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Grossetestean scholarship routinely asserts the inventiveness of the Bishop of Lincoln (c.1170-1253), particularly in reference to the way he attempted to synthesise newly emergent peripatetic philosophy within a distinctly Augustinian theological framework. The result was a highly original, comprehensive epistemology influenced by Grosseteste's natural philosophic work on optics. The conclusions of this natural philosophy are utterly pervasive upon Grosseteste's noetic, and to fully appreciate the genius and comprehensiveness of his 'system' (if one can indeed call it as such), one must attempt to see the theological implications of combining his epistemology with his ontology; that is, how it fits with his novel cosmogony. This thesis will seek to demonstrate that the theological implications of such a combination are vast. In explicating and combining under-explored constituent ideological parts of Grosseteste's weltanschauung, such as his assent to the Pseudo-Dionsyian notion of 'hierarchy', this thesis will demonstrate that Grosseteste proffers a contemporaneously uncommon, positive anthropology that rests upon humankind's ability to learn and the concomitant spiritual development such an educational journey entails. Crucially, this 'journey' is only possible because of the means by which we can 'travel' at all -creation's divinely orchestrated microcosmistic constitution - and because of our destination - our reunification with God and our potential deification. Finally, in conclusion, this thesis will establish that these implications lead one to surmise that Grosseteste was panentheistic.

The ability to view the world from multiple perspectives is essential for tackling complex, interconnected challenges. Yet conventional academic structures are designed to produce knowledge through ever-increasing specialization and compartmentalization. This fragmentation is often reinforced by tacit dualistic assumptions that prioritize linear thinking and abstract ways of knowing. Though the need for integrated approaches has been widely acknowledged, effective techniques for transcending disciplinary boundaries remain elusive. This thesis describes a practical strategy that uses immersive visualizations to cultivate transdisciplinary perspectives. It develops an enactive approach to cosmography, contending that processes of visualizing and interpreting the cosmos iteratively shape ‘views’ of the ‘world.’ The archetypal trope of the heavenly sphere is examined to demonstrate the significance of its interpretations in this history of ideas. Action research and mixed methods are employed to elucidate the theoretical considerations, cultural relevance, and practical consequences of this approach. The study begins with an investigation into the recurring appearance of the heavenly sphere across time, in which its embodied origins, metaphorical influence, and material embodiments are considered. Particular attention is given to how cosmographic tools and techniques have facilitated imaginary ‘flights’ through the heavens, from the ecstatic bird’s eye view of the shaman to the ‘Archimedean point’ of modern science. It then examines how these cosmographic practices have shaped cosmological beliefs and paradigmatic assumptions. Next, the practical utility of this approach is demonstrated through the development of cosmographic hermeneutics, a technique using visual heuristics to interpret cosmic models from transdisciplinary world views. Finally, the performative practice of cosmotroping is described, in which cosmographic hermeneutics are applied to re-imagine the ancient dream of the transcendent ‘cosmic journey’ within immersive vision theaters. This study concludes that the re-emergence of the heavenly sphere within the contemporary Digital Universe Atlas provides a leverage point for illuminating the complexity of knowledge production processes. It is claimed that this research has produced a practical strategy for demonstrating that the ultimate Archimedean point is the ability to recognize the limits of our own knowledge, a crucial first step in cultivating much-needed multi-perspectival and paradoxical spherical thinking.

There has been to date no attempt at a detailed examination of Aleksandr Grin’s philosophical views interpreted on the basis of his literary work. Whilst some critics have noted interesting links between the writer’s oeuvre and a few popular philosophers, this has usually been done in passing and on an ad hoc basis. This thesis aims to fill this gap by reconstructing Grin’s views in relation to the European philosophical tradition. The main body of the thesis consists of three parts built on and named after three essential themes in philosophy: External World, Happiness and Morality. Part One delineates Grin’s views on nature and civilisation: I argue first that his cult of nature makes it possible to conceive of Grin as a pantheistic thinker close to Rousseau and Bergson, and then I reconstruct the author’s criticism of urbanisation and industrialisation. In the second part I assess the place of happiness in Grin’s world-view, indicating its similarities to the philosophy of various thinkers from the Ancients to Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. After sketching a general picture of the concept of happiness in Grin’s works, I discuss the place of material and immaterial factors in the writer’s outlook. I also gather maxims expressed by the protagonists in his fiction that can be taken as recommendations concerning ways of achieving and defending happiness. Finally, I link happiness with the problem of morality in Grin’s oeuvre. In the final part I examine modes of moral behaviour as displayed by the author’s protagonists. Firstly, I argue that in Grin’s works we find numerous examples and themes that allow us to perceive him as an existentialist. Secondly, I indicate Grin’s adherence to rules of conduct commonly associated with chivalric literature. Thirdly, I emphasise the importance of Promethean-like characters in the moral hierarchy of Grin’s protagonists.

Atheism is now a prominent belief system within Aotearoa (New Zealand) (Gendall & Healey, 2009) and its prevalence in our country calls attention to the need for a better understanding of this worldview. A worldview provides a descriptive model of the world we live in and is considered to be the fundamental cognitive orientation of any individual (Palmer, 1996). My research examined a largely unexplored area of enquiry – the life-world of atheists in Christchurch, New Zealand, with the aim of achieving a better understanding of the ways in which atheists face, and attempt to overcome, a range of challenges. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first Christchurch-based study on atheism. Through the use of semi-structured, in-depth interviews, my exploratory study provides rich descriptions of the personal reflections of 12 Christchurch-based atheists in academic settings. Consistent with previous work (Baggini, 2003; Harding, 2007;Ysseldyk, 2010; Michell, 2009), all of the atheists in my sample identified themselves as naturalistic materialists, repudiated belief in an afterlife, did not practice spiritual activities and did not see purpose built into a universe made entirely of matter-energy. These atheists provide themselves with alternative means of comfort in the absence of supernatural belief and expressed no desire for theistic explanations of currently unexplained phenomena; they preferred a world in which things went unexplained, and viewed the converse as boring. With the exception of two participants, all of those interviewed indicated that apostasy and the shift from theistic belief to positive atheism began in their adolescence, often lasted in excess of ten years and included a significant period of agnosticism. Many of the participants refuted the “Divine Command” theory and provided alternative justifications for their own moral standards. Generally, like previous work (Caldwell-Harris, Wilson, & Beit-Hallahmi, 2010; Vetter & Green, 1932) my research suggests that the atheistic worldview has been adopted for logical reasons. However, considering some of the results from my research, I also acknowledge the possibility of emotionally-charged psychological influences in the formation and dismantling of worldviews. Whatever the reasons why participants adopted their atheistic worldviews, their new interpretations of the world changed how they felt about and how they reacted to life challenges. Hence, once adopted, not only did their worldviews provide “both a sketch of and a blueprint for reality; describing what they saw and stipulating what they should see,” (Olthuis, 1985, p. 29) but feelings and reactions towards events also changed accordingly.

La doctrina de la Weltanschauung de R. Guardini es la propuesta gnoseológica de poner a Cristo como centro y medida del ser humano y de la entera realidad. Sólo Cristo, desde su distancia divina, posee la mirada plena sobre la existencia humana, conoce la verdadera realidad tal y como es, en su totalidad y concreción. La revelación y la fe, por la que participamos de esa mirada de Cristo, otorgan al pensamiento humano la perspectiva divina desde la que mirar al hombre en su totalidad, sin abstracciones, sin perder la conexión con la existencia real y concreta.