Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington. / Bibliography: l. [91]-96, 189.

Voting theory is plagued by seemingly contradictory results, called voting paradoxes. For example, different methods of tallying votes can result in different election results; these voting paradoxes give contradictory answers to the question of what the voting population “really” wants. This paper studies voting paradoxes brought about by considering the effect of dropping one or more candidates in an election after the voting data has already been collected. Dropping a candidate may change the election results for the remaining candidates. This paper adopts an algebraic framework to approach this voting theoretic problem.

Dissertation--Philosophisch-historische Fakultät--Bern, 1979. / Bibliogr. p. 93-97. Index.

Thesis (Doctoral)--Georg-August-Universität zu Göttingen, 1973. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 132-133).

Diss.--Univ.--Bern, 1979.

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Plato’s “Socratic paradoxes” state that no one does wrong voluntarily and that virtue is knowledge. Outside of moral psychology, the importance of the Socratic paradoxes has been neglected. My dissertation defends two related proposals that showcase their importance in ancient epistemology. The first proposal is that they are a major motivation for Plato to develop a unique view of epistēmē (knowledge or understanding) as an infallible and robust cognitive power that is set over a special class of objects. The second proposal is that understanding the influence of the Socratic paradoxes can help us see how epistēmē improves our doxai (beliefs or opinions) about the world around us, solving a long-standing problem in Plato’s epistemology. I will start by examining the Hippias Minor, in which we see Plato seeking to embrace the Socratic paradoxes (rather than already assuming them) and looking to develop his notion of epistēmē as a result. I will then move to the Protagoras, in order to show Plato proceeding with this project by embracing epistēmē as something that produces good action and involves measurement. I will show the Protagoras’ picture to be fully developed in the Republic, in which epistēmē emerges as something that measures the truth of our doxai and has clear practical benefits as a result. Finally, I will compare this account to Aristotle’s treatment of virtue and epistēmē in the Eudemian Ethics, in order to consider the legacy of the Socratic paradoxes after Plato.

Cette étude vise à explorer les paradoxes existants dans l'offre durable de produits alimentaires et, les comportements adoptés par les consommateurs percevant ces paradoxes. Le modèle théorique retenu est celui de Mick et Fournier (1998), initialement construit pour étudier les paradoxes des technologies modernes et adapté au cadre de l'Alimentation Durable. Une enquête qualitative a été menée auprès de 84 consommateurs ordinaires en France et en Italie. Puis 18 sujets participants à l'AMAP, ou à des Associations de Consommateurs, ont été interviewés. Les entretiens semi-directifs réalisés ont permis une exploration des paradoxes perçus et des stratégies de coping adoptées selon deux moments: avant l'adoption d'un choix durable et lors du choix durable (Lazarus et Folkman, 1984). Enfin nous avons essayé de dégager des caractéristiques spécifiques à l'égard des deux pays: la France et l'Italie, soit liées aux facteurs structurels (ex. marché de produits alimentaires durables) soit des éléments culturels, ainsi que par rapport aux consommateurs grâce à la proposition de profils types. Pourtant ce travail a des objectifs théoriques, c'est-à-dire de vérifier la présence de paradoxes à l'égard de l'offre alimentaire durable; puis méthodologiques en adaptant le modèle de Mick et Fournier au cadre spécifique de recherche; enfin pratiques en mettant en lumière des éléments qui freinent le développement de l'offre durable actuelle. / This study aims to explore existing paradoxes in sustainable offer of food products and consequently behaviours of consumers at the time of perceiving these paradoxes. The related theoretical model is that of Mick and Fournier (1998), built initially for studying the paradoxes of modern technologies and adapted at the case of sustainable food consumption. A qualitative survey has been conducted among 84 ordinary consumers in France and Italy. Later other 18 subjects, already involved into sustainable purchases (participants of AMAP or Associations of Consumers), have been interviewed. The semi-structured interviews have shed light on perceived paradoxes and adopted coping strategies faced with two moments: before sustainable choice and at the moment of sustainable choice (Lazarus et Folkman, 1984). Last we have achieved to distinguish specific elements attached to two contexts of research: France and Italy, such as structural factors (market of sustainable food products) and cultural ones, and after in regard with consumers by proposing some profiles-types. So that this work has three objectives: theoretical as to verify the paradoxes listed towards the offer of food sustainable products; methodological regarding the adaptation of conceptual model of Mick et Fournier (1998) to specific context of research and then practical ones in order to distinguish some elements which can affect negatively the development of sustainable current offer.

Nous reconsidérons les arguments de Zénon d’Élée dits de l’« Achille » et de la « Dichotomie », en réunissant les perspectives de plusieurs disciplines, dont l’histoire de la philosophie ancienne, l’histoire et la philosophie des mathématiques, et la philosophie du temps. Nous soutenons que les réponses ordinairement données à ces arguments au XXe siècle, d’après lesquelles la mathématique moderne nous donne les moyens de dissoudre l’aporie, sont erronées et s’accompagnent d’une vue faussée sur le problème originel, notamment sur le concept d’infini qu’il implique. Dans la première partie, nous étudions les sources sur Zénon et sur son contexte de réception, pour établir que l’infini est chez lui second par rapport à l’idée d’inachevabilité, qui découle d’un mode de raisonnement nouveau qu’on peut nommer « itératif indéfini ». Nous examinons comment Zénon a utilisé ce raisonnement dans l’élaboration d’apories dialectiques, et comment l’ensemble des systèmes antiques étaient susceptibles de résoudre ces dernières. Dans la seconde partie, nous défendons l’aporie zénonienne du mouvement. Nous montrons qu’elle repose sur un principe que nous nommons « principe d’achevabilité », lui-même ancré dans notre intuition temporelle du passage. À travers la considération de la littérature sur les « supertasks », des problèmes concernant la réalité et la nature du temps, des différents concepts d’infini, et de la réflexion métamathématique, nous montrons à la fois pourquoi les théories de l’infini mathématique sont, de fait, la seule raison conduisant à rejeter le principe d’achevabilité, et pourquoi elles ne sont pas, de droit, en mesure de justifier ce rejet. / We reconsider Zeno of Elea’s arguments known as “Achilles” and the “Dichotomy”, bringing together perspectives from several disciplines, including the history of ancient philosophy, the history and philosophy of mathematics and the philosophy of time. We contend that the usual contemporary answers to these arguments – according to which modern mathematics allow us to dissolve the aporia – are wrong, and carry a false view of the original problem, especially of the concept of infinity it implies. In the first part of the dissertation, we study the sources relevant to Zeno and his arguments’ reception context, in order to establish that Zeno’s infinite is dependant upon an idea of unachievability, acquired through to a new mode of reasoning that we call “indefinite iterative”. We examine the ways Zeno used this mode of reasoning in order to design dialectical aporias, and how ancient philosophical systems were capable of solving them. In the second part, we vindicate Zeno’s aporia of motion. We show that it rests on what we call “the achievability principle”, that itself is anchored in our intuition of passage. Through the consideration of problems relevant to so-called ‘supertasks’, to the reality and the nature of time, to the notion of infinity and to the metamathematical debate, we show, at the same time, how mathematical theories of the infinite are the only de facto reason to deny the achievability principle, and how they cannot, de jure, justify such a denial.

Leading innovation is a difficult process because it is replete with tensions and paradoxes. Innovations require leaders to switch leadership styles depending on the context and the phase of innovation. This study used two leadership theoretical frameworks, transformational and transactional leaderships, to understand the leadership behaviors used to promote and manage the process of innovation. The purpose of this study was to explore leadership behaviors exhibited by evaluation team leaders during the process of innovation. The focus of the study was on leadership behaviors and study participants are individuals who identify as evaluators who led a team of two or more evaluators. This study used Critical Incident Technique (CIT) to better understand the leadership behaviors exhibited during the process of innovation. Through semi-structured interviews, participants described a specific innovation that he/she led during the past 24 months, the actions they took to lead and support their team, outcomes and their perspectives about the process. Contradictory behaviors were exhibited at all three key stages of innovation—insight, prototype, and adoption. Leaders described both transformational and transactional leadership behaviors at all the major innovation phases. Leaders were both people and task oriented in their leadership style.