scholarly journals Remembering and Forgetting as a Function of Life

Author(s):  
James Mensch

As Derrida observes, the ideal of a perfect memory has a spectral quality. The desire to achieve it is like the wish of Hanson, the fictional archaeologist, to go beyond the physical remains to grasp the past itself. What seduces us is the thought that remembering is like mechanical reproduction. We forget, however, that a photograph does not remember what we looked like any more than a recording remembers the sound of our voice. Only a living being can remember. Seen in this light, the ultimate problem of the ideal of a perfect memory is that it abstracts remembering from the context in which it functions. In this paper, I argue that this context is that of our embodied being-alive, with all the limitations that this implies. Such limitations impose a teleological structure on our remembering. They determine how memory functions on both an individual and a collective level.Como observa Derrida, el ideal de la memoria perfecta tiene una cualidad espectral. El deseo de conseguirlo es como el de Hanson, el arqueólogo ficticio, de querer ir más allá de los restos físicos para alcanzar el pasado mismo. Nos seduce la idea de que recordar sea como una reproducción mecánica. Olvidamos, sin embargo, que una fotografía no recuerda cómo éramos más de lo que una grabación recuerda el sonido de nuestra voz. Sólo un ser vivo puede recordar. Desde este punto de vista, el problema último del ideal de la memoria perfecta es que abstrae el recordar del contexto en el que éste realizaría su función. En este artículo argumento que dicho contexto es el de nuestro estar-vivos encarnado, con todas las limitaciones que ello implica. Estas limitaciones imponen una estructura teleológica en nuestro recordar. Determinan como funciona la memoria, tanto a nivel individual como colectivo.

Author(s):  
Gerald Gaus

This book lays out a vision for how we should theorize about justice in a diverse society. It shows how free and equal people, faced with intractable struggles and irreconcilable conflicts, might share a common moral life shaped by a just framework. The book argues that if we are to take diversity seriously and if moral inquiry is sincere about shaping the world, then the pursuit of idealized and perfect theories of justice—essentially, the entire production of theories of justice that has dominated political philosophy for the past forty years—needs to change. Drawing on recent work in social science and philosophy, the book points to an important paradox: only those in a heterogeneous society—with its various religious, moral, and political perspectives—have a reasonable hope of understanding what an ideally just society would be like. However, due to its very nature, this world could never be collectively devoted to any single ideal. The book defends the moral constitution of this pluralistic, open society, where the very clash and disagreement of ideals spurs all to better understand what their personal ideals of justice happen to be. Presenting an original framework for how we should think about morality, this book rigorously analyzes a theory of ideal justice more suitable for contemporary times.


Author(s):  
Edward Bellamy

‘No person can be blamed for refusing to read another word of what promises to be a mere imposition upon his credulity.’ Julian West, a feckless aristocrat living in fin-de-siècle Boston, plunges into a deep hypnotic sleep in 1887 and wakes up in the year 2000. America has been turned into a rigorously centralized democratic society in which everything is controlled by a humane and efficient state. In little more than a hundred years the horrors of nineteenth-century capitalism have been all but forgotten. The squalid slums of Boston have been replaced by broad streets, and technological inventions have transformed people’s everyday lives. Exiled from the past, West excitedly settles into the ideal society of the future, while still fearing that he has dreamt up his experiences as a time traveller. Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward (1888) is a thunderous indictment of industrial capitalism and a resplendent vision of life in a socialist utopia. Matthew Beaumont’s lively edition explores the political and psychological peculiarities of this celebrated utopian fiction.


1996 ◽  
Vol 36 (312) ◽  
pp. 300-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Pustogarov

In the history of humankind, no matter how far back we look into the past, peaceful relations between people and nations have always been the ideal, and yet this history abounds in wars and bloodshed. The documentary evidence, oral tradition and the mute testimony of archaeological sites tell an incontrovertible tale of man's cruelty and violence against his fellow man. Nevertheless, manifestations of compassion, mercy and mutual aid have a no less ancient record. Peace and war, goodneighbourly attitudes and aggression, brutality and humanity exist side by side in the contemporary world as well.


The Forum ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurel Elder ◽  
Steven Greene

AbstractOver the past several decades the major parties in the US have not only politicized parenthood, but have come to offer increasingly polarized views of the ideal American family. This study builds on recent scholarship exploring the political impact of parenthood (e.g. Elder, Laurel, and Steven Greene. 2012a.


2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-40
Author(s):  
anna tasca lanza

An Unusual Ingredient – Manna Manna, a gift from nature, comes from a kind of ash called “Fraxinus angustifolia” or “Fraxinus ornus” found in the surrounding areas of the towns of Castelbuono, Pollina and Cefalù (Italy). In the past, it was grown extensively in the Mediterranean basin though all traces of it seem to be lost. The history is pieced together with historical references from the Bible, health manuals from ancient civilizations, and references to the implements used to harvest it. Its mysterious or miraculous properties are presented; two kinds of manna were thought to exist, one from Heaven, and the other from a tree. The ideal conditions for growing the trees and harvest are described with plentiful folklore, local customs, special vocabulary and tools mentioned. Manna is harvested in summertime when the plant is “in love”, from June to September or until the first rains, which would dissolve it, start to fall. The people of Pollina romantically call manna, “a sweet gift of nature”. It tastes like honey mixed with carob. The sap flows through a gash made with a special technique, using a curved cutter called a “mannarolo,” on the vein of the trunk of the tree, and it is left to drip for several days. The sap crystallizes and forms long clumps similar to stalactites, which are called “cannolo” in the manna-world vocabulary. The juice is violet and very bitter when it drips, but the contact with the air and the strong Sicilian sun dries and sweetens it. “Cannoli” are harvested with an “archetto.” There is a second and third grade of sap, which doesn’t crystallize or form cannoli. Prickly-pear leaves act as a sort of spout to catch the manna. Its medicinal qualities include its mild laxative effect, its natural sweetness for dietary purposes, and its use in digestive alcoholic drinks and cosmetics is noted. It is sold at pharmacies and tobacco stores.


2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 319
Author(s):  
Fatimah Zuhrah

<p><strong>Abstrak:</strong> Baiknya pondasi sebuah rumah tangga secara tidak langsung berpengaruh terhadap jatuh bangunnya sebuah negara, dan sebaliknya rusaknya pondasi sebuah keluarga berpengaruh terhadap merosot dan berkembangnya sebuah negara. Beberapa tahun belakangan ini jumlah permintaan gugat cerai istri terhadap suami mengalami peningkatan terutama dari isteri yang berkarir. Penelitian ini melihat permasalahan yang dibangun dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif fenomenologis untuk melihat dan memahami faktor perceraian wanita muslimah berkarir di kota Medan berdasarkan fenomena, fakta dan data yang peneliti temui di lapangan. Berdasarkan temuan penelitian didapat bahwa untuk menegakkan konsep ideal sebuah keluarga sangat sulit untuk dilakukan pada masa sekarang. Kondisi perkawinan sekarang sangat berbeda dengan masa dahulu dalam pemaknaan relasi suami isteri. Dahulu pernikahan memiliki posisi sangat sakral, pernikahan dianggap sebagai ibadah, sehingga orang takut untuk bercerai, karena cerai dianggap aib dan dosa.</p><p><strong>Abstract:</strong> <strong>Women Prosecute: A Study of Divorce in Careered-Muslim Women in Medan City</strong>. The good foundation of a household indirectly affects the rise and fall of a country, and vice versa, the damage to a family’s foundation affects the decline and development of a country. In the last decade, the number of divorce petition against husbands has increased, especially from careered-wives. This paper attempts to study the problems using a phenomenological qualitative approach to thoroughly comprehend the factors of divorce of careered-Muslim women in Medan city based on the phenomena, facts and data that researchers encountered in the field. This study finds that to enforce the ideal concept of a family is not an easy task to do at present. The current condition and perception of marital tie within the society is very different from the past. At the early stage of development of human history, marriage were regarded as inherent in religious observance, and thus, people were reluctant to divorce since it was a disgrace and sin.</p><p><strong>Kata Kunci:</strong> gender, feminisme, cerai, wanita karir, Muslimah</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 218
Author(s):  
Intania Ananda Jonisa ◽  
Susas Rita Loravianti ◽  
Rasmida Rasmida

AbstrakKarya tari yang berjudul “Guriah Limpapeh” terinspirasi dari kehidupan sosial perempuan Minangkabau yang pengkarya amati di sekeliling pengkarya bersikap dan bertingkah laku tidak sesuai dengan etika idealnya perempuan Minangkabau. Dalam aplikasinya menginterpretasikan bergesernya nilai dan etika perempuan hari ini dan mengungkap nilai yang relevan dengan adat dan budaya Minangkabau. Dalam konsep gerak sebagai media utama tari pengkarya mengembangkan gerak yang relevan dengan konsep garapan, selain itu diperkuat dengan menggunakan drum sebagai properti dan setting. Karya ini digarap dalam tiga bahagian yakni pada bagian pertama menginterpretasikan tentang kehidupan dan aktivitas masyarakat di Kecamatan Matur, bahagian kedua menggambarkan perubahan memori pada dahulu dan zaman sekarang, kemudian bahagian ketiga menginterpretasikan bagaimana pola tingkah laku perempuan yang dalam adat Minangkabau yang disebut Simarewan dan Mambang Tali Awan yang menjadi konflik dalam garapan, sedangkan bagian endingnya adalah mengekspresikan idealnya perempuan Minangkabau yang disebut dengan Parampuan. Karya ini diperkuat dengan musik untuk memperkuat suasana, demikian juga elemen-elemen dan artistik lainnya untuk penampilannya memilih ruang terbuka atau outdoor. Kata Kunci: interpretasi, perempuan, adat MinangkabauAbstractThis work of dance entitled  as "Guriah Limpapeh" which is inspired from the social life of Minangkabau women, that the observed around the worker’s attitude and behaved not in accordance with the ideal ethics of Minangkabau women. In its application interpet the shifting values and ethics of women today and reveal values relevant to the customs and culture of Minangkabau. In the concept of motion as the main medium of the dance the developer develops a motion that is relevant to the concept of arable, besides being strengthened by using drums as property and settings. This work is worked on in three parts, namely in the first part of interpreting the life and activities of the community in the mature sub-district, the second part describes the change of memory in the past and present, then the third part interprets how the female behavior patterns in the Minangkabau tradition called simarewan and mambang tali awan  which becomes conflict in claim while the final part is expressing ideally the Minangkabau women who is called parampuan. This work is strengthened by music to strengthen the atmosphere, as well as other artistic and elements for his appearance in choosing open space or outdoor.Keywords: interpretation, women, adat Minangkabau.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-23
Author(s):  
Ahmad Idris Asmaradhani

In the eyes of literature, existentialist thinkers focus on the question of concrete human existence and the conditions of this existence rather than hypothesizing a human essence, stressing that the human essence is determined through life choices. The ideal, however, is that humans exist in a state of distance from the world that they nonetheless remain in the midst of. This distance is what enables humans to project meaning into the disinterested world of in-itselfs. This projected meaning remains fragile, constantly facing breakdown for any reason— from a tragedy to a particularly insightful moment. In such a breakdown, humans are put face to face with the naked meaninglessness of the world, and the results can be devastating. It is porposed that literature and the media combined have a powerful impact on those who wish to truly realize and understand their message. By studying, reading, learning, experiencing, and knowing the culture of the present and those cultures of the past then one can understand the ideas of life and how the two work together to help us better understand each other and ourselves. In what ways our present culture, our technological advances, and the media shape who we are as individuals is not a simple question. The answer seems to elusively hide in a world filled with cultural complexities. But, it is no secret to find that literature is a source of power. It does influence, guide, and shape the human become as they continue their journey through life. Hence, since human are never without the influence of literature, they will always have factors working to modify the human being. However, it is their choice as to how they internalize what they are exposed to, and in turn, it is up to them to determine the individual that ultimately prevails.


Adam alemi ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 3-10
Author(s):  
Dina Kazantseva ◽  

The essence of personality potential is one of the important characteristics of understanding a person as an integral being, creating an individual space of personal aspirations and values. The origins of the problem under consideration in various forms are present in the philosophical reflections of many researchers and have a long history. Even Socrates, Plotinus, Cicero, Thomas Aquinas drew attention to the deep foundations and spiritual essence of man, to the presence of virtues in a state of potential stagnation, to the need for their development in order to achieve the ideal of perfection. N. Kuzansky, S. L. Frank, P. I. Tillich noted the presence of latent force unfolding in time in living beings, the rejection of the self and introduction into something higher, the correlation of the divine and the human, the interconnection of things and events, etc. The modern world actualizes the solution to the problem, creating conditions for a deeper understanding of the potential, consideration of its integrity and the essential foundations of maximum realization. The crisis in all spheres of human life, economic, political, social, requires a quantum leap in understanding the potential and building, on the basis of modern studies of the phenomenon, new projects for transforming reality. In this regard, understanding the historical aspect of studying the logic of the genesis of potential makes an invaluable contribution to solving this problem. Understanding the depth of philosophical thought in a historical retrospective about the origin, emergence and existence of potential will allow you to connect the past and the present, as well as qualitatively advance into the future.


Author(s):  
Karette Stensæth ◽  
Bjørn Kruse

As we improvise in music and become increasingly engrossed in the activity, we are intuitively engaged in a playful negotiation of various aesthetic possibilities in the Now. We are in a state where random impulses and irrational, unintentional actions become key premise providers along with everything we have learned through knowledge and experience. This essay reflects on the responsiveness of the Now in musical improvisation. We ask: What does the experience of the Now offer? Does it come with any kind of ethics and accountability and, if so, what kind and to whom does it apply? In our elaborations we are influenced by our own experiences of, and reflections on, compositional and music therapeutic practice. We refer to the theory of musical improvisation and early interaction, and also philosophical texts, especially those by Mikhail Bakhtin. We suggest that the responsiveness of the Now in musical improvisation is a mindset that challenges us both ethically and aesthetically. It does so by seeking creative satisfaction, joy and insight, taking shape through sensory perception that is close to intuition, mimesis and imagination. Its meaning remains unfinalised and foreign to us. It is also risky and is situated on the boundary between music and performer, between performer and other performers, and between the past and future of our actions. The ideal is to strive for a Now that can be experienced as the right now but also as a Now that suits the responses we try to find room for when we improvise.


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