Böcker utgivna av AREEB IRSHAD

It is commonly thought that external influences such as indoctrination, coercion, and subtle manipulation can affect our status as morally responsible agents. In extreme cases, external interventions may undermine our moral responsibility altogether. Some philosophers seek to benefit from these considerations in arguing against compatibilism, the thesis that moral responsibility is compatible with the truth of determinism. Usually we get a case of some agent in a deterministic universe who, through the workings of some nefarious manipulator, has had many of his desires, values, or pro-attitudes erased and replaced by alien ones which then lead him to perform some action. The premises of the argument claim that 1) this agent is not responsible for his action, and 2) with regards to moral responsibility, there is no relevant difference between the manipulated agent and a standard agent in a deterministic universe.

Until recently little philosophical attention has been paid to ethical issues arising within the family. This has changed in the past few decades, and a growing body of literature has developed on the obligations that exist within families. However, one area of family ethics that remains under-theorized is the nature of children's obligations to their parents. What, if anything, do children owe their parents? And, on what parts of the filial relationship are obligations based.My argument runs along three major lines that correspond to the chapters of this dissertation. In the first chapter, I claim that the two dominant theories of filial obligation, the friendship theory and the gratitude theory, have serious flaws. Both theories fail to account for a significant part of the filial relationship.

In this thesis, I will explore the epistemological evolutionary debunking arguments in meta-ethics (EDA). I will defend these arguments by accomplishing two tasks: (1) I will offer the best (i.e., most detailed and precise) way to understand the EDA and (2) I will also respond to two strongest objections to the EDAFirstly, in Part I of this thesis, I will offer my account of how the EDA should be best formulated. I will start from how evolution has significantly influenced our moral beliefs. I will then explain why, due to their evolutionary origin, our moral beliefs are not tracking the moral truth reliably. Furthermore, I will argue that the fact that our moral beliefs are not tracking the moral truth also provides an undercutting and a higher-order defeater for those beliefs. As a result, I will conclude that the epistemic status of our moral beliefs is undermined because of these two kinds of defeaters.Secondly, in Part II of this thesis, I will turn my attention to the two strongest objections to the EDA- the Conceptual Truth Objection and the Third Factor Objection. I will first offer two responses to the Conceptual Truth Objection and, based on these two responses, I will argue that the Conceptual Truth Objection fails as a challenge to the EDA. I will then also argue that there currently doesn't exist an acceptable version of the Third Factor Objection and it is also unlikely that such a version could be constructed in the future. I will finally conclude that both objections are problematic and they are thus unable to give us reason to doubt the EDA.

As I grew up in my hometown of Rock Falls, Illinois, listening to the radio, I often heard advertisements for a videogame retail store called Video Games ETC! The commercials were quite typical. They frequently detailed how they had "the latest and greatest video games and consoles!" And like any good business they had a tagline at the end of every commercial. Amidst a flurry of distorted rock guitar chords I heard, "Video games ETC! Just a game? I DON'T THINK SO!" As a child I agreed with this statement, but as an adult I feel compelled to defend it. This simple commercial tagline effectively responds to the prevailing negative attitudes toward playing videogames as a meaningful endeavor. This tagline conveys the attitudes of gamers in U.S. culture by claiming implicitly that videogames are more than just games, and the extent to which we are willing to take videogames "seriously." In this chapter, I provide an overview of my thesis performance project and the ideas that caused me to link videogames and performance together. Second, I examine a literal and performative understanding of videogames. Third, I discuss the ways videogames function as a method of performing self through my own narratives. Then, I emphasize how videogames are connected with and through culture by means of technological performance. Finally, I preview and discuss the specific research questions I answer in later chapters.

The historical and intellectual backgrounds of some influential movements in Saudi Arabia, within a binary framework of liberal/conservative or modernist/fundamentalist. Thus, I have to examine the religious and intellectual differences of those movements that may lead to creating conflicts between them. In addition, this study provides possible solutions to conflicts and schism between schools of thought in Saudi Arabia, by focusing particularly on moderate Islamic thought as a new movement that may promote greater harmony. This is shown by looking critically into the thought and views of Dr Salman al-Odah, widely considered to be one of the most important moderate thinkers in Saudi Arabia; beginning as an extreme Salafi, he underwent a drastic transformation in his thinking and attitudes. This concludes that moderate Islamic thought can allow us to obtain a clear and better understanding of the main reasons for the struggle between different movements, and apply that on Saudi society, instead of attacking others who have opposing attitudes or different beliefs. It is also important to mention that this plurality of thought is very important for developing the freedom to express opinions within the confines of the law in the application of religious or philosophical ideas. The thesis also concludes that such approaches will help promote dialogue and understanding between different groups or schools of thought. It is hoped that this can also develop cognitive skills, through the exchange of ideas and views between different schools and intellectual movements.

Taking the use of the logos in Ratzinger's Regensburg Lecture as its starting point, the thesis expands three horizons in Ratzinger studies. Firstly, it extends the understanding of Ratzinger as the author of a logos theology. Secondly, it shows how the Regensburg theme of the full breadth of reason, represented by the logos, is applied by Ratzinger in a critique of secular modernity. Thirdly, it claims that the logos theology of Joseph Ratzinger can provide a repair of the culture of human rights. The thesis argues that if human rights are set exclusively within the framework of secular modernity, they fall sick and fail to meet the criterion of inclusivity and universality. Set within the framework of a Ratzingerian logos theology, their power is strengthened and their promise of inclusivity and universality restored. The thesis calls for a mutually reparative dialogue about human rights, based on the full breadth of reason, between the three constituencies of Christianity, the religions and secular modernity. The thesis concludes that the Regensburg Lecture, far from damaging the dialogue with Islam, and with secular modernity, opens up a new intercultural bridge based on a mutually enriching engagement with a logos-based culture of human rights.

John Brown (1715-1766) has been portrayed by historians for generations as the archetypal Jeremiah. Depressed about the state of his country, he predicted the collapse of Britain in foreign war or by national bankruptcy. The main negative argument of the An Estimate of the Manners and the Principles of the Times (1757) was that effeminacy and luxury sprang from vast wealth and trade and would soon ruin the nation. In this thesis I contend that this idea does not capture the essence of Brown. John Brown's fascinated contemporaries not only because it was a cynical attack on contemporary commercial society. Actually, the Estimate is worthy of attention because Brown was a reformer of a particular kind. The central argument of this thesis is that in order to explore the Estimate as more than a political worry, as in fact a complicated and positive reform strategy, great attention needs to be paid to his politics and philosophy. None of the studies on Brown have taken his politics sufficiently seriously as a contribution to the reform philosophies of his time. This thesis is the first detailed study of the Estimate, its origins, arguments, reception and defence. The analysis of the Estimate can cast more light on the understanding of reform strategies during the enlightenment era and also their limits. This thesis indicates that Brown was less radical and more constructive than studies to date have imagined. In this thesis the extent of the impact of Brown's claims is measured, and the manner by which Brown's work served to highlight contrasting reform philosophies is emphasised. Therefore the aim of the thesis is to show the full extent of the reform plan Brown envisaged, unifying the moral, religious and political aspects of his thought.

Despite the federal government's $1.5 billion investment between 1993 and 2010 to fund 164 separate community-based systems of care, there has been an extremely limited attempt to measure the impact of system of care. The impetus for this research is the struggle for how the value based concept of system of care is communicated within a community. While child mental health services researchers have published a number of randomized control trials to explore individual level supports for youth served in a system of care community, researchers have struggled to devise a way to measure system of care philosophy diffusion.While system of care is a system level intervention, this study explored the role of the system of care value: family voice as it pertains to direct practice for children and families. The goal was to assess whether specific direct practices regularly associated with system of care (i.e., wraparound or home-based services) lead to greater family voice or if the mere presence of a high-functioning system of care community leads to equal family voice for all receiving community-based services.

Natural disasters are social disruptions triggered by physical events. Every year, hundreds of natural disasters occur and tens of thousands of people are killed as a result. I maintain that everyone would want to be provided with assistance in the aftermath a natural disaster. If a national government is not providing post-disaster assistance, then we expect that some other institution has the responsibility to provide it. Unfortunately, that is not the case currently. Therefore, in this thesis I argue that in some situations the international community is required to intervene on behalf of those affected by the disaster caused by a natural hazard. Natural disaster intervention is a moral requirement: because the international community has a duty to provide the goods we are entitled to as per the human right to welfare, even in natural disaster scenarios. After making my argument as to why a natural disaster intervention policy should be developed I explain the basic principles of such a policy by applying the Just War criteria to natural disaster scenarios in which a national government is unable or unwilling to provide assistance to its people.

This thesis examines the theme of women's madness in the 1960s and 1970s through the works of four English and French writers and film-makers: Chantal Akerman, Emma Santos, Jane Arden and Mary Barnes. It examines how these four writers and film-makers inscribe madness into their texts from a sociological angle, presenting the texts and films discussed as socio-historical artefacts while analysing each writer and film-maker's representation of women's madness.Inspired by psychologist Phyllis Chesler, who argues that madness is tied to socially defined gender roles and used to demarcate violations of expected gendered behaviour, this research analyses various manifestations of 'madness' from the everyday madness of Chantal Akerman, to psychiatrically incarcerated madness in the texts of Emma Santos, to madness influenced by anti-psychiatry through the works of Jane Arden, to complete immersion in anti-psychiatry with Mary Barnes. The interdisciplinary and cross-cultural nature of this thesis combines fields from both English and French studies, from the study of female writers and film-makers, psychoanalytic theory, the history of psychiatry and how they intersect with gender combined with contemporary feminist writings of philosophy, psychology, and theology.

The aim of this thesis was to explore the implementation of the mental skills training programme My Strengths Training for Life¿ (MST4Life¿) delivered to young people experiencing homelessness. After reviewing the literature in Chapter 1 and providing an overview of the underpinning research philosophy and methods in Chapter 2, Chapter 3 investigated the extent to which MST4Life¿ was delivered in the intended delivery style using observations and facilitator self-reflection forms. Informed by and building on findings from Chapter 3, Chapter 4 presents a systematic review that examined process evaluations of positive youth development (PYD) programmes for disadvantaged (or at-risk) youth. The systematic review examined the quality of the studies, methods used and barriers and enablers that these studies experienced in implementing PYD programmes to this population. Chapter 5 explored the extent to which MST4Life¿ was delivered in the intended style from the perspective of programme participants through thematically analysing diary room entries. This chapter also explored the challenges and barriers to young people's engagement in MST4Life¿. Chapter 6 examined the feasibility of a study protocol designed to investigate the extent to which the training was delivered as intended to frontline service staff implementing MST4Life¿. In this study, pre- and post-training data from training recipients were also collected to examine outcomes of the training and to enhance understanding how the training was implemented. Overall, this thesis makes a novel contribution to the discipline of sport and exercise psychology by highlighting the importance of conducting process evaluations to investigate the implementation of programmes or interventions. This thesis also makes vital contributions for frontline services supporting young people at-risk of or experiencing homelessness, demonstrating key programme components to promote young people's engagement as well as providing evidence that it is possible to train frontline service staff to deliver psychologically informed programmes with fidelity to delivery style.