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    Losing one's (Cartesian) mind : a problem with Descartes's proof : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Philosophy at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1994) Leary, Kevin John
    According to Descartes, the Meditations and Objections and Replies contain a logically sound proof that he has a Cartesian mind, along with a comprehensive explanation of that proof. A close look at these texts, however, reveals that things are not quite as sound and comprehensive as Descartes says they are. For the proof -- which is formally presented in the Sixth Meditation -- contains a dubious premise. When some of his objectors point this out, Descartes replies that the truth of the premise was firmly established in the Second Meditation. But this comes as a rather startling reply, since in the Second Meditation itself, and numerous other ,places, Descartes (quite correctly) denies that such a premise is ever established there. So, in spite of Descartes's attempt to locate a justification for it, the said premise remains unjustified and dubious. In the pages that follow I try to present this criticism in more detail. In doing so I examine several parts of the Meditations. Descartes makes it fairly clear that the Sixth Meditation proof is not isolated from the rest of the Meditations, but rather is to a great extent motivated and driven by the material that precedes it. So, as well as examining the Sixth Meditation proof, I also examine the 'method of doubt' in the First Meditation, the cogito ergo sum and sum res cogitans passages in the Second Meditation, and the passages concerned with clear and distinct ideas and God in the Third, Fourth and Fifth Meditations. Once the import of these passages becomes clear, it becomes relatively easy to see the weakness in Descartes's proof that he has a Cartesian mind.
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    The question concerning the environment: a Heideggerian approach to environmental philosophy : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Philosophy at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2008) Bowyer, Lynne
    This thesis will engage with the thinking of Martin Heidegger in order to show that our environmental problems are the necessary consequences of our way of 'knowing' the world. Heidegger questions the abstract, theoretical approach that the Western tradition has to 'knowledge', locating 'knowledge' in the human 'subject', an interior self, disengaged from and standing over against the other-than-human world, as external 'object'. Such an approach denies a voice to the other-than-human in the construction of 'knowledge'. Heidegger maintains that we are not a disembodied intellect, but rather we are finite, self-interpreting beings, embodied in a physical, social and historical context, for whom things matter. In view of this, he discards traditional notions of 'knowledge', in favour of understanding and interpretation. Accordingly, he develops what can be called a dialectical ontology, whereby we come to understand and interpret ourselves and other beings in terms of our involved interactions. This involved understanding acknowledges the participation of other-than-human beings in constructing an interpretation of the world, giving them a voice. Following Heidegger's way of thinking, I suggest that by developing an ontological-ethic, a way of dwelling-in-the-world based on a responsive engagement with other-than- human entities, we can disclose a world that makes both the other-than- human and humanity possible.
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    Bewhoherenow : philosophy of existing sense : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Ph. D. in Social Policy and Social Work at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1995) Goodwillie, Craig
    body is[born and sustained through] sacrifice. i see mind seek immortalityandomnipotence through sacrifice. i see mind over body - mind rooting divide in subtraction of orgasmic from being[beingintheworld] to body to part[orgasm] to non i see mind rage [Laing] - where there was once here - rapeing here. seeyouhere [appealing]. argument [syllogism]. i, bodimentofbeing [eg Laing] iam bewhoherenow lookdown. iambody in Pain. The mutual repulsion of profane and sacred [Gould on sacred Hindu law]. profanity [of body] is polluted in embodying [pollution in her] and the sacrifice [decay and death - of zeroing body] - purifies sacred. Based on Gould's summary of the underlying assumptions of Hindu sacred law in chapter four "Priests and Conrapriests" (1967) In Gould, Harold A. (1987) The Hindu Caste System: The Sacralization of a Social Order. Chanakya: Delhi. p. 111. Reprinted from Contributions to Indian Sociology. New Series, No. 1, pp 28-57. pain embodimentofbeing [eg Kierkegaard guilts] therefore pain splacematterenergytime [Zeno on splacematterenergytime] splacematterenergytime therefore physics [physics - enlightenment testing ground for cause and effect. Einstein is the light speed observer - observing as fast as impossible with all else in train[slaved]. Newton masters gravity. Chaos is unpredictable slave. Second law of thermodynamics is mastery of slavery. Determinism - master[cause] and slave[effect] - exposed.] physics therefore chemistry [cell bodies], biology [organic bodies], psychology [human body], sociology [human bodies] physics therefore economy [shop - supply of body mastered and demand of body slaved], therefore law [keep shop] and policy [shop front] physics therefore mathematics [dominating human language. the right angle [triangle, hypotenuse, point of view] from Pythagorus and the zeroing of infinity from Indian grammar as void shape [the view of] mind.] physics of mathematics therefore philosophy of mathematics [the form of Plato called first cause by Aristotle and named one by Parmenides and Ptolemy mythologise shape as truth.] mathematics therefore logic [proofing the dominance of mathematics as dominant perspective. Leibniz puts one[everything] and zero[nothing] in Aristotle's syllogism and Boole starts crunching medium of english.] language therefore body [language is metaphor - the naming of] therefore is am i [who] was seen before [then] and therefore pain is becoming in between being inbetweenbeing - etheranderos - heavenandearth and [therefore] creation becomes kill[determined] [sacrifice]. sense [evidence]. inaffinity i body being in words [sound] in paper [light] in hand [body] and water [blood] and inaffinity [analogy] i syllogism. i syllogism to immortality [aim of mind] and syllogism immortality to death [target]. i deal summarily with logic [Aristotle, Leibniz, Boole, Russell and others] language [Panini, Itkonen, Laing, Burke and others] law [Williams, Waddams and others] mathematics [Sarton, Kline, Weyl and others] physics [Zeno, Pythagorus, Newton, Einstein] chemistry [Van Helmont, Brock, Hoagland] biology [Malthus, Darwin, Carson] sociology [Milgram] psychology [Skinner] economy [Smith, Marx, Stigler, Mumford] policy [Machiavelli, Orwell] and mythology [Upanishads, Plato, da Vinci, Galileo, Kant]. i quote directly or quote quote from recognised source. i use subheadings. i sound wordsounds [eg bodyandsoul] i emotion for sound [errors abound]. conclusion [assumptions]. beingintheworld is[the way of the world]. body is mind is being. mind is grasping[knots] itself. mind is lost[without body]. presumption [prediction]. beingwhole [therefore] letgoofyourself [advice given] and shebehere. [500 words]
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    A semantic framework for the delivery of e-government information and services : the case of New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Information Systems at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2011) Zhou, Jia
    The motivation for the research was to add to the body of knowledge associated with the design and construction of a semantic framework that would serve the needs of the e-government community. The purpose of the thesis was to investigate whether a semantic framework could be described and created in order to establish a foundation reference model for the subsequent delivery of governmental information and services across the Internet. New Zealand Parliament and local government council were used as a representative domain, where the research question could be addressed and from which general inferences could be made about the delivery of government information across the Internet. An embedded case study research methodology was employed in this research. The process began by constructing a semantic framework which was then instantiated with information from New Zealand government agencies. Information was then retrieved from the ontology using a query-driven web browser interface. The resulting artefact was evaluated using a triangulated mixed method approach involving expert judgement, simulation analysis and metrics based on the OntoQA method. Two key conclusions can be made from this research. Firstly, the results of the comprehensive evaluation regime supported the view that the prototype semantic framework constructed to support the delivery of New Zealand governmental information to users in both a stand-alone environment or via a portal, was found to be effective and efficient. Given the similarity of the format and structure of New Zealand?s national and local government agencies to jurisdictions overseas there is optimism that the framework could be imported into other e-government initiatives. Secondly, the processes associated with the design and development of the semantic framework and browser interface were carefully monitored and recorded in accordance with design science research practice. Developers and researchers of e-government would find the results of this research activity, both from an e-government or design science research perspective, informative and useful.