title: Kant’s Universalism in Historical Context: Repoliticising the Foundations of a Seminal Political Philosophy

authors: Koçak, Berkay

subjects: social history of political theory

abstract: In the contemporary global political milieu, Immanuel Kant's universalist political philosophy has assumed a prominent role, eliciting substantial discourse and scrutiny due to its enduring significance in shaping the fundamental principles that underpin the present-day international order. Kant's philosophy is celebrated for its commitment to universality and its pioneering articulation of political ideals aimed at establishing the foundational principles requisite for the construction of a peaceful, sustainable, and self-regulating global order, grounded upon universally applicable moral precepts. While an array of scholarly works has meticulously explored Kant's groundbreaking contributions and intellectual influence, a discernible gap exists in comprehending how his philosophical framework intersects with the multifaceted social and material backdrop of his era. This thesis embarks on a critical exploration of Kant's universalism, employing a novel approach grounded in the social history of political theory, firmly rooted in historical materialism. Diverging from abstract interpretations of political theory, this method seeks to historically recontextualise Kant's ideas within their original social, political, and class contexts. 
To illuminate Kant's universalism from this perspective, a pivotal question must be addressed: What kind of political project does Kant’s universalism propose in terms of the political polarisations between absolutism, feudalism, and liberalism in the Prussian context? This research endeavours to reevaluate Kant's universalist political philosophy by examining its connection to the protracted crisis of German feudalism, its influence on social and political thought, and its entanglement with the power struggles between absolutist-paternalists, traditional feudalists, and liberal reformists vying for control over social property relations in the Prussian Ständestaat. Within this context, Kant's philosophy also intersects with the reform project of the rising educated professional classes, known as the Bildungsbürgertum, whose growing influence shaped the trajectory of social property relations and the Enlightenment (Aufklärung) in the Prussian state-building period. 
A distinctive contribution of this thesis is that it highlights the unique class character of the Prussian Bildungsbürgertum, distinct from the British and French bourgeoisie traditionally analysed in Marxist perspectives. Notably, the thesis contends that this state-dependent educated professional class had a particular affinity for Kantian universalism, making it, for a time, the prevailing ideology of the Prussian Bildungsbürgertum. By adopting this historical materialist perspective of the social history of political theory, this thesis aims to shed light on the intricate relationships between Kant's universalist political thought and the historically specific conditions of 18th-century Prussia, ultimately elucidating the nuanced limitations imposed by his class context on his philosophical contributions.

text: Kant’s Universalism in Historical Context: Repoliticising the Foundations of a Seminal Political Philosophy In the contemporary global political milieu, Immanuel Kant's universalist political philosophy has assumed a prominent role, eliciting substantial discourse and scrutiny due to its enduring significance in shaping the fundamental principles that underpin the present-day international order. Kant's philosophy is celebrated for its commitment to universality and its pioneering articulation of political ideals aimed at establishing the foundational principles requisite for the construction of a peaceful, sustainable, and self-regulating global order, grounded upon universally applicable moral precepts. While an array of scholarly works has meticulously explored Kant's groundbreaking contributions and intellectual influence, a discernible gap exists in comprehending how his philosophical framework intersects with the multifaceted social and material backdrop of his era. This thesis embarks on a critical exploration of Kant's universalism, employing a novel approach grounded in the social history of political theory, firmly rooted in historical materialism. Diverging from abstract interpretations of political theory, this method seeks to historically recontextualise Kant's ideas within their original social, political, and class contexts. 
To illuminate Kant's universalism from this perspective, a pivotal question must be addressed: What kind of political project does Kant’s universalism propose in terms of the political polarisations between absolutism, feudalism, and liberalism in the Prussian context? This research endeavours to reevaluate Kant's universalist political philosophy by examining its connection to the protracted crisis of German feudalism, its influence on social and political thought, and its entanglement with the power struggles between absolutist-paternalists, traditional feudalists, and liberal reformists vying for control over social property relations in the Prussian Ständestaat. Within this context, Kant's philosophy also intersects with the reform project of the rising educated professional classes, known as the Bildungsbürgertum, whose growing influence shaped the trajectory of social property relations and the Enlightenment (Aufklärung) in the Prussian state-building period. 
A distinctive contribution of this thesis is that it highlights the unique class character of the Prussian Bildungsbürgertum, distinct from the British and French bourgeoisie traditionally analysed in Marxist perspectives. Notably, the thesis contends that this state-dependent educated professional class had a particular affinity for Kantian universalism, making it, for a time, the prevailing ideology of the Prussian Bildungsbürgertum. By adopting this historical materialist perspective of the social history of political theory, this thesis aims to shed light on the intricate relationships between Kant's universalist political thought and the historically specific conditions of 18th-century Prussia, ultimately elucidating the nuanced limitations imposed by his class context on his philosophical contributions.

year: 2024

title: Semantic and generative models for lossy text compression

authors: Witten, Ian H.

subjects: Machine learning

abstract: The apparent divergence between the research paradigms of text and image compression has led us to consider the potential for applying methods developed for one domain to the other. This paper examines the idea of "lossy" text compression, which transmits an approximation to the input text rather than the text itself. In image coding, lossy techniques have proven to yield compression factors that are vastly superior to those of the best lossless schemes, and we show that this a also the case for text. Two different methods are described here, one inspired by the use of fractals in image compression. They can be combined into an extremely effective technique that provides much better compression than the present state of the art and yet preserves a reasonable degree of match between the original and received text. The major challenge for lossy text compression is identified as the reliable evaluation of the quality of this match.

text: Semantic and generative models for lossy text compression The apparent divergence between the research paradigms of text and image compression has led us to consider the potential for applying methods developed for one domain to the other. This paper examines the idea of "lossy" text compression, which transmits an approximation to the input text rather than the text itself. In image coding, lossy techniques have proven to yield compression factors that are vastly superior to those of the best lossless schemes, and we show that this a also the case for text. Two different methods are described here, one inspired by the use of fractals in image compression. They can be combined into an extremely effective technique that provides much better compression than the present state of the art and yet preserves a reasonable degree of match between the original and received text. The major challenge for lossy text compression is identified as the reliable evaluation of the quality of this match.

year: 1992

title: Weaving the mat of Māori and Pacific learner success

authors: Tiakiwai, Sarah-Jane

subjects: Supporting learners, Pacific learner success, Māori learner success, higher education

abstract: The mat we are trying to weave at the University of Waikato to address educational outcomes, disparities and inequities in education for Māori and Pacific learners will weave rich data, stories and experience. Our goal is to use data to be better informed about what works for Māori and Pacific learners and what does not. Data is useful in building a more complete picture of what is happening to students, but student voice and previous research that has already captured the voices of Māori and Pacific experts, educators, students, families and communities can tell us more about why we are getting these outcomes. As we harness data to improve our knowledge, we must not forget the stories already in the mat and the stories being woven in the mat, for the stories are the gold.

This report details our work on this data-informed rather than data-driven project. It discusses how improved data and data analytic capability enhanced our understanding of the literature on Māori and Pacific learner success and the experience of Māori and Pacific learners at UoW. Our research and the report, however, also unapologetically privilege case studies through literature and Māori and Pacific student voices. We lay out the various materials – data, literature and voice – that will form our mat with this in mind, weaving them together in order to achieve better outcomes for Māori and Pacific learners at our university. These learners are the why of this mahi. Their success will create a beautiful pattern in the
weave.

text: Weaving the mat of Māori and Pacific learner success The mat we are trying to weave at the University of Waikato to address educational outcomes, disparities and inequities in education for Māori and Pacific learners will weave rich data, stories and experience. Our goal is to use data to be better informed about what works for Māori and Pacific learners and what does not. Data is useful in building a more complete picture of what is happening to students, but student voice and previous research that has already captured the voices of Māori and Pacific experts, educators, students, families and communities can tell us more about why we are getting these outcomes. As we harness data to improve our knowledge, we must not forget the stories already in the mat and the stories being woven in the mat, for the stories are the gold.

This report details our work on this data-informed rather than data-driven project. It discusses how improved data and data analytic capability enhanced our understanding of the literature on Māori and Pacific learner success and the experience of Māori and Pacific learners at UoW. Our research and the report, however, also unapologetically privilege case studies through literature and Māori and Pacific student voices. We lay out the various materials – data, literature and voice – that will form our mat with this in mind, weaving them together in order to achieve better outcomes for Māori and Pacific learners at our university. These learners are the why of this mahi. Their success will create a beautiful pattern in the
weave.

year: 2022-06