Despite the considerable attention paid to Adam Smith’s ethical theory over the past quarter of a century, at least one area of his thought remains outstanding for the lack of interest it has received: Part V of The Theory of Moral Sentiments, “Of the Influence of Custom and Fashion upon the Sentiments of Moral Approbation and Disapprobation.” This is unfortunate, however, insofar as there are good reasons for thinking that Part V is important to Smith’s project. This essay substantiates this importance by placing Smith’s intervention in the context of David Hume’s earlier attempts to wrestle with the problem of moral relativism. The connections between Hume and Smith on this matter have not previously been explored, yet doing so is crucial for gaining a more complete appreciation of Smith’s moral thought. Beyond this historical intervention, however, I also contend that neither Smith nor Hume offer satisfactory answers to the philosophical challenge posed by moral relativism. Despite remaining the two outstanding theorists in the tradition of ethical sentimentalism, both Smith and Hume fall short on this score. Insofar as moral relativism remains a challenge to ethical sentimentalists today, proponents of this tradition must look elsewhere for solutions.

We say that a computable structure $\mathcal {A}$ is computably categorical if for every computable copy $\mathcal {B}$, there exists a computable isomorphism $f:\mathcal {A}\to \mathcal {B}$. This notion can be relativized to a degree $\mathbf {d}$ by saying that a computable structure $\mathcal {A}$ is computably categorical relative to $\mathbf {d}$ if for every $\mathbf {d}$-computable copy $\mathcal {B}$ of $\mathcal {A}$, there exists a $\mathbf {d}$-computable isomorphism $f:\mathcal {A}\to \mathcal {B}$. A key part of this thesis is to study the behavior of this notion of categoricity in the computably enumerable degrees.

The main theorem in Chapter $1$ states that given any computable partially ordered set P and any computable partition $P=P_0\sqcup P_1$, there exists an embedding h of P into the c.e. degrees and a computable graph $\mathcal {G}$ which is computably categorical, computably categorical relative to all degrees in $h(P_0)$, and is not computably categorical relative to any degree in $h(P_1)$. We also show that by using largely the same techniques alongside a standard construction of minimal pairs, we can embed a four-element diamond lattice into the c.e. degrees in the style of the main result of Chapter $1$.

We then apply some of the techniques used in this thesis to study the behavior of this notion in the context of generic degrees in Chapter $2$. Additionally, we show that several classes of structures admit a computable example that witnesses the pathological behavior of categoricity relative to a degree as seen in Chapter $1$’s main theorem.

Lastly, in the context of reverse mathematics, we investigate the reverse mathematical strength of a topological principle named $\mathsf {wGS}^{\operatorname {cl}}$, a weakened version of the Ginsburg–Sands theorem which states that every infinite topological space contains one of the following five topologies as a subspace, with $\mathbb {N}$ as the underlying set: discrete, indiscrete, cofinite, initial segment, or final segment.

Abstract prepared by Java Darleen Villano

E-mail: java.villano@utoronto.ca

URL: https://javavillano.github.io/thesisfinal.pdf

Air pollution remains a major challenge, especially in developing countries, requiring joint efforts from governments and society. This study examines how mass media, through its emotional tone, functions as an informal regulator of air pollution in China’s “war on air pollution”. Using daily data on media sentiment, air quality and related variables across Chinese cities, we find that negative emotional tones in environmental news are significantly associated with lower pollution levels. We identify mechanisms through which media influence public awareness, trigger government responses and pressure firms to reduce emissions. Our findings highlight the media’s role beyond information dissemination to shape agendas and social norms, even in contexts with restricted press freedom. This study offers new insights into how emotional framing in mass media contributes to environmental governance in developing countries.

This paper presents excavation results from Nyabusora, northern Tanzania, conducted by M. Posnansky and W.W. Bishop (1959) and M. Posnansky (1961). Only preliminary reports have previously been published. It synthesises the site’s history, incorporating previously unpublished analyses and information from Posnansky’s original field notes, and presents new 2014 field survey results and new archival research. Nyabusora holds particular significance as the only Early to Middle Stone Age (ESA/MSA) site in the region to have yielded both lithic and faunal remains, which gain new relevance in light of recent developments in ESA/MSA archaeology in eastern Africa. Nyabusora’s ‘Sangoan’ lithic assemblage is now largely decontextualised and associated finds have been lost, so this study presents the only available lithic and faunal analyses, alongside interpretations of the stratigraphic sequence and site. Such stratified assemblages are exceptionally rare and are generally attributed to the Middle Pleistocene. This research enhances understanding of Plio-Pleistocene landscape evolution in the Kagera River and western Lake Victoria-Nyanza Basin. It contributes important new data on ESA/MSA lithic variability and, via ongoing investigations by Basell within the Kagera catchment, offers huge potential for clarifying Middle Pleistocene palaeoenvironments.

The purpose of this article is to bring provincial and local perspectives into the research of urban space in the wartime Habsburg monarchy. Using the case of Olmütz/Olomouc, a midsize town in central Moravia, it analyzes how various social actors used public space and how they could appropriate its symbolic meaning in wartime. While local urban geography had long been contested by political, most often nationalist actors, World War I introduced fresh themes to the context of the city. Public rituals of loyalty repurposed and intensified some of the old traditions, even as organized and unorganized actors sought to “capture,” “invade,” and potentially “occupy” the same spaces to highlight their agendas in public demonstrations whose form owed much to the traditional public rituals. After October 1918, when the balance of power shifted between nationalist groups, the contest for urban space continued, along with ongoing political unrest, showing strong continuity of wartime practices into the immediate postwar era both in terms of political instability and in terms of the patterns of public ritual.