Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2016, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences)

In this thesis the problem to be confronted concerns the Principle of Non-Contradiction (PNC) as understood by Aristotle in his Metaphysics (Gamma). For over a hundred years scholars have been questioning Aristotle's defense of the principle, and whether he succeeded in defending or demonstrating the veracity of the principle. One such scholar is Graham Priest (1998), who thinks that Aristotle's arguments are not only unsuccessful at demonstrating PNC, but they also do not provide any arguments against (A) Dialetheism or (B) Trivialism. Priest concludes with a positive thesis (C) that Aristotle's arguments do show that trivialism must be rejected. Thesis (A) is countered by a conception of contradiction that is formed from original Aristotelian texts and Alan Code (1987). Thesis (B) is countered by the same conception of contradiction, and three of Aristotle's own refutations. All of this is done in an effort to show that Aristotle established more than merely thesis (C).

Committee: Donald Carson (Committee Chair); James Petrik (Committee Member); Yoichi Ishida (Committee Member) Subjects: Logic; Philosophy

Bachelor of Science of Communication Studies (BSC), Ohio University, 2014, Communication Studies

The experience of identity fragmentation is being reported by more people than ever. Long before coinage of the term 'identity fragmentation' the experience it signifies was described by W.E.B. Du Bois as a peculiar sensation of "double consciousness." Traditionally a feature of co-cultural identity formation, fragmentation is the politically produced sensation of an identity divided against itself. Identities are made contradictory by weaponized ideological constraints, linguistic biases, media representations, and bodily marking. Seen through this lens, identity fragments are borne out of the ambivalence of the privileged, who are simultaneously fearful of and fascinated by the Other. Representations of difference are then circulated by popular culture in the form of literary stock characters and stereotypes, cultural material which individuals may knowingly or unknowingly add to their repertoire and emerge later in their self-performances. This perspective brings clarity to the process of self-negotiation by focusing on identity contradiction as a form of intersectional embodiment. It also locates a site of shared space between postmodernists authoring literature theorizing identity contradiction and co-cultural group members who continue to feel its influence with unique intensity. The goal of this thesis is to explore the communication of self-contradictory identities—how we identify and are identified in paradoxical ways—as an exercise of power.

Committee: Yea-Wen Chen Ph.D. (Advisor) Subjects: Communication; Political Science

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2014, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

A contradiction exists: the systems that make our social structure possible are invisible. The CSX Queensgate train yard just west of downtown Cincinnati is one of the largest rail classification facilities in North America, and yet the public is at best only marginally conscious of its presence within the city. We accept this discrepancy because we accept so many other discrepancies. We live in an era in which paradox is paradigm. It is the incongruity of the paradoxical, Robert Venturi theorizes, that suggests a kind of truth. This thesis investigates incongruity by looking, thematically as well as formally, at three art movements of the twentieth century that embrace incongruous processes and conclusions: surrealism, expressionism, and relational art. This investigation focuses on two methods by which the incongruous is manifested, calls them disjoint and distortion, and applies them towards the programming and design of an amusement park to function above the operating train yard.

Committee: Aarati Kanekar Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Michael McInturf M.Arch. (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2009, Management Information and Decision Systems

Complex socio-technical systems suffer increasingly from systemic risks. A systemic risk is a risk that originates from multiple sources, affects multiple agents, propagates quickly or unexpectedly among individual parts or components of the system, and if left unchecked can cause a breakdown of the system. This research seeks to explain the technologies of risk control in such complex systems. Three main issues are explored: i) the elevated level of systemic risks in complex socio-technical systems; ii) the mindful risk control mechanisms in complex socio-technical systems; and iii) the role of information technology in containing and mitigating risks in complex socio-technical systems.The research is grounded in the literature on risk, theories of collective mindfulness, general dialectics, and IT practices. Since little prior research has been conducted on systemic risk, a multi-site case study methodology is followed. As part of the ongoing Path Creation project sponsored by the NSF (IIS-0208963), the first research site is a highly complex architectural project by Frank Gehry and his firm Gehry Partners, L.L.C.: the Peter B. Lewis Building. The second research site is the Akron Art Museum (AAM) designed by renowned Vienna architect Coop Himmelb(l)au. Both architects and their partners successfully used the 3D CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software, CATIA (Computer Aided Three Dimensional Interactive Application) and Rhino (Rhinoceros) respectively, to construct radical architectures with dauntingly complex geometric surfaces in spite of increased systemic risks. The major findings include: First, complex socio-technical systems suffer from an elevated level of systemic risks which are not quantifiable as chances or probabilities but are emergent, nonlinear and whose sources are difficult to pinpoint in advance. Second, organizations combat systemic risk through “collective mindfulness”(Weick et al. 1999). Third, organizations create and maintain the collective m (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kalle Lyytinen (Committee Chair); Richard Boland (Committee Member); Sayan Chatterjee (Committee Member); Betty Vandenbosch (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture; Computer Science; Design; Information Systems; Social Research; Sociology; Systems Design; Technology