Contemporary politics seems to suffer from a carelessness with regards to truth. This thesis aimed to clarify whether contemporary politics is really post-truth. It did this through an analysis of...Show moreContemporary politics seems to suffer from a carelessness with regards to truth. This thesis aimed to clarify whether contemporary politics is really post-truth. It did this through an analysis of multiple theories of truth and an overview of the historical origins of post-truth. It concluded that while there are multiple possible substantial theories of truth, all theories of truth have in common the existence of a correctness-notion. Analysis of modern politics shows that correctness-notions are still held by all relevant actors, which entails that they hold at least some theory of truth. Rather than being post-truth, contemporary politics suffers from political communities that have deeply differing worldviews due to lobbying by interest groups, changes to modern media, and post-modernism.Show less
This thesis investigates the representation of female heroism in the nineteenth century in the novels Middlemarch by George Eliot and Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. It concludes that...Show moreThis thesis investigates the representation of female heroism in the nineteenth century in the novels Middlemarch by George Eliot and Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. It concludes that both determinist authors imply that female heroism was not possible on the scale of romantic heroes, or able to reach its full potential. However, both writers give their heroines the best possible ending; their actions can influence a small part of the web of causality around them. This quiet heroism is their small but important power.Show less