scholarly journals ‘Muzak for Frogs’—Representations of ‘Nature’ in Decoder (1984)

Humanities ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Eva-Maria Hanser

This paper examines the various representations of ‘nature’ present in Decoder (1984), a German experimental cyberpunk film that was inspired by William S. Burroughs’ thoughts on utilising tapes as revolutionary weapons. Though Decoder is not a film one would easily associate with labels, such as ‘green’ or ‘environmental’, signs and images that represent or refer to ‘nature’ and non-human life are not omitted. Through a close reading of the film, the paper first explores the ways in which these representations convey and evoke certain meanings and associations and then elucidates the themes at play in the context of these representations.

2019 ◽  
pp. 65-86
Author(s):  
Julie Chajes

Chapter 3 exposes the differences between Blavatsky’s earlier and later theories of rebirth through a close reading of her second major work, The Secret Doctrine (1888). The chapter begins by explaining the ‘macrocosmic’ aspects of Blavatsky’s reincarnation doctrine, that is, her cosmology, which describes the birth, death, and rebirth of planets, solar systems, and even universes. The chapter then explores the ‘microcosmic’ elements of the teaching, namely, Blavatsky’s statements on birth, death, and the revival of human life. The chapter concludes by analysing Blavatsky’s re-interpretation of the ‘second chance’ she believed would be given to those who died in exceptional occurrences. It also considers her claim in The Secret Doctrine that despite the usual acquisition of a new personality in each lifetime, it was possible for adepts to preserve their personal identity through repeated incarnations.


2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-62
Author(s):  
Humeira Iqtidar

Professor Sherman A. Jackson, an authority on Islamic legal and intellectualhistory, has claimed in this article that a particular form of the secular is internalto Islam. For him, the secular is primarily a manifestation of the differentiationof spheres of human life. The Islamic secular, he argues, is revealedthrough a close reading of the boundaries that the Sharia self-imposes uponits jurisdiction and that implicitly operationalizes a type of differentiation. Hisargument rests upon a distinction between Sharia and the wider religion ofIslam. This allows him to claim that the Sharia’s self-limitation supported arecognition of other modes of reasoning and argumentation within Islam, andthat it is this space of non-Sharia reasoning that constitutes the space of thesecular within Islam. Arguing for such a relationship between Sharia and thesecular, then, leads him to point out that the distinction between the Islamicand the Western seculars lays not so much in the substance, but in their function.In other words, substantively both versions of the secular seem to supportrational, empirical thought; however, in the case of Islam, the function of thesecular is not to reduce of religion.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Ni Wayan Dinda Widasuari ◽  
Ni Komang Arie Suwastini ◽  
Luh Gede Eka Wahyuni ◽  
Ni Putu Andilia Visestayati

As literature reflects human life, the characterizations of a fictional character in a novel can be analyzed as the reflections of the subconscious of the character in Freud's psychoanalysis. The present study will describe the characterizations of Lucy Pevensie as the main character in C.S. Lewis’ Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and elaborate on how the main character's subconscious as reflected through her characterizations affects the plot development of the novel. Through the application of close reading with the perspective of Freudian psychoanalysis, the present study reveals that Lucy Pevensie's curious, kind,  curious, kind, truthful, caring, loyal, and brave characterizations are as reflections of her id, ego, and superego. They are affected by the behaviors and characters around her and set the plot in motion (starting from disjunction, trajectory, proleptic events, reversal, discovery, and ending). As the end of the plot was resolved with Lucy Pevensie's bravery that leads to the saving of Edmund Pevensie from his demise, Lucy Pevensie's characterizations and their effects on the plot development implies that the combination of instinct, observation of reality and a deep conscience can be beneficial for the greater good of the society.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 258-272
Author(s):  
Luc Anckaert ◽  
Roger Burggraeve

The possibilities of creativity in human life depend on discovering the meaning of life. Franz Kafka’s story Before the Law evokes how every attempt at finding this meaning, represented as the law, comes with a crisis and can result in failure. The secret of human existence is all about intimate personal encounters. The other than myself, which is also deeply present inside myself, is not the impersonal thing that it is oftentimes made out to be. In an already published article, we presented a close-reading of Kafka’s text. We only refer to the results in the first paragraph. In this article, we read the biblical narrative on Adam and Eve as a text that is structured by the same economy – the intertwinedness of the I-Thou relation with the I-It relation. But in opposition to the Kafka narrative, the crisis is overcome and results in a new creative perspective on the human condition: the discovery of the ultimate intersubjective meaning of life. The meaning makes love and labour possible. It means that the creativity of becoming human is the result of interaction. The context of our research is a long project on developing a philosophical reading of Biblical texts that was developed at the KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. The methodology is inspired by the Talmudic readings of Emmanuel Levinas and by the philosophical interpretations of the Bible of Paul Ricœur. In this way, we introduce a non-confessional way of understanding religious texts on the creativity of becoming human. Santrauka Kūrybiškumo galimybės žmogaus gyvenime priklauso nuo atrastos gyvenimo prasmės. Franzo Kafkos apysaka Prieš įstatymą sukelia minčių, kaip bet kokiomis pastangomis rasti šią įstatymo simbolizuojamą prasmę, prasidedančią nuo krizės ir galinčią baigtis nesėkme. Žmogaus egzistavimo paslaptis yra absoliučiai neatsiejama nuo intymių asmeninių sutikčių. Kitas, skirtingai nei aš pats, kuris taip pat esti giliai manyje pačiame, nėra nesuasmenintas daiktas, kuris dažnai taip traktuojamas. Jau paskelbtame straipsnyje pristatėme nuodugnų Kafkos teksto aiškinimą. Pirmame skirsnyje tiesiog pateikiame prieitas išvadas. Šiame straipsnyje interpretuojame biblinį Adomo ir Ievos naratyvą kaip tekstą, kurio struktūra grindžiama tokia pat ekonomija – Aš–Tu ir Aš–Tai santykio sampyna. Tačiau, priešingai Kafkos naratyvui, krizė įveikiama ir baigiasi nauja kūrybine žmogaus būklės perspektyva, atradus didžiausią intersubjektyvią gyvenimo prasmę. Prasmė suteikia galimybę mylėti ir dirbti. Tai reiškia, kad tapimo žmogumi kūrybiškumas yra sąveikavimo rezultatas. Mūsų tyrimo kontekstą sudaro Leveno katalikiškajame universitete (Levenas, Belgija) vykdytas ilgalaikis projektas, plėtojęs filosofines biblinių tekstų interpretacijas. Šiuo atveju pristatome nekonfesinį būdą suprasti religinius tekstus, skirtus tapimo žmogumi kūrybiškumui.


PhaenEx ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 70-87
Author(s):  
PATRICK WOTLING

PresentationThis article is the first English translation of French scholar Patrick Wotling’s extensive research on Nietzsche. In order to understand Nietzsche’s work, Patrick Wotling follows closely Nietzsche’s well-known injunction to his readers: “learn to read me well!” Hence, he seeks to do a close reading of Nietzsche’s texts, which often resemble a seemingly random juxtaposition of ideas, looking for signs that allow the reader to follow Nietzsche’s thought and weave together a correct interpretation. In so doing it is imperative to reject any reading based on an interpretive framework that is not found in the text itself. This approach is tied to the specificity of Nietzsche’s work in that unlike philosophers before him, he does not hold the pursuit of truth to be the genuine goal of philosophy, and therefore does not write traditional systematic treatises. It is thus necessary to use this close reading approach to reveal the new patterns of thought that Nietzsche uses in place of traditional logical frameworks. Using this method, P. Wotling contends that Nietzsche’s thinking is organized along two tightly bound lines: on the one hand there is a genealogical inquiry, which consists of identifying and evaluating the value of values, and on the other hand there is a concern for the cultivation, or breeding (Züchtung) of human life, which aims at putting in place certain values with the goal of elevating humanity and creating human flourishing. The second goal implies the first, meaning that before knowing what values should be instituted, it is necessary to establish the hierarchy of values, in order to identify which ones are the most useful for the cultivation and enrichment of humanity.  AbstractWhat are Nietzsche’s reasons for criticizing truth? How far does such criticism extend, and how does Nietzsche understand the consequences of his position as regards the philosophical praxis? The discovery of a radical opposition between truth and thought shows that being irrefutable cannot be assimilated to being true, and, at the same time, that truth is interpretation. On closer scrutiny, it appears to be not an essence, but a value, that is to say a type of error that has become essential for the continuation of our life, linked to a long process of physical-psychological absorption, and now productive of a deceptive feeling of necessity. As a consequence, philosophy cannot be equated with the pursuit of truth any longer: first, because, as a free spirit, the genuine philosopher is to be thought of as a lover of riddles, shaped on Epicurus’ pattern rather than on Plato’s; and more importantly, because the philosopher’s real aim is to investigate the value of all particular values (including “truth”) for the development of human life, and, in accordance, to create and impose new “truths.”


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 449-452
Author(s):  
Alan MacLeod ◽  
Nicola Spence

COVID 19 has raised the profile of biosecurity. However, biosecurity is not only about protecting human life. This issue brings together mini-reviews examining recent developments and thinking around some of the tools, behaviours and concepts around biosecurity. They illustrate the multi-disciplinary nature of the subject, demonstrating the interface between research and policy. Biosecurity practices aim to prevent the spread of harmful organisms; recognising that 2020 is the International Year of Plant Health, several focus on plant biosecurity although invasive species and animal health concerns are also captured. The reviews show progress in developing early warning systems and that plant protection organisations are increasingly using tools that compare multiple pest threats to prioritise responses. The bespoke modelling of threats can inform risk management responses and synergies between meteorology and biosecurity provide opportunities for increased collaboration. There is scope to develop more generic models, increasing their accessibility to policy makers. Recent research can improve pest surveillance programs accounting for real-world constraints. Social science examining individual farmer behaviours has informed biosecurity policy; taking a broader socio-cultural approach to better understand farming networks has the potential to change behaviours in a new way. When encouraging public recreationists to adopt positive biosecurity behaviours communications must align with their values. Bringing together the human, animal, plant and environmental health sectors to address biosecurity risks in a common and systematic manner within the One Biosecurity concept can be achieved through multi-disciplinary working involving the life, physical and social sciences with the support of legislative bodies and the public.


1980 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 416-417
Author(s):  
HOWARD B. ROBACK
Keyword(s):  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document