Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Social And Political Philosophy Of Bertolt Brecht, Anthony Squiers

Dissertations

Bertolt Brecht is widely considered to be one of the most important figures in Twentieth Century literature. An acclaimed poet, he is best known as a playwright and director. His 'epic theatre' revolutionized the theatre by creating radical breaks from traditional literary and theatrical form. These radical breaks were done in an effort to facilitate radical social change. Specifically, Brecht designed his epic theatre as a revolutionary aesthetic which would help bring about the advent of a Marxist revolution. There is a broad corpus of academic work which analyzes the formalistic elements of his work. However, this body of work …

Neonatal Isoflurane Exposure On Apoptotic Neurodegeneration And Long-Term Behavioral Functions, Susan E. Maloney

Dissertations

Clinical studies have reported multiple exposures to anesthesia are associated with an increased risk of later learning disabilities. The general anesthetic Isoflurane (ISO) is commonly used in pediatric anesthesia and decreases the activity of the central nervous system through activation of the GABAA receptor. Other drug classes, such as anxiolytics, anticonvulsants, and alcohol, that share this mechanism increase neuroapoptosis during the developmental brain growth spurt period. Exposure to these agents during this time also can have detrimental consequences on behavior. Two experiments were conducted to examine the acute neuroapoptotic response and long-term behavioral impact of postnatal ISO exposure using an …

Nietzsche's Theory Of Cognition: An Interpretation And Defense Of Perspectivism, Justin R. Marquis

Dissertations

Friedrich Nietzsche has long been recognized as a pivotal thinker in the history of moral philosophy, but until the last quarter century his importance for our understanding of the concepts of truth and knowledge had been largely ignored in English-language scholarship. In my dissertation, I add to the growing discussion on Nietzsche's theory of human cognition. While more attention has recently been given to this dimension of Nietzsche's thought, several key aspects have been largely ignored or insufficiently treated including the effects that the ethical or evaluative domain have on the way we cognize the world, the role that radical …

The Logic Of Divine-Human Reconciliation: A Critical Analysis Of Penal Substitution As An Explanatory Feature Of Atonement, Blaine Swen

Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to offer an analysis of the major conceptual and ethical problems facing penal substitution insofar as it is utilized as an explanatory feature of Christ's contribution to divine-human reconciliation. I present fourteen problems and argue that penal substitution can overcome these problems by embracing a "divine-manifest offering" approach to atonement. On this approach, God mercifully chooses to require satisfaction for sin through penal substitution in order to give God's Self the opportunity to meet this requirement by satisfaction through penal self-substitution. This divine self-substitution is intended by God to elicit a free human response …

Beyond Utility, Rights, And Care: An Alternative Approach To Global Poverty, Timothy Weidel

Dissertations

In this dissertation, I argue in favor of an alternative approach to the problem of global poverty, one that is distinct in significant ways from current philosophical approaches of utilitarianism, human rights, or an ethic of care. While these approaches have their merits, I will argue that they are all insufficient (in various ways) to deal with the problem of global poverty. Given their shortcomings, a new approach is needed. My alternative ethical approach contains two major facets: It provides a compelling moral motivation to act to end global poverty, and it also suggests specific initiatives that will prove effective …

On Eros In Plotinus: Attempt At A Systematic Reconstruction (With A Preliminary Chapter On Plato), Alberto Bertozzi

Dissertations

This study is an attempt at a systematic reconstruction of Plotinus’ understanding of eros or love in two basic steps, corresponding to Chapters One−Two and Three−Four respectively.

The first step highlights Plotinus’ connection to Plato. In Chapter One, first I argue that Plotinus’ way of reading the dialogues is faithful to Plato’s intention insofar as it is an active engagement in the practice of philosophy advocated in the dialogues; I then try to show that some important elements of Plotinus’ understanding of eros, most notably the differentiation of levels of reality in the soul’s ascent to Beauty and the view …