Judgement and Morality: Georg Kaiser's Zweimal Amphitryon and its Sources

<p>The purpose of this study is to analyse Georg Kaiser's Zweimal Amphitryon in the light of the various influences at work in his treatment of his subject, in order to seek an answer to the numerous questions raised by the play, and in the process to acquire a better understanding of both the author and the ideas he wished to present to the public. The play is analysed against the background of earlier works on the myth of Zeus's descent to earth and his seduction of Amphitryon's wife Alkmene; and other possible sources are considered in the light of Kaiser's numerous departures from those works. An investigation into one of the most radical changes he made, in the transformation of the character of Amphitryon, brings to light a little known poem written in the early 1800's and obviously having Napoleon as its subject, which leads to a detailed consideration of Amphitryon's resemblance to Adolf Hitler. The clear parallels between Kaiser's play and the New Testament story of the conception of Jesus are also analysed and show this to be the third major strand in the composition of the play An important element in the play, Amphitryon's trial before the citizens of Thebes and its sequel in Zeus's replacement of the sentence imposed by one for an offence not recognized by the Thebans, is discussed, its genesis in the earlier plays and its relationship to Kaiser's own trial for embezzlement considered, and its effect in pointing up the inherent unsoundness of our perception of reality noted. Kaiser's attitude to the actions leading to his trial is also relevant to a consideration of Zeus's role in the play. The study shows that Kaiser has combined three main themes, the condemnation of war, his Expressionist vision of the regeneration of man and his view of the unique position of the artist in society. In addition he raises a number of important issues that throw light on his own personality, for instance, issues of morality and the nature of justice, of the concept of guilt and responsibility and of human worth and of love.</p>

Judgement and Morality: Georg Kaiser's Zweimal Amphitryon and its Sources

<p>The purpose of this study is to analyse Georg Kaiser's Zweimal Amphitryon in the light of the various influences at work in his treatment of his subject, in order to seek an answer to the numerous questions raised by the play, and in the process to acquire a better understanding of both the author and the ideas he wished to present to the public. The play is analysed against the background of earlier works on the myth of Zeus's descent to earth and his seduction of Amphitryon's wife Alkmene; and other possible sources are considered in the light of Kaiser's numerous departures from those works. An investigation into one of the most radical changes he made, in the transformation of the character of Amphitryon, brings to light a little known poem written in the early 1800's and obviously having Napoleon as its subject, which leads to a detailed consideration of Amphitryon's resemblance to Adolf Hitler. The clear parallels between Kaiser's play and the New Testament story of the conception of Jesus are also analysed and show this to be the third major strand in the composition of the play An important element in the play, Amphitryon's trial before the citizens of Thebes and its sequel in Zeus's replacement of the sentence imposed by one for an offence not recognized by the Thebans, is discussed, its genesis in the earlier plays and its relationship to Kaiser's own trial for embezzlement considered, and its effect in pointing up the inherent unsoundness of our perception of reality noted. Kaiser's attitude to the actions leading to his trial is also relevant to a consideration of Zeus's role in the play. The study shows that Kaiser has combined three main themes, the condemnation of war, his Expressionist vision of the regeneration of man and his view of the unique position of the artist in society. In addition he raises a number of important issues that throw light on his own personality, for instance, issues of morality and the nature of justice, of the concept of guilt and responsibility and of human worth and of love.</p>

Negotiating euthanasia: Civil society contesting ‘the completed life’

Autonomy and independence have become crucial elements of end-of-life decision making. Opinions on the latter are, however, strongly contested in public discourses. This contribution analyses arguments in favour of and against a Dutch civil society initiative which promotes the extension of the legislation on euthanasia. The authors investigate Dutch newspapers associated with three groups: religious, liberal and humanist perspectives, and do so by utilising quantitative and qualitative elements from a discourse-analytical perspective, raising the following questions: Which stances can be identified? How do different parties position themselves with regard to a ‘completed life’ and a ‘good death’? To what extent do these positions create demarcations between ‘us’ and ‘them’? The authors show that the debate developed along the lines of three key topoi: the topos of autonomy, the topos of human worth and the topos of embeddedness. The authors thereby identify how the different discursive positions define different visions of dying as ‘legitimate’ and as a proper end to a completed life.

The precarious inclusion of homeless EU migrants in Norwegian public social welfare: Moral bordering and social workers’ dilemmas

This article discusses public social welfare provision to homeless EU migrants in Norway. Most of these migrants have no or weak affiliations with the formal labour market, resulting in restricted rights to public social assistance. Drawing on the concept of precarious inclusion, I suggest that rather than being simply excluded from public social welfare, homeless EU migrants are included in the welfare state but in fragile and insecure ways through provisions directed at safeguarding bodily survival. I understand these limited inclusionary policies and practices as forming part of the Norwegian state’s management of ‘undesired’ migrants. Building on interviews with social workers in the public social welfare administration, I reflect on how assessments of cases involving homeless EU migrants signal hierarchical conceptions and differentiation of human worth within Norway’s borders and how territorial belonging emerges as a prerequisite for ‘deservingness’ in social workers’ accounts.

COVID-19 and Ageism: Has the Pandemic Allowed Prevailing Ageist Attitudes to Go Viral?

Current perceptions of older adults are often met with prejudice and misconceptions that constitute what has been characterized as ‘ageism’. Rarely are older persons considered indispensable members of the population who deserve our respect and support. While it is unclear if and when this pandemic will end, what is clear is how COVID-19 has unveiled the prevalent ageist attitudes against older people, underscoring an unsettling discourse about age and human worth that has allowed us to easily question the value of older adults. In this commentary, we highlight specific recommendations that can be made to combat ageism during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, with exploration of vaccine administration and inequities across long-term care homes.

The ‘Interpretive Compass’ of the CRPD: The Theory of Dignity

Chapter 4 explains the ‘interpretive compass’ and examines the first limb being the theory of dignity in international human rights law and as a core value of the CRPD. It explores the meaning of dignity in the disability context and breaks it into its key components being that dignity involves recognition of inalienable intrinsic human worth, the relationship between dignity and equality, that dignity requires people to behave with dignity, that dignity requires a person to be treated with dignity, that the state should organize itself to support dignity, and the relationship between dignity and autonomy.

Toward a Pedagogy of Dialogical Resistance

Martin Buber provides an ethical understanding of dialogical resistance. But does this notion take sufficiently into account the oppositional force of resistance and the shifting realities of monologic relations? How are we to understand the terms dialogue and resistance? What impact will the ethics of dialogical resistance have on evaluation practices in public education? To address these questions, each term of this dyadic relationship must be defined. First I will differentiate dialogue from conversation, argument and discussion. Secondly it must be shown that my view of ethical resistance cannot be synonymous with criticism, disagreement or dissent per se, though undoubtedly certain connections do exist in practice. Then it will be appropriate to delve into a linguistic analysis of the substantive terms of dialogue and resistance as separate notions before using them together as intersecting concepts. Once I have delineated dialogical resistance as a dyadic tension, I will highlight Martin Buber's passion for human worth – the motivation for respect- as the necessary condition for the ethical success of dialogical resistance. The balance of this paper will take a look at the psychological roots of dialogical resistance, the complexity of practising dialogical resistance, and asymmetrical relations in the classroom.