, the opinions on how to achieve these goals greatly differ among member states. The range of attitudes varies from the strictly restrictive attitudes of countries such as Sweden, to the complete decriminalization of personal possession of all narcotic substances in Portugal. The purpose of this paper is therefore to study the underlying attitudes and approaches that these two countries have, and hopefully to give some light to how come there is this big difference in legal frameworks regarding a rather delicate political question. A review and analyze of the current proposition for each country regarding drug policies is the method for the paper. By interpreting the content and quoting parts of these two propositions an ideology analysis is made. The theory chapter consists of the two different philosophies of Rousseau’s theory on the social contract and the general will, as well as objectivism. These theories are used in order to make a distinction in the empirical research between attitudes towards the states’ as well as the individuals’ role in the drug policies of Sweden and Portugal. A model with the most important features of these theories is constructed and works as a base for the analysis. Overall, the results from the empirical research show that while both countries initially share the same general value towards the narcotics situation, Sweden devotes their policies more frequently towards the Rousseauian values up until the point of treating drug addicts, where they change directions and instead argue in a more objectivistic manner. On the contrary, Portugal reason in a more individualistic and objectivistic way, but change ideological paths into Rousseauianism when starting to set up aims for the treatment of addicts and offenders.

Trafficking in human beings and prostitution is an increasing occurrence within the EU. However, vast differences in legal frameworks regarding prostitution can be detected among member states.The Netherlands is an example where prostitution is regarded a legal activity. In other member states legal standings toward prostitution remain ambivalent, where Sweden here serves an example. Finally, Lithuania is among member states where prostitution is considered illegal.The purpose of this paper is therefore to study underlying attitudes and approaches that these three countries have in this rather delicate political question. By interpreting the content and quoting parts of propositions, an ideology analysis is constructed.The theory chapter consists of Rousseau’s theories, Objectivism, Radical Feminist Theory, and Sex-positive Feminist Theory. A model with the most important features of these theories is constructed and works as a base for the analysis.The general results suggest that the Government of Lithuania consistently uses arguments pending towards Radical Feminist Theory and Rousseauan values, with catholic morality as an additional important feature in the argumentation against prostitution. The Government of Sweden also views prostitution with predominantly Rousseauan and Radical Feminist theories. The Government of the Netherlands arguments greatly differ from these viewpoints. Instead, individualistic and sex-positive arguments remain dominant here.