https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/69087 Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:41:40 GMT 2026-04-09T00:41:40Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/70770 Title: An analysis of the role of humanism in Simone de Beauvoir’s ' ‘The second sex’ Abstract: This paper is a critical analysis of the philosophical debates Simone de Beauvoir presented in the Second Sex, vis-à-vis the social status of women, as the inferior gender. Simone de Beauvoir’s analysis offered a historical and anthropological understanding of the subordination of women and its origins. De Beauvoir provided a humanist and phenomenological approach discussing what constitutes the definition of womanhood, in psychological, sociological and religious terms. In this paper, I will illustrate and examine Simone de Beauvoir’s arguments against the discrimination of women, and correspondingly, highlight several problematic notions in her philosophy. Description: B.A.(HONS)PHIL. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/70770 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/70624 Title: Applications of blockchain technology and the implied notion of trust Abstract: To understand why Blockchain technology matters, one must look past the speculation and hype and explore its infrastructure, and the principles it is built on. Since the technology is thought to be in its infancy, there are blockchain enthusiasts who arguably, do not dig deep into understanding the complexity of trust. Some enthusiasts are simply drawn towards the hype that traditional systems in society, such as those used by governments, are no longer good enough, and need to be revamped and modernised in such a way that results in transparency and ultimately, trustworthiness. The underlying question being asked here is how valuable is trust in society and if this technology can be a means of strengthening the alleged lack of trust within society. Thus, this paper explores the various possible applications of Blockchain technology, such as Bitcoin blockchain technology and Smart Contracts, and outline its various potential and risks. The aim of this paper is to understand Blockchain technology, the complexity of Trust, both in philosophical and political ways, and finally, discuss if Blockchain technology is a platform for trust. Description: B.A.(HONS)PHIL. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/70624 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/70623 Title: A critical comparison between the works of Simone de Beauvoir and Judith Butler Abstract: The aim of this dissertation is to interpret and analyse Judith Butler’s reading of Simone de Beauvoir’s work, The Second Sex . Butler, throughout her works, makes frequent reference to the ideas of Simone de Beauvoir. Aside from Butler’s widely renowned work Gender Trouble, mentions of de Beauvoir can also be observed within her essays Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory and Sex and Gender in Simone de Beauvoir’s Second Sex . This paper ultimately aims to manifest how Butler was mistaken in making the following specific assumptions: 1) The Second Sex is a gender theory/sociohistorical account, 2) de Beauvoir offers a voluntaristic account, 3) de Beauvoir’s work is an extension of Sartre’s. This will be done by giving a brief overview of Simone de Beauvoir’s Second Sex , with particular focus on the points criticised or misinterpreted by Butler, then going on to highlight Butler’s criticism of de Beauvoir within the context of Butler’s theory of performativity. Finally, the paper will seek to place de Beauvoir’s and Butler’s works side by side, in order to conduct an analysis on the inaccuracy of Butler’s interpretation. Description: B.A.(HONS)PHIL. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/70623 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/70620 Title: Restless hearts : a thomistic analysis of Jung’s theory of individuation Abstract: A burning bush. A voice on a mountain. A mountain itself. A ‘man’ whose face has been lost to time, subsisting only in the minds and hearts of some, in a tatter of rags and in a polyphony of carvings, illustrations, etches and sketches, of which the only common theme seems to be an adherence to a principle of holiness. Indeed, there is an apparent facelessness to God. And so, God becomes a thing so much like the self, something to be unpackaged, explored, related to, the sum of which broadly and very simplistically emerges for us in four questions: "Who am I?”, “Who is God, does He exist, and, what has He to do with me?” Their significance may be evident, their complementarity less so. What does self-knowledge have to do with God? And, what does God have to do with self-knowledge? What exactly, if any, is the relationship between personal flourishing and God? Both Carl Jung and Thomas Aquinas may be regarded as grappling with questions featuring the nature of the self, self-knowledge, and the self’s relation to God. In this paper we shall attempt to explore and unpack the manner in which both thinkers, in their own way, address such questions, paying specific attention to Jung’s notion of individuation and Thomas’ view of human flourishing in a manner that will hopefully outline the differences and similarities that subsist between the two. Description: B.A.(HONS)PHIL. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/70620 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z