▼ In this paper, I explore the role of pleasure in the ethical system of Stoicism, a school of philosophy from the Hellenistic period. It is my aim to argue that despite the Stoic's austere ideals, there is a valid role for physical and emotional pleasures in the pursuit of virtue. Advisors/Committee Members: Carson, D. Scott.

▼ In the September 1956 issue of the Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism Morris Weitz published a highly influential article titled “The Role of Theory in Aesthetics” in which he argued that the traditional aesthetician’s agenda of providing a definition of ‘art’ and of ‘artwork’ is a misconceived enterprise, and that the very nature of the concept ‘art’ precludes definitions. Weitz’s article was immediately met by a number of objections. This thesis is a systematic defense of the kind of antiessentialist aesthetic theory that Weitz set forth over fifty years ago and as such it will attempt to answer most of the many objections laid against his arguments. Advisors/Committee Members: Zucker, Arthur.