Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Philosophical linguistics'

This thesis concerns the nature of knowledge-how, in particular the question of how we ought to combine philosophical and linguistic considerations to understand what it is to know how to do something. Part 1 concerns the significance of linguistic evidence. In chapter 1, I consider the range of linguistic arguments that have been used in favour of the Intellectualist claim that knowledge-how is a species of propositional knowledge. Chapter 2 considers the idea that sentences of the form ‘S knows how to V' involve a free relative complement, and the relation between this claim and the Objectualist claim that knowledge-how is a kind of objectual knowledge. Chapter 3 argues that Intellectualism about knowledge-how faces a problem of generality in accounting for the kinds of propositions that are known in knowledge-how, which is analogous to the generality problem for Reliabilism. Part 2 turns to philosophical considerations, offering an extended inquiry into the point of thinking and talking about knowledge-how. Chapter 4 considers why we should want to work with a concept of knowledge, isolating two hypotheses: i) that thinking and talking about knowledge-how helps us to pool skills, and ii) that thinking and talking about knowledge-how helps us to engage in responsible practices of co-operation. Chapter 5 criticises the former hypothesis by arguing against the suggestion that there is a knowledge-how norm on teaching. Chapter 6 offers an indirect argument for the latter hypothesis, arguing for a knowledge-how norm on intending. Part 3, which consists of chapter 7, offers a positive account of knowledge-how which takes into account both philosophical and linguistic considerations. According to what I will call the Interrogative Capacity view, knowing how to do something consists in a certain kind of ability to answer the question of how to do it.

This study endeavours to investigate the philosophical and poetological dimensions, the philological origins, and significant philosophical-literary representations of the Same. It also assesses sameness as a philosophical and poetological modus operandi; that is to say, it analyzes the ways in which the Same operates in different types of discourses both as an object of investigation and as an agent of (poetic) thought. The concept of the Same or the operation of sameness as the philosophical question par excellence will be considered in the development of Continental philosophy and philosophical poetics from classical antiquity to Postmodernism, and its transposition into poetry. The elaboration of the issue of sameness encompasses any philosophical inquiry which seeks to establish the essence of Being and make it susceptible to a general, unifying principle: as a search for an underlying element; for a metaphysical unity or universal, preceding division or difference and amounting to the harmony in the Universe; or for a transcendental absolute totality. Postulations of the pure conceptual difference are likewise examined as part of the elaboration of sameness, and will be viewed as indispensable for revealing the genuine plenitude of sameness. Part One traces the inception of sameness as a concept of pure identity, amounting to the harmony of the Universe by virtue of the operations of belonging (Presocratics), participation (Plato), and emanation (Plotinus), anchored in the relationships between the One and the many, between the Whole and its parts, between the Original and the copy. Part Two inquires into the limits of postulating sameness in terms of pure identity and points to two possible solutions to this problem: a philosophical-aesthetic digression from sameness (Kant and related aesthetic theories of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries) and the return to sameness as an absolute totality in Part Three (Schelling and Hegel). Part Four investigates the re-postulation of sameness as pure Difference (Nietzsche, Heidegger, Derrida), hence the entire re-organization of thought in terms of the other. Part Five analyzes the transposition of sameness from 3 philosophy into the poetic language of repetition, using Rilke’s Sonnets to Orpheus as its prime poetic example. It will be argued that the philosophical displacement of the Same from a concept of identity into that of difference does not amount to an abandonment of its plenitude, but rather points to the need for a precarious balance between sameness and difference, the simultaneous quest for unity and the absolute singularity of the other. This balance, it will be argued, must be sought for in every genuine creation.

Nothing seems more obvious than that our words have meaning. When people speak to each other, they exchange information through the use of a particular set of words. The words they say to each other, moreover, are about something. Yet this relation of “aboutness,” known as “reference,” is not quite as simple as it appears. In this thesis I will present two opposing arguments about the nature of our words and how they relate to the things around us. First, I will present Hilary Putnam’s argument, in which he examines the indeterminacy of reference, forcing us to conclude that we must abandon metaphysical realism. While Putnam considers his argument to be a refutation of non-epistemicism, David Lewis takes it to be a reductio, claiming Putnam’s conclusion is incredible. I will present Lewis’s response to Putnam, in which he accepts the challenge of demonstrating how Putnam’s argument fails and rescuing us from the abandonment of realism. In order to explain the determinacy of reference, Lewis introduces the concept of “natural properties.” In the final chapter of this thesis, I will propose another use for Lewisian properties. Namely, that of helping to minimize the gap between natural language processing and human communication.

Thesis (MPhil (General Linguistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.
Bibliography
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The classic Victorian tale by Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), has been enjoyed by adults and children alike in many countries and in many languages. In this book, Carroll parodies the accepted style of children’s books of the Victorian Age by mocking the moralistic and realistic expectations. All the poems in the book are parodies of once familiar nursery rhymes, which often conveyed a moral lesson. Translating Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a challenging task, as it poses culturespecific, text-specific and language-specific problems. Although the book has been translated into more than 70 languages, it seems to be more popular in some cultures than in others. At the same time, some cultures seem to be content with “older” translations, while others need “updated” versions. Cultural differences seem to play a role in these preferences. The aim of this study is to examine the French and Afrikaans translations of a parodied poem (as found in chapter 2 of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) from an intercultural perspective. In both cases, the translators seem to have found equivalents in their respective cultures that would be acceptable to their target readers.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die klassieke Victoriaanse verhaal deur Lewis Carroll, Alice se Avonture in Wonderland (1865), het plesier verskaf aan volwassenes en kinders in baie lande en in baie tale. In hierdie boek parodieer Carroll die aanvaarbare styl van kinderboeke van die Victoriaanse tydperk deur die spot te dryf met die moralistiese en realistiese verwagtinge. Al die gedigte in die boek is parodieë van eens bekende rympies, wat dikwels ‘n morele les bevat het. Die vertaling van Alice se Avonture in Wonderland is ‘n uitdagende taak, aangesien dit bepaalde kultuur-, teks- en taalverwante probleme inhou. Hoewel die boek in meer as 70 tale vertaal is, blyk dit meer gewild te wees in sekere kulture as in ander. Terselfdertyd is sommige kulture skynbaar tevrede met “ouer” vertalings, terwyl ander meer “hersiene” weergawes verkies. Kultuurverskille speel oënskynlik ‘n rol in hierdie voorkeure. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die Franse en Afrikaanse vertalings van ‘n geparodieerde gedig (soos dit voorkom in hoofstuk 2 van Alice se Avonture in Wonderland) te ondersoek vanuit ‘n interkulturele perspektief. Klaarblyklik het die vertalers in beide gevalle ekwivalente in hulle onderskeie kulture gevind wat aanvaarbaar sou wees vir hulle teikenlesers.

This compilation thesis engages with practices that in some way place stakes in the social existence of Övdalsk (also älvdalska, Elfdalian, Övdalian), a marginal form of Scandinavian used mainly in Sweden’s Älvdalen municipality. The practices at hand range from early 20th century descriptive dialectology and contemporary lay-linguistics to language advocacy and language political debate. The four studies focus on the logic by which such practices operate, on the historically produced visions that they bring into play, as well as on the symbolic effects that they have produced. Study I provides a zoomed-out account of the ordering of Övdalsk in Sweden’s linguistic market. Focusing on a relatively recent debate over the institutional regimentation of Övdalsk, it analyses the forms of agreement upon which the exchange in question has come to rest. The contention has mainly developed over the classification of Övdalsk, percolating in the question of whether Övdalsk ‘is’ a ‘language’ or a ‘dialect’. Analysing this debate, the study takes interest in the relationship between state power and metapragmatic exchange. Study II deals with the history of linguistic thought and research on Övdalsk. It analyses the genesis of some durable visions of the relationship between Övdalsk and linguistic authenticity, focusing on the research practice of the Swedish dialectologist Lars Levander (1883–1950), whose work on Övdalsk commands representative authority to this day. By engaging with Levander’s techniques of scholarly objectivation, as well as with their language theoretical fundaments, the study seeks to create some perspectives on, and distance to, the canonical representations of Övdalsk that have precipitated from Levander’s research. Study III looks into the reuse and reordering of such representations. It provides an ethnographic account of a metapragmatically saturated exchange over Övdalsk grammar, in which descriptivist artefacts play an important part. Through an analysis of texts, in situ interaction, and interviews, the study seeks to grasp the ways in which textual renditions of grammar interrelate with practically sustained, socially recognized models of language and language use (i.e. registers). Study IV tracks the ways in which such visions of authenticity have been drawn into institutionally and politically invested metapragmatic exchanges. It looks into a process of naming of roads in Älvdalen, in which ideas about the contrast between Swedish and Övdalsk played a central part. In all studies, various visions of Övdalsk authenticity and authentic Övdalsk constitute a central theme. The thesis maintains that such visions must be understood in relation to the practices in which they hold currency. Following Silverstein, this epistemological stance entails an engagement with the dialectic between historical formations and situated exchange. Through this analytical orientation, the studies seek to account for the visions of authenticity that have been at the forefront of various symbolic struggles over Övdalsk. Thus, in addition to their respective analytical accounts, the separate studies seek to add shifting temporal horizons to the superordinate heuristic, combining a deep historical backdrop with accounts of protracted institutional processes and analyses of situated linguistic interaction. Ultimately, this mode of analysis provides an in-depth understanding of the object of inquiry.

At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Submitted.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--School of Education and Dept. of Sociology. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2007.
"A dissertation in education and sociology." Advisor: Malcolm Linville. Typescript. Vita. Title from "catalog record" of the print edition Description based on contents viewed Dec. 20, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 267-283). Online version of the print edition.

This project explores research-based methods for creating an e-learning resource to teach an intellectual skill. Intellectual skills are one of the five domains of learning defined by Robert M. Gagné. The intellectual skill taught via the e-learning resource is the rules of Turkish vowel harmony, a fundamental phonological feature of the Turkish language. The purpose of the e-learning resource is to provide novice learners with a set of tools and strategies with which to approach the future study of Turkish. A literature review was conducted in three areas: Gagné’s instructional design theories, Turkish language learning, and best practices for the design of multimedia e-learning. Two rapid prototypes in the form of Moodle course sites were developed. Guidance for improving the prototypes was sought from experts in instructional design, usability, and computer software. The resulting finished e-learning product is a nine-topic Moodle course based on Gagné’s nine events of instruction. The main Moodle course content teaches the rules of Turkish vowel harmony as an intellectual skill which has been broken down into discriminations (the Turkish vowels), concepts (the Turkish vowel groups) and rules (Turkish vowel harmony). Higher order rules are taught in the form of exceptions to the rules of Turkish vowel harmony found in foreign loan-words in Turkish. Practice is provided in applying the rules of Turkish vowel harmony as a set of word attack skills for approaching Turkish language artifacts found online and in the environment. A comprehensive list of resources relating to learning Turkish, learning about the Turkish language, and learning about learning Turkish, is provided to facilitate future extension and application of what was learned in this course. Each lesson is presented in the form of a Moodle book. Each lesson is followed by an ungraded assessment in the form of an Adobe® PDF quiz. The quizzes and accompanying answer keys are designed to provide guided practice, feedback, and self-assessment to help students extend and apply the lesson material. All lessons were beta-tested to ensure usability and reduction of extraneous cognitive load. The project resulted in the development of a Best Practices Checklist for designing e-learning resources to teach intellectual skills. The Best Practices Checklist, which can be found in Appendix B, was used to develop the outline for e-learning resources to teach intellectual skills in other subject areas and was found to be an effective rapid prototyping and instructional design tool. Insight was gained into the significance of prior knowledge for teaching intellectual skills, and on how to calibrate cognitive load in e-learning design relative to the learner’s prior knowledge of the subject matter being taught.

The purpose of the essay consist of presenting, analysing and comparing the different philosophical approaches of language in St.Peterburg. The later are based on the study of several notions : symbols, reality, truth, speech, and so on. This work also deals with various paradigms such as language phenomenology, philosophy of symbolic forms, semiotic interpretation of language, structuralist approach of language,philosophical anthropology of language and cultural pattern of language./Le présent essai a pour but de présenter la philosophie du langage à Saint-pétersbourg. Il comprend l'analyse de diverses notions : symbole, réalité, langue et parole, etc. On y retrouve divers paradigmes tels que la phénoménologie du langage, la philosophie des formes symboliques, l'approche structuraliste du langage.

Researchers have explored immigrant identity in various contexts, but few studies have examined identity in low-income immigrant women entrepreneurs. To address this research gap, I conducted in-depth interviews with eight low-income Latino immigrants who were starting their own businesses and receiving support through a local microenterprise development program (MDP). The study explored how participants’ microenterprise efforts affected their identities and their investments in learning English.

The research found that entrepreneurship promoted positive identity construction by providing opportunities for participants to develop personal and cultural pride, strengthened parental roles, and interdependence with the community. These benefits helped participants decrease family stress and increase optimism for the future, regardless of the microenterprises’ financial success. Participants reported that their families were healthier and their children were doing better in school, suggesting a broad impact beyond the business owner. This finding indicates that MDPs and other social service programs should have explicit goals related to increasing participants’ symbolic resources. In the language-learning realm, this study introduced the construct "relationship with English," extending Norton’s (2000) notion of investment in language learning. The relationship construct encompasses the situated nature of immigrants’ English use, investment in learning, and feelings about using English. The businesses helped most participants improve their relationship with English by providing motivation and informal learning opportunities. The non-English speaking participants improved their relationship with English by finding ways to use English even without working on their ability to speak. This finding suggests that social service agencies, ESL programs, and employers should broaden their view of immigrants’ capabilities to use English and to invest creatively in their own learning. Another significant finding was that participants demonstrated signs of internalized racism, which can make it hard for immigrants to see their own strengths. New research could help MDPs and other social service providers address internalized racism and decrease its negative impact on identity construction. Looking ahead, long-term studies of MDP participants could help optimize program design, extend learnings to other types of programs, and help providers, policymakers, and funders allocate resources for maximum effect.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T19:33:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cristiano Silva Jesuita.pdf: 1792515 bytes, checksum: 29200abbe240cd99010ce9af7662d59c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-11
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
The present dissertation deals with the research of the History and Description of the Portuguese Language of the post degree course of "Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo". It mainly consists of an essay about the "Grammatica Portugueza Philosophica" and the "Nova Grammatica Analytica de Língua Portugueza, authored by Ernesto Carneiro Ribeiro and Charles Adrien Olivier Grivet respectively, both being published in 1881. These philosophic and generalist grammar compendia of late publishing, contrary to periodization methods proposed, are the very proof of the continuous development and culminates with the suppression of the various theoretical currents. The main goal is to observe how the process of grammatic description found in the works reflects the changes in the orientation of general and philosophical grammar of the modern grammatical compendia of scientific aspect. Regarding the methodology, the theoretical postulates of "História de Ideias Linguisticas" written by Sylvain Auroux were used as the basis of research (1989, 1992)
Esta dissertação situa-se na linha de pesquisa História e Descrição da língua portuguesa do programa de pós-graduação da Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo. Tem por objeto de estudo a Grammatica Portugueza Philosophica, de Ernesto Carneiro Ribeiro e a Nova Grammatica Analytica da Língua Portugueza, de Charles Adrien Olivier Grivet ambas publicadas no ano de 1881. Essas gramáticas gerais e filosóficas publicadas tardiamente demonstram que, ao contrário do que as propostas de periodização e os trabalhos sobre o período parecem indicar, a produção gramatical brasileira não vive de rupturas bruscas de orientação, muito pelo contrário, nossa produção gramatical experimenta um desenvolvimento continuo e com a sobreposição de diferentes correntes teóricas. Nosso objetivo é observar como o processo de descrição gramatical presente nas obras reflete o período de transição em que as orientações da gramatica geral e filosófica começa a dividir espaço nos nossos compêndios gramaticais com as orientações da gramática científica . No que tange à metodologia utilizada para o desenvolvimento da pesquisa, apropriamo-nos dos postulados teóricos da História das Ideias linguísticas formulados por Sylvain Auroux (1989, 1992)

Cette thèse porte sur l’analyse de l’activité de traduction philosophique dans le processus de modernisation de Turquie et l’évolution de la conception de la traduction au cours du temps. Dans un premier temps, notre thèse se concentre sur l’histoire de la traduction philosophique. Nous présentons les traductions des textes philosophiques dans la période des Tanzimat et la période après la fondation de la République. Dans un second temps, notre thèse se propose de mener une étude comparative entre les différentes traductions des textes philosophiques. Les questions qui se posent peuvent être énoncées comme suit. Quels types de politique ont-ils pu adopter aussi bien sur un plan théorique que sur le plan du choix des textes à traduire ? Les politiques adoptées ont-elles présentées des modifications notables et significatives tout au long de la période considérée, selon l'évolution de la demande émanant des lecteurs ou selon les exigences des pouvoirs politiques qui se sont succédé ?
This thesis deals with the analysis of the philosophical translation activity in the process of modernization of Turkey and the evolution of the conception of translation over time. First, my thesis focuses on the history of philosophical translation. I present translation activities in general and translations of philosophical texts in the Tanzimat period and the period after the founding of the Republic. In the second section, my thesis proposes to carry out a comparative study between the different translations of philosophical texts. The questions that arise can be stated as follows. What types of policies have they adopted both on the theoretical level and on the choice of the texts to be translated? Have the policies that were adopted resulted in significant changes throughout the period under review, depending on the evolution of the demand from the readers or the requirements of the political authorities that have followed one another?

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-08T17:06:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 114587.pdf: 8003773 bytes, checksum: 52fa5b746002919575b8c58c46054646 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-04-02
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
This dissertation presents a study of Berio 6 Encores for Piano. Based on the understanding of the compositional aspects, systems determination and its relationship with the pianistic writing, interpretive possibilities were outlined to optimize the process of instrumental performance. Berio belongs to the same generation of Cage, Stockhausen and Boulez, he was a pioneer in the exploration of new musical frontiers. He used a miriad of languages and techniques during his career as a composer. Berio produced the collection 6 Encores, a series of six pieces during 25 years (1965-1990), this fact makes them representative of the twentieth century piano repertoire. Berio defines music as a process. This definition reflects the treatment he uses in the sound material in his compositions: slow transformations, also calling the listener to participate actively in the musical enjoyment due to his peculiarities of writing and sound. The first chapter presents the composer and the philosophical and aesthetic aspects that permeates his work. The second presents a study of the 6 Encores for piano context. In the third chapter are shown specific aspects, structural components and study strategies for their instrumental realization. The understanding of philosophical premises can optimize the work of studying and building a solid interpretation by the interpreter who is not used with the contemporary repertoire.
Esta dissertação consta de um estudo da obra 6 Encores para Piano de Luciano Berio ao piano. Com base no entendimento da compreensão e reflexões sobre aspectos e sistemas composicionais, em sua relação com a escrita pianística, foram delineadas possibilidades interpretativas visando otimizar o processo de execução instrumental. Pertencendo à mesma geração que Cage, Boulez e Stockhausen, Berio foi pioneiro na exploração de novas fronteiras musicais. Empregou uma miríade de idiomas e técnicas durante sua carreira de compositor. Entre suas obras para piano Berio produziu a coleção 6 Encores, uma série de seis peças durante 25 anos (1965¿1990), fato que as tornam representativas do século XX. Berio define música como um processo. Esta definição reflete o tratamento que dispensa ao material sonoro em suas composições: lentas transformações; também chama o ouvinte a participar ativamente da fruição musical devido a sua escrita e peculiaridades sonoras. No primeiro capítulo são apresentados o compositor e os aspectos filosóficos e estéticos que permeiam sua obra, e o segundo é apresentado um estudo sobres o contexto das 6 Encores para piano. No terceiro capítulo são mostradas especificidades das peças, destacados componentes estruturais e apresentadas estratégias de estudo para sua realização instrumental. A compreensão de premissas filosóficas podem otimizar o trabalho de estudo e de construção de uma interpretação sólida por parte do intérprete não familiarizado com o repertório contemporâneo.

This dissertation investigates some philosophical theories of metaphor, those of Aristotle, Black, Lakoff and Johnson, Kittay, Mac Cormac, Searle, and Davidson, then proposes a theory that incorporates some of their insights while seeking to avoid their weaknesses. Part I constitutes exposition and critique of these theories; Part II presents the outline of a resulting philosophical theory of metaphor, a semantic intentionality theory that mediates primarily between the theories of Searle and Kittay. This semantic intentionality theory of metaphor is grounded in a compositional general semantic account and claims that for metaphor to be present, there must be (1) an appropriate conventional meaning of the linguistic item to be used, (2) a propitious discourse situation (context), and (3) a metaphorically competent speaker/writer who intends to speak/write metaphorically. Metaphor turns out to be a speaker/writer's semantic use of conventional meaning to express a meaning inexpressible in literal language. Most metaphor is therefore entirely novel; conventional metaphors are rare. There is a radical blurring of the traditional semantic and pragmatic categories. Metaphorical meaning is semantic in nature and must be sharply distinguished from metaphorical interpretation. It arises when speakers' metaphorical intentions (possibly not fully conscious) operate to select appropriate conventional meanings whose respective affinity and contrast relations with other items in their semantic fields are transferred to organize and structure a semantic field not previously structured by those specific relations. There is no special kind of metaphorical truth nor does the theory require a specific general theory of truth to the exclusion of others. Metaphor is more cognitively important and widespread in natural language than philosophers used to think. But it is less widespread than some current philosophical theories of metaphor claim: they tend to overlook the vast polysemy in literal language and often (wrongly) assimilate a synchronic account of metaphor to a diachronic account.

何巧儀.
Thesis (M.Phil.)--香港中文大學硏究院哲學學部.
Manuscript.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 185-193).
He Qiaoyi.
Thesis (M.Phil.)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue yan jiu yuan zhe xue xue bu.
序言 --- p.I
Chapter 第一章 --- 卡茲對正統哲學分析的批評 --- p.1
Chapter (1) --- 導言 --- p.1
Chapter (2) --- 正統哲學分析的兩大派別 --- p.8
Chapter (2.1) --- 特構語言學派 --- p.8
Chapter (2.2) --- 日常語言學派 --- p.19
Chapter (3) --- 卡茲對正統哲學分析的批評 --- p.29
Chapter (3.1) --- 1對特構語言學派的批評 --- p.31
Chapter (3.2) --- 對日常語言學派的批評 --- p.33
Chapter (4) --- 論現代語言學對哲學分析的貢獻 --- p.37
Chapter 第二章 --- 經驗語意學的科學基礎──轉換生成學派的理論架構 --- p.45
Chapter (1) --- 轉換生成學派的基本概念 --- p.46
Chapter (1.1) --- 合規語句的無限集 --- p.46
Chapter (1.2) --- 應用語言的『創造能力』 --- p.50
Chapter (1.3) --- 『語言能力』和『語言行為』的區分 --- p.51
Chapter (1.4) --- 何謂『生成』？ --- p.54
Chapter (1.5) --- 『語言描述』和『語言理論』的區分 --- p.57
Chapter (2) --- 轉換生成文法的結構 --- p.67
Chapter (2.1) --- 基底成份 --- p.67
Chapter (2.2) --- 轉換成份 --- p.83
Chapter (3) --- 論轉換生成文法的功能及其限制 --- p.88
Chapter 第三章 --- 卡茲語意學的原理及其應用 --- p.92
Chapter (1) --- 語意理論的內容 --- p.95
Chapter (1.1) --- 理論辭典 --- p.95
Chapter (1.2) --- 投射規則 --- p.101
Chapter (2) --- 『卡茲進路』的優點 --- p.113
Chapter (3) --- 『分析性』的界定 語意理論的應用 --- p.115
Chapter (3.1) --- 瑰英對『析合區分』的批評 --- p.116
Chapter (3.2) --- 卡茲對『分析性』的論文定義 --- p.126
Chapter 第四章 --- 對卡茲語意學的評估 --- p.133
Chapter (1) --- 卡茲對正統哲學分析的誤解 --- p.136
Chapter (1.1) --- 有關經驗基礎的錯誤要求 --- p.136
Chapter (1.2) --- 有關理論建構的錯誤要求 --- p.142
Chapter (2) --- 哲學方法應否是經驗的？ --- p.147
Chapter (3) --- 卡茲語意學的理論困難 --- p.154
Chapter (3.1) --- 語言理論和語言描述缺乏邏輯關連 --- p.155
Chapter (3.2) --- 哲學解答缺乏理論根據 --- p.161
Chapter (4) --- 卡茲的語言哲學和分析哲學的混淆 --- p.165
結論 --- p.170
註釋 --- p.173
附̐錄£ح̐一£خ --- p.179
附̐錄£ح̐二£خ --- p.184
參考書目 --- p.185

The current vast sociocultural shift from Modernism to PostModernism forms the backdrop to this study. Whenever paradigm shifts occur, the metaphors which depict human experience and identity also change. The mechanistic metaphors of Modernism are giving way to metaphors derived from art and literature, in particular narrative theory. Self, as one of the most pivotal notions in philosophy, literature, and psychology, should not be excluded from this process of reconceptualisation. As the point of intersection between the personal and the cultural, the notion of Self now needs to bereformulated to become more coherent with Post-Modernist ideas. Within this framework the Modernist notion of a Self which is unified, substantial, and stable across all contexts, is deconstructed in this study to reveal the linguistic and ideological codes and conventions which are used in its construction. It is proposed that the Self can be viewed as embedded in relationship with others and as inscribed by the prevailing cultural ideologies regarding personhood. As such the Self can be regarded as held together reflexively by narrative codes and conventions. These ideas are demonstrated in an analysis of two written self-narratives and applied to the conventions and practices in psychotherapy.
Psychology
D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

博士
國立臺灣大學
哲學研究所
95
Laozi and Mulamadhyamakakarika are two important classics of Daoism and Buddhism respectively. This study compares the two texts in terms of the following three topics: Linguistic Strategy, Oppositional Thinking, and the Viewpoint of Being(you) and Non-being(wu). According to Laozi and Mulamadhyamakakarika, the meaning of ‘The Way’ (Dao) and ‘Emptiness’ (wunyata) cannot be fully expressed in words, yet both texts employ certain linguistic strategies by which they convey the inexpressible. To Laozi the inexpressible could be ascribed to the subtlety of the operation of opposites. To Mulamadhyamakakarika on the other hand, one of the reasons that Emptiness is inexpressible is because it transcends all dualistic thinking. By looking at the two opposites of being and non-being, we can further distinguish differing viewpoints and pivotal subjects from the two scriptures. The clues of linguistic strategy, oppositional thinking, and the viewpoint of being and non-being, therefore, constitute the axis of my discussion of the two classics. In what follows, I shall briefly list the conclusions from this research as contained in chapters 2 to 4. In chapter 2, I take the contrasting methods of recto/verso and confirmation/negation to be the linguistic strategies employed by Laozi and Mulamadhyamakakarika. From this I conclude that four similarities can be distinguished from their usage: firstly, both of strategies are responses to the ineffable Dao and wunyata; secondly, both reveal the paradoxical trickiness between expressible and non-expressible in terms of use of strategies; thirdly, both linguistic strategies display dynamics and ingenuity; and lastly, the ingenious application of these strategies at times causes a certain degree of misunderstanding. In chapter 3, I point out that Laozi and Mulamadhyamakakarika take entirely different standpoints with regard to the worldly oppositional concepts. In Laozi, the universe consists of dualistic components which stand in opposition to each other. While constantly changing, each of these oppositional factors remains subject to the vicissitudes of growth and decline between itself and its opposite. The questions of how to maintain balance in this dualistic world so as to save ourselves from decay, how to attain immortality, and how to accomplish everything without action are Laozi’s main philosophical concerns. By contrast, Mulamadhyamakakarika aims to get beyond all duality by way of examining identity/confirmation and difference/negation between oppositional sides. Hence, it is clear that the two scriptures develop vastly differing theoretical models with which to view the worldly opposites. In chapter 4, I take the oppositional terms of being (you) and non-being (wu) as instances of comparison. Laozi views you and wu as the origins of all things in the universe and advises us to pierce through the mysterious Dao by observing the profundity of you and wu in order to realize an everlasting life. By contrast, Mulamadhyamakakarika considers the views of being and non-being as manifestations of mental attachment. To realize nirvana will require the eradication of these two views. In section 3, I compare these two vastly differing viewpoints of being and non-being, including their usage, theoretical foundation, and practical implications, involving the discussion of the Daoist law of vicissitudes and Buddhist theory of dependent arising (pratitya-samutpada) . Though both classics reveal skillful ways of responding to the inexpressible and laying emphasis on the flexibility, detachment, and ingenuity of linguistic strategy, at the same time we find that their foundations of thought and wisdom are quite divergent. By contrasting these two scriptures, we discover that the core philosophies of Chinese Daoism and Indian Buddhism are diametrically opposed. Laozi represents the tradition of Chinese Philosophy which, along with Zhuangzi and Yi embodied in the thought of ‘Three Profound Books’, puts forward a kind of dualistic philosophy that emphasizes change, dialectic, harmony and unity of the opposites. Mulamadhyamakakarika, however, follows the philosophy of the Agama and Prajbaparamita sutras and propounds the pursuit of liberation through eradicating attachment to dualistic concepts by way of the Indian Buddhist Philosophical systems of Non-Duality and the Middle Way. Hence, early Daoism and Buddhism are proved to be two dissimilar models of wisdom. In sum, having investigated the fundamental insights of Daoism and Buddhism via the philosophical systems of Laozi, as the first patriarch of Daoism, and Nagarjuna, as the ‘second Buddha’ or the ‘common patriarch of Chinese Buddhism’, this study concludes that these two philosophers propose two totally different philosophical views which shed light on the divergent goals of attaining a long life and attaining nirvana respectively. Through the inheritance of later generations, however, the two systems meet and converge on the Chinese mainland to shape the overall trend of Chinese Buddhism.