This study delves into the understudied relationship between utopianism and film with specific attention to the relationship between utopianism and European migrant film in the context of Turkish... Show moreThis study delves into the understudied relationship between utopianism and film with specific attention to the relationship between utopianism and European migrant film in the context of Turkish migrants’ hopes and fears. It proposes a new concept, the intertopian mode, by engaging with the relevant concepts in utopianism and migrant cinema. The intertopian mode is the space between the extremities of the utopianist spectrum, utopia, and dystopia at their most ultimate forms. This study provides close and socio-politically situated readings of the selected films that serve as case studies to test the presence of intertopian mode. It situates each case study/film in the specific contexts and applies the research questions to demonstrate the patterns. Hence, this study explores how utopian motives, as in the form of intertopian mode, appear in migrant film and it engages with utopianism as a method for representing change, socio-cultural issues, desires, hopes, fears, and values. It lays the foundation for future investigation of utopianism in film. Show less
The purpose of this thesis is to articulate a theological metaethic which accepts the nature of ethics as understood under the rubric of evolutionary theory. It will be argued that such a... Show moreThe purpose of this thesis is to articulate a theological metaethic which accepts the nature of ethics as understood under the rubric of evolutionary theory. It will be argued that such a theological methaethic can be interpreted as hopeful and optimistic given the apparent evolution of the moral from the amoral. The relationship between theology and evolutionary theory is presented here not as dichotomic but as dialectic – this is not to suggest that the two fields are mutually communicative, but rather that both can contribute to a cohesive, overarching worldview. In this respect, this thesis threads together the theological presupposition of a God of values with the naturalistic and material presuppositions of the modern scientific worldview (being cognizant of the fact that science may not necessarily be presented with these presuppositions). This dialectic occurs between two different but intertwined levels. One is the level of ethical systems; in this work, a particular understanding of Western Christian ethics. This level is framed by another, broader level of metaethics; in this thesis, an overarching understanding of the character of ethics will emerge from reflections on evolutionary theory and its naturalistic context. This will be a naturalistic view, though one which is understood to fit within a theological framework. Show less
