Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'William Temple'

The thesis is an examination of the philosophy of William Temple (1881-1944), concentrating on the personalism which especially characterises his entire philosophical outlook, but which is particularly apparent in his treatment of value. The areas addressed are: 1. The world-picture which underlies Temple's thought. 2. The place of value in the universe, the nature of value, and the relationship between the self and values. 3. Temple's non-propositional approach to revelation. 4. The concept of value in personality, the human person, and the person in community and Christian fellowship. S. God, the supreme personal will, and Temple's justification of his existence. 6. The ethical consequences of Temple's philosophy: the concept of Natural Order and its relationship to situation ethics and to the Natural Law tradition. In analysing these concepts, particular attention is paid to Temple's relationship to both the British Idealist tradition and to Process Theology. Detailed consideration is also given to traditional philosophical questions which concerned Temple, especially the Problem of Evil, the Is/Ought question, and the extent to which the moral capacity is innate. Outlines of alternative approaches to these questions are given where this has appeared necessary.

William Temple (1881-1944) and Michael Ramsey (1904-1988) are two of the leading Anglican intellectuals of the twentieth century. Their significance does not just lie in the quality of their intellect. Each served as Archbishop of Canterbury during their career; that essentially representative role heightens the sense of the significance of their work to an understanding of Anglican thought during the period. Yet surprisingly little has been written on Temple and Ramsey’s theology, and there have been no attempts to give a detailed, systematic account of their thought. Such a comprehensive study lies beyond the scope of this thesis. Yet the research does seek to contribute to an understanding of Temple and Ramsey’s thought. The thesis has its origins in an incidental remark made by Professor David Brown, who commented that Anglican theologians of the twentieth century had tended to downplay the role of substitutionary atonement in their theological schema. This raised a fundamental question: what impact might such a downplaying have at the wider level of systematic theology? How might it mould their account of the Incarnation, and how might that, in turn, shape their wider thought? This thesis does not set out to test Brown’s claim for a downplaying of substitutionary atonement, but it does – incidentally – show that Temple and Ramsey are examples of the trend. Rather, the focus is on Temple and Ramsey’s rationale for the Incarnation, and the place of substitutionary atonement within it. As such, it addresses a significant gap in understanding of their thought. Its central claim is that Temple and Ramsey understood the Incarnation not, primarily as a response to sin, but as a sacrificial means of deepening the union between God and humanity. At the core of their rationale for the Incarnation, it is argued, is the eternal divine purposive desire for fellowship, and not the exigent necessity of substitutionary atonement. There are two ancillary areas of study. First, the question of the compatibility of their respective accounts of the Incarnation. Arguing for a high level of coherence within and between their accounts, the thesis suggests that such compatibility underlines the significance of their Christology for an understanding of wider Anglican thought during the period. Secondly, the thesis tentatively highlights ways in which each man’s rationale for the Incarnation impacts on their wider thought, not least their ecclesiology.

There was a remarkably rich and fertile period in British theology from the latter end of the nineteenth century to the outbreak of the Second World War. Some of the greatest growth with the most far-reaching implications for theology took place in the doctrine of God; particularly in the area of divine passibility. The objectives of the study are four-fold; 1) to concisely establish the origin and historical development of divine impassability and its impact upon classical theism, and to identify the chief linguistic and theological concerns of the doctrine, 2) to extensively document the confluence of religious, philosophical, and cultural factors within the life-setting of Anglicanism and British society which created the conditions for a dynamic reformation in the Anglican doctrine of God, 3) to demonstrate the outcome of this metanoia in the effectual dismantling of divine impassability in favour of a sustained and irrevocable advancement or enrichment in the Anglican idea of God, and 4) to establish as theological conversation partners William Temple and John Kenneth Mozley as representative Anglican theologians from our period of study. Two primary methods are employed in the study; 1) the critical analysis of the idea of the suffering of God within Anglicanism as viewed through the lens of the strengths and weaknesses of Temple's and Mozley's respective contributions to the impassability debates within English theology, 2) the chief vehicle for the pursuit of this analysis is a full exploration and application of the "six necessary questions" for inquiry into impassability posed by John Kenneth Mozley. These six questions form the framework for the theological conversation between Temple and Mozley undertaken in this thesis.

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This is a study of William Faulkner s works concerning the saga Yonapatawpha. The works were read from the themes of time and memory. We made a theoretical trajectory over time and noted the conception assumed in the 18th century novel, which has a singular and linear time, and in modern novel, in which time is singular/plural. We consider the narrative, in a general way, as a poetic solution to the aporetic of time and we point to the bond that the literary work has with the world and with the reader. For that we made a trajectory on the threefold character of mimesis, based on considerations of Paul Ricoeur. In this sense, firstly, we point out the relationship of the saga and the weaving of the plot with the history of the southern United States. This demonstration has assumed the intersection between fiction and history, for they, taken together, have the power to refiguring time. Secondly, we analyzed the novel The sound and the fury. At this point, we confined ourselves to discussions of Gerard Genette and Robert Humphrey, for beyond grasping the refiguration of time in the weaving of the plot, we wanted to seize it in the level of the immanent structure of the narrative. We have used the assumption that the narrative incorporated the concept of structure of social sciences, and focusing on the concept of structure, concurrency, that we kept the relationship between fiction and history. At this point, we demonstrate that the concept singular/plural time was mimicked in the immanent structure of the narrative. Finally, we bring to evidence that the relationship between time and memory points to the historical issues and to metaphysical questions, and to eternity, which is, for Plato and Augustine, the opposite of time of living, of experience. Moreover, we put into evidence that both history and eternity also incorporate the concept of singular/plural time. We return to the ideas of Ricoeur and undertake a discussion on the level of mimesis III, through dialogue with major critics of the Faulknerian work. We did our reading seeking convergence between the works The sound and the fury and Absalom, Absalom. From our reading, this convergence occurs in the interest of the Quentin for the history of Sutpen s family. These works, without releasing from the most linear aspects of time, explore the hierarchical levels which constitute the depth and the complexity of temporal experience. We finish the demonstration of the character of the threefold character of mimesis, and the levels of critical reading of a text which should point to two ways: to the configuration level of the work and to the world that this configuration protrudes out of itself, which is a world vision related to a temporal experience, which has its roots in the aporiae of St. Augustine, that is, in great contrast between the distentio and the intentio animi.
Este trabalho é um estudo da obra de William Faulkner concernente à Saga de Yonapatawpha. As obras foram lidas a partir das temáticas tempo e memória. Fizemos um percurso teórico sobre o tempo e evidenciamos a concepção pressuposta no romance do século XVIII, que é a de um tempo singular e linear, e no romance moderno, que é singular/plural. Consideramos a narrativa de um modo geral como uma solução poética para a aporética do tempo e apontamos para o vínculo que a obra literária tem com o mundo e com o leitor. Para isso, fizemos um percurso sobre o caráter tríplice da mimese, com base nas considerações de Paul Ricoeur. Nesse sentido, apontamos, em primeiro lugar, a relação da saga, da tessitura da intriga, com a história do sul dos Estados Unidos. Essa demonstração tem pressuposto o entrecruzamento entre a ficção e a história, pois elas, consideradas conjuntamente, têm o poder de refigurar o tempo. Em segundo lugar, fizemos uma análise da obra O som e a fúria. Nesse ponto, nos ativemos às discussões de Gerard Genette e de Robert Humphrey, pois, além de apreendermos a refiguração do tempo na tessitura da intriga, quisemos apreendê-lo no nível da estrutura imanente da narrativa. Valemo-nos do pressuposto de que a narrativa incorporou o conceito de estrutura das ciências sociais e é com foco no conceito de estrutura, de simultaneidade, que mantivemos a relação entre a ficção e a história. Nesse ponto, demonstramos que a concepção de tempo singular/plural foi mimetizada na estrutura imanente da narrativa. Finalmente, evidenciamos que a relação entre tempo e memória aponta para as questões históricas e para questões metafísicas, para a eternidade que é, para Platão e Agostinho, o oposto do tempo da vivência, da experiência. Além disso, evidenciamos que tanto a história quanto a eternidade também incorporam a concepção de tempo singular/plural. Retomamos as ideias de Ricoeur e empreendemos uma discussão no nível de mimese III, mediante o diálogo com grandes críticos da obra faulkneriana. Fizemos a nossa leitura buscando a convergência entre as obras O som e a fúria e Absalão, Absalão. Segundo nossa leitura, essa convergência dá-se no interesse de Quentin pela história da família de Sutpen. Essas obras, sem se libertarem dos aspectos mais lineares do tempo, exploram os níveis hierárquicos que constituem a profundidade e a complexidade da experiência temporal. Finalizamos a demonstração do caráter tríplice da mimese, bem como os níveis de leitura crítica de um texto que devem apontar para dois caminhos: para o nível de configuração da obra e para o mundo que essa configuração projeta para fora de si, que é uma visão de mundo relacionada a uma experiência temporal, que tem suas raízes nas aporias de Santo Agostinho, ou seja, na grande oposição entre a distentio e a intentio animi.

Orientador: Alcides Cardoso dos Santos
Resumo: No romance Enquanto agonizo (1930) o modernista estadunidense William Faulkner apresenta a jornada da família Bundren que, a fim de enterrar o corpo de sua matriarca, marca a saga de Yoknapatawpha com uma emblemática e tragicômica jornada até Jefferson, sede do condado imaginado pelo escritor. Em trânsito constante, os enlutados membros da família seguem absortos em um trio de conflitos – internos; entre si; e com seu tempo, lugar e meio. Comum às narrativas faulknerianas, o luto gera, mormente, a reflexão acerca daquilo que foi perdido, mas que permanece latente na memória, bem como acerca do que pode ou não ser reconstruído sobre as ruínas que restaram no presente. Ademais, o ciclo infindável da morte, expresso no título do romance no idioma original (As I Lay Dying), e a agonia, que figura no título traduzido para a língua portuguesa, atestam a experiência temporal da modernidade como marcada por irreparáveis perdas nos campos da metafísica, da teologia e da estética. A ênfase do autor nos aspectos existenciais das principais personagens dessa narrativa, por meio da exploração artística do fenômeno da morte, revela uma dimensão filosófica da obra faulkneriana ainda pouco estudada pela crítica. Nosso objetivo neste trabalho é o de evidenciar – por meio da recorrência às reflexões de filósofos modernos e contemporâneos como Arthur Schopenhauer, Martin Heidegger e Maurice Blanchot – como as reflexões feitas por Addie Bundren de dentro de seu caixão conectam a vida à morte em ... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)
Abstract: In the novel As I Lay Dying (1930) the American modernist William Faulkner presents the journey of the Bundren family, one that marks the Yoknapatawpha saga with a symbolic and tragic journey to Jefferson, the seat of the author’s imaginary County, with the objective of burying the family’s matriarch. Continuously moving, the family members remain engrossed in a trio of internal conflicts – with themselves; among each other; and with their time, place and environment. Mourning, common to Faulknerian narratives, mainly generates a reflection on what has been lost but which remains dormant in memory, as well as on what may or may not be rebuilt on the ruins that have remained in present times. Moreover, the endless cycle of death, expressed in the title of the novel in the original language, and the agony, which appears in the title translated into Portuguese (Enquanto agonizo), vouch for the temporal experience of modernity as marked by irreparable losses in the fields of metaphysics, theology and aesthetics. The author’s emphasis on the existential facets of the main narrative characters, through the artistic exploration of the phenomenon of death, reveals a philosophical dimension of faulknerian works that remain insufficiently studied by critics. Our goal in this thesis is to demonstrate – by recurring to the reflections of modern and contemporary philosophers such as Arthur Schopenhauer, Martin Heidegger, and Maurice Blanchot – how Addie Bundren’s ponderings from within he... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)
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Temper outbursts are a persistent cause of morbidity for people with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), for which there is no known treatment. Understanding the causal mechanisms of these behaviours is essential for the development of effective and targeted interventions. However, at present, there is a paucity of research investigating the pathophysiology of PWS. There are also observable aspects of outbursts that are not yet understood. This thesis aimed to bridge the gaps in our understanding of the observable characteristics of PWS outbursts through a purpose-developed survey completed by 100 parents. The findings suggest the features of outbursts displayed by children with PWS are similar to that of tantrums displayed by typically developing toddlers. As children with PWS moved into adolescence and adulthood outburst characteristics became more similar to outbursts displayed by clinical populations. Two literature reviews were conducted to explore the mechanisms of tantrums in the typically developing and outbursts in clinical populations. Two mechanisms that might play a role in PWS outbursts were identified, namely gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and oxytocin. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to evaluate the levels of GABA in the PWS brain. Compared to controls and individuals with PWS with moderate to low behaviour problems individuals with PWS with high rates of behaviour problem had reduced GABA, which was associated with outbursts. A randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled trial was conducted to evaluate whether intranasal oxytocin could improve symptoms of PWS. The only difference found between the oxytocin and control phase was an increase in outbursts for participants on the higher oxytocin dose. The findings from this thesis have increased our understanding of PWS outburst characteristics, identified potential mechanisms for these behaviours and led to the development of four new studies.

Pendant des annees, l'accusation de passeisme a laquelle willa cather dut faire face contribua a plonger son oeuvre dans l'oubli. C'est seulement une trentaine d'annees apres sa disparition que l'on vit s'epanouir les etudes consacrees a son oeuvre prolifique sous l'egide de la critique feministe internationale. Partant de cette constatation, l'objectif de la presente recherche fut double : mettre a jour la nature des tensions qui sous-tendent l'oeuvre catherienne dans ses rapports avec le temps et envisager les modes de resolution de ces conflits sous-jacents. Apres avoir mis a jour un certain nombre de tensions constitutives de l'oeuvre (l'union et la division, l'alienation et l'appartenance, le present et le passe, la memoire et l'oubli. . . ), nous nous sommes interesse aux modalites de cette dimension conflictuelle d'un point de vue psychanalytique. L'oubli acquiert finalement une double valeur, a la fois fondement et point de butee de notre travail analytique. Par dela ces schemes du negatif s'esquisse cependant une force reparatrice potentielle dans la presence insistante d'un heritage dans lequel l'artiste puise sa vitalite creatrice. C'est cette meme ambiguite que l'image photographique permet de saisir en son essence, a la fois symbole des fractures liees a la perception d'un temps en crise et objet reunificateur qui permet a l'artiste de rassembler ces felures dans la perennite de l'image presente. Notre etude de l'oeuvre dans une perspective photographique est finalement suivie par une analyse des modes de figuration du desir - cette force transcendante permettant de suturer la dualite intrinseque de l'etre - et par une reevaluation de la conception de l'art comme facteur de resolution poetique des tensions par willa cather
Owing to the backward glance willa cather deliberately cast upon an idealized past at a time when america was more deeply concerned with current topical issues, her works remained neglected for a long time - until, that is, feminist criticism salvaged her from relative obscurity. Bearing this in mind, this work sets out to examine the nature, paradoxes and functions of time and memory in her fiction. After emphasizing a certain number of tensions intrinsic to her works (union and division, alienation and the sense of belonging, past and present, that which is remembered and that which is forgotten. . . ), we then turn to psychoanalysis in order to throw light upon a conflictual dimension which is closely related to an aesthetics of loss. However, a unifying force gradually appears, originating from the author's profound awareness of debt to her literary and cultural forbears. The acceptance of such knowledge then acts as a catalyst for artistic creation. Our study of photography enables us to grasp the essence of such a paradox : within the limits of its frame, a photograph both concentrates the tensions inherent in the perception of transience and allows the artist to create an image which will transcend this critical awareness. Following this analysis of the influence of photography on cather's vision of time, our study of desire as a major liberating force finally leads us to highlight willa cather's conception of art as the poetic medium through which she resolves the inner contradictions of her approach to time

Notre travail se fonde sur un questionnement autour de la représentation de l'expérience temporelle dans l'œuvre de William Faulkner et de James Joyce. Pour cela, nous nous sommes concentrés exclusivement sur la technique du monologue intérieur qui permet à l'intériorité du personnage principal de s'approprier les enjeux et le déroulement du processus diégétique. Notre démonstration consiste à justifier l'idée selon laquelle l'utilisation du monologue intérieur change les données initiales du récit en imposant une temporalité qui n'est plus celle de la fiction, mais qui relève avant tout du temps réel, c'est-à-dire un temps sans ellipse, qui intègre tous les élements du réel objectif ( l'environnement du " héros " ) et subjectif ( ses pensées et ses sensations ). Cette révolution temporelle au sein du récit ( ébranlant la forme conventionnelle du roman naturaliste ) correspond selon nous à la définition la plus juste de ce que représente la modernité littéraire
Our work is based on the questionning about the way the experience of Time is represented in William Faulkner's and James Joyce's works. For this, we exclusively focused our attention on the stream of consciousness technique which allows the main character's inward thoughts to take over the narrative process as well as the issue at stake. Our demonstration consists in justifying the idea according to which the use of stream of consciousness changes the initial data of the narrative by imposing a time scale which has no longer anything to do with that of fiction, but which emanates from real Time, that is to say time without ellipsis, taking into account both elements of objective reality ( the hero's environment ) and of subjectivity ( his thoughts ans perceptions ). In our opinion, this temporal revolution in the heart of narrative ( which shakes the conventionnal form of the naturalist novel to its foundations ) corresponds to the true definition of what modernity represents in literary terms

Depuis sa naissance, la tragédie a été l'un des genres littéraires qui ont influencé de la façon la plus nette les conceptions qu'une civilisation pouvait avoir du temps. D'un point de vue formel tout d'abord, en raison de la nécessité de résoudre le problème de l'adaptation du temps de l'histoire représentée avec la durée de la représentation - motif principal des débats théoriques des 16e et 17e siècles sur la dramatisation du temps, en lien avec la question du vraisemblable. A la suite notamment de la découverte de la Poétique d'Aristote'et des commentaires des Italiens sur ce texte, la réflexion théorique a pris de l'envergure, et les solutions proposées ont joué un rôle de premier plan dans les créations des chefs-d'œuvre du théâtre élisabéthain, du théâtre baroque espagnol, et du théâtre classique français. Le respect ou non de la règle de l'unité de jour a des conséquences sur la conception du temps que la pièce saura véhiculer. L'étude des motivations et des procédés suivis dans la dramatisation du temps (première partie de la thèse) s'avère ainsi indispensable dans l'interprétation de toute oeuvre théâtrale. L'analyse des oeuvres elles-mêmes, à partir de la perspective temporelle (deuxième et troisième partie de la thèse), permet ensuite d'approcher l'image de l'homme qui se dégage, au sein des mentalités étudiées, de cette dramatisation du temps, et de préciser ainsi les raisons éthiques de son action, telle qu'elle se voit représentée par la tragédie. On proposera ainsi une redéfinition du rôle joué par les pièces au sein de la civilisation chrétienne qui les a produites, en s'appuyant sur les visions du inonde et sur les conceptions religieuses de l'Histoire que ces pièces véhiculent
Since its origin, Tragedy has been one of the literary genres which have most clearly influenced the ideas of time that a civilization could have. Firstly, from a formai point of view, due to the Tact that the length of the story, which is being represented, must fit the time requirements of the duration of the play – i. E. The main issue of theoretical debates of XVI and XVII centuries regarding the dramatization of time in order to make the play vraisemblable. After the discovery of Aristotle's Poetics and the Italian commentaries on this text, the theoretical discussion has become extremely relevant, and the suggested solutions have played a major role in the creation of the masterpieces of the Elizabethan theatre, the Baroque Spanish theatre and the Classical French theatre. Certainly, the respect or not of the "Unit of time" nuances the conception of time that the play will spread. Consequently, studying the reasons and the methodology of the dramatization of time is essential for the interpretation of any play (part I of the Thesis). Moreover, the analysis of plays from a temporal perspective (part II and III of the Thesis) allows to reveal the ideas of man and the ethical foundations of his actions inside the studied mentalities. Therefore, this study proposes a redefinition of the role of these plays in the context of the Christian civilization in which they were originated, by means of analysing the world views and conceptions of the History which these plays convey

Ce travail examine la façon dont l’écriture styronienne met en lumière la faille temporelle de l’existence. Utilisant le mode d’analyse défini par la narratologie, il commence par étudier les variations spatio-temporelles que créent les analepses styroniennes. Puis, il montre comment ces variations permettent de dépasser l’illusion référentielle de l’histoire pour découvrir l’univers opératif du récit styronien. Enfin, il révèle la façon dont ce récit se fait à travers les drames, toujours différents, que donne le théâtre de l’expérience humaine. Se référant aux théories énoncées par la psychanalyse, et plus particulièrement par la psychanalyse lacanienne, ce travail étudie ensuite comment les romans styroniens dévoilent l’aporie temporelle dans laquelle l’homme évolue. Puis, il montre la façon dont ils dépeignent l’effet de cette aporie, l’Autre en l’homme, puis l’homme lui-même, alors qu’il préfère souvent ignorer le Nom-du-Père pour ne pas entendre la loi primordiale de l’existence. La dernière partie de cette recherche examine la manière dont les romans styroniens s’introduisent dans le domaine de l’histoire. Elle met d’abord en lumière le mouvement ternaire qu’adoptent, pour se former, le récit historique et le récit de fiction styronien, et montre que ce dernier procède d’un travail de signifiance et non de « représentance ». Puis, elle analyse comment William Styron décrit les hommes préférer la mémorisation à la re-mémorisation et produire ainsi l’oubli dans leur âme. Apparaît, en conclusion, le rôle que cet auteur propose de faire jouer à l’écriture romanesque comme remède à l’oubli historique aussi bien qu’à son œuvre destructrice
This work examines the way Styronian writing highlights the temporal gap of existence. Using the mode of analysis defined by narratology, it begins by studying the variations of time and space that are created by Styronian analepses. Then, it shows how those variations allow the reader to go beyond the referential illusion of the story to discover the operative universe of the Styronian narrative. Finally, it reveals how the latter is constructed on the ever-changing dramas staged in the theatre of human experience. Then, referring to the theories of psychoanalysis and more particularly of Lacanian psychoanalysis, this work explores how Styronian novels disclose the temporal aporia in which man evolves. It also shows the way they describe the effect of this aporia, the Other in man, then man himself often preferring to ignore the Name-of-the-Father so as not to hear the primordial law of existence. The last part of this research examines the way Styronian novels enter the field of history. It starts by highlighting the ternary movement that both the historical narrative and the fictional narrative of William Styron adopt to construct themselves, and shows that the latter proceeds from a work of significance and not of “representance”. Then, it analyses how William Styron describes men preferring memorization to re-memorization thus creating oblivion in their souls. To conclude, it reveals the part this author offers fictional writing to play as a remedy for historical oblivion as well as for its destructive consequences

Superati «novant’anni d’impazienza» e dopo un lungo periodo votato all’autocommento e all’esplorazione delle proprie intenzioni, Raffaele La Capria ha raccolto le sue opere in due Meridiani curati da Silvio Perrella. La Capria ne ha celebrato l’uscita nella prolusione inaugurale di Salerno Letteratura, poi confluita nel breve autoritratto narrativo "Introduzione a me stesso" (2014). In questa sede, l’autore è tornato su alcuni punti essenziali della sua riflessione sulla scrittura, come la relazione, reciproca e ineludibile, fra tradizione e contemporaneità. All’epilogo del «romanzo involontario» di una vita, La Capria guarda retrospettivamente alla propria esperienza come ad un’autentica educazione intellettuale. Perciò, muovendo da un’intervista inedita del 2015, riportata integralmente in appendice, la tesi ha l’obiettivo di ricostruire l’apprendistato letterario di La Capria dai primi anni Trenta, quando l’autore ancora frequentava il ginnasio, fino all’inizio dei Sessanta, quando ottenne il premio che ne avrebbe assicurato il successo. Il percorso, che riesamina l’intera bibliografia lacapriana nella sua varietà e nella sua stratificazione, si articola in una serie di fasi interdipendenti: la partecipazione indiretta alle iniziative dei GUF (intorno alle riviste «IX maggio» e «Pattuglia»); l’incursione nel giornalismo e l’impegno culturale nell’immediato dopoguerra (sulle pagine di «Latitudine» e di «SUD»); l’attività di traduttore dal francese e dall’inglese (da André Gide a T.S. Eliot); l’impiego alla RAI come autore e conduttore radiofonico (con trasmissioni dedicate a Orwell, Stevenson, Saroyan e Faulkner); la collaborazione con «Il Gatto Selvatico», la rivista dell’ENI voluta da Enrico Mattei e diretta da Attilio Bertolucci; e le vicende editoriali dei suoi primi due romanzi, “Un giorno d’impazienza” (1952) e “Ferito a morte” (1961), fino alla conquista dello Strega. La rilettura dell’opera di uno scrittore semi-autobiografico come La Capria, attraverso il costante riscontro di fonti giornalistiche, testimonianze epistolari e documenti d’archivio che avvalorano e occasionalmente smentiscono la sua versione dei fatti, diventa allora un’occasione per immergersi nella sua mitografia personale e avventurarsi in territori finora poco esplorati: come la ricostruzione del suo profilo culturale, a partire dal milieu in cui La Capria vive e opera, o l’incidenza delle letture e delle esperienze giovanili sulla sua prassi letteraria.

This dissertation investigates the balance of power theory of international relations in the works of Jonathan Swift and his mentor Sir William Temple. Both Temple and Swift are known to have championed balance-of-power foreign policy, yet no sustained study of the subject exists. To begin, I argue that Temple used balance as a metaphor for division or separation. His policy of preserving the “Balance of Christendom” translates to sowing division among European states, and for the same reason he rejects balance of power at home. Proceeding to Swift, while commentators have long known that he advocated the classical theory of constitutional balance, they have neglected his engagement with international balance. Swift assimilates Temple’s positions into a universal theory based on classical authors; he sees balance of power as an element in the broader quarrel of ancients and moderns. The ancient view posits an independent agent who operates within the constraints of a system; the modern, by contrast, either exaggerates agency to the point of divine-right absolutism or minimizes it to the extent that only an impersonal, clockwork-like system remains. In both cases, the moderns pursue material power at each other’s expense, neglecting the intangible benefits of due separation. This theory has important ramifications for Swift’s international writings. For years scholars have emphasized Swift’s conspiracy theorizing in the Conduct of the Allies, but I argue that he discredits the Whig war cry of “Balance of Europe,” which sought military power (the balance of forces) as an end in itself, and reasserts balance as a policy of slicing Europe into as many separate kingdoms as possible. Ultimately, however, Swift’s most lasting contribution appears in Gulliver’s Travels. Here he depicts maritime power as the quintessential means by which moderns pursue absolute power, and intimates a political “Balance of Earth” as a satirical correction. This study, the first to focus on the international dimension of Swift’s political theory, offers a corrective to literary studies that favor domestic politics and yields insights into the evolution of balance-of-power theory and the intersection of culture and foreign policy at the dawn of the British empire.
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Economists and Christian theologians/ethicists (hereafter “Christians”) have not typically communicated well, partly due to different orientations of their disciplines: economists generally regard their discipline as positive (explaining why things are as they are), whereas Christians see their discipline as normative (describing how things should be). I discuss one example of this distinction: the focus of economists on agents’ actions (assuming motives are given), contrasted with the focus of Christians on motives (though for whom actions are by no means a matter of indifference). Economists and Christians also use certain terms in different senses, having the effect of compounding these communication difficulties. Primarily, this thesis examines one such communication difficulty – the understandings of competition and cooperation (and related terms such as rivalry and altruism respectively). My argument is that economists generally use the terms in a structural sense: in particular that competition in its “perfect” form is the economic structure by which efficient exchange is best facilitated, and that cooperation results from that structural state. However, Christians generally use the terms in a psychological sense: competition is viewed primarily as rivalry, and cooperation as a deliberate act of the will to love one’s neighbour as oneself, or to go beyond self-love to altruistic self-sacrificial love of the other. I also examine how the terms are used in a number of other disciplines, particularly evolutionary biology, as a means of nuancing the understanding of this distinction. I explore the concept of cooperation in economics by examining how it is treated in Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations. In the case of the Christian concept of cooperation, I argue for the inclusion of acts which are mutually beneficial to both donor and recipient, as well as acts of self-sacrificial altruism (which latter is often argued to be the Christian ethical norm). I discuss rivalness (the property of many goods that makes them available to only one person), competition and rivalry in both economic and Christian contexts. In the economic case, the discussion illustrates the structural understanding, and the important point that economic thought looks for structures that enable positive-sum rather than just zero-sum economic engagements. However an examination of these concepts in the biblical record, and in writers from the Reformation to the present, indicates an overwhelmingly psychological understanding in the Christian case. Finally, I examine two twentieth century thinkers who wrote at length on competition. Economist Frank Knight specified the conditions for the structural form of (perfect) competition, but then inter alia critiqued those conditions, giving them an apparently psychological aspect: however I argue Knight is really critiquing the competitive economic model itself rather than competition as such. Christian William Temple seldom gets past seeing competition in its psychological form of (largely destructive) rivalry. I thus conclude that the overwhelming views of competition and cooperation in economic thought are structural, contrasted with those in Christian thought which are psychological, and that a better appreciation by members of each disciplinary community of understandings by members of the other community would help improve inter-disciplinary communication.