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The Metaphysical & Epistemological Theories Of C.S. Lewis, Richard Ryals

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

C. S. Lewis is very concerned about the naturalist assumptions which underlie much of modern knowledge. He attempts to show that the naturalist philosophy, when taken to its logical conclusion, undermines the validity of our reasoning processes and our moral judgments. He then attempts to offer an alternative philosophy which can serve as an adequate basis for our reasoning and ethics.

Lewis sees three basic metaphysical possibilities: naturalism, dualism, and theism. Naturalism views the natural process as the ultimate reality. Everything that exists is either a part of or a product of this process. Dualism asserts that there are two …

The Masculine Mind In The Portrait Of A Lady, Nora Neagle

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The strongest and best-developed supporting characters in The Portrait of a Lady are the men in Isabel Archer's life: Ralph Touchett, Caspar Goodwood, Lord Warburton, and Gilbert Osmond. Because it is largely through the eyes of these men that the reader sees Isabel, a thorough understanding of their personalities is essential for a clear interpretation of Isabel.

James shows the four men in vivid detail--their physical appearance, cultural background, intellect, moral convictions, sense of humor--everything from a habit of keeping hallas in pockets to having a wardrobe which seems to have come from a single bolt of cloth. This study …

In Search Of Individual Freedom: Ford Madox Ford, Phenomenology & Reader-Response Criticism, Edgar Shields Jr.

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Ford Madox Ford has often been seen by critics as an author of pure style, writing without philosophic underpinnings for his impressionistic techniques. However, philosophy plays a large role in Ford's work—as a foundation for both his themes and literary theory. This philosophy, phenomenology--the metaphysics of individual experience as opposed to universal determinism—came into existence during Ford's lifetime. Though Ford may never have read in phenomenology, his works reflect the movement both in what he writes, by emphasizing the individual over the communal experience, and how he writes, using the idea of the neutral author to present objective narration.

The …

The Works Progress Administration In Daviess County, Kentucky, 1935-1943, Shelia Heflin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) aided 8.5 million people across the United States during its existence WPA projects in Daviess County, Kentucky, admirably served as an example of the way national laws and regulations filtered down and worked in a single county. The federal program touched the lives of a variety of Daviess Countians in a positive manner. Blue collar workers, white collar workers, women, slacks, and even people involved with the arts received jobs through this program. Local WPA projects illustrate the various jobs obtained by needy men and women from the relief rolls. The WPA aided these local …

The Role Of Judgment In The Epistemologies Of Immanuel Kant & Bernard Lonergan: A Critical Study, Barrett Horne

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A critical explication and comparison of the notion of judgment in the epistemologies of Immanuel Kant and Bernard J. F. Lonergan is developed with a view to exploring the nature and limits of human knowing. The study reveals that Kant is forced to ground his epistemology in immediate intuition and rigid, a priori concepts because he fails to distinguish between mere animal extroversion and rational inquiry, and because he overlooks the role of the virtually unconditioned. He therefore relegates to judgment a merely mechanical function limited in its scope exclusively to empirical employment. He is furthermore forced (because of his …