Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Religion|Philosophy of Religion|Theology'

This study argues that Lesslie Newbigin’s doctrine of Scripture is best seen when viewed through the lens of his theology of missionary encounter. For this point to be made, two important aspects of Newbigin’s thought must be systematized and related to each another. First, it will be shown that Newbigin has a theology of missionary encounter. Second, Newbigin’s theology of missionary encounter will be shown to function as a lens to view his theology in general and his doctrine of Scripture in particular. Chapter 1 explains the research topic and the limits of the thesis. Chapter 2 shows the presence of Newbigin’s theological ambition that led to his theology of missionary encounter. Chapter 3 reveals the formative role that Newbigin’s theology of missionary encounter had on his theological method and theological project as a whole. Chapter 4 builds upon the previous two chapters by using Newbigin’s theology of missionary encounter as a lens to view his doctrine of Scripture. Chapter 5 considers what the nature of Newbigin’s theology reveals about Newbigin as a theologian.

Chapter 1, “Introducing The Research Topic,” introduces Lesslie Newbigin and the thesis of this research. The purpose of this chapter is to provide the reader with the research focus, understanding of key concepts, and the delimits of the issues involved. First, attention is given to understanding the place of this dissertation within the literature and the personal journey that led to the writing of this dissertation. This chapter will highlight the importance of the topic by explaining the ways it contributes to the field of Newbigin studies as well as the discipline of theology in general.

Chapter 2 is an overview of Newbigin’s life and work. This chapter demonstrates the presence of Newbigin’s theological ambition to engage in a missionary encounter that resulted in his theology of missionary encounter. By examining Newbigin’s missionary theology, this chapter outlines the development of Newbigin’s theological ambition throughout his life. It is shown that his ambition to engage in a missionary encounter reached maturity later in his life as he articulated his theology of missionary encounter. At its core, Newbigin’s theology of missionary encounter is aimed at helping the Church recover the gospel, indwell the biblical story, and challenge the axioms of the culture with the axioms of the Bible in order to live as a faithful witness. The missionary encounter, this challenging of competing stories, takes place within the individual lives of members in a local congregation.

In order to show that Newbigin’s theology of missionary encounter best mediates his doctrine of scripture, consideration must be given to understanding the form and function of his theology as a whole. Chapter 3, “Newbigin’s Theological Method,” explores the structure of Newbigin’s theology. After surveying the structure of Newbigin’s theological method as a whole, the focus of this chapter narrows on a series of unpublished articles which Newbigin thought of as a sort of Dogmatics of his thought. The contextual nature of Newbigin’s theology makes it clear that a robust understanding of what Newbigin believed about anything must be understood in relation to his desire to bring the gospel story to bear on the cultural story. The intended point is that Newbigin’s theology of missionary encounter has a permeating presence throughout the form and function of his theology as a whole.

Chapter 4, “Systematizing Newbigin’s Doctrine of Scripture,” presents a systematization of Newbigin’s doctrine of Scripture with the help of his theology of missionary encounter. Building upon the previous two chapters, this chapter utilizes Newbigin’s theology of missionary encounter as a lens through which his doctrine of Scripture can be understood. The clarity of Newbigin’s doctrine of Scripture emerges as his theology refracted through the lens of his theology of missionary encounter. Newbigin’s doctrine of Scripture is presented in one summary sentence followed by seven categorical statements which are intended to exegete the summary sentence. Observing Newbigin’s missionary encounter between gospel and culture provides the proper lens for seeing what Newbigin believed about Scripture.

Chapter 5, “Newbigin’s Public and Prophetic Theology,” raises the question about what the nature of Newbigin’s theology reveals about Newbigin as a theologian. This chapter provides a concluding summary of the research involved and clears some paths for future research. While demonstrating the usefulness of Newbigin as a dialogue partner this chapter provides some cautions for appropriating Newbigin’s thought uncritically. Combining these different levels of analysis highlights the central role of Newbigin’s theology of missionary encounter in his theology.

Hans Urs von Balthasar was one of the most prominent Roman Catholic theologians of the twentieth century and has inspired a thriving ecosystem of secondary scholarship, with impassioned critics and determined defenders churning out a steady stream of scholarship as expansive as Balthasar’s own massive body of work. This wealth of secondary scholarship is not, however, without a penumbral character. Due to the controversies that have—not without reason—plagued Balthasarian studies, it is often more akin to a war-strewn battleground than a lively and productive dialogue in various areas. By engaging with the work of Gilles Emery and Thomas Joseph White, this thesis explores the ways in which overly rigid interpretations—due to what I call readerly rigidity—can impede an attempt to productively read and present (and critique) Balthasar’s theology. The goal herein is not to counter their critiques, but rather to challenge how those critiques are made.

Nicholas of Cusa's (1401-1464, Latin: Cusanus) religious dialogue De pace fidei (1453) presents his unique Christological approach to Islam. The fall of Constantinople in 1453 compelled Cusanus to unfold and elaborate his theological synthesis of religious concordance. To this end the argument in De pace fidei presents a profound dialectical account of the cosmos as actively flowing from, centered in, and returning to the Word and Wisdom of God, Jesus Christ. The dialogue moves within the metaphysical framework of Neoplatonic tradition, from confusion and disunity towards clarity of understanding and thence to affirmation of the inherent relatedness of the world religions through their common participation in the Word of God as emanating into and present in all things. While convergence and substantial unity of the religions is realized at the level of their common participation in the cosmic Word of God, distinctions are nonetheless maintained between the various differing religious and ethical practices of Christians and Muslims, in accord with Cusanus's formulation 'a unity of religion in a variety of rites'. Since De pace fidei proposes a dialectical synthesis of the world's religions, notably of Christianity and Islam, we also consider how this synthesis relates to the Christology of four of Cusanus's other major writings: De concordantia catholica (1433), De docta ignorantia (1440), Cribratio Alkorani (1460-61), and De visione Dei (1453). Hitherto there have been few attempts to examine the relevance of the Christology of De pace fidei to the dialogue's metaphysics of religious unity. Throughout his life Cusanus sought to square the circle, i.e. to reconcile humanity with divinity, the eastern and western churches, council and pope, Christianity and Islam. This study seeks to examine Nicholas of Cusa's conversation with Islam in the light of his constructive Christology and his concomitant conception of the 'concordant' Word of God.
Le dialogue religieux De pace fidei (1453) de Nicolas de Cuse (1401-1464, latin: Cusanus) développe son approche originale et christologique de l'Islam. La perte de Constantinople en 1453 a incité Cusanus à élaborer son synthèse théologique de concordance religieuse. Pour ce faire, De pace fidei est le récit d'un cosmos en relation active avec la Parole et la Sagesse de Dieu, Jésus-Christ, duquel le cosmos provient, sur lequel il est centré, et auquel il revient. Le dialogue se déroule, selon dans la la tradition métaphysique néoplatonicienne, depuis un monde de confusion et de désunion vers la clarté de la compréhension et l'affirmation de la relation intime des religions du monde entre ells grâce à leur participation à la Parole de Dieu présent en toutes choses. Alors que la convergence et l'unité substantive des religions est réalisée au niveau de leur participation commune à la Parole cosmique de Dieu, des distinctions existent néanmoins entre les pratiques religieuses et éthiques des chrétiens et des musulmans, selon l'adage suivant de Cusanus « l'unité de la religion dans la multiplicité de rites.» Puisque De pace fidei propose un synthèse dialectique des religions du monde, notamment entre le Christianisme et l'Islam, on va aussi considérer la façon dont cette synthèse se relie à la christologie élaborée dans quatre autres oeuvres de Cusanus parmi les plus connues: De concordia catholica (1433), De docta ignorantia (1440), Cribratio Alkorani (1460-61), et De visione Dei (1453). À ce jour, peu d'études soulignent l'importance dans De pace fidei, de la christologie pour la comprehension de l'unité religieuse développée dans ce meme écrit. Au cours de sa vie, Cusanus a cherché pour ainsi dire la quadrature du cercle: réconcilier l'humanité et la divinité, l'église orientale et l'église occidentale, consil et le pape, la Christianisme et l'Islam. La présente etude analyse le dialogue de Cusanus avec l'Islam à la lumière de sa christologie constructive et de sa conception concomitant de la Parole de Dieu 'concordant.'

As one of seventeenth century England's premier Reformed theologians, John Owen drew upon his rich sixteenth century inheritance to develop a theology of the Eucharist which addressed the unique challenges of his own generation. The following thesis analyzes Owen's contribution to Reformed Sacramental theology during the era of Reformed Orthodoxy in England. Instead of capitulating to a highly subjective and pragmatic theology of the Supper, Owen went beyond many of his Puritan contemporaries in reasserting its objective efficacy in uniting the believer with the ascended Christ, and in strengthening faith. A careful analysis of Owen's Works shows that he consistently affirmed the real presence of Christ in the Supper and stressed the efficacy of the elements in sealing the Covenant of Grace and uniting believers to Christ in a unique way. The first chapter sets the Eucharistic writings of John Owen in historical context, tracing Owen's development from his student years at Laudian Oxford, through his rise to prominence during the English Interregnum, to his mature ministry as the Pastor of an illegal Congregationalist conventicle in the years following the Act of Uniformity (1662). Whereas previous analyses of Owen's Eucharistic theology have tended to stereotype him as either 'Zwinglian' or 'Calvinist', chapter two presents Owen as the benefactor of a rich and highly nuanced theological inheritance. In this chapter the sixteenth century Eucharistic theology of Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Bucer, John Calvin and Peter Martyr Vermigli is outlined as the foundation for a more accurate analysis of Owen's contribution as a Reformed theologian in the next century. The third chapter probes the influence of Peter Ramus on the Puritan theology of the Eucharist, arguing that the anti-Aristotelianism of the Ramist method lends itself to the memorialist theology of the Eucharist which was promoted by many seventeenth century Congregationalists. Finally, chapter four analyzes the development of Owen's mature theology of the Lord's Supper from primary source documents. This chapter shows how Owen made use of his Aristotelian training at Oxford to assert a more objective view of the Sacraments than many of his Congregationalist contemporaries. Two collections of Owen's Eucharistic Sermons that were edited, compiled and published posthumously were transformed by eighteenth century Orthodox non-Conformists into powerful pieces of deliberative rhetoric that were used to wage war against a new generation of Socinian 'memorialists'. Through the posthumous republication of Owen's Eucharistic sermons, his theological influence on the Eucharist extended well into the eighteenth century.
En tant qu'un des théologiens réformés de l'Angleterre du dix-septième siècle, John Owen a puisé de son héritage riche du seizième siècle pour développer une théologie de l'eucharistie qui adressait les défis uniques de sa génération. La thèse qui suit analyse la contribution d'Owen à la théologie réformée relatifs aux sacrements lors de l'ère de l'orthodoxie réformée en Angleterre. Au lieu de capituler à une théologie de la Sainte Cène hautement subjective et pragmatique, Owen a surpassé plusieurs de ses contemporains puritains dans la réaffirmation de son efficacité objective à unir le croyant avec le Christ et à augmenter la foi. Une analyse du "Works" d'Owen démontre qu'il affirmait d'une manière cohérente la réelle présence du Christ dans la Cène et mettait une emphase sur l'efficacité des éléments à sceller l'Alliance de la Grâce et unir les croyants au Christ de façon unique. Le premier chapitre place les écrits eucharistiques de John Owen dans leur contexte historique, retraçant son développement dès ses années étudiantes à Oxford, à travers son ascension pendant l'interrègne anglais, jusqu'à son ministère mature en tant que pasteur d'un conventicule congrégationaliste illégal dans les années suivant l'acte d'uniformité (1662). Alors que les analyses antérieures de la théologie eucharistique d'Owen avaient tendance à le conformer aux stéréotypes "zwingliens" ou "calvinistes," le deuxième chapitre présente Owen comme bénéficiaire d'un héritage théologique riche et très nuancé. Dans ce chapitre, la théologie eucharistique du seizième siècle d'Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Bucer, Jean Calvin et Pierre Martire Vermigli est exposé en agissant de fondation pour une analyse plus exacte de la contribution d'Owen en tant que théologien réformé du prochain siècle. Le troisième chapitre sonde l'influence de Pierre de la Ramée sur la théologie puritaine de l'eucharistie, avec l'argument que l'antiaristotélisme de la méthode ramiste se prête à la théologie mémorialiste de l'eucharistie qui était promu par plusieurs congrégationalistes du dix-septième siècle. Finalement, le quatrième chapitre analyse le développement de la théologie mature eucharistique d'Owen à partir de sources primaires. Ce chapitre révèle comment Owen a utilisé sa formation aristotélicienne à Oxford pour affirmer une vue plus objective des sacrements que beaucoup de ses contemporains congrégationalistes. Deux collections des sermons d'Owen sur la Cène qui ont été éditées, compilées et publiées à titre posthume ont été transformées par des non-conformistes orthodoxe du dix-huitième siècle en de puissantes pièces de rhétorique délibérative. Ces collections ont été utilisées pour mener une guerre contre une nouvelle génération de 'mémorialistes' socinienne. À travers la republication posthume des sermons eucharistiques d'Owen, son influence théologique sur la Cène s'étendra jusqu'au dix-huitième siècle.

Apophatic Measures: Toward a Theology of Irreducible Particularity is a work of constructive comparative theology examining select writings of Śaṅkara (Eighth Century, India) and Nicholas of Cusa (Fifteenth Century, Germany). It argues that, for Śaṅkara and Cusa, apophasis does not culminate in what Michael Sells calls a “semantic event,” but instead in a sensual event. For each, negation removes intellectual distractions, awakening one to a heightened state of sensual attentiveness. For Śaṅkara, this is observed in the embodied encounter wherein a teacher incarnates Vedānta scripture to reveal “This Self is Brahman” (Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad 2). For Cusa, the intimate encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (John 4) is paradigmatic of true, attentive sensuality. Employing a heuristic device termed “apophatic measure” in its trifold meanings of method, sensuality, and particularity, this dissertation contributes to contemporary discourses on the ontology of difference, the theo-ethical valuation of diversity, and the singularity of unique bodies. Rather than reducing individuals to ethnic, gendered, or other essentializing measures, persons are regarded as unique disclosures of ultimate reality. Each person is re/cognized as an unprecedented imago Dei or particular manifestation of Ātman-Brahman. Through the pedagogy and performance of apophatic theology, one progressively removes epistemic universals and thereby cultivates a phenomenology of irreducible particularity as a vision of God. Awakened to an attentive sensuality, one re/cognizes this Self, incarnate before one’s very eyes, as an apophatic measure of the immeasurable divine.

Modern philosophy, from Descartes and Kant to early articulations of the phenomenological method, is based upon the premise that nature is synthetically established by human consciousness. In his late thinking, Merleau-Ponty rethinks the notion of passivity, a concept he opposes to the pure activity of constituting consciousness, and through which he explains how novel meaning can emerge in nature without being the product of constituting activity. While Merleau-Ponty's early works are systematic studies of human consciousness, and though many interpreters thereby take these works to be premised upon the primacy of consciousness as a constituting activity, I argue that there is a pivotal redefinition of passivity underway throughout his corpus.I explicate Merleau-Ponty's rethinking of passivity by drawing three progressively richer concepts of passivity out of his works: first is a structural passivity through which conscious or vital activities are mediated by an environment, second is a genetic passivity according to which the activities of consciousness and life are formed out of developmental processes, and third is a more radical sense of passivity which generates living activities without itself being a mode of constituting activity. Explaining this notion of generative passivity requires a complex investigation of the temporal structure within which original meaning emerges in life. I explain this temporal "institution" of meaning by studying specific phenomena: animal embryology and growth, as well as human development in childhood and puberty. Based on these studies, I make the case that the notion of generative passivity can uniquely explain the emergence of different forms of meaning in nature.
La philosophie moderne, de Descartes et Kant jusqu'aux premières articulations de la méthode phénoménologique, est basée sur la prémisse que la nature est établie synthétiquement par la conscience humaine. Dans sa pensée ultérieure, Merleau-Ponty repense la notion de passivité, un concept qu'il oppose à l'activité pure de la conscience constitutive, et à travers laquelle il explique la manière dont de sens nouveaux peuvent émerger de la nature sans être le produit d'une telle activité. Puisque Merleau-Ponty tente, dans ses premières oeuvres, d'analyser systématiquement la conscience humaine, une tendance est née parmi ses commentateurs d'interpréter ceux-ci comme étant fondée sur la primauté de la conscience comme activité constitutive. Je soutiens au contraire que tout au long de son corpus, Merleau-Ponty entreprend de redéfinir la passivité. J'élucide la repensée de la passivité chez Merleau-Ponty en soutirant de son oeuvre trois concepts progressivement plus riches. En premier nous trouvons une passivité dite structurelle à travers de laquelle les activités conscientes ou vitales peuvent se déployer dans un environnement qui leur sert de médiateur. En second nous découvrons une passivité dite génétique en fonction de laquelle les activités de la conscience et de la vie se forment grâce à des processus de développement. Finalement nous dévoilons une passivité plus radicale, une passivité dite générative, qui produit les activités vivantes sans étant elle-même une modalité de l'activité constitutive. Pour expliquer ce dernier concept de passivité nous devons effectuer une analyse complexe de la structure temporelle au coeur de laquelle le sens original émerge dans la vie. J'explique cette 'institution' temporelle du sens en étudiant des phénomènes spécifiques tel que embryologie et la croissance animale, et le développement humain à l'enfance et à la puberté. Sur la base de ces études, je soutiens que la notion de passivité générative est la mieux placé pour expliquer l'émergence des différentes formes de sens dans la nature.

My dissertation examines the question of the justification of political resistance in Spinoza's philosophy. More specifically, its purpose is to determine whether or not Spinoza regards political resistance as harmonizing with the dictates of reason, where the latter amount to prudential counsels for maximizing one's "power to exist". Having demonstrated the partial validity of the 'conservative' interpretation of Spinoza's ethico-rational politics – according to which reason commands strict obedience to political authorities – I go on to challenge its near-hegemonic status in the secondary literature by extracting from Spinoza's Ethics and political treatises a conditional, ethico-rational justification for political resistance. The ultimate criterion for the ethico-rational validation of an act of resistance is the empowerment of its agent(s). Since one's true empowerment is, in Spinoza's view, inextricably related to the empowerment of all those with whom one's life is intertwined, and the chief source of personal empowerment is the rational understanding of nature's causal order, it follows that any act of resistance ought to contribute to an increase in the cognitive powers of the greatest number (including, ideally, those against whom it is directed). On the basis of the fact that, by Spinoza's own reckoning, the philosophical critique of prejudices through the development of adequate ideas regarding their constitution can serve to undermine the disempowering forms of rule that depend upon them, I contend that the critique of prejudices is the ethico-rationally justified form of resistance par excellence. Thus, a State is only organized rationally if it secures institutional 'spaces' for the exercise of this form of resistance as part of its normal functioning. Finally, I maintain that active civil disobedience subverting a political regime that prohibits the continuous exercise of resistance-as-critique is not only justified but is akin to a duty if individuals are to live up to Spinoza's paradigm of rationality, the “wise” or “free” person.
Notre travail se penche sur la question de la justification de la résistance politique dans la pensée philosophique de Spinoza. Plus exactement, il a pour but de déterminer si, selon Spinoza, la résistance politique s'accorde avec les préceptes de la raison, ces derniers étant compris comme conseils prudentiels en vue de la maximisation de notre « pouvoir d'exister ». Après avoir démontré la validité partielle de l'interprétation conservatrice prédominante de la politique « éthico-rationnelle » de Spinoza – selon laquelle la raison recommande une obéissance absolue à toute autorité politique – je lui dispute son statut hégémonique dans la littérature secondaire en dégageant de l'Éthique et des traités politiques de Spinoza une justification éthique conditionnelle de la résistance politique. Le critère de légitimation ultime d'un acte de résistance est que ce dernier contribue à augmenter le pouvoir de son (ou ses) sujet(s). Puisque, d'abord, l'augmentation de notre pouvoir est, aux yeux de Spinoza, étroitement liée à l'augmentation du pouvoir de tous, et qu'ensuite, la source principale de cette augmentation réside dans la compréhension rationnelle de l'ordre causal de la nature, il s'ensuit que n'importe quel acte de résistance politique doit contribuer à l'augmentation du pouvoir cognitif du plus grand nombre possible (incluant, idéalement, ceux et celles contre lesquels l'acte est dirigé). Partant du fait que, selon l'avis de Spinoza lui-même, la critique philosophique des préjugés par moyen de la formation d'idées adéquates quant à leur genèse serait à même de saper le pouvoir des régimes qui en dépendent, nous suggérons que la critique des préjugés est la forme par excellence d'une résistance éthiquement justifiable. Par conséquent, un État n'est organisé de façon rationnelle que s'il se porte garant d'espaces institutionnels permettant le déploiement de cette forme de résistance au sein de son fonctionnement normal. Finalement, nous affirmons que la résistance politique active ayant pour objectif le renversement d'un régime politique qui pose obstacle à l'exercice continu de la résistance-cum-critique est non seulement justifiée, mais se veut un devoir moral – dans le sens que Spinoza prête à ce terme – pour quiconque souhaiterait incarner, dans la mesure du possible, le modèle spinoziste de l'homme libre, du Sage.

Through the study of three chapters dealing with a philosophical discussion of God's knowledge (especially of particulars as opposed to universals) from two Ottoman studies on Ghazālī's (Algazel, d. 1111) Tahāfut al-Falāsifah (‘The Incoherence of the Philosophers'), this thesis offers two simultaneous analyses. On the one hand, justice is done to the commentary tradition of the Tahāfut, which in general has been assumed to exist solely in the reply by Ibn Rushd (Averroës, d. 1198). It is shown that a commentary tradition flourished in the Ottoman Empire from the second half of the 15th century on, spurred on by the invitation of Sultan Mehmed II to two distinguished scholars of the time – Khojazāda (d. 1488) and cAlā' al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (d. 1482) – to participate in an ‘intellectual contest' on Ghazālī's Tahāfut. A full list of commentaries and glosses is provided, together with biographies of the two antagonists and a description of the ‘intellectual contest' in which they participated.In addition, light is cast on the development of the issue of God's knowledge in late-medieval Islamic philosophy. The two Ottoman studies are analyzed and compared with earlier texts, chiefly Ghazālī's original text. It is shown that most of the material included in the Ottoman texts stems from earlier theological texts such as Sharḥ al-Mawāqif (‘Commentary on The Stations'), a commentary by Jurjānī (d. 1413) on a theological compendium by Ījī (d. 1355). The importance of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 1209) for the later development of Islamic theology is confirmed; while it is shown that Ibn Rushd's commentary on the Tahāfut was not used by the Ottoman scholars.
Durant l'étuder de trois chapitres tirés d'ouvrages traitant de discussions philosophiques du savoir de Dieu (des particuliers aux universels) dont deux études Ottomans à propos de Ghazālī (Algazel, mort en 1111) Tahāfut al-Falāsifah (l'incohérance des philosophes), la presente thèse présente deux analyses simultanées. D'un coté, est rendu justice à la tradition de commentaires de Tahāfut qui en géneral a été étudiée seulement par la réplique de Ibn Rushd (Averroës, mort en 1198). Il a été prouvé qu'une tradition de commentaires s'est developpée dans l'Empire Ottoman depuis la deuxième moitié du 15e siècle suite à l'invitation du Sultan Mehmed II de deux érudits renommés de l'époque – Khojazāda (mort en 1488) et cAlā' al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (mort en 1482) - afin de participer à un «concours intellectuel» à propos du Tahāfut de Ghazālī. Une liste complete de commentaires et de gloses est fournite accompagniée de biographies de deux antagonistes et d'une description du «concours intellectuel» dans lequel ils ont participés. De plus, le developpement de la question du savoir de Dieu dans la philosophie islamique de la fin du Moyen-Age est mise en relief. Les deux études Ottoman sont analisées et comparées avec des textes plus anciens, principalement ceux de Ghazālī. Il a été démontré que le matériel inclus dans les textes Ottomans vient de textes theologiques plus anciens tel que Sharḥ al-Mawāqif (commentaire dur les stations), un commentaire de Jurjānī (mort en 1413) sur un compendium théologique écrit par Ījī (mort en 1355). L'apport de Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (mort en 1209) s'est prouvée déterminante dans le developpement ultérieur de la théologie islamique tandis qu'il a été prouvé que le commentaire d'Ibn Rushd sur le Tahāfut n'a pas été utilisé par les érudits Ottoman.

This thesis a study of the notion of scientia in thinkers of the Latin West in the twelfth century. Scientia is a Latin word that has served to refer to important conceptions of science. Important in medieval philosophy is its use as the translation of the Greek word episteme, which captures Aristotle's conception of science and that becomes very important in the thirteenth century. I explore the precursor to that notion of scientia in works before and immediately after the first translations of the scientific works of Aristotle. The notion in question, more or less developed in the different authors and linked to an educational environment marked by the liberal arts and dialectics in particular, is shown to be generally based in views expressed mainly by Augustine and Boethius. Scientia is construed mostly as theoretical, spiritual knowledge that is a necessary step in the quest for the ultimate intellectual state of wisdom (sapientia). Hugh of St. Victor is the thinker with the most sophisticated account of scientia in this period; his views are shown to be tightly integrated into an overall conception of knowledge as purification of being. Thinkers already in contact with Aristotle's scientific works have accounts that even though informed by new texts, still are found to be working roughly with the same base conception.
Cette thèse est une étude de la notion de scientia chez certains penseurs occidentaux du douzième siècle. Le mot scientia a été utilisé pour désigner diverses conceptions de la science. Dans la philosophie médiévale, il traduit le mot grec episteme, qui forme le centre de la conception aristotélicienne de la science, et dont l'importance sera particulièrement marquée au treizième siècle. Dans cette thèse, j'étudie la façon de concevoir la scientia qui précède ces dévelopements, en examinant des écrits rédigés avant et immédiatement après les premières traductions des œuvres scientifiques d'Aristote. J'établis que cette notion antérieure de scientia, plus ou moins élaborée selon les penseurs et étroitement liée à un contexte éducatif marqué par l'enseignement des arts libéraux et de la dialectique, est basée sur des concepts exprimés principalement par Augustin et Boèce. La scientia est comprise comme un savoir théorique et spirituel constituant une étape nécessaire dans la quête de l'état intellectuel ultime qu'est la sagesse (sapientia). Hugues de Saint-Victor articule la notion de scientia la plus accomplie, ses propos étant intégrés à une conception plus vaste de la connaissance comme purification de l'être. D'autres penseurs, qui ont déjà eu l'occasion de lire les oeuvres scientifiques d'Aristote, expriment en revanche des conceptions informées par des nouveaux textes, mais qui, en general, restent proches de la tradition.

Phase IV and other post-marketing studies have come under scrutiny and are often viewed as ethically dubious. These criticisms generally take the form that benefits of studies aimed at marketing do not redeem the risks and burdens phase IV impose on volunteers. This view of phase IV studies, while well intended, errs in grounding a critique in what are, in the end, paternalistic appeals to the welfare of human subjects. Instead, appeals to the integrity of the scientific enterprise provide a more cogent framework for the moral evaluation of such studies. This approach provides a clearer picture of why, who, and how the ethics of phase IV studies should be approached. I will indicate the ways in which the current formalised practice of human research ethics is paternalistic and indicate how the integrity of the human research enterprise is another legitimate moral concern that should limit what research is permissible. Finally, I will apply this framework to the case of phase IV drug trials.
La phase IV et les autres études, traitant de l'après-commercialisation, ont été examinées minutieusement et sont souvent perçues comme étant éthiquement douteuses. Les critiques de ces études marketing déplorent que les avantages des celles-ci ne contrebalancent pas sur les risques et les ennuis subis par les volontaires. Cette manière de percevoir les études de la phase IV, même si elle est bien intentionnée, fait erreur dans sa critique qui devient une approche paternaliste envers le bien-être des humains. Par contre, les approches de l'intégrité des entreprises scientifiques amènent un cadre plus convaincant lors de l'évaluation morale de ces études. Cette approche donne une image plus claire sur la façon dont l'éthique des études phase IV devrait être traitée. J'indiquerai comment la pratique actuelle de l'éthique sur les études sur les humains est paternaliste et comment l'intégrité des études sur les humains est une préoccupation morale qui devrait aider à établir des limites sur ce que la recherche peut faire. Finalement, je mettrai en pratique ce cadre dans le cas des études sur les médicaments de la phase IV.

This thesis offers a phenomenological description of "artistic creativity" as a merely descriptive property denoting a necessary aspect of the intentional structure of the genetic processes associated to the accomplishment of artworks. In the first chapter, I interpret Edward Young's Conjectures on Original Composition, a text reputed to be at the source of our modern usage of "artistic creativity", in order to distinguish its evaluative meaning from its essentially descriptive sense. Following Noël Carroll's indications, I then try in the second chapter to offer a first characterization of this property in terms of a "mental capacity". This endeavour's failure then leads me to a few necessary ontological considerations about the artwork's phenomenon, considerations without which a rigorous account of its genetic processes would be impossible. Turning to the philosophical contributions of David Davies and Timothy Binkley, I then establish, in the third chapter, the intentional structure of the accomplishment through which an artwork comes into being. I finally demonstrate, using a model generated by my analyses of Young's Conjectures and mobilising Martin Heidegger's phenomenological works, how the intentionality of such an accomplishment can be described as artistically creative.
Cette thèse propose une caractérisation phénoménologique de la créativité artistique en tant que propriété descriptive dénotant un aspect nécessaire de la structure intentionnelle des processus génétiques liés à l'accomplissement des œuvres d'art. J'interprète, au premier chapitre, les Conjectures on Original Composition d'Edward Young, texte réputé être à la source de notre usage moderne du concept de « créativité artistique », afin d'y distinguer un sens évaluatif de la « créativité artistique » d'une signification essentiellement descriptive. Suivant les indications de Noël Carroll, je tente au second chapitre une première caractérisation de cette propriété descriptive en termes de « capacité mentale ». L'échec de cette entreprise me mènera ensuite à des considérations ontologiques touchant à la nature du phénomène de l'œuvre d'art, considérations sans lesquelles une rigoureuse prise en compte des processus génétiques qui y sont associés est impossible. M'intéressant alors particulièrement aux contributions philosophiques de David Davies et Timothy Binkley, j'établis ensuite, au troisième chapitre, la structure intentionnelle de l'accomplissement grâce auquel une œuvre d'art vient à l'être. Je montre enfin, au moyen d'un modèle issu de mes analyses des Conjectures de Young et d'une mobilisation du travail phénoménologique de Martin Heidegger, en quoi l'intentionnalité de cet accomplissement se laisse décrire comme étant artistiquement créatif.

This research project attends to the social and political relations surrounding casual restaurant servers' production of "good service." Service standards have become so normalized as to be largely invisible in day-to-day life, yet their performance reproduces and reinforces sexualized gender roles and social differences. Restaurant service is consumed as part of the "experience economy," such that the interactions with service workers become a constituent part of the service commodity, making servers' intersubjective work directly productive for capital in a way that requires novel disciplinary and compensatory regimes, effectively entrepreneurializing service workers to motivate the good service that restaurants promise their customers. Good service depends on a series of illusions that enable customers to enjoy the subjective role of the sovereign consumer by engaging in the fetish of good service, where there is some understanding that the service relationship is normalized and habitual work for the server, but both parties pretend that it is autonomous, sincere and organic, a fetish I term the "illusion of spontaneity." Maintaining this illusion requires selectively eliding some features of restaurant work, in what I term the "eclipsed exertion," while other kinds of labour are showcased; for instance, the productive work of food production and cleaning is mostly performed in hidden kitchens, while servers' (often highly sexualized) bodies circulating on the restaurant floor are staged for their seated customers. The division between kitchen and dining room mimics the broader process of offshoring materially productive labour in the post-Fordist economy, but it does so within the space of the restaurant itself; the restaurant can in a sense be thought of as a microcosm of the processes of contemporary global capitalism. The structure of labour processes in restaurants thus directs attention to how theoretical accounts of affective and immaterial labour might be expanded to include the manual labour that makes this kind of work possible, as well as to the work and citizenship conditions extended to the repetitive manual workers in service's backstages.Eclipsed exertion also refers to the hidden work of servers, though, both the tasks (such as cleaning and restocking) that servers regularly do but that are not as prominently displayed as service rituals, and those parts of service, like the emotional modulation of presenting the mandated cheerful demeanor that are not cast as "work" per se in the service exchange, instead resting on a parasitical adoption of social habits of mutuality and reciprocity. Such occlusions, of service labour's status as labour, also interfere with considerations of service's status as skilled or meaningful work, since many of the traits of service, such as deference and care, are cast as "natural" aptitudes innate to the women who mostly do this work. Public recognition of affective labour's status as labour is crucial, particularly in restaurants where customers' proximity to workers appears to give them privileged access to workers' labour processes, and where customers play a central role in their disciplinization and compensation by tipping. The notion of good service provides a constructive access point to the intersection of emotional labour with other economic and social habits, norms and institutions because it illustrates how either self-motivated or imposed gestures of goodwill and courtesy are underscored by economic incentives, power relations and social norms. In short, it enables the study of how interpersonal communication between individuals are organized as commodities, providing a platform for thinking about service relationships politically, as well as addressing how capitalism adapts to incite the increased subjective labour needed as the services come to make up an ever greater part of the economy.
Ce projet de recherche étudie les relations politiques et sociales qui encadrent la production d'un « service de qualité » par des serveurs de restaurants de catégorie moyenne. De nos jours, les standards de service ont été normalisés au point de passer largement inaperçus. Cependant, la prestation de ces services sert la reproduction et l'intensification de rôles de genre sexualisés et de différences sociales. Le service au restaurant est consommé dans le cadre d'une « économie de l'expérience », de sorte que les interactions avec le personnel de service font partie intégrante du service marchand. Il en résulte que le travail intersubjectif des serveurs devient directement productif pour le capital et requiert des régimes compensatoires et disciplinaires nouveaux qui transforment le personnel de service en entrepreneurs motivés à offrir le service de qualité que les restaurants vendent à leur clientèle.Ce service de qualité est tributaire d'un ensemble d'illusions qui permettent au consommateur de jouir du rôle subjectif de consommateur souverain en se livrant au fétiche du service de qualité. Même s'il est entendu que la relation de service est ici normalisée et relève d'un travail pour le serveur, les deux parties font comme si elle était autonome, sincère et organique, phénomène que nous nommons « illusion de la spontanéité ». Le maintien de cette illusion demande qu'on élude certains aspects du travail en restaurant au profit de certains autres, procédé que nous appelons « occultation de l'effort ». Ainsi, les travaux productifs de ménage et de production des aliments sont en grande partie effectués à l'abri des regards dans les cuisines, tandis que les corps des serveurs (souvent fortement sexualisés) circulent dans la salle comme sur une scène destinée aux clients. La division entre la cuisine et la salle de service reproduit, dans le cadre spatial du restaurant, le processus plus large de délocalisation du travail productif matériel qui caractérise l'économie postfordiste; il est ainsi possible de concevoir le restaurant comme un microcosme des processus du capitalisme global contemporain. La structure des processus de travail en jeu dans la restauration permet ainsi de voir de quelle manière les descriptions théoriques sur le travail affectif et immatériel pourraient être enrichies et inclure le travail manuel qui en est la condition de possibilité, attirant l'attention, du même coup, sur les conditions de travail et de citoyenneté consenties à ceux qui effectuent les tâches manuelles et répétitives dans les coulisses du service.Le concept d'occultation de l'effort renvoie aussi au travail caché des serveurs, qu'il s'agisse de tâches (comme le ménage ou le réassortiment) effectuées sur une base régulière sans avoir pour autant la même visibilité que les rituels de service, ou de ces éléments (comme la modulation émotionnelle qu'implique une aménité de rigueur) qui ne sont pas considérés comme du travail en tant que tel dans l'échange de service mais plutôt comme le résultat de l'adoption parasitaire d'une habitude de réciprocité. Ces formes d'occultations du travail propre aux services sont aussi liées à des considérations sur le statut du service comme travail qualifié et significatif, dans la mesure où bon nombre des caractéristiques du service, telles que la déférence et la sollicitude, sont présentées comme des aptitudes « naturelles » innées aux femmes qui, la plupart du temps, exercent ces emplois. La reconnaissance publique du travail affectif comme travail proprement dit est essentielle, particulièrement dans les restaurants où la proximité des clients avec le personnel leur donne un accès privilégié aux processus de travail de ces derniers et où les clients, par la pratique du pourboire, jouent un rôle central dans leur disciplinarisation et leur compensation.

Although their work is separated by three-quarters of a century, Novalis and Nietzsche both operated within the intellectual context engendered by an Enlightenment-era discussion of the human vocation. Both respond to the need for a new human identity that addresses questions about the ability of the human being to know its nature and the nature of the universe, act freely, know right from wrong, and find meaning and value in existence. At the two ends of the nineteenth century, they present different responses to the problem of alienation within this new context, as Novalis attempts to salvage a broadly Christian framework for the human vocation, while Nietzsche reacts against Christian values and ways of providing meaning, as well as those of its secular successors.Despite this important difference, Novalis and Nietzsche share a goal of providing an affirming model of life that escapes the conventional dichotomy of immanent and transcendent. I compare their models of creative affirmation to highlight their insights and weaknesses and to identify characteristics of their work useful for a new response to alienation. The first and second parts of the thesis examine their respective attempts to enable affirmation, analysing their accounts of death and suffering, community, and myth, and questioning the extent to which these avoid relying on the transcendent. The third part identifies aspects of their work that can contribute to a life-affirming response to alienation. I argue that, while neither provides a fully satisfying response to the modern situation of alienation that motivated them, both have insights that should be used in attempts to cope with the disorientation and isolation associated with the loss of an authoritative statement of the vocation of humankind. Nietzsche's thoroughgoing rejection of the transcendent and highlighting of tensions characterising human life must form part of a response to alienation, while Novalis' models of freedom, communication, and community better promote fulfilling ways of making sense of life in the face of its darker aspects. My concluding chapter outlines a form of immanent affirmation based on these strengths, arguing that this can take place in a dialogical community of creative individuals.
Bien que trois quarts de siècle séparent leurs travaux, Novalis et Nietzsche opéraient dans le contexte intellectuel favorisé par la question de la vocation humaine, comme il a été discuté au cours du siècle des lumières. Tous deux répondent au besoin d'une nouvelle identité humaine qui s'interroge sur la capacité de l'être humain de connaître sa nature et la nature de l'univers, de se comporter librement, de différencier le bien du mal et de trouver un sens et une valeur à l'existence.Les deux écrivains présentent des réponses différents au problème de l'aliénation de soi dans ce nouveau contexte. Novalis tente de garder un cadre chrétien pour la vocation humaine, tandis que Nietzsche s'oppose aux valeurs et références chrétiennes. Bien que leur projet, sous cet angle important, diffère autant, Novalis et Nietzsche ont en commun l'objectif de fournir une explication affirmante de la vie qui échappe à la dichotomie conventionelle de l'immanence et de la transcendance. Je compare leurs explications de l'affirmation créative pour mettre en lumière leur perspicacité et leurs limites et pour identifier les caractéristiques de leurs travaux qui sont utiles pour une nouvelle réponse à l'aliénation. La première et la deuxième parties de la thèse analysent leurs explications respectives de la mort et de la souffrance, de la communauté et de la mythologie et évaluent dans quelle mesure ces explications évitent de s'en remettre à la transcendance. La troisième partie identifie les aspects de leurs travaux qui peuvent contribuer à un message affirmant de vie contre l'aliénation. Le rejet complet de Nietzsche de la transcendance et son invocation des tensions qui caractérisent la vie humaine doivent constituer une réponse a l'alienation. Cependant les visions de Novalis de la liberté, de la communication et de la communauté favorisent des façons enrichissantes de donner un sens à la vie face à ses aspects sombres. Dans mon dernier chapitre, j'expose les contours d'une affirmation immanente sur la base de ces qualités et je suggère que cette affirmation peut être effectuée dans une communauté dialogique entre individus créatifs.

The view that musical works are mental entities, known as "idealism," is massively rejected by ontologists of music. Their central argument is that key features of mental entities are inconsistent with those of musical works. Specifically, mental entities are usually agreed to be subjective and particular, whereas musical works are claimed to be objective (at least in the sense that they can be heard by many people at once) and generic (at least in the sense that they can be the object of multiple performances, each of which may be slightly different than the others). My goal in this thesis is to show that certain collections of mental entities can be said to be objective and generic in a way that is consistent with their being musical works, and thus that the objections typically used to dismiss idealism actually fail. The thesis is articulated as follows. After introducing basic ontological issues raised by musical works and investigating related methodological issues, I examine the main objections that have been raised against idealist accounts of musical works. The force of these objections is found to rest with the assumption, closely connected to idealism but not essential to it, that musical works consist of "inner hearings." I propose to replace this assumption with some of the tenets of the very influential view that musical works are types and their interpretations tokens. These tenets are adapted to an idealist framework articulated around empirical findings in musical cognition. The result is the notion of "psychological types," which are argued to be collections of mental entities that are both objective and generic in a sense suitable for their being musical works.
La théorie selon laquelle les œuvres musicales sont des entités mentales, connue sous le nom d'"idéalisme", est rejetée massivement par les philosophes préoccupés par l'ontologie de la musique. Leur principal argument est que les entités mentales ont des propriétés qui sont incompatibles avec celles des œuvres musicales. Plus précisément, les entités mentales sont considérées comme étant subjectives et particulières, alors que les œuvres musicales sont réputées être objectives (au moins au sens où elles peuvent être écoutées par plusieurs personnes à la fois) et génériques (au moins au sens où elles peuvent être l'objet de performances multiples et chaque fois légèrement différentes). Mon objectif dans cette thèse est de montrer que certaines entités mentales peuvent être objectives et génériques au sens où les œuvres musicales le sont ; et par conséquent que les objections qui justifient habituellement le rejet de l'idéalisme sont inopérantes. La thèse est articulée comme suit. Après avoir présenté les principaux problèmes ontologiques posés par les œuvres musicales et certaines questions méthodologiques qui y sont ratachées, j'examine les principales objections auxquelles font face les théories idéalistes de l'ontologie des œuvres musicales. La force de ces objections se révèle reposer sur la supposition que les œuvres musicales correspondent à un phénomène d'audition intérieure. Je propose de remplacer cette supposition, non essentielle à la théorie idéaliste bien qu'étroitement associée à elle, par certaines positions avancées par les défenseurs de la thèse très influente selon laquelle les œuvres musicales sont des "types" et leurs performances des "tokens". Ces positions sont adaptées à une perspective idéaliste articulée autour de résultats expérimentaux concernant la cognition musicale. Le résultat est la notion de "types psychologiques", qui, en tant qu'entités mentales à la fois objectives et génériques, sont susceptibles de constituter la catégorie ontologique à laquelle appartiennent les œuvres musicales.

This dissertation examines the views of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 1210) as advanced in his two major philosophical works, al-Mabāḥith al-Mashriqiyya and al-Mulakhkhaṣ fī al-Ḥikma. It argues that Rāzī seeks to develop a philosophical programme that provides an alternative to the Aristotelian theory of scientific knowledge. The work is divided into two parts. Part I reconstructs the central components of Rāzī's logical system, including his theory of universals, his view of the role of definitions in philosophical analysis, and the alternative theory of predication that he advances in place of Aristotle's theory of predication. Part I focuses on the epistemological and logical programme that, in Rāzī's view, should precede the analysis of problems in the philosophical or post-logical part of the Mabāḥith and Mulakhkhaṣ (namely, Books I to III of both works). Part I consists of four chapters and a background discussion. The background discussion examines aspects of the Aristotelian theory of demonstrative science and Avicenna's interpretation of the Aristotelian theory, focusing on the nature of per se predication. Chapter 1 assesses the epistemological principles and views that Rāzī sets out in logic. Rāzī's discussion underscores a number of problematic epistemological assumptions in the Aristotelian theory of definition and concept acquisition, which he believes should not encroach on the logical analysis. Chapter 2 focuses on Rāzī's critique of per se predication on which demonstrative science is based and the alternative theory of predication that he advances. His alternative theory is based on the notion of "structured universals" as opposed to essences and per se properties. Chapter 3 examines Rāzī's critique of real definitions and assesses his view of nominal definitions. Rāzī advances nominal definitions as the alternative to real definitions. Chapter 4 examines how Rāzī's epistemological and logical programme informs his restructuring of philosophical discourse. I argue that the organization and order of the Mabāḥith and Mulakhkhaṣ are based on the alternative approach that he advances, which no longer preserves the standard ordering of the Aristotelian sciences. Here, metaphysics, construed as the highest science in the Aristotelian scientific system, no longer occupies a privileged position. Foundational ontological positions – such as, form-matter analysis, the theory of the four causes, or even atomism – are no longer presumed in the analysis of the nature of sensible objects, which Rāzī takes up in the lengthy Book II of the Mabāḥith and Mulakhkhaṣ. I conclude Part I with a postscript that examines aspects of the nature of Aristotelian logic, particularly in authors preceding Avicenna. Part II consists of two chapters, which examine his philosophical positions that follow, and are based on, his logical analysis, focusing primarily on views set out in Books I and II. Chapter 5 examines ontological problems relating to Avicenna's doctrine of the quiddity and Aristotelian form-matter analysis. It consists of a close textual analysis of a number of Rāzī's chapters in Book I of the Mabāḥith. I attempt to show that Rāzī read Avicenna's texts quite closely and that he sharply departs from Avicenna on central ontological questions. I argue that Rāzī's departure is informed by the philosophical programme that he advances in logic. Chapter 6 examines core elements of Rāzī's epistemology and psychology. The chapter expands on a number of epistemological problems that were only pointed out in his logical analysis, such as his rejection of the theory of mental forms. I argue that a core motivation for Rāzī's opposition to the Avicennan theory of mental forms derives from Rāzī's views on optics. Rāzī opposes the Avicennan theory of the "impression" of sensible forms (simulacra) and suggests that the perception of complex sensible forms involve processes that are more mind-dependent than allowed for by Avicenna's theory.
Cette thèse examine la pensée de Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (m. 1210) telle que déployée dans ses deux œuvres philosophiques majeures, al-Mabāḥith al-Mashriqiyya et al-Mulakhkhaṣ fī al-Ḥikma. J'y avance l'idée que Rāzī entend développer un programme philosophique offrant une alternative à la théorie aristotélicienne de la connaissance scientifique. Elle s'articule en deux parties. La première restitue les composantes centrales du système de logique de Rāzī, y compris sa théorie des universaux, ses positions sur le rôle et la nature des définitions dans l'analyse philosophique ainsi que sa propre théorie de la prédication qui se propose de remplacer son équivalent aristotélicien. Cette première partie se concentre sur les programmes épistémologique et logique qui, selon Rāzī, doivent précéder l'analyse des problèmes développés dans les parties philosophique ou post-logique des Mabāḥith et du Mulakhkhaṣ (c'est-à-dire les Livres I à III dans ces deux œuvres). Cette première partie inclut quatre chapitres précédés d'une discussion préliminaire. Le but de cette introduction est d'examiner certains aspects de la théorie aristotélicienne de la science démonstrative et son interprétation par Avicenne, particulièrement concernant la prédication per se. Le premier chapitre évalue les principes épistémologiques et les positions que Rāzī pose en logique. L'analyse avancée par Rāzī souligne un certain nombre de présupposés épistémologiques problématiques de la théorie aristotélicienne de la définition et de l'acquisition des concepts, qui, selon lui ne devraient pas s'immiscer dans l'analyse logique. Le second chapitre se concentre sur la critique razienne de la prédication per se, sur laquelle se fonde la science démonstrative, et sur la théorie de la prédication que ce dernier propose en lieu et place de cette dernière. Cette théorie alternative est fondée sur des « universaux structurés » plutôt que sur des essences et des propriétés per se. Le troisième chapitre examine la critique formulée par Rāzī contre les définitions réelles et analyse ses positions sur les définitions nominales qu'il propose comme alternatives aux premières. Le quatrième chapitre examine la manière dont le programme épistémologique et logique de Rāzī informe sa restructuration du discours philosophique. Je défends l'idée que l'organisation et l'ordre des Mabāḥith et du Mulakhkhaṣ s'appuient sur l'approche alternative qu'il propose qui ne conserve plus la hiérarchie habituelle des sciences que l'on trouve chez Aristote. La métaphysique n'occupe plus la position première et privilégiée qu'elle a dans le système scientifique aristotélicien. Des positions ontologiques fondamentales, telles que les formulations forme-matière, la théorie des quatre causes ou même l'atomisme ne sont plus présupposés dans l'analyse de la nature des objets sensibles.La seconde partie se subdivise en deux chapitres et examine les positions philosophiques de Rāzī qui découlent et sont fondées sur son analyse de la logique. Je m'y concentre principalement sur les positions avancées dans les livres I et II. Le premier de ces deux chapitres (chapitre 5 de la thèse), examine des problèmes ontologiques liés à la doctrine avicennienne de la quiddité et à l'analyse forme-matière chez Aristote. Le dernier chapitre examine des éléments au cœur de l'épistémologie et de la psychologie de Rāzī. Ce chapitre débouche sur un certain nombre de problèmes épistémologiques, tels que son rejet de la théorie des formes mentales, qui ne sont qu'évoquées rapidement dans son analyse de la logique. Je défends l'idée que l'une des motivations centrales de l'opposition de Rāzī à Avicenne découle de sa pensée sur l'optique. Rāzī s'oppose à la théorie avicennienne de l'« impression » des formes sensibles (simulacra) et avance l'idée que la perception des formes sensibles complexes implique des processus qui dépendent plus de l'esprit que ne le permet la théorie avicennienne.

This thesis is a study of the psychological theory of Faḫr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d.606/1210) as advanced in the psychology section of his early philosophical work, al-Mabāḥiṯ al-mašriqiyya fī ʿilm al-ilāhiyyāt wa-l-ṭabīʿiyyāt (Mabāḥiṯ II.2.2.5). In this section of the Mabāḥiṯ, Rāzī evaluates central aspects of Avicennian psychological doctrines, especially those that are presented in the Psychology of the Šifāʾ. Though Rāzī adopts the traditional, Avicennian arrangement of this text, he uses it as a template through which he assesses the strengths and weaknesses of Ibn Sīnā's arguments, and advances his own alternative theories. We argue that Rāzī, in critically evaluating Ibn Sīnā's psychological doctrines, was motivated by a consistent philosophical approach, one that concerns less the content of these doctrines as the epistemology by which Ibn Sīnā advances them. In Chapter 2 of this thesis, we closely examine how Rāzī evaluates the Avicennian doctrines of the human soul's immateriality, the univocity of its essence, its temporal generation, and the nature of its unity vis-à-vis the diverse functions it performs. At the heart of his discussion are the issues of the human soul's quiddity and the theory of faculty differentiation. In his treatment of these two issues, Rāzī develops a critique of the epistemic claims of abstraction (taǧrīd), which is the basis of Ibn Sīnā's theories regarding the nature of human souls and the faculties that they possess. In Chapter 3, we attempt to reconstruct from Rāzī's critical evaluation of these issues his own psychological theory, which consists of the soul's immateriality, its essential differentiation among individuals, and its direct agency over the corporeal organs. We argue that these doctrines are central elements of what can be referred to as Rāzī's simplified psychological theory. Furthermore, in asserting these doctrines, he develops a method of investigating the nature of the human soul that does not presume to have access to its ontological structure. By understanding the philosophical basis by which Rāzī critically evaluated Avicennian psychological doctrines and asserted his own alternative theories, we are be able to gain a deeper understanding of his role and influence in the Avicennian tradition and contextualize his investigation of psychological issues in later works.
Cette thèse est une étude de la théorie psychologique de Faḫr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d.606/1210), telle présentée dans la section 'Psychologie' de l'un de ses premiers écrits, al-Mabāḥiṯ al-mašriqiyya fī ʿilm al-ilāhiyyāt wa-l-ṭabīʿiyyāt (Mabāḥiṯ II.2.2.5). Dans cette section du Mabāḥiṯ, Rāzī évalue les aspects centraux des doctrines psychologiques avicenniennes, particulièrement ceux présentés dans le traité de psychologie du Šifāʾ. Si Rāzī adopte la disposition traditionnelle, avicennienne de ce texte, il s'en sert comme modèle afin d'apprécier les forces et les faiblesses des arguments d'Ibn Sīnā et d'y faire valoir ses propres théories. Nous soutenons que cette évaluation critique des doctrines psychologiques d'Ibn Sīnā est motivée par une approche cohérente qui concerne moins le contenu de ces doctrines que l'épistémologie par laquelle Ibn Sīnā les invoque. Dans la deuxième partie de notre thèse, nous examinons de près la manière dont Rāzī critique plusieurs doctrines avicenniennes; notamment, celles de l'immatérialité de l'âme humaine, de l'univocité de son essence, de sa génération temporelle, et de la nature de son unité vis-à-vis les diverses fonctions qu'elle exerce. Les questions de la quiddité de l'âme humaine et la théorie de la faculté de différenciation se trouvent au cœur de ces doctrines. Dans le traitement de ces deux dernières questions, Rāzī élabore une critique des revendications épistémologiques de l'abstraction (taǧrīd) qui constituent la fondation des théories d'Ibn Sīnā sur la nature et les facultés de l'âme humaine. Dans la troisième partie, nous cherchons à reconstruire la théorie psychologique de Rāzī à partir de sa critique des doctrines de l'immatérialité de l'âme, de la différenciation essentielle parmi les individus et de son contrôle immédiat sur les organes corporels. Nous avançons que ces doctrines constituent des éléments centraux de ce que nous appelons la 'théorie psychologique simplifiée de Rāzī.' En affirmant ces propres doctrines, Rāzī développe une méthode visant à étudier l'âme humaine qui ne saurait prétendre accéder à sa structure ontologique. La compréhension des fondements philosophiques sur lesquels Rāzī se base en évaluant les doctrines psychologiques avicenniennes et pour créer ses propres doctrines nous permet de mieux connaître le rôle et l'influence de ce grand philosophe dans la tradition avicennienne, et également de contextualiser ses réflexions sur la psychologie dans ses ouvrages ultérieurs.

Interest in "affect" in theoretical work in the humanities has intensified dramatically in the last decade, giving rise to talk of an "affective turn" to rival the "linguistic turn" of the last decades of the twentieth century. Bringing Maurice Merleau-Ponty's philosophy into dialogue with work in the affective turn such as Arlie Hochschild's account of "emotional labor," as well as with criticisms of his philosophy of child perception from recent empirical studies on neonate imitation, and with the philosophies of William James, Paul Schilder, Julia Kristeva, and Henri Bergson, the question of affect becomes a fresh, fascinating, and revealing register for understanding the development of Merleau-Ponty's own thought. The question of affect, as I frame it in Chapter 1 with respect to themes in the affective turn as well as through a study of the role of affect in Merleau-Ponty's philosophy, is a question of how to account for a key ambiguity in the nature of affective phenomena. I initially approach this as a reversibility of inward feeling and outward expression: affects involve bodily feelings that are not contained within the boundaries of the body, or the gestures and postures that incarnate them. Not only intracorporeally but also intercorporeally, there is a feedback circuit between affective surfaces and depths. I argue that we can neither separate these inner and outer aspects, nor homogenize them and dispense with the distinction. Thus the notion of difference as exteriority or negation is inadequate to account for the difference between affective surfaces and depths. I argue that we should aim instead to produce a genetic account of that difference: to think through affect, not only as something that crosses inner-outer borders, but also (and thereby) as a key part of the process that produces such a border as one of its effects—and thus that implicates a dynamic of differentiation prior to inside-outside difference. This entails accounting for affects as both pre-individual and individuating forces. Chapters 2 and 3 undertake a study of Merleau-Ponty's early work on the phenomenology of perception and work from his middle period on the development of child perception, finding there an initial account of affect as pre-individual and individuating. I locate affect in Merleau-Ponty's account of perception prior to the emergence of the felt distinction between interoception and exteroception, perceptions that bear on an inner territory or on an external world. I also argue that Merleau-Ponty offers an account in which the feeling of bodily boundaries—the felt sense of privacy, interiority, or mineness in one's own body (le corps propre)—is not always already given in experience, but must be produced and maintained through affective forces. Throughout I argue for a close association between the imaginary and affect, reconceptualizing imaginary structures of embodiment such as the body schema and body image through their connection to affect. Chapter 4 takes up the question of how affect functions as a dynamic of differentiation at a pre-individual level in Merleau-Ponty's early work, analyzing his account of pure depth as affective orientation. Chapter 5 finds unique resources in Merleau-Ponty's later work for theorizing affect as a pre-individual and individuating force, focusing on his account of love as institution. In sum, I find affect positioned as a generative dynamic of differentiation prior to the distinction between interiority and exteriority; one that makes that distinction possible. I conclude that affect should be understood as a unique force of meaningful differentiation, one that does not rely on exteriority or negation, but that rather thrives in even the most dizzying proximity: an alterity that can be found in intimacy.
L'intérêt des humanités pour le travail théorique touchant l'affect s'est intensifié de façon dramatique depuis les dix dernières années, ce qui provoque des discussions sur un possible tournant affectif pouvant rivaliser le tournant linguistique des dernières décennies du XXe siècle. En mettant la philosophie de Maurice Merleau-Ponty en dialogue avec les travaux du tournant affectif, tels ceux de Arlie Hochschild sur le « travail émotionnel », les critiques de sa philosophie de la perception de l'enfant que présentent de récentes études sur l'imitation chez le nouveau-né et les philosophies de William James, Paul Schilder, Henri Bergson et Julia Kristeva, la question de l'affect s'avère un nouveau terrain fascinant et révélateur permettant de mieux comprendre le développement de la pensée de Merleau-Ponty. La question de l'affect telle que présentée dans le Chapitre 1, c'est-à-dire au travers d'une mise en relation avec certains thèmes du tournant affectif et d'une étude du rôle de l'affect dans la philosophie de Merleau-Ponty, pose la question de comment rendre compte d'une ambiguïté fondamentale dans la nature même des phénomènes affectifs. Cette problématique est d'abord conçue comme une réversibilité des sentiments intérieurs et de l'expression extérieure : les affects touchent des sentiments corporels qui ne sont limités ni par les frontières du corps, ni par les gestes et les postures qui les incarnent. Tant au niveau intracorporel qu'intercorporel, il existe une rétroaction continuelle entre les surfaces et les profondeurs affectives. Je soutiens qu'il n'est possible ni de séparer ces aspects intérieurs et extérieurs, ni de les homogénéiser en se passant de la distinction entre eux. Ainsi, le concept de différence comme extériorité ou négation est insuffisant pour rendre compte de la différence entre les surfaces et les profondeurs affectives. Je propose au lieu une exploration de cette différence en élaborant un raisonnement génétique : une étude de l'affect, non seulement dans sa capacité de traverser les frontières intéreures-extérieures, mais également (et par ce fait même) en tant qu'élément clé du processus dont un des effets est la création d'une telle frontière—ce qui implique une dynamique de différenciation existant préalablement à la différence intérieure-extérieure. Pour ce faire, il faut rendre compte des affects comme forces à la fois pré-individuelles et individualisantes. Les Chapitres 2 et 3 entreprennent une étude des premiers travaux de Merleau-Ponty sur la phénoménologie de la perception ainsi que de travaux du milieu de sa carrière portant sur le développement de la perception de l'enfant et présentent une première description de l'affect pré-individuel et individualisant. Je considère que, dans la discussion de la perception de Merleau-Ponty, l'affect précède l'émergence de la distinction ressentie entre l'introception et l'extéroception, perceptions qui portent sur un paysage intérieur ou un monde extérieur. J'affirme également que Merleau-Ponty démontre que le sentiment associé aux frontières corporelles—l'intimité, l'intériorité, ou le corps propre ressenti dans le corps—n'est pas toujours déjà présent dans l'expérience, mais doit être produit et maintenu grâce aux forces affectives. Je souligne l'importance d'une association étroite entre l'imaginaire et l'affect, reconceptualisant ainsi les structures de l'imaginaire de l'incarnation, comme le schème corporel et l'image corporelle, grâce à leurs liens avec l'affect. Le Chapitre 4 se penche sur la question du fonctionnement de l'affect en tant que dynamique de différenciation au niveau pré-individuel dans les premiers travaux de Merleau-Ponty en analysant sa description de profondeur pure comprise dans son rôle d'orientation affective. Le Chapitre 5, traitant de la perspective de Merleau-Ponty sur l'amour à titre d'institution... [Truncated due to character limit. See attached thesis file for the conclusion of the French abstract.]

This study addresses the influence of Russian religious thought on the French philosopher and Islamicist Henry Corbin (1903-1978). In the 1930s, Corbin came into contact with religious thinkers of the Russian emigration in Paris, particularly Nikolai Berdyaev (1874-1948), who had an important role in his critical reception of contemporary German philosophy and theology. In 1939, Corbin moved to Istanbul where, parallel to his work on the first critical edition of the writings of the Iranian philosopher Shahab al-Din al-Suhrawardi (1155-1191), he deepened his knowledge of Byzantine theology and translated some of the writings of the Russian theologian Fr. Sergius Bulgakov (1871-1944). Corbin's post-war writings thus contain important references to Russian thinkers such as Berdyaev, Bulgakov, Aleksey Khomiakov (1804-1860), Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881), Konstantin Leontiev (1831-1891), and Vasily Rozanov (1856-1919). These thinkers had a unique role in Corbin's ecumenical project. He was indeed convinced that Russian Orthodoxy has an important role in mediating between East and West, Christianity and Islam. Until now, there has been no attempt to study the Russian connection in Corbin's thought. The present work explores this influence as reflected in the themes of East and West, Sophiology, Divine humanity, eschatology, angelology, and Orthodox iconography. In the process, it sheds light on the sources of Corbin's philosophical positions, interest in certain themes, and choice of terminology.
Cette étude traite de l'influence de la pensée religieuse russe sur le philosophe et islamologue français Henry Corbin (1903-1978). Dans les années 1930, Corbin pris contact avec des penseurs religieux issus de l'émigration russe à Paris ; en particulier, Nicolas Berdiaev (1874-1948), qui eût un rôle important dans sa critique de la philosophie et la théologie allemande contemporaine. En 1939, Corbin s'installa à Istanbul où, parallèlement à son travail d'édition des œuvres du philosophe iranien Shahab al-Din al-Suhrawardi (1155-1191), il approfondit ses connaissances en théologie byzantine et traduisit certains écrits du P. Serge Boulgakov (1871-1944). Nous retrouvons ainsi des références importantes à des penseurs russes tels Berdiaev, Boulgakov, Alexeï Khomiakov (1804-1860), Fiodor Dostoïevski (1821-1881), Constantin Léontiev (1831-1891), Vassili Rozanov (1856-1919), dans les écrits d'après-guerre de Corbin. Ces mêmes penseurs eurent un rôle unique dans la vision œcuménique de Corbin. Ce dernier fut en effet convaincu que l'Orthodoxie russe a un rôle médiateur à jouer entre l'Orient et l'Occident, le Christianisme et l'Islam. À ce jour, aucune étude s'intéressant au philosophe n'avait élucidé cette influence. C'est pourquoi, le travail entrepris ici a pour but de combler cette lacune à travers divers thèmes tous traités en tenant compte de cette même influence : l'Orient et l'Occident, la sophiologie, la divino-humanité, l'eschatologie, l'angélologie et l'iconographie orthodoxe. Cette étude met l'accent sur les sources des positions philosophiques de Corbin, sa prédilection pour certains sujets, ainsi que son répertoire lexical.

"Other Planes of There: the Mythsciences, chronopolitics and conceptechnics of Afrofuturism" explores the becomings, temporalities, and epistemic systems of Afrofuturism. Afrofuturism — a term more complex than it first appears — delineates a counter-tradition of Afrodiasporic media production, thought, and performance that transforms science fictional practices and themes to envision alternate identities, timelines, and counter-realities. Such envisioning operations create startling, creative, and uncanny effects — often, by imaginatively challenging whitewashed futures and colonialist histories with Africentric and futurist revisionings, so as to alter the discriminatory coordinates of the present — while crucially offering ways to subversively transform Afrodiasporic subjectivities denied privileged access to the "human race". Afrofuturism, I contend, postulates the conceptual thoughtware of its own production: its MythScience, chronopolitics, and conceptechnics. By explicating Afrofuturism through its network of concepts, I outline its production of counter-realities and explore its performative unEarthings of the grounds of human being. By tracing the Afrofuturist exodus from the category of the human, I detail how its practices adopt and disseminate alien, android, machinic, and otherworldly becomings.
« D'autres pensées venant de là-bas : les sciences mythiques, les chronopolitiques et les conceptechniques de l'afrofuturisme » explorent les devenirs, les temporalités et les systèmes épistémiques de l'Afrofuturisme. Afrofuturisme - un terme plus complexe qu'il n'y paraît - délimite une contre-tradition de production de médias afrodiasporiques, de pensée et de performance qui transforme les pratiques et les thèmes scientifiques fictifs afin de visualiser des identités, des échéances et des contre réalités alternatives. Ces opérations de visualisation permettent de créer des effets étranges, créatifs et surprenants - souvent, en remettant en cause, à l'aide d'imagination, des avenirs étouffés et des histoires colonialistes avec des reconsidérations futuristes et afrocentriques, de façon à modifier les coordonnées discriminatoires du présent - tout en proposant de manière déterminante des moyens de transformer subversivement les subjectivités afrodiasporiques qui se voient refuser l'accès privilégié à la « race humaine ». Je soutiens que l'Afrofuturisme se donne les moyens de produire sa propre pensée conceptuelle : ses Sciences mythiques, sa chronopolitique et ses conceptechniques. J'explique l'Afrofuturisme à travers son réseau de concepts, soulignant sa production de contre- réalités tout en explorant sa capacité à révéler son humanité. Je trace l'exode afrofuturiste à partir de la catégorie des humains, en détaillant la manière dont elle adopte et diffuse les devenirs étrangers, androïdes, machiniques et autres devenirs fantastiques.

In this study I examine Avicenna's (d. 1037) theory of conditional propositions, (or "if, then" sentences, qaḍāyā šarṭiyya muttaṣila), and his system of repetitive and conjunctive syllogisms (qiyāsāt istiṯnāʾiyya, qiyāsāt iqtirāniyya). I show that Avicenna's theory of conditional propositions is conceived as a rejection of Alfarabi's "context theory"–based system of conditional propositions and conditional syllogisms (qaḍāyā šarṭiyya). I also show that Avicenna's "if, then" connectors operate as propositional connectives in the modern, technical sense of that term. However, the theoretical bases of Avicenna's conjunctive syllogistic belong to the Prior Analytics. The system of conjunctive syllogisms and quantified conditionals, which is one of Avicenna's most important contributions to the history of formal logic, is explicable in terms of Aristotle's syllogistic theory. Stoic logic, on the other hand, plays a minor role.
Dans cette étude, j'examine la théorie des propositions conditionnelles (qaḍāyā šarṭiyya muttaṣila) d'Avicenne (m. 1037) ainsi que son système des syllogismes répétitifs et conjonctifs (qiyāsāt istiṯnāʾiyya et qiyāsāt iqtirāniyya). J'établie que Avicenne a formulé sa théorie des propositions conditionnelles afin de rejeter le système des propositions conditionnelles et syllogismes hypothétiques (qiyāsāt šarṭiyya) d'Alfarabi (m. 950), qui s'est fondé sur une théorie de langue dans laquelle le contexte dialectique demeure au centre de l'analyse des propositions et des syllogismes (appelée "context theory"). Ainsi je démontre que le connecteur conditionnel "si, alors" dans la logique hypothétique d'Avicenne fonctionne comme l'opérateur logique au sens technique du terme. Pourtant, les bases théorétiques du syllogisme conjonctif sont tirées des Premiers Analytiques d'Aristote. Le système du syllogisme conjonctif et la théorie des conditionnelles quantifiées, que je considère ici parmi les apports les plus importants á l'histoire de la logique formelle, sont explicables à la lumière de la théorie syllogistique d'Aristote. Cependant, la logique stoïcienne ne joue pas un rôle essentiel.

The debate surrounding the legalization of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia has seen the introduction of a number of new terms in recent years, the most well known among these being "death with dignity." Proponents of legalization would claim that these terms help to illustrate the difference between the actions of terminally or incurably ill individuals and the actions of individuals who typically commit suicide: the former are acting rationally, while the latter are not, suggesting that "death with dignity" is a case of "rational suicide."Margaret Pabst Battin has suggested that five criteria need to be met in order for a suicide to be considered rational. If it is indeed the case that individuals with terminal or incurable illness are acting differently than others who seek suicide, then it seems that these criteria ought to be met in cases of illness but not in other situations. Upon analysis, however, this does not seem to be the case: individuals with terminal or incurable illnesses are not the only ones who can meet the criteria for rational suicide, and this will have consequences for the way that we treat the suicides of non-terminally or incurably ill individuals. Further, some kind of adjustment period seems to be necessary in order to ensure that the criteria are indeed met before we allow access to "death with dignity."
Le débat autour de la légalisation de l'euthanasie et du suicide assisté par un médecin a vu l'introduction de plusieurs termes nouveaux au cours des dernières années, la plus connue parmi eux étant «mort avec la dignité.» Les partisans de la légalisation prétendre que ces termes aident à illustrer la différence entre les actions des personnes qui souffrent des maladies qui sont terminale ou incurable, et les actions des individus qui commettent généralement suicide: l'ancien agissent de manière rationnelle, tandis que les dernières ne font pas the le même, suggérant que «la mort avec la dignité» est un cas de «suicide rationnel.»Margaret Pabst Battin a proposé que cinq critères doivent être remplies pour un suicide à être considéré rationnel. Si c'est le cas que les personnes qui souffrent des maladies qui sont terminale ou incurable agissent différemment des autres qui cherchent suicide, il semble que ces critères doivent être remplies en cas de maladie, mais pas dans les autres situations. Sur l'analyse, cependant, cela ne semble pas être le cas: les personnes atteintes de maladies terminales ou incurables ne sont pas les seuls qui peuvent répondre aux critères de suicide rationnel, ce qui aura des conséquences pour la façon dont nous traitons les suicides des autres personnes. En outre, une sorte de période d'adaptation semble nécessaire afin de s'assurer que les critères sont bien remplis avant d'autoriser l'accès à «la mort avec la dignité.»

This dissertation presents an in-depth investigation into the notion of paradox and its significance for Christian existence in the thought of the Danish philosopher and theologian Søren Kierkegaard. The primary aim of the study is to explore and to develop various expressions of paradox in Kierkegaard’s authorship in order to demonstrate the manner by which Kierkegaard employs paradox as a means of challenging his Christendom contemporaries to exist as authentic Christians, and more specifically to enter into the existential state I am identifying in this project as living within the sacred tension. With this aim in mind, I begin with a discussion of Kierkegaard’s ethico-religious task in response to his Christendom culture and I provide a broad characterization of the notion of sacred tension as the telos of this task. For the majority of the study I then focus on four different expressions of paradox in Kierkegaard’s thought. These four expressions are: paradox that is associated with the faith of Abraham (as presented in Fear and Trembling), paradox that is associated with the nature of the self and the task of selfhood (as presented in The Sickness unto Death ), paradox that is associated with the God-man (as presented in Philosophical Fragments, Concluding Unscientific Postscript, and Practice in Christianity), and paradox that is associated with Christian love (as presented in Works of Love). In addition to arguing that Kierkegaard employs these expressions of paradox to help usher his contemporaries into a state of sacred tension, I also argue that such sacred tension can be understood in terms of various concrete Christian virtues. In this respect, I claim that Kierkegaard’s ethico-religious task is not merely negative or deconstructive in nature, but rather it is infused with the robust positive content associated with Kierkegaard’s particular understanding of Christianity. Viewing Kierkegaard’s thought and writings in this manner helps to reaffirm the significance of the notion of paradox in Kierkegaard’s thought and to highlight the value of the notion of sacred tension for a reassessment of both Kierkegaard’s existentialism and its contemporary implications.

Husbands Living with Women on Dialysis: Embracing Their Transformed LifeThe purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the adjustment process of husbands living with women on dialysis. Using Glaser's (1978) grounded theory methodology, data were collected from 18 husbands through semi-structured face-to-face or telephone tape-recorded interviews. In using the constant comparative method of data analysis, the most central issue for these husbands was dealing with multiple changes imposed by the demands and impact of kidney failure and its treatment regimens on various dimensions of their lives. The changes impacted roles and responsibilities at home and work, social and recreational activities, finances, relationships with their spouse and others, home environment, daily routines, and future plans, as well as health and/or sleep patterns. Although the impact of these changes created many hardships for husbands, witnessing their wives' suffering was more distressing. In response, these men involved themselves in supporting their wives and engaging in the basic social process of embracing their transformed life. The four stages of embracing a transformed life are becoming aware, involving themselves, centering life on their wives, and striving to achieve balance. The marital relationship, the women's health status, as well as the presence of informal support and formal support are conditions which significantly influenced the process. The theory of embracing a transformed life provides a framework for understanding and explaining the complex interplay of strategies undertaken by these husbands to respond to, adjust to, and integrate changes in their daily and future lives. Moreover, the focus on husbands living with women on dialysis contributes towards closing an existing gap in knowledge and the findings underscore the husbands' abilities to learn and carry out complex roles, responsibilities, and routines that require sophisticated observation, decision making, and technical and problem-solving skills. The discrete stages of the theory guide nurses to better understand the various changes dialysis-caregivers may experience during different phases of the patients' illness trajectory and to implement supportive care to enhance their adjustment and sustain their efforts.Keywords: dialysis, spousal caregiver, dialysis-caregiver, adjustment, change, chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease.
Les hommes habitant avec une femme dialysée: Accepter la transformation qui s'effectue dans sa vieLe but de cette étude qualitative était d'examiner le processus d'adaptation des hommes habitant avec une femme qui subit des traitements de dialyse. Les données ont été recueillies au cours d'entretiens semi-structurés enregistrés, réalisés en personne ou au téléphone, auprès de 18 hommes mariés, conformément à la méthode de la théorie ancrée décrite par Glaser en 1978. Selon la méthode comparative constante d'analyse de données, il s'est avéré que la préoccupation centrale de ces hommes était de composer avec les multiples changements, aux différents aspects de leur vie, qu'imposaient les demandes et les répercussions de l'insuffisance rénale et du schéma thérapeutique correspondant. Les changements ont en effet une incidence sur divers aspects de leur vie, notamment les rôles et les responsabilités à la maison et au travail, les activités sociales et récréatives, la situation financière, les relations de couple et les relations amicales, l'ambiance à la maison, les activités quotidiennes, les projets futurs, la santé et la structure du sommeil. Bien que ces changements aient occasionné maintes difficultés pour ces hommes, il leur était encore plus difficile de voir leur femme souffrir. Ils se sont donc appliqués à leur apporter du soutien et à entamer le processus social fondamental qui consiste à accepter volontiers la transformation qui s'effectue dans leur vie. Les quatre étapes à suivre pour accepter la transformation d'une vie sont la prise de conscience, la participation, la centralisation de la vie sur la conjointe, et la recherche d'équilibre. La relation de couple, la santé de la femme et la présence d'un soutien formel et informel sont tous des facteurs qui ont une grande incidence sur le processus. La théorie qui consiste à accepter la transformation d'une vie propose un cadre qui permet de comprendre et d'expliquer l'ensemble complexe de stratégies qu'emploient ces hommes pour répondre aux changements, s'y adapter et les intégrer à leurs activités quotidiennes et à leur avenir. En outre, le fait de diriger le regard sur les hommes habitant avec une femme dialysée contribue à combler une lacune existante sur le plan des connaissances, et les constatations soulignent la capacité de ces hommes à apprendre et à mettre en pratique des rôles, des responsabilités et des routines complexes qui demandent des compétences avancées en observation, en prise de décision et en résolution de problème de même que sur le plan technique. Les étapes subtiles de la théorie guident les infirmières vers une meilleure compréhension des différents changements que les fournisseurs de soins de dialyse peuvent observer durant les différentes phases de la maladie de la patiente et leur permettent d'adopter des méthodes de soins de soutien qui facilitent leur adaptation et les poussent à poursuivre leurs efforts.Mots clés: dialyse, époux/épouse aidant, aidant en dialyse, adaptation, changement, insuffisance rénale chronique, maladie rénale terminale.

During a crucial period in the formation of modern-day pure mathematics, Georg Cantor wrote that "the essence of mathematics lies precisely in its freedom". Similarly, David Hilbert, in his landmark work on the axiomatization of geometry, took the view that we are free to interpret the axioms of a mathematical theory as being about whatever can be made to satisfy them, independently of pre-axiomatic ideas, seemingly intuitive truths, or typical empirical scientific applications of that theory. Cantor's and Hilbert's emphasis on the independence of pure mathematics from philosophical preconceptions, empirical applications, and so on raises the question: what is it about?In this dissertation, I argue that essential to mathematics is a certain kind of structural abstraction, which I characterise in detail; furthermore, I maintain that this abstraction has to do with combination and manipulation of symbols. At the same time, I argue that essential to mathematics is also a certain kind of conceptual reflection, and that there is a sense in which mathematics can be said to be a body of truths by virtue of the meaning of its concepts. I argue further that a certain ongoing interplay of intuitive content on the one hand and abstraction or idealization on the other hand plays a significant part in shaping pure mathematics into its modern, axiomatic form. These arguments are made in the course of analyzing and building on the work of both historical and contemporary figures.
À une période cruciale de la formation des mathématiques pures modernes, Georg Cantor déclara que « l'essence des mathématiques, c'est la liberté ». De même, David Hilbert, dont l'oeuvre sur l'axiomatisation de la géométrie fut une étape charnière de l'élaboration des mathématiques modernes, soutenait que nous sommes libres d'interpréter les axiomes d'une théorie mathématique comme se rapportant à tout objet qui leur est conforme, indépendemment des idés préconçues, de ce qui semble intuitivement vrai et des applications scientifiques habituelles de la théorie en question. L'emphase que mettent Cantor et Hilbert sur l'indépendance des mathématiques pures des conceptions philosophiques préalables et des applications empiriques suscite la question: sur quoi, au fond, portent les mathématiques?Dans cette dissertation, je soutiens qu'une certaine forme d'abstraction structurelle, que je décris en détail, est essentielle aux mathématiques; de plus, je maintiens qu'à la base de cette abstraction sont la combinaison et la manipulation de symboles. En même temps, j'estime qu'au coeur des mathématiques est aussi un certain type de réflexion conceptuelle et qu'il existe un sens dans lequel les mathématiques sont un ensemble de vérités en vertu de la signification de leurs concepts. Je conclue qu'une intéraction continue entre le contenu intuitif d'un côté et l'abstraction ou l'idéalisation de l'autre joue un rôle important dans le développement des mathématiques axiomatiques modernes. J'avance ces arguments sur la base d'une analyse de travaux tant historiques que contemporains.

According to Kierkegaard, the knowledge of God begins with the recognition of various truths about oneself. Every individual, just by virtue of being human, has the capacity to develop an intuitive awareness of God. In this thesis, I explore the nature of this knowledge. In chapter one, I introduce a number of ideas important for understanding Kierkegaard's phenomenology of religious belief, including his distinction between objective and subjective reflection, his method (indirect communication), and his psychology. The first chapter concludes with a description of the range or domain of "natural religion." In the next chapter, I analyze the structural or formative elements of natural religion, the awakening of a God -relationship in the extremity of selfknowledge (an individual's awareness of the eternal, infinite, and possible aspects of the human "self"). In the final chapter, I explore two related peculiarities in Kierkegaard's treatment of religious knowledge: his contempt for inductive or probabilistic arguments, and his suggestion that the existence of God can become clear to a person with a different kind of certainty. I argue that although he overstates his polemic against theistic arguments, Kierkegaard is nonetheless correct in his account of the proper ground of belief in God. I conclude by juxtaposing Kierkegaard's views on belief in God with those of twentieth century probabilistic theologians and atheologians, as well as the "Reformed Epistemology" of Alvin Plantinga.

This study inquires into the institutional identity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since its founding in 1830. The study takes a historical stance in discussing the relationship between American public perceptions and the Church's developing internal identity, tracing these changes through three distinct historical stages. Building on the works of historians and sociologists such as Jan Shipps, Armand Mauss, and Terryl Givens, this study hopes to contribute to the understanding of new religious movements and the progression from sect to church. The study finds that Mormon identity and American perceptions of Mormons have had an inter-influential relationship, each responding and re-forming in turn. The LDS Church has progressed from sect to church as tensions with the host society have lessened. Currently, the Church is at an optimum level of tension with the host society, maintaining a distinct identity while enjoying conventional acceptance.

In this thesis, I explore the psychological and experiential aspects of the shift from a supernatural theistic worldview (specifically born-again Christianity) to aphilosophically naturalistic and atheistic worldview in the context of the religiouslandscape in the U.S. I posit that certain features of this transition, which is known as "deconversion,” can be thought of as potentially analogous, both psychologically and subjectively, to the experience of another's death as an objective environmental change. I provide anthropological and psychological evidence that believers often experience the God of born-again Christianity as an independently existing and active agent in the world. The similarities between human relationships and God relationships provide the foundation for the claim that loss of these relationships potentially constitute similar experiences, respectively. Both shifts (deconversion and death) share a number of similarities. For example, they both feature a reduction in the number of entities that are believed perceived as having minds (i.e., theory of mind determinations). Also, both shifts require a re-understanding of purpose and meaning in the world (i.e., teleological reasoning). I explore each of these shifts in detail. Finally, I show that the interpretation of the deconversion experience as analogous to the experience of death has implications for the public dialogue between Christians and atheists.

The purpose of this study was to compose a profile of characteristics of a competent elder as a leader of Christian churches/churches of Christ for the year 2010. An essential component of this composition was the identification of issues that elders are likely to face in the 21st century church. A second objective was to identify effective ways in which elders can be prepared to meet the challenges of leading congregations in the beginning of the 21st century. A Delphi Technique was applied in this study since it is a particularly efficient research tool used in building consensus and in forecasting future needs and trends. A group consisting of 10 elders, 10 ministers, 10 faculty members, and 10 writers was assembled to serve as an expert panel. Two rounds of questionnaires were mailed to these individuals. The first round consisted of nine questions that solicited a narrative type response. Qualitative analysis of Round 1 yielded 66 statements that comprised the second questionnaire. The level of agreeability and likelihood of occurrence associated with the response of each panelist to the 66 statements of Round 2 was ascertained using a Likert scale and a probability factor. Consensus was reached on 47 items. Issues identified include: family breakdown, fragmentation of society, pluralism, change, vision/mission, diversity, unity, and spirituality. Characteristics, based on consensus, suggest an elder in the year 2010 should be a team player, seeking to work in harmony with other elders and ministers. The effective elder will display a strong sense of collegiality, characterized by trust, love, respect, camaraderie, and mutual accountability. Elders will need to be carefully and prayerfully chosen with the primary criteria being spiritual qualities, giftedness, and proven leadership abilities. An elder must create and maintain a vital commitment to a clear and widely owned vision for the church and should be competent at keeping the vision lucid, pointing the way, guiding, motivating, challenging, inspiring, instructing, and enabling the congregation to function as a unified organism. Elders in the year 2010 should be committed to spiritual and leadership development in themselves. At the same time, the effective elder should be a mentor and teacher to others, helping to prepare them as servants of Christ. The elder must be a person who models integrity and genuine devotion to Christ thereby encouraging the congregation to be a moral and ethical people.

This project will track and explain the development of the Doctrine of Divine Immutability from early mythological and scriptural source material that seems to indicate that divine entities are changeable into metaphysical systems that demand a perfectly consistent deity. The Doctrine of Divine Immutability is a philosophical and theological postulate that has long been a staple of systematic metaphysics and theology, but its function in robust and fully formed systems is different than its function when it is first generated in Ancient Greece and Judah. Methodologically mostly primary sources are studied and compared with interpretive help from relevant secondary sources. Once the generation and evolution of this doctrine is understood, a more holistic understanding of the relationship between religion and philosophy will be evident. Additionally a more robust understanding of Middle Platonism and 1st and 2nd century Christianity and their relationship to Roman Stoicism will be achieved. Of particular importance to contemporary scholarship this work will allow us to understand the doctrine in its context and will shield us from anachronistic readings of the arguments that are bound to cause fundamental errors in scholarship.

Part One examines the general structure of Kant's System. Chapter I argues that his System cannot be fully understood without appreciating its radically theological orientation. Chapter II introduces the 'principle of perspective', and defines perspective as the 'context of or 'way of considering' a philosophical question and standpoint as the subject-matter which is under consideration. Chapter III suggests that a fixed, architectonic pattern gives Kant's System its 'Gopernican' character. Part Two investigates the epistemological underpinnings of Kant's System. Chapter IV defines his four main perspectives (the transcendental, empirical, logical, and practical) as dealing with the synthetic a priori, the synthetic a posteriori, the analytic a priori, and the analytic a posteriori, respectively. Chapter V applies this perspectival framework to Kant's six primary 'object-terms': 'thing in itself, 'transcendental object', and 'appearance' denote the object as viewed from the transcendental perspective; 'phenomenon', 'negative noumenon', and 'positive noumenon' denote the object as viewed from the empirical perspective. Chapter VT argues that faith in the thing in itself is the necessary starting point for Kant's System. Part Three uses the formal principles established in Parts One and Two to interpret the Critical System itself. Chapters VII-IX regard the three Critiques as systems based, respectively, on theoretical, practical, and empirical standpoints. Part Four discusses the theological implications of Kant's System. Chapter X portrays his theology as he himself regarded it: as a theism which urges a right respect for God by denying the possibility of human knowledge of His existence, yet allows for an adequately certain belief through moral and teleological arguments. Chapter XI interprets Kant's philosophy of religion as an experiment designed to prove that Christianity can serve as the universal religion of mankind. Chapter XII demonstrates Kant's deep concern for religious experience, and argues that the Critical System as a whole was intended to pave the way for a Critical mysticism.

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This dissertation examines the development of skeptical views concerning causation from the medieval to the early modern period. While causal skepticism is often overlooked by intellectual historians, I argue that, in spite of its typical motivation as a religious response to shibboleths of ancient philosophy that stood askance from the dogmas of Abrahamic theology, causal skepticism was the greatest intellectual development of post-antiquity and ultimately culminated into modern Science. The first chapter examines Hume's famous analysis of causation and serves as a foil for the prior history of causal skepticism addressed in the subsequent chapters. The second chapter addresses the dispute over causation in medieval Islamic philosophy. I argue that virtually the entirety of Hume's analysis was anticipated, and in some cases superseded, by al-Ghazali in the eleventh century. The third chapter examines Averroes' critique of al-Ghazali, as well as the development of Aristotelian causal metaphysics in the Christian West. The fourth chapter concerns the development of the nominalist tradition skeptical attitude towards efficient causal explanation in the aftermath of the anti-Aristotelian condemnations of 1277. The fifth chapter addresses the Cartesian occasionalist tradition and its skeptical stance on secondary causation and the relation between this causal skepticism and central doctrines of Cartesian physics and metaphysics. The sixth and final chapter of my dissertation concerns the collapse of occasionalism and its many offspring. My ultimate thesis is that the hallmarks of both modern philosophy and modern science trace their origin to the failure of occasionalism to resolve its own internal contradictions.
Committee in charge: Dr. Naomi Zack, Chairperson; Dr. Cheney Ryan, Member; Dr. Colin Koopman, Member; Dr. Malcolm Wilson, Outside Member

This thesis challenges Classical Christian presentations of God based on exclusive and literalized metaphors. This piece explores the response of three dissenting groups, who place their emphasis on an experiential theology, directly challenging the use of conventional language to describe God. The Quaker practice of silent worship, Isadora Duncan’s dance form and Theopoetics each demand that religious structures enable an experience of the Divine that is spontaneous, mysterious and deeply personal.

Religious diversity has become a central topic in the philosophy of religion. This study proposes a methodological approach to the topic by exploring the division of tasks set out by Bernard Lonergan (1904-1984). Lonergan’s methodological framework, which he called functional specialization, provides a generic differentiation of tasks, each of which is central to the overall project of understanding religious diversity. This thesis explores the relevance and utility of functional specialization as a methodological approach to religious diversity in the philosophy of religion. [...]
La diversité religieuse est aujourd’hui une préoccupation centrale dans l’étude de la philosophie des religions. Cette étude propose une démarche méthodologique en explorant la division des tâches mise de l’avant par Bernard Lonergan (1904- 1984). La méthodologie employée par celui-ci, qu’il nomma « spécialisation fonctionnelle», permet d’établir une séparation générique des tâches, chacune d’elles jouant un rôle important dans la compréhension globale de la diversité religieuse. Cette étude illustré la pertinence et l’utilité de la spécialisation fonctionnelle en tant qu’approche méthodologique dans la philosophie des religions, et particulièrement dans l’étude de la diversité religieuse. [...]

This study explores the factors that affect the conversion trajectories of post-immersion missionaries. The data has been culled from focus group interviews and subjected to analysis from the perspectives of social philosophy, sociology, religious conversion theory, and Catholic Social Teaching. It follows the practical theological method known as “shared Christian praxis.”

It details the impediments to the subsequent deepening of conversion in the societal, ecclesial, interpersonal, familial, and intrapersonal spheres, namely, post-immersion depression, culture shock, feelings of guilt regarding one’s own relatively luxurious living conditions, blaming God for the obstinate pervasiveness of extreme poverty and political injustices, and communication difficulties between the missionaries and their non-missionary family members and friends.

It concludes that the aforementioned discouraging factors can be effectively countered via attention, during the post-immersion stage, to the missionaries’ expressed needs to continue to meet regularly with their respective missionary communities, to deprivatize their visions of spiritual conversion, to live a less opulent lifestyle, to participate in hands-on community service projects in conjunction with local poor people, to continue attempting to contribute to the reign of God locally, and to speak publically about their missionary experiences. It also finds that guided prayer methods, communal liturgies, mentorship, debriefing retreats for the missionaries and their families, ongoing study of the Bible and Catholic Social Doctrine, and long-term commitment to the missions, can be efficacious tools in the promotion of the consolidation and deepening of conversion and the prevention of backsliding.

This dissertation compares Trinitarian and Buddhist epistemologies relative to the benchmark of scientific knowledge. To this end, it first develops a methodological framework for this comparison and then derives a comparative benchmark from the post-positivist philosophy of science. The methodological framework is developed by combining Francis Clooney's comparative theology with Robert John Russell's method for the Creative Mutual Interaction (CMI) of theology and science. The comparative benchmark is given by the Peircian triadic circuit since this circuit emerges as a methodological invariant within the post-positivist philosophy of science.

Trinitarian and Buddhist epistemologies are therefore compared in terms of their respective abilities to ground the Peircian circuit. However, since the Peircian circuit involves a harmonious integration of three distinct operations within a single noetic process, the ability to ground this circuit presupposes a solution to the one-and-many problem. Thus, Trinitarian and Buddhist epistemologies are ultimately compared in terms of their respective approaches to the one-and-many problem.

To this end, Theravada, Zen, and Tibetan Buddhist epistemologies are compared with Trinitarian epistemology. These Buddhist Schools have been chosen due to their active participation in the Buddhism-and-science dialogue. Prior to making this each tradition receives a detailed philosophical exposition in which its epistemology is derived from its metaphysical commitment to oneness, manyness, or some combination of the two. Finally, these systems are compared in terms of their respective abilities to solve the one-and-many problem and hence to ground the Peircian circuit.

This comparison shows that Trinitarian theology can ground the Peircian circuit because it has a both/and approach to the one-and-many problem and also supports an exhaustive cosmic personalism. By contrast, Theravadin Abhidhamma fails outright because its radical pluralism dissolves the human mind and hence all three Peircian operations. Between these two extremes, Tibetan Madhyamaka and Zen provide a dialectic of oneness and manyness in which the Peircian circuit is neither grounded nor destroyed. For these last two systems, therefore, the Peircian circuit emerges as a de facto structure of conventional knowledge.

Drawing on the ritual theory of “rebounding violence” as developed by Maurice Bloch, the contemporary anthropologist, the thesis examined some kingship rituals periodically observed in Nepal and highlighted their political implications. The study also made an assessment of the concept of “divine kingship” in orthodox “Hindu” tradition and traced connections between religion and politics. In Nepal, kingship is taken as a symbol of sovereign power and national unity, and the king is often revered in public festivals as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, or as a representative of some other divinities such as Indra, Bhairava and the Buddha. The thesis explored such rituals, demystified the concept of “divine kingship,” and displayed through historical evidences how Nepali rulers have appropriated religious occasions for their own legitimacy.

One mission of Christian schools is to foster teenagers’ spiritual formation so that they are equipped to confront challenges and contribute to their communities as Christians after high school. A private Christian school identified inadequate spiritual formation in its teenagers and a need to implement a spiritual formation program. Using a nonexperimental, mixed methods study, the purpose of this study was to (a) investigate spiritual formation programs used by private Christian schools and (b) explore educators’ perceptions of the most effective ways to bolster spiritual formation. The framework that drove this study was adolescent Judeo-Christian spiritual development. A questionnaire containing a 5-point Likert scale and open-ended questions was completed by 504 secondary teachers and administrators from the Association of Christian Schools International schools. Descriptive analysis showed that most schools chose programs that placed an emphasis on spiritual formation with faith and learning integrated through chapel, Bible classes, community service, group mentoring, and spiritual formation classes. Qualitative data revealed that most participants believed that relationally-based programs, such as mentoring, are most effective in fostering spiritual formation; however, most schools do not use these due to feasibility, affordability, and a lack of professional development. It is recommended that administrators use spiritual formation professional development and mentoring program at the local setting. These initiatives may contribute to positive social change by producing spiritually mature teenagers who are less likely to engage in risky behaviors and more likely to participate in their communities as Christian citizens and community partners.

According to Craig Keener there are hundreds of millions of people around the world who believe that they have experienced or witnessed a healing miracle. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these miracles (Special Divine Action) occur in the third world and lack medical and scientific documentation. However, in Craig Keener’s text Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts (2011), he details over one hundred modern medical miracles which have documentation from American doctors and scientists. In addition to Keener, the Vatican’s Medica Consulta has also catalogued seventy cases of modern medical miracles originating from the shrine at Lourdes France which meet the Vatican’s rigid documentation criteria. Finally, the Renewal linked Global Medical Research Institute (GMRI) has begun an extensive study to verify and document claims of personal medical miracles. Thus, there is strong scientific evidence for the occurrence of modern miracles.

While proving the occurrence of modern miracles is foundational in the development of a Renewal apologetic, the theological implications and meanings of the miraculous are the larger questions according to Polkinghorne, Richard Swinburne and others. What is ultimately needed in the development of a Renewal apologetic, is a comprehensive theology of the miraculous, which places modern miracles within the larger history of God’s interaction with his creation, as a means for the expansion of his kingdom. This will be the focus of the second part of this paper, as modern miracles are shown to be an integral part of the Renewal and expansion of the Kingdom of God; and ultimately the development of a Renewal Apologetic.

Faith and culture enjoy a harmonious relationship. In the past centuries of Catholicism, evangelization did not take into cognizance the culture of a people. The translation and adaptation approaches were the dominant models missionaries often used in the context of evangelization. Sadly, these approaches failed to create adequate contact with the local cultures where the faith was transplanted. The distance between faith and culture has caused the Catholic faith to be foreign in many cultures across the globe including, North African countries and Japan. In Tiv society of central Nigeria too, Catholicism is yet to take concrete root.

Building on the worship experiences of educated emerging adult Catholics in institutions of higher education in Tivland, this dissertation uses the circle method and other related contextual approaches to contextualize Catholicism in Tiv culture. The data gathered from participant observation, one-on-one interviews, and focus groups discussions was narrowed to what most connects emerging adults with Catholic worship, and what the Catholic Church needs to know about them. The data revealed a constantly recurring notion of unappealing worship and inadequate catechesis on core doctrines. One way to connect their experiences of worship is by synthesizing cultural symbols with Catholic worship symbols.

Community formations, intensive catechesis, and service to the church are the three practical strategies that can synthesize faith and culture and ground the Catholic Church in Tiv culture. Pious organizations that bring emerging adults together as community will serve as forum to adequately catechize them by synthesizing Catholic symbols with cultural texts that are already familiar to them. This leads to a mutual enrichment of both Tiv cultural practices and Catholic worship symbols ultimately making emerging adults community theologians who can effectively articulating the faith to others including, those in rural communities.

This study explores how racial and religious identities are impacted and subsequently reconciled among Black women who join the historically White Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Southwest Atlanta, Georgia. This study was based upon the premise that the African-American religious aesthetic and the Black Church shape racial and religious identities. Therefore, identity reconciliation among Black LDS women who previously attended the Black church is jeopardized. A mixed-methods research approach was used to measure Black women’s ability to reconcile their racial and religious identities. The data gathered enabled the researcher to broadly determine the degree to which reconciliation is achieved among Black LI)S women. The researcher found that the diminutive presence of the African-American religious aesthetic in the LDS Church did not considerably influence identity reconciliation among Black LDS women . This finding is significant as it will help to inform future studies about identity reconciliation among Black people who join historically White religious institutions as well as the viability of the Black Church as a resource for spiritual and racial identity cultivation among Black people.

The purpose of this research paper is to analyze a historical, theological subject concerning the rationale for the transition from a Puritanical view of God at Harvard in the early seventeenth century to a Utilitarian perspective in the first part of the nineteenth century. The Puritans had a profound effect on Harvard, bringing with them severe discipline and an authoritarian view of God. As a result, many of the first Harvard students left the college never to return,[1] and the school had significant difficulties in maintaining an enrollment in its early years. Puritanism viewed students as being essentially depraved and only allowed to live by the grace of God. The Cambridge community portrayed the Lord as being an almost heartless, judgmental father, whose main concern was the discipline of the wayward children. This perspective led to regular beatings, cruelty, and a lack of concern for scholarship that encouraged the pursuit of multiple points of view. However with the coming of Romanticism and Unitarianism to Massachusetts in the early part of the nineteenth century, there was an emerging, change in the nature of truth with respect to God. The people envisioned the Lord, as a kindly parent, who was primarily concerned with the happiness of the individual and the community. With this perspective came a drastically different view of theology, wherein all points of view had to be examined and understood. The rigidity of Puritanism gave way to the more liberal Unitarianism, and God became part of a joyous experience of living. This paper examines the change that occurred at Harvard with respect to the University’s view of God and its impact on the academic curricula. It considers the reasons for the charge and the view of the students, faculty, and administration. It a analyzes how changes within a community can have a profound influence on changes within a college, and it provides a basis for academic freedom that is the basis for academic freedom—a concept that was alien to the Puritans. The key question is whether it has been successful in shaping the development of academia or whether it has caused more chaos than success? [1] George M. Marsden. The Soul of the American University (Oxford: Oxford, 1994) 33-5.

In the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, there was a close connection between natural philosophy and theology. However, this connection was neither essential nor intrinsic, but was open to discussion and negotiation, and natural theology played an important role in these negotiations. While there is already a great deal of literature concerned with natural theology from two distinct academic disciplines???history of science and history of religion???neither set of literature has adequately grasped the nature of the tradition, leading to conflicting claims about its historical origin. In addition, the close connection between natural and revealed theology evident in the works of orthodox Christians in early modern England has been frequently overlooked. This thesis, then, is a contribution to discussions of the relations between theology and natural philosophy in early modern England. Its main purpose is to develop and test a theoretical model of natural theology, designed to overcome some of the limitations of existing approaches. According to this model, a tradition of natural theology only emerged in England in the seventeenth century, due to the theological and natural philosophical turmoil of the Protestant Reformation and the Scientific Revolution, although it was not without precedents. This tradition of natural theology was apologetically focused, providing arguments in favour of religious doctrines originally derived from revelation. Natural theology was a dynamic discourse, which may be represented by the metaphor of a kaleidoscope, in which resources chosen from natural philosophy and theology were combined and refracted according to the pre-existing views of the practitioner as well as the contextual challenges to which he was responding. By employing a variety of resources from both natural philosophy and theology, natural theology could function as a kind of mediator between these two neighbouring traditions. This model will be tested against a range of historical case studies that represent the moments in the historical trajectory of natural theology at which output of the discourse became more concentrated, due to renewed upheaval within and between theology and natural philosophy.