DOCSLIB.ORG

A Confession of Miraculous Mythological Epistemology for Health Communication

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Confession of Miraculous Mythological Epistemology for Health Communication A Confession of Miraculous Mythological Epistemology for Health Communication A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Graduate College of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy John Ryan Stonestreet December 2014 © 2014 John Ryan Stonestreet. All Rights Reserved. 2 This dissertation titled A Confession of Miraculous Mythological Epistemology for Health Communication by JOHN RYAN STONESTREET has been approved for the School of Interdisciplinary Arts, the School of Communication Studies, and the Graduate College by Vladimir L. Marchenkov Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts Joseph Shields Dean, Graduate College 3 ABSTRACT STONESTREET, JOHN RYAN, Ph.D., December 2014, Individual Interdisciplinary Program, Interdisciplinary Arts and Health Communication A Confession of Miraculous Mythological Epistemology for Health Communication Director of Dissertation: Vladimir L. Marchenkov This dissertation examines health communication surrounding patient and family hopes for miraculous divine intervention in response to physician predictions of medical futility. The study presents an auto-ethnographic account of the author’s personal experience of this clinical context as a hospital chaplain. The context is then reframed from a particular chaplain’s experience to an examination of similar contexts surfacing in the prognosis-related communication between physicians, patients, and families, as revealed in the literature. The combination of first-person experience and third-person analysis of the same problem takes seriously the rationality of both immediately given reality and the work of thinking. At stake in any serious consideration of what all may be at play in this context are significant issues outside of the health communication domain, such as religion, myth, and epistemology. As such, the methodology is an interdisciplinary theoretical analysis of a practical problem in health communication. The theories used for such an analysis are theology, myth theory, and health communication theory. Eastern Orthodox theology forms the underlying theoretical substratum through which the immediate chaplaincy experience is filtered. Myth theory forms the next theoretical layer, examining such issues as the relationship between myth, symbol, and miracle, and the impact of these domains on the evolution of both art and 4 science for a historical contextualization and philosophical conceptualization of the paradigms colliding in the health communication context. Health communication theory forms the final theoretical layer. Drawing upon and building from preceding layers of theoretical analysis, problematic integration theory, hope theory, and narrative medicine theory combine to illumine the problem of interest and suggest a way forward. Teasing out the interdisciplinary aspects of the problem by interweaving multiple levels of theoretical analysis not only sheds light on this particular context, but may also suggest new possibilities for a wider range of health communication encounters at all stages of disease trajectory. 5 DEDICATION To my darling Anastasia 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to all of my classroom and clinical teachers at Duke, VCU, UNC, Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, and St. Vladimir’s who have contributed to my educational journey. Special thanks to Drs. Austin Babrow, Karen Deardorff, Claudia Hale, and Vladimir Marchenkov. Words cannot express how fortunate I feel to be your student. And thank you to Ohio University for recruiting professors of such depth and humanity, for creating unique degree programs that accommodate the exigencies of twenty-first-century education, and for truly being, in my experience, “the best student- centered learning experience in America.” 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 Dedication ........................................................................................................................... 5 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. 6 List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter One: Surprised by a Disarming Miracle .............................................................. 10 Six Months Later: An Unsolicited Request................................................................... 12 Anna’s Coma ................................................................................................................. 17 Scott’s “Flog” ................................................................................................................ 19 Miracles as Physical Containers for Paradigm Shifts ................................................... 24 Chapter Two: Medicine, Miracles, and Mythical consciousness .................................... 28 The Protection of the Theotokos ................................................................................... 35 Myth and Symbol .......................................................................................................... 37 Myth and History .......................................................................................................... 40 Myth, Painting, and Epistemology ................................................................................ 42 The Alternative to Absolute Mythology is the Partial Mythology of Materialism ....... 44 Egocentric Space and the Physician’s Gaze .................................................................. 47 The “Miraculous” Myth of Materialism........................................................................ 50 Miraculous Mythological Rationality ........................................................................... 54 Miracle and Meaning .................................................................................................... 58 Chapter Three: The Canonical Genres of Modern Medical Myth .................................... 64 Healing as Detective Story ............................................................................................ 76 Healing as Battle ........................................................................................................... 77 Healing as Machine Repair ........................................................................................... 84 Healing as Transformative Journey............................................................................... 86 Chapter Four: The Adolescence of “Immanentist Infinitism” ......................................... 91 The Evolution of Myth as the Lifecycle Development of Humanity ............................ 94 The Childhood of Myth ................................................................................................. 96 The Pre-adolescence of Myth ...................................................................................... 101 The Early Adolescence of Myth.................................................................................. 113 New Possibilities for an Unrealized Future................................................................. 127 Chapter Five: PI Theory & Hope for the Miracle of Communicative Transformation . 131 The Basics of PI Theory .............................................................................................. 133 Probability and Meaning ............................................................................................. 134 Futility Prognostication and Miracle-hope: A Health Communication Challenge ..... 142 Futility Prognostication, Miracle-hope, and PI Theory............................................... 144 Chapter Six: Communicative Horticulture for the Flowering of Hope ......................... 161 Hope at Life’s End: Miracle Cure or Peace with God? ............................................... 164 Hope Theory: Conceptualizing the Evolution of Full-bloomed Hope at Life’s End .. 170 Modern Scientism or Premodern Spiritualism? .......................................................... 175 Miracle on 34th Ward: From Cynicism to Hope’s Loving Embrace ......................... 177 Chapter Seven: An Examination of, and Prescription for, Narrative Medicine ............. 180 8 Narrative and the Extended Adolescence of Postmodernism ..................................... 197 Postmodern Narrative and the Art of Medicine .......................................................... 200 Black Swans Consume the Carnage of Exclusively Probabilistic Reality .................. 203 The Art of Medicine, a Pro-theological Activity ........................................................ 209 Chapter Eight: Orthodox Wisdom for Uncertainty and Suffering in Health Communication ............................................................................................................... 214 Toward a Twenty-First-Century Conversation ........................................................... 220 A Philosophical Prescription for Modern Theology’s Ailment: Divine Weakness .... 226 Eucharistic Reality ...................................................................................................... 232 An Orthodox Physician’s Perspective ......................................................................... 256 Chapter Nine: Theological Reflection for the Art of Health Communication ................ 278 Modernity and
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Broadcasting Jul 1
    The Fifth Estate Broadcasting Jul 1 You'll find more women watching Good Company than all other programs combined: Company 'Monday - Friday 3 -4 PM 60% Women 18 -49 55% Total Women Nielsen, DMA, May, 1985 Subject to limitations of survey KSTP -TV Minneapoliso St. Paul [u nunc m' h5 TP t 5 c e! (612) 646 -5555, or your nearest Petry office Z119£ 1V ll3MXVW SO4ii 9016 ZZI W00b svs-lnv SS/ADN >IMP 49£71 ZI19£ It's hours past dinner and a young child hasn't been seen since he left the playground around noon. Because this nightmare is a very real problem .. When a child is missing, it is the most emotionally exhausting experience a family may ever face. To help parents take action if this tragedy should ever occur, WKJF -AM and WKJF -FM organized a program to provide the most precise child identification possible. These Fetzer radio stations contacted a local video movie dealer and the Cadillac area Jaycees to create video prints of each participating child as the youngster talked and moved. Afterwards, area law enforce- ment agencies were given the video tape for their permanent files. WKJF -AM/FM organized and publicized the program, the Jaycees donated man- power, and the video movie dealer donated the taping services-all absolutely free to the families. The child video print program enjoyed area -wide participation and is scheduled for an update. Providing records that give parents a fighting chance in the search for missing youngsters is all a part of the Fetzer tradition of total community involvement.
    [Show full text]
  • Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 110 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
    E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 110 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 153 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2007 No. 166 House of Representatives PRAYER lic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The House met at 9 a.m. and was The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. called to order by the Speaker pro tem- Coughlin, offered the following prayer: f pore (Mr. SIRES). Lord God, we seek Your guidance and EFFECTS OF ALTERNATIVE f protection; yet, we are often reluctant MINIMUM TAX to bend to Your ways. Help us to under- DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO (Mr. ISRAEL asked and was given stand the patterns of Your creative TEMPORE permission to address the House for 1 hand. In the miracle of life and the minute and to revise and extend his re- The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- transformation to light, You show us marks.) fore the House the following commu- Your awesome wonder. Both the chang- Mr. ISRAEL. Madam Speaker, one of nication from the Speaker: ing seasons and the dawning of each the greatest financial assaults on WASHINGTON, DC, day reveal for us Your subtle but con- America’s middle class is the alter- October 30, 2007. sistent movement during every mo- native minimum tax. Originally, it was I hereby appoint the Honorable ALBIO ment of life. SIRES to act as Speaker pro tempore on this meant to ensure that several dozen of Without a screeching halt or sudden day.
    [Show full text]
  • Issue II — July 2009
    Volume II VolumeIssueVolume II II II IssueJulyIssue 2009II II JulyJuly 2009 2009 Dr. Christa Davis Acampora Dr. Benjamin Moritz Cem Aydogan Hermann Nitsch Dr. Babette Babich Dr. Kelly Oliver Dr. Nicholas Birns Board of Advisors Lance Olsen Dr. Arno Böhler Dr. Graham Parkes Dr. Tony Brinkley Keith Ansell-Pearson Dr. Thomas Brobjer Dr. Philip Pothen Mark Daniel Cohen Dr. Timothy Quigley Dr. Véronique Fóti Prof. Alan Rosenberg Dr. Terri J. Gordon Dr. Ofelia Schutte Dr. Jennifer Anna Gosetti-Ferencei Dr. Gary Shapiro Dr. Susanne Granzer Dr. Walter Sokel Pierre Hadot Dr. Joan Stambaugh Dr. Lawrence Hatab Mark Strand Dr. Horst Hutter Dr. Yunus Tuncel Dr. David Kilpatrick Dr. Gianni Vattimo Joseph Kosuth Paul van Tongeren Donald Kuspit Kim White Dr. Laurence Lampert Colin Wilson Vanessa Lemm Patrick Wotling Linda Lewett Dr. Irvin Yalom Paul S. Loeb John Bell Young Dr. James Luchte Gérard Zuchetto Tali Makell James Mangiafico Volume II Issue II J u l y Volume II Issue II J u l y VolumeVolume II II IssueIssue II II JJuly u l2009 y Publisher Nietzsche Circle, Ltd. Editor in Chief Review Editor Rainer J. Hanshe Yunus Tuncel Editorial Board Rainer J. Hanshe Yunus Tuncel David Kilpatrick Art Production Logo Design Tim Syth Liliana Orbach Advertising Donations Andre Okawara Katie Creasy (Donations can be made at http://nietzschecircle.com) Nietzsche Circle Event Poster Design Doerthe Fitschen-Rath Nietzsche Circle Website Design Hasan Yildiz (http://designkillsme.com) Letters to the editors are welcome and should be emailed to: [email protected]. The Agonist is published Oct, January, April, July by Nietzsche Circle, Ltd.
    [Show full text]
  • Living with Death: the Humanity in Leo Tolstoy's Prose Dr. Patricia A. Burak Yuri Pavlov
    Living with Death: The Humanity in Leo Tolstoy’s Prose A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Renée Crown University Honors Program at Syracuse University Liam Owens Candidate for Bachelor of Science in Biology and Renée Crown University Honors Spring 2020 Honors Thesis in Your Major Thesis Advisor: _______________________ Dr. Patricia A. Burak Thesis Reader: _______________________ Yuri Pavlov Honors Director: _______________________ Dr. Danielle Smith, Director Abstract What do we fear so uniquely as our own death? Of what do we know less than the afterlife? Leo Tolstoy was quoted saying: “We can only know that we know nothing. And that is the highest degree of human wisdom.” Knowing nothing completely contradicts the essence of human nature. Although having noted the importance of this unknowing, using the venture of creative fiction, Tolstoy pined ceaselessly for an understanding of the experience of dying. Tolstoy was afraid of death; to him it was an entity which loomed. I believe his early involvements in war, as well as the death of his brother Dmitry, and the demise of his self-imaged major character Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, whom he tirelessly wrote and rewrote—where he dove into the supposed psyche of a dying man—took a toll on the author. Tolstoy took the plight of ending his character’s life seriously, and attempted to do so by upholding his chief concern: the truth. But how can we, as living, breathing human beings, know the truth of death? There is no truth we know of it other than its existence, and this alone is cause enough to scare us into debilitating fits and ungrounded speculation.
    [Show full text]
  • A Cold, White Light: the Defamiliarizing Power of Death in Tolstoy‟S War and Peace Jessica Ginocchio a Thesis Submitted To
    A Cold, White Light: The Defamiliarizing Power of Death in Tolstoy‟s War and Peace Jessica Ginocchio A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of the Arts in the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures (Russian). Chapel Hill 2013 Approved by: Christopher Putney Radislav Lapushin Hana Pichova Abstract JESSICA GINOCCHIO: A Cold, White Light: The Defamiliarizing Power of Death in Lev Tolstoy‟s War and Peace (Under the direction of Christopher Putney) In this thesis, I examine the theme of death in War and Peace by Lev Tolstoy. Death in War and Peace causes changes in characters‟ perception of their own lives, spurring them to live “better.” Tolstoy is widely understood to embed moral lessons in his novels, and, even in his early work, Tolstoy presents an ideal of the right way to live one‟s life. I posit several components of this Tolstoyan ideal from War and Peace and demonstrate that death leads characters toward this “right way” through an analysis of the role of death in the transformations of four major characters—Nikolai, Marya, Andrei, and Pierre. ii Table of Contents Chapter: I. Introduction…………………………………………………………………..1 II. Death in Tolstoy……………………………………………………………....5 III. The Right Way……………………………………………………………….14 IV. War and Peace………………………………………………………………..20 a. Nikolai Rostov ……………………………………………...…………...23 b. Marya Bolkonskaya……………………………………………...………27 c. Andrei Bolkonsky…………………………………………………….….30 d. Pierre Bezukhov………………………………………………………….41 V. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………...53 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………56 iii Chapter I Introduction American philosopher William James identified Tolstoy as a “sick soul,” a designation he based on Tolstoy‟s obsession with death (James, 120-149).
    [Show full text]
  • Catalog Report - February 1, 2014
    LRCCHHS - Catalog Report - February 1, 2014 Publication Title Author Call Number Holdings/In Information A story of hope Shriners VT 1008 New York, NY West 2 / 2 hospitals for children Glen Communication, Inc. How does your engine Mary Sue Williams QP 454 .W56 1996 4 / 2 Albuquerque, NM run? A leader's guide to Therapy Works, Inc. the alert program for self- 1996 regulation 052 Pederson: Triad KIT 0059 1 / 1 training model: The Pedersen triad training Farmingham, MA model Hearing the pro and Microtraining 2004 anti-counselor in multicultural counseling Thou shalt honor Joe Mantegna DVD 0042 Manhattan Beach, CA 1 / 1 Wiland - Bell Productions 2002 100 funniest moments of VT 0192 Chicago, IL Questar, 1 / 1 the 20th century: tape 1 Inc 1995 100 funniest moments of VT 0193 Chicago, IL Questar, 1 / 1 the 20th century: tape 2 Inc. 1995 100 funniest moments of VT 0194 Chicago, IL Questar, 1 / 1 the 20th century: tape 3 Inc 1995 104 Activities that build: Alanna Jones BF 697.5 .J46 1998 1 / 1 Self-esteem, teamwork, Richland, WA Rec communication, anger Room Publishing 1998 management, self- discovery, coping skills 11 Lessons in self- Larry Holman 0-9648829-0-6 1995 1 / 1 leadership Insights for Lexington, KY personal & professional Wyncom 1995 success 1-2-3 Magic Effective Thomas W Phelan HQ 770.4 .P44 2003 2 / 2 Glen Ellyn, IL Parent discipline for children 2- Magic, Inc. 2003 12 12-lead electrocardiogram VT 0557 Springhouse, PA 1 / 1 Springhouse Corporation 1991 12th annual symposium HC 101 .N352 1998 1 / 1 East Lansing, MI on geriatric medicine— Michigan State improving the quality of University 1998 life: a celebration of aging 1976 IEEE international LOC 04 .CT022 1976 New York, NY 1 / 1 conference on acoustics, Cantebury Press 1976 speech, and signal processing 2004 Aids update Gerald J.
    [Show full text]
  • A Legacy of LIFE & LOVE
    1968 ~ 2018 A Half Century of HOPE A Legacy of LIFE & LOVE PREGNANCY CENTER SERVICE REPORT, THIRD EDITION TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 2017 Impact at a Glance . 8 1 SECTION I: SERVICE SUMMARY: A LEGACY OF LOVING CARE METHODS . 10 CLIENTS AND VOLUNTEERS . 11 ENHANCING MATERNAL & CHILD HEALTH, WOMEN’S HEALTH, & FAMILY WELL-BEING . 13 MEDICAL SERVICES . 13 Ultrasound Services and Medical Exams . 16 Prenatal Care in Centers . 18 STI/STD Testing and Treatment . 19 COMMUNITY REFERRALS AND PUBLIC HEALTH LINKAGES . 20 CONSULTING AND EDUCATION . 24 Prenatal/Fetal Development Education . 25 Options Consultation . 26 Sexual Risk Avoidance/Sexual Integrity Education . 28 SUPPORT PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH . 29 Parenting Classes and Education . 29 Material Assistance to Mothers . 31 Community-Based Sexual Risk Avoidance (SRA) Programs . 32 Abortion Recovery . 34 Outreach to Men . 35 2 SECTION II: SPECIAL INITIATIVES AND DEVELOPMENTS ADOPTION . 38 ABORTION PILL RESCUE . 42 MOBILE MEDICAL UNITS (MUs) . 44 OUTREACH TO SPECIAL POPULATIONS . 49 2 ASSISTANCE IN REAL TIME . 54 Heartbeat International’s Option Line . 54 Care Net’s Pregnancy Decision Line . 55 MATERNITY HOMES . 56 3 SECTION III: STANDARDS SECTION IV: PREGNANCY CENTERS AS MODEL 4 COMMUNITY-BASED AND FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS 5 SECTION V: CONCLUSION 6 SECTION VI: NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 7 SECTION VII: ENDNOTES CLIENT STORIES AND SPOTLIGHTS Melody . 14 Raven and Martel . 22 Rebecca . 40 Save the Storks . 47 Image Clear Ultrasound (ICU) Mobile . 48 Tina . 58 3 INTRODUCTION c A half century ago, as legal abortion was gaining ground in the United States, a campaign was afoot to offer hope to women considering abortion.
    [Show full text]
  • Lending Library
    Lending Library KQED is pleased to present the Lending Library. Created expressly for KQED’s major donors, members of the Legacy Society, Producer’s Circle and Signal Society, the library offers many popular television programs and specials for home viewing. You may choose from any of the titles listed. Legacy Society, Producer’s Circle and Signal Society members may borrow VHS tapes or DVDs simply by calling 415.553.2300 or emailing [email protected]. For around-the-clock convenience, you may submit a request to borrow VHS tapes or DVDs through KQED’s Web site (www.KQED.org/lendinglibrary) or by email ([email protected]) or phone (415.553.2300). Your selection will be mailed to you for your home viewing enjoyment. When finished, just mail it back, using the enclosed return label. If you are especially interested in a program that is not included in KQED’s collection, let us know. However, because video distribution is highly regulated, not all broadcast shows are available for home viewing. We will do our best to add frequently requested tapes to our lending library. Sorry, library tapes are not for duplication or resale. If you want to purchase videotapes for your permanent collection, please visit shop.pbs.org or call 877-PBS-SHOP. Current listings were last updated in February 2009. TABLE OF CONTENTS ARTS 2 DRAMA 13 NEWS/PUBLIC AFFAIRS 21 BAY WINDOW 30 FRONTLINE 32 FRONTLINE WORLD 36 P.O.V. 36 TRULY CA 38 SCIENCE/NATURE 42 HISTORY 47 AMERICAN HISTORY 54 WORLD HISTORY 60 THE “HOUSE” SERIES 64 TRAVEL 64 COOKING/HOW TO/SELF HELP 66 FAQ 69 CHILDREN 70 COMEDY 72 1 ARTS Art and Architecture AGAINST THE ODDS: THE ARTISTS OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE (VHS) The period of the 1920s and ‘30s known as the Harlem Renaissance encompassed an extraordinary outburst of creativity by African American visual artists.
    [Show full text]
  • The Case of Pavel Florensky
    MATHEMATICS AS THE KEY TO A HOLISTIC WORLD VIEW: THE CASE OF PAVEL FLORENSKY Vladislav Shaposhnikov* It is well known that Pavel Florensky highly praised mathematics through- out his life. Let us take his letter of 12 November 1933 to his daughter Olga as an example: «Mathematics should not be a burden laid on you from without, but a habit of thought1: one should be taught to see geometric relations in all reality and to discover formulae in all phenomena»2. But God is in the details, the saying goes, so it is worth specifying Florensky’s ideas on the subject. In this paper, I will attempt to reconstruct the main strands of his rather ambitious project concerning mathematics. A body of literature on the topic is far from being rich and exhaustive. Around 1987, some of Aleksei Losev’s amazing reminiscences of Pavel Flo- rensky were recorded and eventually published in 1990. Losev talked about “identity of philosophy and mathematics” in Florensky and insisted on Flo- rensky’s “great discovery” that mathematical objects are perceptional and alive3. The discussion was initiated by 1985-1989 publications by Sergei M. Polovinkin on Florensky’s «philosophical-mathematical synthesis»4 and by Sergei S. Demidov (joined in the 1990s by Charles E. Ford) on Florensky’s place in the history of mathematics5. I have been taking part in the discussion * Associated professor, Faculty of Philosophy, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia. 1 The previous part of the sentence is given in Avril Pyman’s translation. See A. PYMAN, Pavel Floren- sky: A Quiet Genius, Continuum, New York 2010, 160.
    [Show full text]
  • Landmarks Revisited the Vekhi Symposium 100 Years on C U Lt U R a L R E V O Lu T I O N S : R U S S I a I N T H E 20 T H C E N T U Ry
    Landmarks Revisited The Vekhi Symposium 100 Years On C u lt u r a l r e v o lu t i o n s : r u s s i a i n t h e 20 t h C e n t u ry s e r i e s e d i to r Boris Wolfson—Amherst College e d i to r i a l B oa r d : Anthony Anemone—The New School Robert BiRd—The University Of Chicago eliot BoRenstein—New York University Angela BRintlingeR—The Ohio State University Karen evAns-RomAine—Ohio University Jochen HellBeck—Rutgers University lilya KAgAnovsKy—University Of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Christina KiAeR—Northwestern University Alaina lemon—University Of Michigan simon morrison—Princeton University eric NaimAn—University Of California, Berkeley Joan neuBeRgeR—University Of Texas, Austin ludmila Parts—Mcgill University ethan Pollock—Brown University Cathy Popkin—Columbia University stephanie SandleR—Harvard University Landmarks Revisited The Vekhi Symposium 100 Years On E di t E d b y R o b i n A i z l E w o o d A nd R u t h C oAt E s BOSTON / 2013 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: A bibliographic record for this title is available from the Library of Congress. Copyright © 2013 Academic Studies Press All rights reserved ISBN 978-1-618811-286-6 (hardback) ISBN 978-1-61811-287-3 (electronic) Book design by Ivan Grave Published by Academic Studies Press in 2013 28 Montfern Avenue Brighton, MA 02135, USA [email protected] www.academicstudiespress.com Effective December 12th, 2017, this book will be subject to a CC-BY-NC license.
    [Show full text]
  • Truth Is a Potato: a Journey Into Tolstoy's Resurrection
    Global Insight ISSN 2690-8204 Volume 1 • 2020 doi:10.32855/globalinsight.2020.005 Truth Is a Potato: A Journey into Tolstoy’s Resurrection Ryan Adam The over-intellectualization of the questions of Truth and Justice only muddy the challenge of living correctly and alienate us from actual, practicable answers, answers which have been here, Leo Tolstoy argues, for millennia. Tolstoy, through the character of Prince Nekhlyudov in Resurrection, opposes simplicity and hard-scrabble peasant wisdom to the labyrinths and mountains of intellectualism and state-sanctioned correctness. This article explores Tolstoy’s ideas regarding the nature and substance of Truth, pursing them through the author’s biog- raphy as well as the experiences of the Prince. It concludes that, for any flaws in his reasoning, his beliefs still offer a viable solution to the complex, minute, and numerous doubts which surround any debate in our modern, data-ridden world. The evils of the world are monstrous as well as minute: the moment you point one out, reveal it standing there, distinctly horrible, you will see its edges bleed into the circumstances surrounding it and the obvious blackness of its substance blend irrevocably among the tints of regular life. A murder in broad daylight should leave no doubt, but the obviousness of that too may seep away on closer examination. So where do we locate the boundaries of guilt? Where, so to speak, on such a blended landscape, should we build a prison’s walls? The devil’s crimson tail is twisted up among the chains of circumstance, the causal links of which dangle into the invisible deep, so much so that if I steal something from you, how correct is it to say that I’m the criminal, only me, and never mind the miasma of influences I grew up in? These questions animate the thoughts and anxieties of Prince Nekhlyudov, the hero of Leo Tolstoy’s late novel, Resurrection.
    [Show full text]
  • 55P.; Major Funding from Sprint PCS, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, and Park Foundation
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 459 073 SE 065 393 TITLE NOVA[R] Fall 2001 Teacher's Guide. INSTITUTION WGBH-TV, Boston, MA. PUB DATE 2001-00-00 NOTE 55p.; Major funding from Sprint PCS, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, and Park Foundation. Published semiannually. AVAILABLE FROM WGBH Educational Foundation, 125 Western Avenue, Boston, MA 02134. Web site: http://www.pbs.org/nova/teachers/guide-subscribe.html. PUB TYPE Guides - Classroom Teacher (052) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Academic Standards; Elementary Secondary Education; Instructional Materials; *National Standards; *Science Activities; Science Instruction; Science Programs; Television IDENTIFIERS National Science Education Standards; *NOVA (Television Series) ABSTRACT This teacher guide includes activity information for the program NOVA, Fall 2001. Background for each activity is provided along with its correlation to the national science standards. Activities include: (1) "Search for a Safe Cigarette"; (2) "18 Ways To Make a Baby"; (3) "Secrets o'f Mind"; (4) "Neanderthals on Trial";(5) "Life's Greatest Miracle"; (6) "Methuselah Tree"; and (7)"Flying Casanovas." (YDS) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. 0 I II a a II I II EDUCATIONALOfficeU S of DEPARTMENT Educational RESOURCES Research OF EDUCATION and INFORMATION Improvement A0 This Minororiginatingreceived document changes from itCENTER hasthehave person been been (ERIC) reproduced or made organization to as officialdocumentPointsimprove OERIof reproduction view do positionnot or opinionsnecessar orquality policy stated ly represent in this PERMISSIONDISSEMINATEBEEN TO GRANTEDTHIS REPRODUCE MATERIAL BY HASAND 1TO INFORMATIONTHE EDUCATIONAL CENTER RESOURCES (ERIC) _a a 3 Communication and education go hand-in-hand. As a teacher, there is clearly nothing more important than connecting directly with your students.
    [Show full text]