The purpose of this study is to make a fresh treatment of the question of Christian origins, especially the beginnings of New Testament christology, by a holistic approach. More specifically, this study will show that, contrary to the form-critical view, the christological themes of the New Testament originated with Jesus himself, not with the post-Easter church. The movement of exposition will be threefold. We shall begin with an investigation of the mentality of Second-Temple Judaism and, in particular, of the eschatologically-minded in this period (Part One): The main focus will be on the mode of scriptural reading of the eschatologically-minded. Next, we shall move to the Jesus tradition to show that Jesus perceived his eschatological ministry as climactic and definitive (Part Two): This analysis will show how deeply Jesus shared the eschatological mode of scriptural reading. Finally, based on the conclusions of the first two parts, we shall make an attempt to retrieve some significant aspects of Jesus' self understanding (Part Three): This study will contribute to the New Testament scholarship in several ways. First of all, it will confirm a recent discovery in respect to Jesus' aims. He aimed for the restoration of Israel, and the scriptural themes of election shaped his self-understanding. Second, our study will show that the form-critical description of Christian origins is in need of revision. Third, our study has a bearing on the study of the Gospel tradition. Scholars have regarded the citations from and allusions to the Scriptures in the Jesus tradition as an indication of secondary origin. Our investigation, however, yields no support to this assumption. Finally, our study will test the advantages of the holistic approach which we shall employ in the following pages. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis provides annotations for contemporary adolescent novels for the purpose of serving as a guide for English teachers in the individual selection of novels for outside reading by adolescents in grades nine, ten, eleven, and twelve.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Practical reason can help make sense of the decisions that face humankind in a complex planetary age, and notably so regarding the development and use of technology. Human agency and functioning as a self-understanding person, as well as certain ideas related to complexity and co-evolution are crucial aspects of this side of practical reason. Exploring these aspects from different perspectives can help uncover some constructive insights into the special nature of the moral goals, and the uniquely human significance of some of our intentions and actions that inform our decision-making on the development and use of technology. The insights gained here can furthermore serve to expand certain mainstream conceptions in Western intellectual culture on the character of reason as such, which proceed from a classical, or naturalistic stance. In the latter case reason typically calls for the use of explicit criteria, and is foundational and procedural in nature. This view is important and useful. However, the model of practical argument that accompanies it paints a characteristically sceptical picture of rational choice in the moral sphere. Yet such scepticism is not always warranted. Instead, an expanded model of practical reason is called for, notably if human agency and self-understanding, as well as ideas related to complexity and co-evolution are taken seriously. In this thesis it is demonstrated that such an approach can serve to express in richer, less sceptical terms the sense of significance we find in our societal choices, and particularly so in those decisions for technology that confront humanity in an inclusive, interdependent age. In light of the above, the thesis discussion attempts to review some central naturalistic beliefs in Western intellectual culture on the nature of reason and related patterns of practical argument. The thesis aim is to point out some of their ontological and epistemological assumptions, note their particular strengths and weaknesses and relate them to models of reason employed in the natural and human sciences – especially those that concern the nature of explanation and understanding. Furthermore, these beliefs are linked to a generally sceptical, but at times unwarranted attitude towards the sphere of practical moral argument. Such matters are treated in the first two chapters of the thesis discussion. Other ways of picturing this attitude of doubt towards the moral sphere can be found in alternative notions about human agency and self-understanding, as well as from complexity and co-evolution. The concepts behind these perspectives point to certain ontological and epistemological insights which arguably take thinking beyond the normal range of naturalistic abstractions. As a result, different characterizations, or patterns, of practical reason become possible, the nature of which can help to rework the usual warrants for scepticism when it comes to judging the significance of our intentions and actions. Thinking in terms of human agency, self-understanding, complexity and co-evolution holds another advantage. These conceptualisations can also serve to formulate a defining link between practical reason and consultation, be it among individuals, communities or the institutions of society. Such ideas speak in part to emerging notions of collective maturity in the organization of human affairs, and the well-being of all peoples. More particularly, consultation can offer additional resources for replacing entrenched patterns of conflict in society with patterns that are more unifying and just. It can as well provide for a certain quality of understanding of the principles and issues involved. The exploration of these and similar ideas begins with the discussion in Chapters Three and Four, and continues into subsequent chapters. In addition to their naturalistic counterpart, these patterns of practical reason also suggest some useful notions regarding the broader import of our societal and developmental choices on a planetary scale. The thesis discussion will attempt to explore some of these ideas. Among other things, it considers the implications they have for notions of development in general viz the unfolding of humankind’s social, cultural, ethical and spiritual potential, as well as for conceptions of technology that speak to that unfolding. It will include in its study the notion of future-regarding social choices and the transformative potential of time. From there the focus will shift to what it might mean to recast existing technology aspirations in light of the urgent requirements of a co-evolving world, and with it the need to safeguard the interests of humanity as a whole. These and related topics are addressed in Chapters Five and Six. Finally, three broad questions have played an important background role in carrying out this study. First, what is the nature of the unity that exists between our capacity to know the world in an epistemological sense, and our ability to judge the moral significance of our actions? Second, on the basis of what can we make sense of our decisions about technology in so far as they might be said to contribute to an advance or a decline in human social well-being? Third, what insights can we gain into our patterns of practical reason and decisions for technology when viewed in the context of a planetary age, and considered in light of the principle of the oneness of mankind? / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die praktiese rede kan help sin maak van die besluite wat die mensdom in ʼn komplekse planetêre era in die gesig staar, veral met betrekking tot die ontwikkeling en gebruik van tegnologie. Menslike agentskap en funksionering as ’n persoon met selfbegrip, sowel as sekere idees oor kompleksiteit en ko-evolusie is almal deurslaggewende aspekte van hierdie sy van die praktiese rede. Deur hierdie aspekte vanuit verskillende perspektiewe te ondersoek, kan konstruktiewe insigte blootgelê word in die besondere aard van die morele doelwitte en die uniek-menslike betekenis van die bedoelings en handelinge wat ons besluitneming oor die ontwikkeling en gebruik van tegnologie onderlê. Die insigte wat hier verwerf word, kan daarby help om bepaalde hoofstroom-opvattings in die Westerse intellektuele kultuur oor die aard van die rede as sodanig te verruim – opvattings wat uit ’n klassieke of naturalistiese standpunt stam. Volgens laasgenoemde standpunt vereis die rede gewoonlik duidelike maatstawwe, en lê dit in wese grondslae en stel prosedures daar. Só ʼn siening is belangrik en bruikbaar, maar op grond van die model van praktiese redenering wat hiermee gepaardgaan, word ’n tipies skeptiese beeld geskets van redelike keuses binne die morele ruimte. Hierdie skeptisisme is egter nie altyd geregverdig nie. ’n Verruimde model van die praktiese rede word eerder benodig, veral as menslike agentskap en selfverstaan, asook die idees wat met kompleksiteit en ko-evolusie verband hou, ernstig opgeneem word. Só ʼn benadering kan help om die betekenis wat ons in ons maatskaplike keuses vind in ryker en minder skeptiese terme uit te druk. Dit geld veral vir daardie besluite vir tegnologie waarvoor die mensdom in ʼn inklusiewe, interafhanklike era te staan kom. In die lig hiervan is die proefskrif ‘n poging om ’n oorsig te gee van ’n paar sentrale naturalistiese opvattings binne die Westerse intellektuele kultuur oor die aard van die rede en patrone van praktiese argumentvoering wat daarmee verband hou. Die proefskrif poog om sommige van hierdie opvattings se ontologiese en epistemologiese voorveronderstellings uit te wys, hulle sterk- en swakpunte aan te toon en hulle in verband te bring met rasionele modelle wat in die natuur- en menswetenskappe gebruik word, veral dié oor die aard van verklaring en verstaan. Daarby word hierdie voorveronderstellings gekoppel aan ʼn algemeen skeptiese, maar by tye ongeregverdigde, ingesteldheid teenoor die sfeer van praktiese morele argumentvoering. Hierdie aspekte word in die eerste twee hoofstukke van die tesis behandel. Hierdie twyfel ten opsigte van die morele sfeer kan egter anders voorgestel word as alternatiewe idees oor menslike agentskap en selfverstaan in ag geneem word, asook kompleksiteit en ko-evolusie. Die begrippe wat hierdie perspektiewe ten grondslag lê, dui op bepaalde ontologiese en epistemologiese insigte wat stellig kan help dat ons denke die gebruiklike grense van naturalistiese abstraksies kan oorstyg. Die gevolg is dat die kenmerke of patrone van die praktiese rede anders verwoord kan word, wat kan bydra tot die hersiening van die gebruiklike regverdiging vir skeptisisme wanneer ons die betekenis van ons bedoelings en handelinge beoordeel. Om in terme van menslike agentskap, selfverstaan, kompleksiteit en ko-evolusie te dink, hou ook ’n verdere voordeel in. Sodanige konseptualiserings kan ook dien om ’n beslissende verband te lê tussen die praktiese rede en raadpleging [oftewel konsultasie] – of dit nou op die vlak van individue, gemeenskappe of samelewingsinstellings plaasvind. As sodanig vind hierdie gedagtes gedeeltelik aanklank by opkomende idees oor kollektiewe volwassenheid in die organisering van menslike aangeleenthede, en die strewe na die welsyn van alle samelewings wêreldwyd. In die besonder, raadpleging kan bykomende hulpmiddels bied om die ingewortelde konflikpatrone in die samelewing te help vervang met patrone wat meer verenigend en regverdig is. Dit kan ook voorsiening maak vir ʼn soort volwasse begrip van die beginsels en kwessies wat ter sprake is. Die verkenning van hierdie en verwante idees begin met die bespreking in Hoofstukke Drie en Vier en word in die daaropvolgende hoofstukke voortgesit. In onderskeiding van die naturalistiese interpretasie kan hierdie patrone van die praktiese rede vir ons ook help om die belang van ons keuses oor die samelewing en ontwikkeling op planetêre vlak in ‘n breër perspektief te plaas. Die bespreking in hierdie tesis beoog om ’n paar van hierdie idees van nader te ondersoek. Dit wil onder meer let op die implikasies van hierdie idees vir die konsep van ontwikkeling in die algemeen, met ander woorde vir die ontsluiting van die mensdom se maatskaplike, kulturele, etiese en spirituele potensiaal, asook vir die voorstellings van tegnologie wat direk op hierdie ontsluiting afgestem is. Die studie konsentreer ook op die idee van toekomsgerigte sosiale keuses en die omvormende potensiaal van tyd. Van daar verskuif die fokus na wat dit sou kon behels om bestaande tegnologiese aspirasies te herontwerp in die lig van die dringende behoefte aan ’n ko-evolusionêre wêreld, en daarmee saam die noodsaak om die belange van die mensdom in die geheel te beskerm. Hierdie en verwante onderwerpe word in Hoofstukke Vyf en Ses aangespreek. Laastens het drie oorkoepelende vrae ʼn beduidende rol gespeel as agtergrond tot die studie. Eerstens: Wat is die aard van die verband tussen ons vermoë om die wêreld in ’n epistemologiese sin te kan ken en ons vermoë om die morele betekenis van ons handelinge te kan beoordeel? Tweedens: Op grond waarvan kan ons bepaal of ons besluite oor tegnologie ‘n bydrae maak tot die bevordering van die mens se sosiale welsyn, of tot die ondermyning daarvan? Derdens: Watter insigte kan ons verkry oor ons patrone van praktiese redenering en ons besluite oor tegnologie wanneer ons dit binne die konteks van ’n planetêre era en in die lig van die beginsel van menslike eenheid beskou?

The research presented here shows the reflections of some International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma students of a bilingual school on the attributes of the IB Learner Profile and the extent to which these can contribute to students being internationally minded. I approach the research after reviewing the concept of the self and using pragmatic methodology The research consisted of a questionnaire and semi-structured interview aimed at eliciting from the students their opinion about the extent to which they had equal command of the different attributes and, if they had differing abilities, if they were seeking to improve their command of the attribute(s) and who they though could help them do so. I was also interested in knowing if the students believed that the attributes of the IB Learner Profile helped them to be internationally minded, as suggested by the International Baccalaureate. The results suggest that most of the students believe that they have differing degrees of command of the attributes and that it is necessary for them to develop the ones that they feel less proficient in. They tend to believe that the attributes are developed partly at school, but also by their parents, themselves and others. They tend to believe that they are similar in terms of character to students that study at schools that do not offer the IB, but academically they are somewhat different. That said, they also tend to believe that the attributes of the IB Learner Profile help them to be internationally minded, particularly those of ‘open-minded’ and ‘communicator’, which coincide with the theoretical position of Castro et al (2013) and Singh and Qi (2013). While the school seems to play a significant part in developing the attributes, students seem to believe that they themselves, and parents, also have a key role to play.

There is an apparent disagreement between recent commentators who find in Nietzsche both a constructive philosophy and a compatibilist account of freedom, and Brian Leiter’s reading that rejects both. The reason for this disagreement, I argue, is that Leiter’s “illiberal” view is limited in scope to Nietzsche’s critical philosophy, while Nietzsche also has a constructive philosophy aimed at select readers. I read Nietzsche’s critical philosophy as targeting the metaphysical entities that underpin asceticism and herd values, not the mental states and processes with which these entities are associated. The “no such entity” reading preserves the resources needed to read Nietzsche as offering a replacement for the ascetic ideal—and an alternative source for life’s meaning. Although few of his readers will have been born with the drives needed to throw off herd values and enjoy compatibilist freedom, these readers are the intended audience for Nietzsche’s constructive philosophy.

This study is an interpretive narrative that seeks understanding of self as a human being and as a school leader through examining my lived experiences over seventeen years. To interpret my reflections on these experiences, I retell and interrogate my narratives and some writings of contemporary authors on leadership and on the purposes of education. I develop propositions about leadership that provide me with preliminary understandings about leading others. After listening to various professional voices heard as I participated in local, state and national professional activities Australia-wide, I am compelled though to go beyond my propositions and subject them to more intense scrutiny, drawing on the works of philosophers such as Aristotle, Plato and Aquinas, to broaden and deepen my understanding of self as a school leader. I come to a desiring of a virtuous kind of leadership that is deeply moral and ethical. This eros, this passion for understanding, provokes a turning point in my study towards looking for guidance and inspiration from various religions such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism, about possibilities for wisdom and virtue in leadership. Thus, my narrative, the getting of wisdom of a school leader, releases new insights about the role of self-knowledge, love and “the good” in leading education.

Inledning: För många yrken ska studenten efter avslutad utbildning "visa självkännedom och empatisk förmåga". Detta finns formulerad för en rad yrkesexamina. Fokus för uppsatsen var att undersöka lärandemålet "självkännedom" i relation till utbildning. Frågeställningar: Studien ville undersöka socionomstudenters upplevelse av ökad självkännedom efter avslutad utbildning inom socionomprogrammet och ökad självkännedom i relation till sin kommande yrkesroll. Studien ville också belysa på vilket sätt ökad självkännedom uppnåddes i utbildningen. Metod: Studien hade en kvalitativ och deskriptiv ansats och var explorativ. Åtta socionom-studenter som avslutade sin utbildning år 2010 intervjuades. Tolkningen av materialet har skett utifrån psykodynamiska teorier. Resultat: Studien visade att självkännedom upplevdes öka i utbildningen med hjälp av teori-studier, i studiegruppen och i de färdighetstränande inslagen. Självkännedom uppnåddes via relationen till andra och starka affekter som ledde till insikter och upplevelsen av ökad självkännedom. Erfarenheterna från utbildningssituationen låg sedan till grund för ökad självkännedom i yrkesutövningen som socionom. Studien visade att psykodynamiska utvecklingsteorier/inlärningsteorier kunde tillämpas inom vuxenutbildning. Diskussion: Utbildningen upplevdes som akademiserad av respondenterna och flera gav uttryck för att de i utbildningen saknade modeller för sin kommande yrkesroll i socialt arbete. Privata tankar och reaktioner som väcktes i undervisningen bearbetades främst i den informella studiegruppen och det egna nätverket. Man beskrev ett visst avstånd till lärare och studie-kamrater för att hitta egna förhållningssätt till sina upplevda erfarenheter.

This thesis investigates the role of organisational self-understanding in strategyprocesses. The concept of organisational self-understanding denotes members’understanding of their organisation’s identity. The study illustrates that strategyprocesses in companies are processes of self-understanding. During strategy making,strategic actors engage in the interpretation of their organisation’s identity.This self-understanding provides guidance for strategic action while it at thesame time implies understanding strategic action from the past.Organisational self-understanding is concerned with the maintenance of institutionalintegrity. In order to achieve this, those aspects of self-understandingthat have become particularly institutionalised need to develop in a continuousmanner. Previous literature on strategy and organisational identity has put toomuch emphasis on the stability/change dichotomy. The present study shows thatit is possible to maintain continuity even in times of change. Such continuity canbe established by avoiding strategic action that is perceived as disruptive withregard to self-understanding and by providing interpretations of the past thatmake developments over time appear as free from ruptures. Self-undertsandingis hence an inherently historical phenomenon.Empirically, this study is based on in-depth case studies of strategy processesin two large Swedish companies, namely the truck manufacturer Scania and thebank Handelsbanken. In each of the companies, three strategic themes in whichorganisational self-understanding has become particularly salient are studied. / <p><b>Sponsorship</b>:</p><p>Marknadstekniskt Centrum (MTC)</p>

An extensive body of educational literature examines the process and implications of how an individual becomes a teacher, but studies within this field often minimize or ignore the existential nature of this act of becoming. Something happens to the individual as they enter into the teaching profession and commence their teaching practice and in many educational jurisdictions, those happenings are left for the novice teacher to grapple with in isolation. This study presents interpretations of four teacher candidates’ sense of becoming and provides a meta-analysis of important existential themes arising from examinations of the participants’ professional self-understanding. This study engages with the concept of existential becoming in teacher candidates through a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to interpretation and understanding. Four teacher candidates, about to enter their final teaching practicum before graduating from an eight-month Bachelor of Education program as certified teachers, participated in this research project which included one-on-one interviews, journal analysis and focus groups. Interpretations of these teacher candidates’ understandings of becoming a teacher are organized by Kelchtermans’ professional self-understanding framework and presented through the use of poetic vignettes and images of the teacher candidates’ paths of becoming. These aesthetic representations of teacher candidates’ understandings of becoming offer an alternative and existentially-informed vehicle for teacher candidate reflection and professional self-understanding. Data analysis and hermeneutic interpretations among and between the researcher and the participants revealed a number of existential themes present in the teacher candidates’ understandings of becoming a teacher, including: fear, responsibility, authenticity, purpose, and the self. Each theme is examined via a connection to both existential and teacher education literature and implications for teacher education programs are discussed.

<p>Martin Heidegger is widely viewed as one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. He is also generally viewed as an irrational metaphysician, as someone who has much to say about Being, but very little of it as making sense. Moreover, his thought is viewed as having very little to say about ethics; that is, the question of how we ought to live. In this thesis I argue that Heidegger's concept of Being is not irrational, and that his thought is primarily ethical. I argue that Heidegger's thought centres around the concept of authentic self -understanding, and that this form of selfunderstanding is deeply linked to solidarity with others and concern for things, what he describes as the care for Being</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)