DOCSLIB.ORG

Making a Difference Rethinking Humanism and the Humanities

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Making a Difference Rethinking Humanism and the Humanities Making a Difference Making a Difference Rethinking Humanism and the Humanities Edited by N F S J Thales © Thales and the contributors Cover and layout: Lotta Hansson Printed in Preses Nams, Riga 2009 ISBN 978-9-7235-076-2 Contents Su s a n n e Ja n s s o n Introduction 9 L a r s He r t z b e r g Making a Difference or Changing the World? 7 S ö re n St e n l u n d Philosophy and Critique of Culture 35 S a b i n a L ov i b o n d Is Humanism a Thing of the Past? 5 Sh a r o n R i d e r On Relativism and Relativity in the Human Sciences 69 M a r t i n Gu s t a f s s o n Seeing the Facts and Saying What You Like 9 Ha n s Ru i n The Silence of Philosophy 27 St e p h e n Mu l h a l l Heidegger and the Enigma of the Human 45 L a r s - Ol o f Å h l b e r g Humanism, Scientism and the Study of Culture 57 M a r g a re t a Ha l l b e r g Struggling with Academic Biography 87 Mo r t e n Ky n d r u p Artwork as Act as Difference 23 R i c h a rd Sh u s t e r m a n The Art of Humanizing 223 Jo s e p h M a r g o l i s The Definition of the Human 247 A s t r i d S ö d e r b e r g h Wi d d i n g Same Old Pictures 279 Ja m e s C o n a n t The World of a Movie 293 Gu n n a r Ol s s o n A Local Habitation and a Name 325 Contributors 353 Acknowledgements The majority of papers in this volume were originally presented at the interdisciplinary conference Making a Difference; Rethinking Humanism and the Humanities at Uppsala University, 2003. The conference was organized by Sharon Rider and Susanne Jansson in collaboration with Thomas Hård af Segerstad, Sören Stenlund, Simo Säätelä, Astrid Söderbergh-Widding and Lars-Olof Åhlberg. The conference included a segment on film which took place at the Swedish Film Institute in Stockholm, as well as a screening at Slotts- biografen in Uppsala, preceded by an introduction about this histori- cal theater and its connection to Ingmar Bergman’s early fascination with film as a child. This arrangement was kindly hosted by the Uppsala Filmstudio. Special thanks to the co-editor of this volume, Niklas Forsberg, for an efficient and agreeable collaboration, and to Sharon Rider. Both the conference and this volume of proceedings have been gen- erously financed by the Swedish Research Council (VR) and Uppsala University. Susanne Jansson 7 S J Introduction What makes a difference? If an idea is carried out according to the original plan such that the plan is sensed in the result, as in the case of a pyramid, then the difference the plan makes is obvious. On the other hand, some seemingly insignificant detail could make a critical difference to someone without even being noticeable to someone else. Is not the field of the humanities conjunctive in the sense that it makes things that are noticed only by the individual a topic of critical concern to many? The participants were invited to “rethink humanism and the hu- manities” which, of course, is to a considerable degree a matter of self-reflection and self-critique, an enterprise of looking into what goes on in the space between one’s self as a member of the com- munity of selves and oneself as reflecting on that community and one’s place in it, an enterprise which need not be self-indulgent but can be an enhancement of a mode of sharing. In particular, Stanley Cavell’s presence at the conference brings this aspect of humanist thinking to light. As we see it, his understanding of a necessary per- sonal cultivation, a process associated with ideas of moral perfection, is pivotal, but these ideas must not be tainted with either aestheti- cism or perfectionism. Sharing instantiates companionship that respects differences and affinities alike. Here we touch upon the working principle of democ- racy, associated with the UN’s first declaration of human rights, stat- ing that “[a]ll human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” Does this claim not appeal to the therapeutic ambition of thinking-for-oneself to- gether with others? How do I set myself apart within “companion- able thinking”? Rather than by lines of demarcation we consider 9 making a difference horizons, i.e. how we meet and interact when our horizons coincide or temporarily overlap. What does the field of aesthetics contribute to companionable thinking? Does it not, generally speaking, make things more visible? Does it not provide a plethora of examples by which to distinguish aspects of being human? Is not the field of aesthetics a privileged domain of critical attention in that it invites a sharing of experience? This is attained through, among other things, the aspect of preservation and endurance involved in much art, which in many cases allows for renewed critical assessment. Over the course of time, the ongoing and repetitive again-and-again, by which a particular aesthetic expression very well might prove durably companionable, could be seen as an act of acknowledgement of the past that makes a difference. Of course, companionable thinking is not permissive but critical. Art is prominent in Lars Hertzberg’s contribution. He sets “mak- ing a difference” against the notion of “changing the world,” the lat- ter articulated for example in the case of some protagonist promising to “bring down the moon” as a sign of love. In contrast, Hertzberg focuses on down-scaled actions implying responsibility. And we are reminded that there are cases down-scaled to the bare minimum of abstaining from action, which nevertheless are ethically relevant without our even being aware of it. This understanding leads to Hertzberg’s conception of a “point of view of hope” in light of which a person can act and argue for an “improved order of things” thus serving and being served by the arts and the humanities. Sören Stenlund is concerned with a deficient use of historical knowledge becoming more or less obvious in much of the critique of the contemporary. This is a vital reminder because a “defective self-confidence” seems to be a characteristic “mood of the times” in much of the humanities. Stenlund argues for a “creative spirit” which will show itself in examples that are strong enough to become exemplary. This, however, is not easily achieved because of a certain submissive wearing-down of a necessary self-critical attitude in an academic climate that does not recognize clearly what the humanist’s competence really is about, namely, the capacity for independent considerations and attitudes. 0 introduction Sabina Lovibond focuses on questions concerning aesthetic exem- plarity. If it is the case that we have largely left “humanism” behind, then in what sense could there be aesthetic exemplarity at all? It is a relevant question because there could hardly be such exemplarity without the challenging idea of education. This is challenging be- cause there are those who believe in the relevance of aesthetic ex- emplarity and there are those who disbelieve, and for good reasons. How should we conceive of the sources of Western humanism that have allegedly produced an imagery of great durability? Must not that kind of exemplarity be challenged over and over again within the field of the humanities? Lovibond shows that the challenge can only be met by realizing that the human sciences constitute a field of tension. Humanism is not left behind but lived out by contesting ways of considering the sources of culture. Sharon Rider’s discussion about relativism in human sciences fol- lows up on Stenlund’s concerns. Relativism, argues Rider, comes with an Academy in the process of getting to know itself. In this quest for “the fact of academics”, Rider engages in a dialogue with Max Weber, who, already a century ago, envisaged a situation in which the complexity of the modern world challenged academic thinking radically in ways reminiscent of today’s situation. Rider’s proposal is a demanding one: one has to “make the best” of the situation, i.e. accept scientific specialization as a proper response to the complexity of the modern world, but without internalizing that same tendency. The critical question of what makes it “worthwhile” to pursue human sciences is tentatively framed as a trial to rediscover “the human impetus to get clear on things of concern.” Margareta Hallberg discusses biographical writing as an academic genre. In discussing her approach to the intellectual biography of the British philosopher of science, Mary Hesse, Hallberg chooses to combine a theoretical and a non-theoretical approach in her efforts to take stock of the clarity afforded by a certain photography. Her claim is that the insight gained from such a combined approach could very well motivate serious reassessment of what it means to pursue research in the humanities. Martin Gustafsson considers the notion of “retroactive re-descrip- making a difference tion” in the social sciences and humanities.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Training's Ability to Improve Other Race Individuation
    Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia Southern Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of Spring 2013 Recognizing the Other: Training's Ability to Improve Other Race Individuation W. Grady Rose Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd Part of the Psychology Commons, and the Race and Ethnicity Commons Recommended Citation Rose, W. Grady, "Recognizing the Other: Training's Ability to Improve Other Race Individuation" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 47. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/47 This thesis (open access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Running head: RECOGNIZING THE OTHER 1 RECOGNIZING THE OTHER: TRAINING’S ABILITY TO IMPROVE OTHER RACE INDIVIDUATION by W. GRADY ROSE (Under the Direction of Amy Hackney, Ph. D.) ABSTRACT Members of one race or ethnicity are less able to individuate members of another race compared to their own race peers. This phenomenon is known as the other race effect (ORE) or the cross race effect (CRE). Not only are individuals less able to identify members of the other race but they are also more likely to pick those individuals out of a crowd. The categorization- individuation model predicts that this deficit arises from a lack of motivated individuation; in which members of the other race are remembered at the category level as a prototype while own race members are remembered by name with individual characteristics.
    [Show full text]
  • The Return of Vitalism: Canguilhem and French Biophilosophy in the 1960S
    The Return of Vitalism: Canguilhem and French Biophilosophy in the 1960s Charles T. Wolfe Unit for History and Philosophy of Science University of Sydney [email protected] Abstract The eminent French biologist and historian of biology, François Jacob, once notoriously declared ―On n‘interroge plus la vie dans les laboratoires‖1: laboratory research no longer inquires into the notion of ‗Life‘. Nowadays, as David Hull puts it, ―both scientists and philosophers take ontological reduction for granted… Organisms are ‗nothing but‘ atoms, and that is that.‖2 In the mid-twentieth century, from the immediate post-war period to the late 1960s, French philosophers of science such as Georges Canguilhem, Raymond Ruyer and Gilbert Simondon returned to Jacob‘s statement with an odd kind of pathos: they were determined to reverse course. Not by imposing a different kind of research program in laboratories, but by an unusual combination of historical and philosophical inquiry into the foundations of the life sciences (particularly medicine, physiology and the cluster of activities that were termed ‗biology‘ in the early 1800s). Even in as straightforwardly scholarly a work as La formation du concept de réflexe aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles (1955), Canguilhem speaks oddly of ―defending vitalist biology,‖ and declares that Life cannot be grasped by logic (or at least, ―la vie déconcerte la logique‖). Was all this historical and philosophical work merely a reassertion of ‗mysterian‘, magical vitalism? In order to answer this question we need to achieve some perspective on Canguilhem‘s ‗vitalism‘, notably with respect to its philosophical influences such as Kurt Goldstein.
    [Show full text]
  • HUMANISM Religious Practices
    HUMANISM Religious Practices . Required Daily Observances . Required Weekly Observances . Required Occasional Observances/Holy Days Religious Items . Personal Religious Items . Congregate Religious Items . Searches Requirements for Membership . Requirements (Includes Rites of Conversion) . Total Membership Medical Prohibitions Dietary Standards Burial Rituals . Death . Autopsies . Mourning Practices Sacred Writings Organizational Structure . Headquarters Location . Contact Office/Person History Theology 1 Religious Practices Required Daily Observance No required daily observances. Required Weekly Observance No required weekly observances, but many Humanists find fulfillment in congregating with other Humanists on a weekly basis (especially those who characterize themselves as Religious Humanists) or other regular basis for social and intellectual engagement, discussions, book talks, lectures, and similar activities. Required Occasional Observances No required occasional observances, but some Humanists (especially those who characterize themselves as Religious Humanists) celebrate life-cycle events with baby naming, coming of age, and marriage ceremonies as well as memorial services. Even though there are no required observances, there are several days throughout the calendar year that many Humanists consider holidays. They include (but are not limited to) the following: February 12. Darwin Day: This marks the birthday of Charles Darwin, whose research and findings in the field of biology, particularly his theory of evolution by natural selection, represent a breakthrough in human knowledge that Humanists celebrate. First Thursday in May. National Day of Reason: This day acknowledges the importance of reason, as opposed to blind faith, as the best method for determining valid conclusions. June 21 - Summer Solstice. This day is also known as World Humanist Day and is a celebration of the longest day of the year.
    [Show full text]
  • Postgraduate/Distance Learning Assignment Coversheet & Feedback Form
    Postgraduate/Distance Learning Assignment coversheet & feedback form THIS SHEET MUST BE THE FIRST PAGE OF THE ASSIGNMENT YOU ARE SUBMITTING (DO NOT SEND AS A SEPARATE FILE) For completion by the student: Student Name: SAMANTHA JANE HOLLAND Student University Email: [email protected] Module code: Student ID number: Educational support needs: 1001693 Yes/No Module title: DISSERTATION Assignment title: OTHAs AND ENVIRONMENT IN ANIMAL ETHICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY: ONTOLOGY AND ETHICAL MOTIVATION BEYOND THE DICHOTOMIES OF ANTHROPOCENTRISM Assignment due date: 2 April 2013 This assignment is for the 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th module of the degree N/A Word count: 22,000 WORDS I confirm that this is my original work and that I have adhered to the University policy on plagiarism. Signed …………………………………………………………… Assignment Mark 1st Marker’s Provisional mark 2nd Marker’s/Moderator’s provisional mark External Examiner’s mark (if relevant) Final Mark NB. All marks are provisional until confirmed by the Final Examination Board. For completion by Marker 1 : Comments: Marker’s signature: Date: For completion by Marker 2/Moderator: Comments: Marker’s Signature: Date: External Examiner’s comments (if relevant) External Examiner’s Signature: Date: ii OTHAs AND ENVIRONMENT IN ANIMAL ETHICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY: ONTOLOGY AND ETHICAL MOTIVATION BEYOND THE DICHOTOMIES OF ANTHROPOCENTRISM Samantha Jane Holland March 2013 Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA Nature University of Wales, Trinity Saint David Master’s Degrees by Examination and Dissertation Declaration Form. 1. This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree.
    [Show full text]
  • INTRODUCTION 1. Medical Humanism and Natural Philosophy
    INTRODUCTION 1. Medical Humanism and Natural Philosophy The Renaissance was one of the most innovative periods in Western civi- lization.1 New waves of expression in fijine arts and literature bloomed in Italy and gradually spread all over Europe. A new approach with a strong philological emphasis, called “humanism” by historians, was also intro- duced to scholarship. The intellectual fecundity of the Renaissance was ensured by the intense activity of the humanists who were engaged in collecting, editing, translating and publishing the ancient literary heri- tage, mostly in Greek and Latin, which had hitherto been scarcely read or entirely unknown to the medieval world. The humanists were active not only in deciphering and interpreting these “newly recovered” texts but also in producing original writings inspired by the ideas and themes they found in the ancient sources. Through these activities, Renaissance humanist culture brought about a remarkable moment in Western intel- lectual history. The effforts and legacy of those humanists, however, have not always been appreciated in their own right by historians of philoso- phy and science.2 In particular, the impact of humanism on the evolution of natural philosophy still awaits thorough research by specialists. 1 By “Renaissance,” I refer to the period expanding roughly from the fijifteenth century to the beginning of the seventeenth century, when the humanist movement begun in Italy was difffused in the transalpine countries. 2 Textbooks on the history of science have often minimized the role of Renaissance humanism. See Pamela H. Smith, “Science on the Move: Recent Trends in the History of Early Modern Science,” Renaissance Quarterly 62 (2009), 345–75, esp.
    [Show full text]
  • Affect, Trust, and Dignity: Ontological Possibilities and Material Consequences for a Philosophy of Educational Resonance Walter Gershon Kent State University
    Walter Gershon 461 Affect, Trust, and Dignity: Ontological Possibilities and Material Consequences for a Philosophy of Educational Resonance Walter Gershon Kent State University INTRODUCTION This essay articulates a philosophy of resonance in education, from some of its theoretical possibilities through their material consequences. Contemporary under- standings in educational philosophy have a tendency to utilize ocular metaphors, epistemological constructions that provide frames for seeing the world. There are at least the following three difficulties with such a reliance on the ocular. First, they are easily interrupted by nonocular metaphors. While this may seem to be a rather surface concern, it points to a deep philosophical set of problems. For example, what happens when the augenblick, a construct around which much philosophizing has been accomplished, is pressed slightly to become a “blink of an ear”?1 This move not only questions the veracity of ocular-centric constructions from blinks to texts — for what does it say about an idea if it falls apart by shifting senses — but it also presses at the feasibility of framing, its inherently bounded nature as well as the large number of possibilities excluded by its gaze. Second, the sonic provides another avenue for wonder. Sound is omnipresent and questions of hearing or listening are as much about physical anatomy as they concern sociocultural constructs about what sounds can mean. Unlike sight that is necessarily directional and constantly interrupted (for example, by blinking), sound is omnidirectional, creating a context in which focus requires a particular kind of attentive filtering rather than a reframing or panning directionality. Finally, sound is and always has been.
    [Show full text]
  • Phenomenology As Philosophy and Method Applications to Ways of Doing Special Education
    Phenomenology As Philosophy and Method Applications to Ways of Doing Special Education JEAN C. McPHAIL ABSTRACT 1 HENOMENOLOGY IS A PHILOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT The theoretical positions of the preceding two texts THAT APPROACHES THE STUDY OF HUMAN BEINGS AND THEIR create significantly different orientations to the life worlds CULTURE DIFFERENTLY FROM THE LOGICAL POSITIVIST MODEL of people. The quote by Merleau-Ponty describes the USED IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES AND IN SPECIAL EDUCA- essential focus of the phenomenological movement in TION. PHENOMENOLOGISTS VIEW THE APPLICATION OF THE philosophy—human consciousness. The Individualized Edu- LOGICAL POSITIVIST MODEL TO THE STUDY OF HUMAN BEINGS cation Program written for a 13-year-old young man with AS INAPPROPRIATE BECAUSE THE MODEL DOES NOT ADDRESS learning disabilities characterizes the prevalent view of THE UNIQUENESS OF HUMAN LIFE. IN THIS ARTICLE, THE individuals working in the field of special education—an THEORETICAL ASSUMPTIONS AND METHODOLOGICAL orientation directed toward changing the behavior of indi- ORIENTATIONS OF PHENOMENOLOGY ARE DISCUSSED, viduals with disabilities. Whereas phenomenology privi- FOLLOWED BY THEIR APPLICATIONS TO WAYS OF DOING leges the nature of the meanings that people construct in RESEARCH IN SPECIAL EDUCATION. their lives and that guide their actions, special education focuses on the study and practice of behavioral change outside the context of the life meanings of individuals with disabilities. The shift that Bruner (1990) described in the early stages of the cognitive revolution from an emphasis on the "construction of meaning to the processing of mean- P. HENOMENOLOGY IS AN INVENTORY OF CON- ing" (p. 4) aptly characterizes the essential differences JLsciousness HEN( as of that wherein a universe resides.
    [Show full text]
  • Optimistic Realism About Scientific Progress
    Optimistic Realism about Scientific Progress Ilkka Niiniluoto ABSTRACT: Scientific realists use the “no miracle argument” to show that the empirical and pragmatic success of science is an indicator of the ability of scientific theories to give true or truthlike representations of unobservable reality. While antirealists define scientific progress in terms of empirical success or practical problem-solving, realists characterize progress by using some truth-related criteria. This paper defends the definition of scientific progress as increasing truthlikeness or verisimilitude. Antirealists have tried to rebut realism with the “pessimistic metainduction”, but critical realists turn this argument into an optimistic view about progressive science. KEYWORDS: conceptual pluralism, fallibilism, no miracle argument, pessimistic metainduction, scientific realism, truthlikeness 1. Varieties of Scientific Realism Scientific realism as a philosophical position has (i) ontological, (ii) semantical, (iii) epistemological, (iv) theoretical, and (v) methodological aspects (see Niiniluoto 1999a; Psillos 1999). It holds that (i) at least part of reality is ontologically independent of human mind and culture. It takes (ii) truth to involve a non-epistemic relation between language and reality. It claims that (iii) knowledge about mind-independent (as well as mind-dependent) reality is possible, and that (iv) the best and deepest part of such knowledge is provided by empirically testable scientific theories. An important aim of science is (v) to find true and informative theories which postulate non-observable entities and laws to explain observable phenomena. Scientific realism became a tenable stance in the philosophy of science in the 1950s as an alternative to empiricist views which reduced theories to the observational language (Ernst Mach’s positivism) or restricted scientific knowledge to the level of observational statements by denying that theoretical statements have truth values (Pierre Duhem’s instrumentalism).
    [Show full text]
  • The Idea of Mimesis: Semblance, Play, and Critique in the Works of Walter Benjamin and Theodor W
    DePaul University Via Sapientiae College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences 8-2012 The idea of mimesis: Semblance, play, and critique in the works of Walter Benjamin and Theodor W. Adorno Joseph Weiss DePaul University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/etd Recommended Citation Weiss, Joseph, "The idea of mimesis: Semblance, play, and critique in the works of Walter Benjamin and Theodor W. Adorno" (2012). College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations. 125. https://via.library.depaul.edu/etd/125 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Via Sapientiae. It has been accepted for inclusion in College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Via Sapientiae. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Idea of Mimesis: Semblance, Play, and Critique in the Works of Walter Benjamin and Theodor W. Adorno A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy October, 2011 By Joseph Weiss Department of Philosophy College of Liberal Arts and Sciences DePaul University Chicago, Illinois 2 ABSTRACT Joseph Weiss Title: The Idea of Mimesis: Semblance, Play and Critique in the Works of Walter Benjamin and Theodor W. Adorno Critical Theory demands that its forms of critique express resistance to the socially necessary illusions of a given historical period. Yet theorists have seldom discussed just how much it is the case that, for Walter Benjamin and Theodor W.
    [Show full text]
  • The Aesthetics of Frustration: Diversity and the ASA
    The Aesthetics of Frustration: Diversity and the ASA Sherri Irvin University of Oklahoma As I began to write a more standard aesthetics paper on an entirely different topic, my thoughts turned to several episodes in which scholars of color presented their work at ASA meetings with recep- tions ranging from chilly to hostile. Some have stated that they will not likely return to the ASA due to these experiences. Because I be- lieve the resources of aesthetics can shed considerable light on social and political dynamics, I will examine some aesthetic elements of this situation and use them to inform a schematic proposal about how we might move forward. I don’t have the answers—finding them is not a task for one person, and scholars belonging to the communities that have been margin- alized and excluded in our professional spaces must be centrally involved. But serious discussion of these matters, which have been personally and professionally painful for me and far more so for THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR AESTHETICS: others, is badly needed, and I hope this contribution will renew a AN ASSOCIATION FOR AESTHETICS, discussion that was engaged by A.W. Eaton, Charles Peterson, and CRITICISM, AND THEORY OF THE ARTS Paul C. Taylor in the Aesthetics for Birds blog in late 2017. 1. VOLUME 41 NUMBER 2 SUMMER 2021 In 2010, the distinguished legal scholar and Yavapai Supreme Court justice Rebecca Tsosie was plenary speaker at the ASA annual meet- ing. I was struck not only by the critical Indigenous perspective she 1 The Aesthetics of Frustration: Diversity and brought to her discussion of the collection of Native American cul- the ASA tural objects in non-Native museums, but also by her gender pre- by Sherri Irvin sentation.
    [Show full text]
  • Art As a Form of Negative Dialectics: 'Theory' in Adorno's Aesthetic Theory Author(S): WILLIAM D
    Art as a Form of Negative Dialectics: 'Theory' in Adorno's Aesthetic Theory Author(s): WILLIAM D. MELANEY Reviewed work(s): Source: The Journal of Speculative Philosophy, New Series, Vol. 11, No. 1 (1997), pp. 40-52 Published by: Penn State University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25670205 . Accessed: 10/12/2011 23:11 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Penn State University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of Speculative Philosophy. http://www.jstor.org WILLIAM D. MELANEY Art as a Form ofNegative Dialectics: Theory' inAdorno's Aesthetic Theory Adorno's dialectical approach to aesthetics is inseparable from his concep as a tion of art socially and historically consequential source of truth.None theless, his dialectical approach to aesthetics is perhaps understood better in terms of his monumental work, Aesthetic Theory (1984), which attempts to relate the speculative tradition in philosophical aesthetics to the situation of art in twentieth-century society, than in terms of purely theoretical claims. In an effort to clarify his aesthetic position, I hope to demonstrate both that Adorno embraces theKantian thesis concerning art's autonomy and that he criticizes transcendental philosophy.
    [Show full text]
  • The Transition from Studying Philosophy to Doing Philosophy
    Teaching Philosophy 34:3, September 2011 241 The Transition from Studying Philosophy to Doing Philosophy JOHN RUDISILL The College of Wooster Abstract: In this paper I articulate a minimal conception of the idea of doing philosophy that informs a curriculum and pedagogy for producing students who are capable of engaging in philosophical activity and not just competent with a specific domain of knowledge. The paper then relates, by way of back- ground, the departmental assessment practices that have played a vital role in the development of my department’s current curriculum and in particular in the design of a junior-year seminar in philosophical research required of all majors. After a brief survey of the learning theory literature that has informed its design, I share the content of this junior-year seminar. In the paper’s conclusion I provide some initial data that indicates our approach to curriculum and pedagogy has had a positive impact on student achievement with respect to reaching the learning goals associated with “doing” as opposed to “merely studying” philosophy. 1. Introduction Capstone projects are common among liberal arts colleges and fre- quently carry an expectation that the final product demonstrates the student’s achievement of becoming a budding biologist, historian, sociologist, philosopher and so on. Even without a formal capstone requirement, I would hope that my philosophy students could—as they finish their undergraduate studies—demonstrate such an achievement. This is because the full set of benefits made available by an education in philosophy includes but extends well beyond knowledge of the history of philosophy and mastery of a philosophical lexicon.
    [Show full text]