According to T. F. Torrance, all authentic knowledge involves the nature of the object impressing its inherent rationality on our minds. Consequently, knowledge involves thinking in accordance with the nature of the object given for thought. Given that this epistemological position is not presuppositionless, we shall explore the place and function of "ultimate beliefs" in Torrance's epistemology, as well as the question as to whether such beliefs imply a retreat to either foundationalism or fideism. The inescapability of ultimate beliefs in all human knowledge requires a shift in the traditional notion of objectivity. Consequently Torrance's understanding of objectivity, and the reasons for his insistence that the subject-object relation cannot be transcended, are analyzed. Additionally, our ability to keep our tendency toward subjectivity in check is considered. It is also argued that Torrance's epistemological position implies an alternative notion of truth. Drawing on distinctly Christian sources, Torrance emphasizes the distinction between truth and truthfulness thereby reorienting the discussion from a focus on statements to a focus on being. This shift challenges the dichotomy between correspondence and coherence theories of truth and provides one way of transcending the scientific realism/anti-realism debate. Torrance's position on truth is located relative to other well-known thinkers. Torrance's epistemological convictions give rise to a practical epistemological tool, disclosure models. These function as self-correcting, self-marginalizing lenses through which we encounter reality, allowing it to disclose itself to us. It is this constant disclosure and revision that enables our concepts to remain rooted in reality and yield knowledge in accordance to the nature of the thing known.

This thesis argues that the pertinent intellectual context for understanding Thomas F. Torrance's reconstruction of natural theology is the synthesis of the rational structure of knowledge and the material content of knowledge. The bridge between the synthesis of (i) rational structure and material content, and (ii) natural theology is the analogous relation Torrance set between the relation of natural theology and revealed theology and the relation of practical geometry and physics, which is constituted by the same formal relation of rational structure and material content. By examining Torrance's work on natural theology in this connection it is apparent that the germane methodological issue at stake is the manner of the relation between the rational structure of human understanding and the material content of God's self-revelation in theological cognition. Torrance's criticism of natural theology concerns its autonomous formulations in which theistic argumentation is established as an antecedent rational sub-structure, from which revealed theology is interpreted and cognized within an anthropocentric correlate system. Accordingly, Torrance's reconstruction of natural theology is the reconfiguration of the relation of rational structure and material content within theological rationality. Applied to the classical loci of natural theology, this takes the form of a reconceptualisation of the cosmological argument and ontological argument, such that the rational structure of theistic argumentation is determined through its connection to revelation at key points. The significance of this inversion of the relation of rational structure and material content extends outwards into Torrance's broader dogmatics, where natural theology is identified as the rational intra-structure of theology, which, in conjunction with revealed theology as material content, constitutes theological science. The result is a theological approach that sets itself as a development beyond Karl Barth's rejection of natural theology, which conceives of natural theology as the necessary but insufficient condition of theology, under the determination of God's self-revelation.

La créativité s’exprime dans tous les domaines de l'activité humaine et devrait êtreparticulièrement utile pour faciliter les transitions psychologiques de la période del’adolescence. Après avoir examiné les principaux travaux actuels sur l’adolescence, lasocialisation et la créativité, cette recherche s’engage sur l’étude des relations entre créativitéet socialisation au moment de l’adolescence. 149 adolescents français et 173 adolescentssyriens ont répondu à un questionnaire comportant : des items adaptés des tests de Torrance,des questions originales permettant d’apprécier la socialisation scolaire, la perception de laréussite scolaire, la socialisation extra-Scolaire, et certaines caractéristiques familiales.L’objectif était d’apprécier si les relations entre créativité et socialisation sont analogues dansles deux contextes culturels, pas de comparer les performances créatives des deux groupesd’adolescents, et d’évaluer séparément le développement de la pensée créative dans les deuxpopulations.Les données ont été analysées principalement en repérant les corrélations significativesentre les divers indices de créativité et de socialisation. Une analyse qualitative desproductions créatives a également été menée. Dans l’ensemble, contrairement à noshypothèses, les corrélations entre créativité et socialisation se sont révélées plutôt faibles saufpour la perception de la réussite scolaire, et pour la pratique des activités extrascolaire. Ellessont également peu systématiques et diffèrent sur de nombreux points quand on compare lesdonnées françaises et syriennes. L’analyse qualitative permet également de montrer quel’évaluation de la créativité dépend des représentations culturelles et de l’expérience acquise. / Creativity is apparent in every domain of human activity. In particular, it should beespecially useful to facilitate the psychological transitions in the adolescent period. Followingan examination of main present studies on adolescence, socialization, and creativity, thisresearch contributes to investigate the relations between creativity and socialization duringadolescence. 149 French adolescents and 173 Syrian adolescents completed a questionnaireincluding items adapted from Torrance tests, original questions on school socialization,perception of school achievement, out of school socialization, and some family features. Theaim was to understand if the relations between creativity and socialization are analogous inthe two cultural contexts, not to compare the performance on creativity between the twoadolescent groups, and to evaluate independently the development of the creative thinking inboth samples.Data were mainly analyzed by stressing the significant correlations between the variousindex of creativity and socialization. A qualitative analysis of creative products was alsoconducted. As a whole, contrary to our hypothesis, the correlation between creativity andsocialization were quite low except for the perception of school achievement and the practiceof extracurricular activities. They were also not systematic and they differed in numerousaspects when French data and Syrian data were compared. Besides, the qualitative analysis letto show how creativity assessment depends on cultural representations and learnedexperiences.

This thesis offers a constructive engagement with T.F. Torrance’s theological reading of the patristic tradition. It argues that Torrance reconstructs the Fathers into a Consensus Patrum, or “Consensus of the Fathers” consisting of catholic/ecumenical themes and figures. Torrance’s consensus is a creative attempt to produce a Reformed and evangelical version of the consensus which involves significant changes to both standard readings of the Fathers in other approaches to the consensus and Torrance’s own Reformed evangelical tradition. It is unique among other interpreters of the Fathers and ecumenically relevant, offering much to contemporary theology in both substance and method. In order to view Torrance’s project in historical context this thesis examines the notion of the consensus as found in historical Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant theology. Each tradition has a lens through which they view the Fathers: Aquinas for the Roman Catholics, Palamas for the Orthodox, Augustinian themes for the Reformers, and “de‐Hellenization” for liberal Protestants. This thesis places Torrance’s project within other contemporary retrievals of the church Fathers arguing for its uniqueness as a distinctively Reformed evangelical approach to the Fathers on their own terms. It inspects the Torrancian consensus exploring its consistence of a Reformed and evangelical approach to patristic themes and figures, rooted in the primary theme of the Nicene ὁμοούσιον and the primary figure of Athanasius of Alexandria. It examines Torrance’s creative reconstruction of the Fathers into a Reformed evangelical consensus and points to his constructive achievements demonstrating that Torrance’s approach is ecumenically relevant, as seen particularly in his work in the Reformed‐Orthodox Dialogue. A critical adoption of the Torrancian consensus is proposed in conclusion.

This thesis examines and critiques the doctrine of baptism in the theology of Thomas Torrance and utilises aspects of Torrance’s doctrine to recover and enrich the meaning of baptism in Westminster theology. Torrance’s doctrine of baptism has suffered from misunderstanding and has been widely neglected. This arises from Torrance introducing a new soteriological paradigm, that is claimed by Torrance, to be both new, and at the same time to be a recovery of the work of the early church fathers and Calvin. It is the contention of this thesis that Torrance’s soteriological paradigm is more ‘new’ than it is a recovery of either the early church fathers or Calvin. Torrance’s new paradigm is not easily identified as ‘new’ because of Torrance’s creative use of Irenaeus, Athanasius and Calvin. His theology is further misunderstood by many because it is partly seen to derive from his criticism of a caricature of Westminster theology. The purpose here is to provide an exposition of Torrance’s doctrine of baptism, identifying union with Christ and Christ’s vicarious humanity as key doctrines that inform his theology of baptism. Torrance has a distinct and unique soteriological paradigm based on an ontological healing in the incarnation. He refers to this as a ‘dimension in depth’ where the atonement takes place from the virgin birth through to the ascension, where the work of Christ is the person of Christ. It will be argued that Torrance exaggerates the degree to which his views may be found in the early church fathers and in Calvin. It is also suggested that many of his criticisms of Westminster theology have some basis, but that his detailed arguments diminishes his more valid general criticisms. The thesis identifies Torrance’s distinct voice from the early church fathers and Calvin and attempts to dismiss Torrance’s caricature of Westminster theology, so that Torrance’s distinct soteriology can be recognised, his genuine criticisms of Westminster theology considered, and the contribution that he has made on baptism be recovered. The doctrine of baptism that emerges from incorporating many of Torrance’s insights is a reformed covenantal doctrine of baptism that stresses the importance of ontological union for covenantal solidarity, but will reject Torrance’s redemptive understanding of ontological healing. Torrance centres the meaning of baptism in Christ and Christ’s one vicarious baptism for the church, and serves to identify how the church has lost its focus on what lies at the centre of baptism. However Torrance’s doctrine of baptism that argues for the theological primacy of infant baptism lost the debate in the Church of Scotland, which now places a greater emphasis on adult baptism. It is suggested that the reasons for this failure is that Torrance’s doctrine of baptism was developed outside of the framework of covenant theology, and that his doctrine of soteriology on which his doctrine of baptism was based left little room for the human response. The thesis concludes that Torrance’s doctrine of baptism can serve as a model for the recovery of the meaning of baptism. While the central thrust of Torrance’s redemptive ontological union with Christ is rejected, Torrance’s emphasis on union with Christ, the incarnation, the person and work of Christ, and Christ’s vicarious baptism can be incorporated into the reformed doctrine of baptism to recover its meaning.

This thesis examines and critiques the doctrine of carnal union with Christ in the theology of Scottish theologian Thomas Forsyth Torrance. Torrance's teaching on union with Christ in general and carnal or incarnational union with Christ in particular is unfolded within the wider context of his christocentric dogmatics and its genetic development. Extensive use is made of Torrance's unpublished Auburn and New College lectures on the subject. The teachings of Athanasius, Calvin, and Barth on union with Christ, since Torrance professes such a great debt to their influence on his own thought in this area, are also surveyed, and lines of continuity and discontinuity with Torrance's teaching are traced. I demonstrate that, although developed from a variety of historical sources and not so readily seen from his published works, a unique development of the ancient theological couplet of anhypostasia and enhypostasia exists at the heart of Torrance's christology. This couplet lies behind Torrance's understanding of the person of Christ and his union with humankind. He develops his doctrine of carnal union with Christ under these twin rubrics of anhypostasia and enhypostasia. I contend that while Torrance seeks to resolve the tension between these juxtaposed categories, it is not clear that he has adequately resolved the antithesis. Part of the tension is due to a lacuna in the anhypostatic rubric. Specifically, the abbreviated version of salvation history for carnal union with Christ that Torrance develops from the nonassumptus is less overtly trinitarian than that of its enhypostatic counterpart. I demonstrate that Torrance's doctrine of carnal union with Christ omits clear reference to the role of the Holy Spirit in this anhypostatic aspect of the incarnation, creating confusion in the minds of critics over the relevance of both the Holy Spirit and human response in Torrance's theology. This lacuna begs clarification in a theology that is otherwise known as overtly trinitarian. Furthermore, I contend that Torrance's doctrine of carnal union with Christ introduces an element of contingent necessity into the nature of the incarnation. Torrance's construction demands that God must incarnate in just this way, setting up a carnal union with Christ that includes all humankind in its universal range, because the Logos who assumes humanity is the creator: Christ is not only a man but Man. I argue this contingent necessity endangers the freedom of God and truncates the voluntary nature of Christ's person and work, as well as valid human response, in the anhypostatic rubric. Because of these potential difficulties, clarification beyond mere appeal to the other juxtaposed category of enhypostasia is required. Thus, I conclude that it is not acceptable for Torrance to leave doubt about either the significance of the Holy Spirit or human response in even one strand of his theological tapestry.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Regent College, Vancouver, BC, 1999. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 182-193).

Could a work of revelation justify itself today as a viable theological project? The question is imperative especially when sceptics have questioned the validity of revelation as a doctrinal discipline. Colin Gunton traces the modern difficulty with revelation to the influence of Hegel in giving rise to immediacy, and suggests that attention should be given to mediation. It is in this light we argue that the distinctiveness of Thomas F. Torrance’s theology of revelation and mediation is able to contribute significantly to the debate and bring a fresh breeze to the theological landscape laden with a sense of revelation-weariness. Principally we are making two claims. First, divine self-disclosure in Torrance’s theological scheme instead of immediacy is the mediation of God in Jesus Christ. It is through the Mediator who bridges between God and humanity that the self-revelation of God is finally and fully mediated, and the normative pattern of the union and communion of divine and human action of revelation and mediation is set. We would argue that dualism is, to Torrance, the threat to Christ’s revelation and mediation, and the way of surmounting is to return to the scientific realism of understanding God appropriately in accordance with the compulsive nature of his self-disclosure. Our discussion of Torrance’s pneumatology and multiple mediations involves the second claim. Notwithstanding the intent to uphold the primacy of scriptural mediation, we argue that Torrance, in responding to dualistic peril, has made the unusual move to advocate the effacement of scripture in revelation. Such move is unjustifiable as it has adverse repercussion not only for the mediation of scripture, but other media of revelation as well. The move has subtly gravitated revelation from mediation to immediacy and subverted Torrance’s theological framework. What is required of Torrance to overcome the dualistic tension, as we claim in the discussion of the church, Word and sacraments, and contingent creation as media of revelation, is to remain in line with the normative pattern of revelation and mediation which he has built upon the foundation of the Mediator. Essentially revelation in Torrance’s scheme is the mediation of God’s self-disclosure in Christ, and the continuous unfolding of that revelation by the conjoint work of the divine and the human through multiple mediations in human history. Finally, we would engage Paul Tillich and Colin Gunton in providing Torrance with alternatives that affirm the validity of scriptural mediation.

In spite of the growing popularity of virtual worlds for gaming, recreation, and education, few studies have explored the efficacy of 3D immersive virtual worlds in post-secondary instruction; even fewer discuss the ability of virtual worlds to help young adults develop creative thinking. This study investigated the effect of virtual world education on creative thought for university level students. Over the course of two semesters, a total of 97 university students participated in this study. Forty-six of these participants (experimental group) spent time in a specially designed virtual world environment, the V.I.E.W., while 51 of the participants (control group) met exclusively in a real-world classroom. Creative thought was measured before and after the intervention with the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking Verbal Forms A and B. Although the experimental group's ending scores did not reach the level of the control group's scores, results showed overall statistically significant gains for the experimental group at p = .033. The experimental group also achieved greater gains in the subcategories of fluency and flexibility, with significance at p = .036 and p = .043, respectively. At the end of the course, independent raters measured the creativity expressed in student art critiques, using a scale developed for this study. No overall significant differences between groups were found in the art critiques, except in the category of spatial awareness, where the experimental group's scores were significantly higher than the control group's scores at p = .039. For both instruments, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate statistical data. Results suggest that immersive worlds can be at least as well suited as traditional university classrooms for developing creative thought—particularly in the context of art education. Implications for researchers, students, educators, and administrators are discussed.

Cette thèse présente quelques avancées sur la représentation efficace de l’apparence matérielle dans une simulation de l’éclairage. Nous présentons deux contributions : un algorithme pratique de simulation interactive pour rendre la réflectance mesurée avec une géométrie dynamique en utilisant une analyse fréquentielle du transport de l’énergie lumineuse et le shading hiérarchique et sur-échantillonnage dans un contexte deferred shading, et une nouvelle fonction de distribution pour le modèle de BRDF de Cook-Torrance. Dans la première partie, nous présentons une analyse fréquentielle de transport de l’éclairage en temps réel. La bande passante et la variance sont fonction de l’éclairage incident, de la distance parcourue par la lumière, de la BRDF et de la texture, et de la configuration de la géométrie (la courbure). Nous utilisons ces informations pour sous-échantillonner l’image en utilisant un nombre adaptatif d’échantillons. Nous calculons l’éclairage de façon hiérarchique, en un seul passage. Notre algorithme est implémenté dans un cadre de deferred shading, et fonctionne avec des fonctions de réflectance quelconques, y compris mesurées. Nous proposons deux extensions : pré-convolution de l’éclairage incident pour plus d’efficacité, et anti-aliasing utilisant l’information de fréquence. Dans la deuxième partie, nous nous intéressons aux fonction de réflectance a base de micro-facette, comme le modèle de Cook-Torrance. En nous basant sur les réflectances mesurées, nous proposons une nouvelle distribution des micro-facettes. Cette distribution, Shifted Gamma Distribution, s’adapte aux donnée avec plus de précision. Nous montrons également comment calculer la fonction d’ombrage et de masquage pour cette distribution. Dans un deuxième temps, nous observons que pour certains matériaux, le coefficient de Fresnel ne suit pas l’approximation de Schlick. Nous proposons une généralisation de cette approximation qui correspond mieux aux données mesurées. Nous proposons par ailleurs une nouvelle technique d’optimisation, canal par canal, en deux étapes. Notre modèle est plus précis que les modèles existants, du diffus au spéculaire. / This thesis presents some advances in efficient representation of material appearance in a lighting simulation. The scope of this thesis is two-fold: an interactive shading algorithm to render measured reflectance with dynamic geometry using frequency analysis of light transport and hierarchical shading and up-sampling in deferred shading context, and a new normal distribution function for the Cook-Torrance micro-facet BRDF model, along with a new shadowing and masking function and a generalization of Schlick’s approximation of the Fresnel term. In the first part, we introduce a real-time frequency analysis of light transport framework that allows us to estimate the bandwidth and variance of the shading integrand. The bandwidth and variance are a function of frequencies in the illumination, distance traveled by light, BRDF and texture, and the geometry configuration (curvature). We use this information to under-sample the image, and also use an adaptive number of samples for shading. We devise a single-pass hierarchical shading and up-sampling scheme to assemble an image out of the sparsely shaded image pixels. We extend our interactive technique to use pre-convolved shading for real-time performance. We also take advantage of the bandwidth information to perform multi-sample anti-aliasing in deferred shading by subsampling only a small portion of image pixels whose bandwidth is smaller than 1 pixel^-1. In the second part, we propose a new distribution function for the Cook-Torrance micro-facet BRDF, based on our observations on the reflectance measurements. We isolate the distribution components of the reflectance data and directly observe that existing distribution functions are insufficient. Then we devise the Shifted Gamma Distribution (SGD) fitting more accurately to the data. We derive the shadowing and masking function from the distribution. We observe that not all materials have the Fresnel behavior expected by Schlick’s approximation. Hence, we generalize the Schlick’s approximation to more accurately fit the model to the measurements. We introduce a two-step fitting approach, that fits each RGB channel separately — accounting for wave-length dependent effects. We show that our shading model outperforms existing models and accurately represents a wider range of materials from diffuse to glossy and highly specular materials.