26 research outputs found
By indirections find directions out : thinkable worlds in Abbott and Vonnegut
[à l'origine dans / Was originally part of : ThÚses et mémoires - FAS - Département de littérature comparée]This thesis is concerned with the interaction between literature and abstract thought. More specifically, it studies the epistemological charge of the literary, the type of knowledge that is carried by elements proper to fictional narratives into different disciplines. By concentrating on two different theoretical methods, the creation of thought experiments and the framing of possible worlds, methods which were elaborated and are still used today in spheres as varied as modal logics, analytic philosophy and physics, and by following their reinsertion within literary theory, the research develops the theory that both thought experiments and possible worlds are in fact short narrative stories that inform knowledge through literary means.
By using two novels, Abbottâs Flatland and Vonnegutâs The Sirens of Titan, that describe extra-dimensional existence in radically different ways, respectively as a phenomenologically unknowable space and as an outward perspective on time, it becomes clear that literature is constitutive of the way in which worlds, fictive, real or otherwise, are constructed and understood. Thus dimensions, established through extensional analogies as either experimental knowledge or modal possibility for a given world, generate new directions for thought, which can then take part in the inductive/deductive process of scientia. By contrasting the dimensions of narrative with the way that dimensions were historically constituted, the research also establishes that the literary opens up an infinite potential of abstract space-time domains, defined by their specific rules and limits, and that these different experimental folds are themselves partaking in a dimensional process responsible for new forms of understanding.
Over against science fiction literary theories of speculation that posit an equation between the fictive and the real, this thesis examines the complex structure of many overlapping possibilities that can organise themselves around larger compossible wholes, thus offering a theory of reading that is both non-mimetic and non-causal. It consequently examines the a dynamic process whereby literature is always reconceived through possibilities actualised by reading while never defining how the reader will ultimately understand the overarching structure. In this context, the thesis argues that a causal story can be construed out of any one interaction with a given narrativeâunderscoring, for example, the divinatory strength of a particular vision of the futureâeven as this narrative represents only a fraction of the potential knowledge of any particular literary text. Ultimately, the study concludes by tracing out how novel comprehensions of the literary, framed by the material conditions of their own space and time, endlessly renew themselves through multiple interactions, generating analogies and speculations that facilitate the creation of new knowledge.Cette thĂšse se penche sur lâinteraction entre la littĂ©rature et la pensĂ©e abstraite. Plus spĂ©cifiquement, elle Ă©tudie la charge Ă©pistĂ©mologique du littĂ©raire, le type de savoir qui est transportĂ© par des Ă©lĂ©ments propres aux narrations fictives vers dâautres champs disciplinaires. En ce concentrant sur deux mĂ©thodes thĂ©oriques, la crĂ©ation dâexpĂ©riences de pensĂ©e et lâĂ©tablissement de mondes possibles, des mĂ©thodes qui ont Ă©tĂ© Ă©laborĂ©es et sont toujours dâusage aujourdâhui dans des disciplines aussi variĂ©es que la logique modale, la philosophie analytique et la physique, et en suivant leur rĂ©insertion Ă mĂȘme la thĂ©orie littĂ©raire, la recherche dĂ©veloppe la postulat que les expĂ©riences de pensĂ©e et les mondes possibles sont en fait de courtes histoires narratives qui informent le savoir par des moyens littĂ©raire.
En utilisant Flatland de Abbott et The Sirens of Titan de Vonnegut, deux romans qui dĂ©crivent lâexistence extra-dimensionnelle de façons radicalement diffĂ©rentes, un espace phĂ©nomĂ©nologiquement inconnaissable chez Abbott et une perspective extĂ©rieure au temps chez Vonnegut, il devient clair que la littĂ©rature est constitutive de la façon quâun mondeâ quâil soit fictif, rĂ©el ou autreâest construit et compris. Ainsi, les dimensions Ă©tablies par des analogies extensionnelles gĂ©nĂšrent de nouvelles directions pour la pensĂ©e, qui peut ensuite prendre part au processus inductif/dĂ©ductif de la scientia. En contrastant les dimensions narratives avec la notion de dimension telle quâelle sâest constituĂ©e historiquement, la recherche Ă©tablit Ă©galement que le littĂ©raire ouvre un potentiel infini de domaines spatiotemporels abstraits, dĂ©finis par leurs rĂšgles et leurs limites spĂ©cifiques, et que ces diffĂ©rents plis expĂ©rimentaux prennent eux-mĂȘmes part dans un processus dimensionnel responsable pour de nouvelles formes de comprĂ©hensions.
Au-delĂ des thĂ©ories spĂ©culatives quâon retrouve dans lâĂ©tude de la science-fiction, oĂč est mise de lâavant une Ă©quation entre le fictif et le rĂ©el, cette thĂšse examine la structure complexe de plusieurs possibilitĂ©s superposĂ©es qui peuvent sâorganiser autour dâensembles compossibles plus importants, ainsi offrant une thĂ©orie de la lecture qui est Ă la fois non- mimĂ©tique et non-causale. En consĂ©quence, lâinvestigation examine un processus dynamique par lequel la littĂ©rature est toujours reconsidĂ©rĂ©e au travers des possibilitĂ©s qui sont actualisĂ©es par la lecture, alors quâelle ne dĂ©finit jamais la comprĂ©hension ultime que le lecteur ou la lectrice se fera de la structure globale du texte. Dans ce contexte, la thĂšse argumente quâune histoire causale peut ĂȘtre crĂ©Ă©e Ă partir de nâimporte quelle interaction avec le texteâ soulignant, par exemple, la force divinatoire dâune vision du futur particuliĂšreâmĂȘme si cette narration ne reprĂ©sente quâune fraction du savoir potentiel contenu Ă lâintĂ©rieur de nâimporte quel texte littĂ©raire particulier. Ultimement, lâĂ©tude conclut en dĂ©crivant comment de nouvelles comprĂ©hensions du texte, encadrĂ©es par les conditions matĂ©rielles de leur propre espace et temps, se renouvellent sans cesse grĂące Ă des interactions multiples, ainsi gĂ©nĂ©rant des analogies et des spĂ©culations qui facilitent la crĂ©ation de nouveaux savoirs
Le paradoxe dans les Alices de Lewis Carroll : la force du littéraire dans la théorisation de l'irrésoluble /
Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.[à l'origine dans / Was originally part of : ThÚses et mémoires - FAS - Département de littérature comparée
Understanding the Cholera Epidemic, Haiti
After onset of a cholera epidemic in Haiti in mid-October 2010, a team of researchers from France and Haiti implemented field investigations and built a database of daily cases to facilitate identification of communes most affected. Several models were used to identify spatiotemporal clusters, assess relative risk associated with the epidemicâs spread, and investigate causes of its rapid expansion in Artibonite Department. Spatiotemporal analyses highlighted 5 significant clusters (p<0.001): 1 near Mirebalais (October 16â19) next to a United Nations camp with deficient sanitation, 1 along the Artibonite River (October 20â28), and 3 caused by the centrifugal epidemic spread during November. The regression model indicated that cholera more severely affected communes in the coastal plain (risk ratio 4.91) along the Artibonite River downstream of Mirebalais (risk ratio 4.60). Our findings strongly suggest that contamination of the Artibonite and 1 of its tributaries downstream from a military camp triggered the epidemic
La figure du « geek » comme stratĂ©gie de lecture Naviguer dans la « pop culture » Ă lâĂšre du surplus culturel
La figure du geek est de plus en plus prĂ©sente dans la culture contemporaine. Cet essai propose de questionner la diffĂ©rence entre les deux groupes de protagonistes trouvĂ©s dans les romans Microserfs et JPod de Coupland. Ainsi il sera possible de circonscrire une figure changeante. Pour clarifier le mot « geek », il sera comparĂ© avec les stĂ©rĂ©otypes de la tronche et du nolife. Les changements ensuite isolĂ©s serviront de symptĂŽmes pour penser la culture contemporaine comme culture de trop-plein.The figure of the geek has been increasingly present in contemporary culture. This investigation proposes to question the discrepancy between the two different groups of geeks found in Couplandâs books Microserfs and JPod in order to map the changes in the geek figure. In order to better understand the word âgeekâ it will be compared to two French stereotypes, the tronche and the nolife. The modifications which may then be noted will be studied as a symptom of contemporary culture as one of excess.La figura del geek estĂĄ cada vez mĂĄs presente en la cultura contemporĂĄnea. Este ensayo se propone interrogar la diferencia entre los dos grupos de personajes presentes en las novelas Microserfs y Jpod dâAron Coupland. Entonces serĂĄ posible delimitar una figura cambiante. Para definir la palabra âgeekâ, esta serĂĄ comparada con los estereotipos de la âjetaâ y de ânolifeâ. Los cambios aislados servirĂĄn como sĂntomas para pensar la cultura contemporĂĄnea como una cultura del exceso
Propagation de fissures trois dimensions et en dynamique rapide
International audienceLe but de ces travaux a été de développer dans le code de dynamique explicite du CEA, EUROPLEXUS, une méthode de propagation des fissures en 3 dimensions dans des matériaux ductiles. Pour cela, la méthode X-FEM a été utilisée pour éviter les remaillages, couplée aux level-sets pour la représentation implicite de la fissure
Etude de la multicontamination des productions végétales de grande culture en conditions de plein champ
Ce 49Ăšme volume de la Revue Innovations Agronomiques regroupe l'ensemble de la restitution des projets Casdar, prĂ©sentĂ©s le 3 novembre 2015.Mycotoxins and trace elements are contaminants whose content in harvested organs is regulated for feed and food. The tightening of European regulations requires to better understand the state and determinism of these contaminations. The proposed approach of multicontaminants raised descriptive and explicative data contamination in field conditions and their cross effects. In order to have a range of soil and climatic situations, the work was based on a permanent national network of plots. The first hypotheses of relationships between environmental factors, the technical process and contaminations were proposed. To ensure reproducibility and traceability of samples and measurements, a sampling guide for wheat and sunflower grains has been defined and validated for the determination of trace element concentrations in wheat grain and sunflower.Les mycotoxines et les Ă©lĂ©ments traces sont des contaminants dont la teneur dans les organes rĂ©coltĂ©s est rĂ©glementĂ©e pour lâalimentation animale et humaine. Le durcissement des rĂšglementations europĂ©ennes entraĂźne la nĂ©cessitĂ© de mieux connaĂźtre lâĂ©tat et le dĂ©terminisme de ces contaminations. Lâapproche multicontaminants proposĂ©e a permis de recueillir des donnĂ©es descriptives et explicatives des contaminations en conditions de plein champ et de leurs effets croisĂ©s. Afin de disposer dâune diversitĂ© de situations pĂ©dologiques et climatiques, les travaux se sont appuyĂ©s sur un rĂ©seau pĂ©renne de parcelles mis en place Ă lâĂ©chelle du territoire national. Des premiĂšres hypothĂšses relatives aux relations entre les facteurs du milieu, lâitinĂ©raire technique et lâapparition des contaminations ont Ă©tĂ© Ă©mises. Pour garantir la reproductibilitĂ© du prĂ©lĂšvement et la traçabilitĂ© des Ă©chantillons et mesures, un guide dâĂ©chantillonnage de grains de blĂ© et de tournesol a Ă©tĂ© dĂ©fini et validĂ© pour la dĂ©termination de la concentration en Ă©lĂ©ments traces dans les grains de blĂ© tendre et de tournesol
Etude de la multicontamination des productions végétales de grande culture en conditions de plein champ
Ce 49Ăšme volume de la Revue Innovations Agronomiques regroupe l'ensemble de la restitution des projets Casdar, prĂ©sentĂ©s le 3 novembre 2015.Mycotoxins and trace elements are contaminants whose content in harvested organs is regulated for feed and food. The tightening of European regulations requires to better understand the state and determinism of these contaminations. The proposed approach of multicontaminants raised descriptive and explicative data contamination in field conditions and their cross effects. In order to have a range of soil and climatic situations, the work was based on a permanent national network of plots. The first hypotheses of relationships between environmental factors, the technical process and contaminations were proposed. To ensure reproducibility and traceability of samples and measurements, a sampling guide for wheat and sunflower grains has been defined and validated for the determination of trace element concentrations in wheat grain and sunflower.Les mycotoxines et les Ă©lĂ©ments traces sont des contaminants dont la teneur dans les organes rĂ©coltĂ©s est rĂ©glementĂ©e pour lâalimentation animale et humaine. Le durcissement des rĂšglementations europĂ©ennes entraĂźne la nĂ©cessitĂ© de mieux connaĂźtre lâĂ©tat et le dĂ©terminisme de ces contaminations. Lâapproche multicontaminants proposĂ©e a permis de recueillir des donnĂ©es descriptives et explicatives des contaminations en conditions de plein champ et de leurs effets croisĂ©s. Afin de disposer dâune diversitĂ© de situations pĂ©dologiques et climatiques, les travaux se sont appuyĂ©s sur un rĂ©seau pĂ©renne de parcelles mis en place Ă lâĂ©chelle du territoire national. Des premiĂšres hypothĂšses relatives aux relations entre les facteurs du milieu, lâitinĂ©raire technique et lâapparition des contaminations ont Ă©tĂ© Ă©mises. Pour garantir la reproductibilitĂ© du prĂ©lĂšvement et la traçabilitĂ© des Ă©chantillons et mesures, un guide dâĂ©chantillonnage de grains de blĂ© et de tournesol a Ă©tĂ© dĂ©fini et validĂ© pour la dĂ©termination de la concentration en Ă©lĂ©ments traces dans les grains de blĂ© tendre et de tournesol