scholarly journals “But what a place / to put a piano”: Nostalgic Objects in Robert Minhinnick’s "Diary of the Last Man"

Text Matters ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 331-344
Author(s):  
Agata Handley
Keyword(s):  
Zero Point ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Cultural Contexts ◽  
Complete Destruction ◽  
The World ◽  
Last Man ◽  
The Voice ◽  
The Last Man

In 2003, Martin Rees referred to the present as “mankind’s final century.” A few years later, Slavoj Žižek wrote that humankind is heading towards “apocalyptic zero-point,” when the ecological crisis will most probably lead to our complete destruction. In his 2017 collection, Diary of the Last Man, Welsh poet Robert Minhinnick offers readers a meditation upon Earth at a liminal moment—on the brink of becoming completely unpopulated. Imagining a solitary human being, living in the midst of environmental collapse, Minhinnick yet entwines different voices—human and non-human—operating across vast spans of time. The speaker of the poems moves freely through different geographies and cultural contexts, but the voice that starts and ends the journey, seems to be the voice of the poet himself: he is the last man on earth, a survivor of ecological disaster. The paper discusses Minhinnick’s collection as a projection of the world we now inhabit into a future where it will exist only in the form of nostalgic memories. The analysis focuses on the role of objects in the construction of the world-within-the poem, where the fragments of human civilization are being claimed by forces of the environment—engulfing sand, progressive erosion—forming a retrospective vision of our “now” which will inevitably become our “past.”

Post-apocalyptic humanism in Hesiod, Mary Shelley, and Olaf Stapledon

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-108
Author(s):  
Mark Payne
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Life Form ◽  
Mary Shelley ◽  
Speculative Fiction ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Deep Time ◽  
Last Man ◽  
The Last Man ◽  
Olaf Stapledon

Abstract This paper considers the role of anachronism in large scale narratives of speculative fiction. Mary Shelley's The Last Man and Olaf Stapledon's Last and First Men signal in their titles an ambition to deal with humankind totally and all inclusively. Both authors look to Hesiod as a model for their projects: the Greek poet's account of successive creations and destructions of humankind at the hands of the gods offers a way of narrating human being as both a local cosmic occurrence that has been and one day will be no longer, and as a life form that has persisted with distinctive orientations and commitments through its various local incarnations. The question of anachronism is thus given maximum scope. Rather than a question about accuracy in the representation of local historical details, anachronism emerges as an interrogation of what we recognize and acknowledge as ourselves in the horizon of deep time.

The problem of periodization of the history of religion

1997 ◽  
pp. 3-8
Author(s):  
Borys Lobovyk
Keyword(s):  
Religious Studies ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Religious Development ◽  
History Of Religion ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Role Of Religion

An important problem of religious studies, the history of religion as a branch of knowledge is the periodization process of the development of religious phenomenon. It is precisely here, as in focus, that the question of the essence and meaning of the religious development of the human being of the world, the origin of beliefs and cult, the reasons for the changes in them, the place and role of religion in the social and spiritual process, etc., are converging.

Schopenhauer and the Paradox of the Sublime

2020 ◽  
pp. 237-255
Author(s):  
Bart Vandenabeele
Keyword(s):  
Aesthetic Experience ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Aesthetic Object ◽  
Human Reason ◽  
The Sublime ◽  
The World ◽  
The Aesthetic

Schopenhauer explores the paradoxical nature of the aesthetic experience of the sublime in a richer way than his predecessors did by rightfully emphasizing the prominent role of the aesthetic object and the ultimately affirmative character of the pleasurable experience it offers. Unlike Kant, Schopenhauer’s doctrine of the sublime does not appeal to the superiority of human reason over nature but affirms the ultimately “superhuman” unity of the world, of which the human being is merely a puny fragment. The author focuses on Schopenhauer’s treatment of the experience of the sublime in nature and argues that Schopenhauer makes two distinct attempts to resolve the paradox of the sublime and that Schopenhauer’s second attempt, which has been neglected in the literature, establishes the sublime as a viable aesthetic concept with profound significance.

scholarly journals ROMANIAN HUMANISM IN THE PHILOSOPHICAL VISION OF CONSTANTIN MICU STAVILA

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 889-895
Author(s):  
Frăguța Zaharia
Keyword(s):  
World Wide ◽  
Meaning Of Life ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Philosophical Thinking ◽  
European Context ◽  
Philosophy And Religion ◽  
The World ◽  
Romanian Folklore ◽  
Human Destiny

The present European context challenges us to approach the issues of Romanian dignity, humanity and humanism. The purpose of this essay is to emphasize the interpretative and explanatory dimensions of Constantin Micu Stavila’s philosophical thinking focused on the meaning of life and the human destiny, no less on the significance of the Christian personalism that the Romanian-French philosopher has cultivated it. Some questions arise: What is the role of philosophy and religion in understanding the meaning of life? How do we have to consider the human being and by especially the characteristics defining the Human within the Romanian culture? Trying to provide an honest, coherent and enlightening response, the paper is organized into two parts: 1. The mission of Romanian philosophy – attempting to demonstrate that the Romanian culture is integrating itself in the world-wide one seeing that there is an intimate complementarity of philosophy and religion; and 2. Romanian cultural messianism – developing an interpretation of the Romanian folklore according to the topic of the paper.

scholarly journals Role of Women Structuring the Society

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Humera Sultana ◽  
Nasreen Aslam Shah
Keyword(s):  
Muslim Women ◽  
Moral Character ◽  
Human Being ◽  
The World ◽  
The Status ◽  
Role Of Women ◽  
Early Islamic ◽  
Islamic Society ◽  
Status Of Women

Historically, the status of women was very low all over the world however Islam is the only religion which help in changing the status of women and improve her status in the society. This paper explores the lives of Muslim women in the period of early Islamic society which reveals that these women gave the lesson of virtue, piety, devotion and sacrifice to every women and daughter of Islam. These ladies bore exemplary moral character, and in performance of their responsibilities they sacrificed their luxuries, comforts and happiness. Following footprints of these ladies can make every daughter a proud human being.

"The Whole Earth My Altar": A Sacramental Trajectory for Ecological Mission « La terre tout entière est mon autel » : trajectoire sacramentelle pour une mission écologique "Die ganze Welt ist mein Altar": Eine sakramentale Wegbeschreibung für eine ökologische Mission "La tierra entera es mi altar": Una trayectoria sacramental para una misión ecológica

2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-72
Author(s):  
Philip Knights
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
Christian Mission ◽  
The World ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
The Face ◽  
Pierre Teilhard De Chardin ◽  
Sacramental Vision ◽  
Ecological Action

AbstractThis paper proposes a sacramental vision of the world as both an expression of and an impetus for Christian mission in the face of the current ecological crisis. This is an outworking of Panentheist turns in recent theology and spirituality, although there is much variety in forms of Panetheism and also such emphases have a long Christian history. The paper examines a particular form of sacramental Panentheism as found in two pieces of writing by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: e Priest and e Mass on the World. In both of these Teilhard de Chardin considers the world around him through the lens of the pattern of the eucharistic liturgy and the role of the priest. The world is offered; the Holy Spirit is invoked; and divine transformation is celebrated. These almost poetic meditations stress the divine compassion for and connection with the material world. Teilhard de Chardin's "eucharistic extensions" suggest seeing the cosmos as both a signifier of the Divine and a location of divine action and energy. Christian mission in this perspective demands: that we discover the truth of where we are; that we experience our location in nature deeply, even spiritually; that we seek the advancement of the world; in particular that it may be fashioned according to its destiny in God. The frame of the Eucharist shapes our perception of the world and utilises the worldly as a vehicle of divine transformation. Our attitudes to the world must be the inspiration for our activity in the world. The sacramental vision demands missional and ecological action. Cet article propose une vision sacramentelle du monde à la fois comme une expression de la mission chrétienne face à la crise écologique actuelle, et un élan de cette même mission pour y répondre. Ceci est une retombée des tournants panenthéistes dans la théologie et la spiritualité récentes, même s'il y a beaucoup de variétés dans les formes de panenthéisme et si de tels accents ont déjà une longue histoire chrétienne. L'article examine une forme particulière de panenthéisme sacramentel rencontré dans deux écrits de Pierre Teilhard de Chardin : Le Prêtre et La messe sur le monde. Dans ces deux textes, Teilhard de Chardin regarde le monde qui l'entoure à travers la lunette du schéma de la liturgie eucharistique et du rôle du prêtre. Le monde est offert ; le Saint Esprit est invoqué ; et la transformation divine est célébrée. Ces méditations quasi poétiques soulignent la compassion divine pour le monde matériel et le lien entre les deux. Les « extensions eucharistiques » de Teilhard de Chardin poussent à considérer le Cosmos comme un signe du Divin et un lieu de l'action et de l'énergie divine. Der Artikel trägt eine sakramentale Weltsicht vor, die sowohl Ausdruck als auch Impuls für die christliche Mission angesichts der gegenwärtigen ökologischen Krise ist. Sie ist eine Anwendung panentheistischer Entwicklungen in der neueren Theologie und Spiritualität, obwohl es eine große Vielfalt an Panentheismusformen gibt und solche Akzentsetzungen eine lange christliche Geschichte haben. Der Artikel untersucht eine besondere Form des sakramentalen Panentheismus, wie er sich in zwei Schriften von Pierre Teilhard de Chardin zeigt: Der Priester und Die Messe der Welt. In diesen beiden Schriften versteht Teilhard de Chardin die Welt um ihn im Sinne einer eucharistischen Liturgie und der Rolle des Priesters. Die Welt wird geopfert; der Heilige Geist wird angerufen; und die göttliche Wandlung wird gefeiert. Diese fast poetischen Meditationen betonen das göttliche Erbarmen und die Verbindung mit der materiellen Welt. Teilhard de Chardins "eucharistische Ausweitungen" schlagen vor, den Kosmos sowohl als Zeichen als auch als Ort göttlichen Handelns und göttlicher Energie zu verstehen. Este texto propone una visión sacramental del mundo como una expresión y un impulso para la misión cristiana de cara a la actual crisis ecológica. Se trata de una elaboración de giros panenteístas en la teología y espiritualidad recientes, aunque exista una gran variedad en las formas de panenteísmo y estos énfasis tengan una larga historia cristiana. El artículo analiza una forma particular de panenteísmo sacramental como se lo encuentra en dos escritos de Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: El Sacerdote y La Misa sobre el Mundo. En ambos, Teilhard de Chardin considera el mundo a su alrededor a través del lente de la estructura de una liturgia eucarística y el papel del sacerdote. Se ofrece el mundo; se invoca al Espíritu Santo; y se celebra la transformación divina. Estas meditaciones casi poéticas enfatizan la compasión divina por y la conexión con el mundo material. Las "extensiones eucarísticas" de Teilhard de Chardin proponen mirar el universo tanto como el significante de lo Divino como la ubicación de la acción y energía divinas.

scholarly journals On the Role of Gesinnung in Kant’s Ethics and Philosophy of Religion. Part II

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexei N. Krouglov
Keyword(s):  
Practical Reason ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Free Expression ◽  
Human Being ◽  
The Novel ◽  
The World ◽  
The Will ◽  
Kant's Ethics ◽  
The Revolution

The sources of Kant’s term Gesinnung and a review of the problems of its translation into English were presented in the first part of this article; the second part examines the novel features that Kant brings to the interpretation of this concept in the critical period. In the Critique of Practical Reason these include the questions of manifestation of Gesinnung in the world, apprehended through the senses, the method of establishing and the culture of truly moral Gesinnung, as well as the problem of the immutability of Gesinnung in the progress towards the good. The new theses that appear in Religion within the Bounds of Bare Reason are Gesinnung as the internal subjective principle of maxims, on virtue as evidence of the presence of Gesinnung, on act as a manifestation of Gesinnung, on the unintelligibility of Gesinnung in its noumenal, suprasensible character, on the innateness of Gesinnung in the sense that it exists not in time, but in the form of its acceptance by free expression of the will, on the singleness of Gesinnung and its indivisibility into periods, on revolution in Gesinnung as distinct from empirical reform, on the creation of the new human being as distinct from the ancient one as a result of the revolution of Gesinnung, on the link between the revolution in Gesinnung and “conversion” or second birth. After discussing the problem of distinguishing the terms Gesinnung and Denkungsart in translation as well as a review of all the existing variants of translating Kant’s concept of Gesinnung into Russian (aspiration, inclination, intention, virtue, virtuousness, conviction, attitude, mode of thinking, thoughts, mood, disposition and umonastroenie), the author comes to the conclusion that the uniform variant umonastroenie is best suited for Russian translations of Kant’s works.

scholarly journals Breaking Aesthetics and Universaling Plague in Mary Shelley’s The Last Man

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz González Moreno
Keyword(s):  
Mary Shelley ◽  
The Self ◽  
The World ◽  
Poetic Inspiration ◽  
Last Man ◽  
Anima Mundi ◽  
The Last Man

Para los poetas románticos la imaginación era un puente necesario para salvar las distancias entre el mundo y el yo, y haciendo uso de ella estetizaron el mundo según las categorías estéticas de belleza y sublimidad. Es más, la Weltanschauung romántica permitió el resurgir del motivo del anima mundi, donde la naturaleza era fuente de inspiración, un ser vivo y madre nutricia. A lo largo de este artículo, me propongo explorar las cuestiones arriba mencionadas en la obra de Mary Shelley, The Last Man para mostrar hasta qué punto la autora consigue subvertir las pretensiones románticas y presentar una visión distópica del pensamiento romántico.Palabras clave: Romanticismo, estética, belleza, sublimidad, naturaleza, plagaABSTRACTFor Romantic poets imagination was understood as mainly a bridge to save distances between the world and the self; by means of imagination poets created an aestheticised world: nature was perceived either under the lineaments of beauty or of sublimity. Besides, the Romantic Weltanschauung favoured the resurgence of the anima mundi theme, which came to be very significant: firstly, because the spirit of nature favours poetic inspiration/ creation (wind and harp themes); and secondly, because nature is perceived as both an animated being and a nurturing-nursuring mother. Thus, my aim throughout this essay is to explore the concepts and themes stated above in Mary ShelleyKs The Last Man (1826) and to show how the author succeeds in subverting Romantic pretensions so that her work is to be understood as a dystopian vision of Romantic theory.Key words: Romanticism, aesthetics, beauty, sublimity, nature, plague

scholarly journals Rola uniwersytetów ludowych w ekologicznej edukacji młodzieży wiejskiej

2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 367-376
Author(s):  
Janusz Aptacy
Keyword(s):  
Educational System ◽  
Educational Programme ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Ecological Education ◽  
Integrated Development ◽  
Balanced Development ◽  
The World ◽  
The 19Th Century

This article concerns widely perceived ecological education being provided among country youth by People’s Universities, their homeland is Denmark and M. F. S. Grundvig is concerned to be their father. He observed English educational system and the way of education with the usage of boarding schools and then he transmitted it to Denmark, where at the end of the 18th c. and at the beginning of the 19th century the role of peasants, who reached for power and had their own farms, increased, therefore, there was a necessity to create an integrated educational system for those people. Thiss way of educating was then carried to Poland by Ignacy Solarz and his wife Zofia Solarzowa - that took place in the mid-20th century. A special tribute of these educational institutions was reaching those country groups of people who were hungry for knowledge and social advance. People’s Universities had and have ecological education established in their educational programme. However, this education concerns integrated, harmonic and balanced development of the human being, since, if ecology means the knowledge about the environment, it is the human being that should be the most important, that should be the subject.In this system of educating one is not only concerned in gaining the knowledge, but also in ability to pass the gained knowledge, expressing one’s opinions, ability to make relations with people and with the world. This system is about the most integrated development of a student’s personality, the ecological education must not limit itself just to care about the nature, but it should also take into consideration the human’s psychology, environment in which one was brought up and also the values with which one was fed. That is why this widely taken ecology should not omit religious, cultural and patriotic values. And People’s Universities draw their attention to this kind of values.

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