Hostility or tolerance? Philosophy, polyphony and the novels of Thomas Pynchon

This thesis undertakes a systematic, tripartite analysis of the interactions between the fiction and essays of Thomas Pynchon and the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein, Michel Foucault and Theodor W. Adorno, resulting in a solid set of original reference-material for those undertaking work on Pynchon and philosophy, or more generally on philosophico-literary intersections. Premised upon the notion that Pynchon's literature harbours a fundamental hostility to much systematizing philosophical thought, this work avoids a dominating imposition of philosophy, or an application of philosophical thought as a validating Other, by examining those aspects of Pynchon's work that seem ill at ease with, or aggressive towards, aspects of each philosopher's thought. This is explored through the concept of an intra-textual polyvocality and relational situation of philosophical intersection; when Wittgenstein is cited, for instance, who is speaking and what are the connotations of that placement? I do not propose, therefore, a Wittgensteinian / Foucauldian / Adornian Pynchon, but rather explicitly highlight excluded aspects of thought to instead develop a complementary reading; a form of intersubjective triangulation. This polyvocality is examined from a univocal perspective. The specific conclusions of this work re-situate Pynchon, in many cases against forty years of critical consensus, as a quasi-materialist or at least anti-idealist, a regulative utopist and a practitioner of an anti-synthetic style akin to Adorno's model of negative dialectics. In a broader sense, it answers the questions regarding hostility towards philosophical thought in Pynchon's work by demonstrating that no single philosophical standpoint has yet to totally resonate with even one of his novels. Simultaneously, it also shows that a profitable approach can be found in the spaces of philosophical overlap and divergence

Doctor and new patient communication : the influence of a priori assumptions

PhD ThesisDoctor-patient communication is fundamental to the therapeutic relationship necessary to achieve mutual understanding of the implications and impact of illness, diagnostic and treatment decisions, and health outcomes. It is recognised that both patient and doctor come with their own perspectives, beliefs and agendas. This quasi-ethnographic study explores the influence of the doctor’s own a priori assumptions on their communication with a new patient. Methods Cognitive interviewing was used prior to consultations to explore the doctor’s thoughts triggered by the referral information. The relevant subsequent consultations were audio recorded, as were loosely structured interviews after the consultation, during which the doctor reflected on what had been said and why. All data was subjected to qualitative thematic analysis. Conclusion The source, content and format of referrals are significant and doctors approach the information about the patient with their own perspectives, beliefs and experiences. The existence of assumptions and stereotypes appear to be triggered when processing the information. Doctors begin to develop the communication with the patient, based on their expectations of themselves and of the patient, before the patient is seen. During the consultation, some a priori assumptions were observed to be significant. A priori assumptions are influential to the communication with the patient and can result in communication not anticipated by the clinician. The relationship achieved with the patient during the consultation can be understood in the context of the concepts of recognition and presence

Dismantling the dominant narrative of the irreversibility of schizophrenia : three meaning making approaches to psychosis

The dominant discourse of schizophrenia as an incurable and biologically determined disease was interrogated through the lenses of race, culture, postmodern philosophy as well as quantitative and qualitative data suggesting a causal relationship between trauma and psychosis (Ensink, 1992; Read, J., van Os, J., Morrison, A.P. and Ross, C. A., 2005; Romme and Escher, 1989, 1996, 2000). The superior outcomes of those treatment models that privileged psychosocial support over pharmaceutical interventions also called into question the primacy of the medical model, as did the longitudinal studies of the World Health Organization (WHO) and over-representation in diagnosis among African Americans (Osiezagha, in press). According to the WHO, individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia in non-industrialized countries had better outcomes than those in industrialized countries (Whitaker, 2010). Practitioners of Open Dialogue found that with increased social support 70% of those being treated for psychosis were able to recover without the use of neuroleptics, and that there was a negative correlation between use of neuroleptics and remission of symptoms (Seikkula and Arnkil, 2006). Forces that perpetuate the primacy of the medical model were explored including: individual and cultural countertransference; the financial interests of the pharmaceutical industry; and Western culture\u27s privileging of rationalism, individualism and scientific thinking. The following meaning-making approaches to psychosis, all of which emphasize subjective experience, were examined: the Hearing Voices Movement; individual psychotherapy as informed by the interpersonalists (Sullivan, Fromm-Reichmann, Karon), intersubjectivists (Lysaker, Daroyanni, Orange, Atwood, Stolorow) and the phenomenological psychiatrists (Stanghellini); and the approach of Open Dialogue (Seikkula) developed in province of Western Lapland, Finland. Points of overlap and points of disjunction in the way these three approaches conceptualize psychosis, healing and treatment was explored with focus on power dynamics, interpersonal healing, medication, hospitalization, and the course and frequency of treatment. Case material was utilized to highlight the concepts discussed in this research that concluded with implications for current practice in the contemporary context of the United States

The Varieties of Contemplative Experiences and Practices

While the diverse contemplative techniques are employed across a plethora of traditions around the world, contemplative research over the years has not reflected this variety. Despite growing interest in research on meditation, studies in contemplative science have largely focused on a narrow selection of practices (e.g., mindfulness, compassion, etc.) and traditions (i.e. Buddhism, Transcendental Meditation etc.). By choosing this topic, we hope to broaden the scope of contemplative science

Intercorporeality - Merleau-Ponty’s Ontology of Flesh and Butoh Dance Practice

This research project is interdisciplinary and intercultural. Broadly, it moves between the practices of phenomenology and dance in order to contribute in an original way to contemporary debates associated with a so-called 'somatic turn' in recent critical theory. Specifically, the project engages with the phenomenology/ontology of the late Merleau-Ponty, and with Butoh, a dance form that emerged in Japan in the late 1950s, having sources in Noh Theatre and Kabuki and western Expressionist Dance. What these practices bring to the broad contemporary debates concerning somatic/embodiment, in methodologically distinct ways, is a focus on intercorporeality; a phenomenon/experience/lived concept that, in Merleau-Ponty’s later work, increasingly replaces earlier notions of intersubjectivity, thus decentering the western, epistemological concept of the (humanist) “subject” and emphasising instead an anonymous, pre-personal basis of existence. The project as a whole draws largely on my own original research of an as yet largely un-researched constellation of source materials and practices. It also contributes to Merleau-Pontean scholarship by examining Merleau-Pontean ideas that have still not been fully exploited, and exploring possible relationships between this material and Eastern philosophical views of embodiment. A further important aspect of the originality of my work is its methodological approach as I also discuss issues of intercorporeality and the pre-personal experientially, through lived practice and interrogations of Butoh. Here, engagement with the intercorporeal/prepersonal is through processes of enactment and it is my own body that is the major instrument of data-collection. This methodological emphasis is important since a large part of Merleau-Ponty’s later project was also centred on methodology, namely his ongoing search for appropriate philosophical ‘instruments’ and for a philosophical language able, paradoxically, to open up the realm of pre-reflexive/pre-linguistic being and learn from it