Reading Democritus was one of the more provocative experiences of my academic career. In simple fragments, a man living 2,000 years ago explained how we should take care of each other. [insert quotes] I can't help but wonder what the world would be like if Plato's philosophies of knowledge were the ones buried, and Democritus and Aeschylus became prominent. What would be different? Moreover, how did Plato's philosophies dominate? Was it a political battle that set the tone for the rest of western civilization? Or was it some innately human desire for "false needs" or competition that helped Plato win the day? [I think not.] I find the ancient Greek tradition fascinating and incredibly relevant. My biggest question remains:: So what does it mean that we've been asking these questions for over 2,000 years? Are they simply questions without answers? Or do the answers constantly change?
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Plato's philosopher king reaches the "good" by FIRST desiring to leave the cave. This seems logical: the interested, engaged and promising students get out. And they should, right? But many students, because of their "habitus," do not even imagine what it would be like to leave. What does it take for these individuals to develop the motivation to leave the cave? Is this the "turning around"? If so, Plato's plan of geometry and physical education seem laughable today. Have we figured out how to "turn around" a soul?
Habermas
Dense, dense prose! Another month with the text would be nice; but even then, I doubt I would walk away with complete comprehension. I can't believe Habermas wrote this when he was only 25! Incredible...
Reading about the liberal public sphere in England ignited issues underlying my entire first year of study. Clearly, no society ever benefited from the perfect public sphere. Taking it further, perhaps its highly unlikely we will ever have a perfect public sphere. Even Habermas admits his sphere excluded many people, including slaves, minorities and women. So, what to do with seemingly dismal hope for change?
In the midst of these arguments, I am attempting to ground myself in what I believe and how I should academically proceed. Do I accept the imperfect public sphere, assume no possible change and work with said reality? Or do I press on toward the Dewian ideal, recognizing that humans can change and grow? I realize this isn't a choice of one or the other; it's finding the action in the former and using it to inform the latter. I am not willing to settle for the status quo. I believe we can do better. We can take care of each other better. We can become involved, discuss and act on political issues better. We can care for our environment better. We can use technology better. We can educate our children better. Believe it or not, I am becoming quite fond of Dewey.
Reading about the liberal public sphere in England ignited issues underlying my entire first year of study. Clearly, no society ever benefited from the perfect public sphere. Taking it further, perhaps its highly unlikely we will ever have a perfect public sphere. Even Habermas admits his sphere excluded many people, including slaves, minorities and women. So, what to do with seemingly dismal hope for change?
In the midst of these arguments, I am attempting to ground myself in what I believe and how I should academically proceed. Do I accept the imperfect public sphere, assume no possible change and work with said reality? Or do I press on toward the Dewian ideal, recognizing that humans can change and grow? I realize this isn't a choice of one or the other; it's finding the action in the former and using it to inform the latter. I am not willing to settle for the status quo. I believe we can do better. We can take care of each other better. We can become involved, discuss and act on political issues better. We can care for our environment better. We can use technology better. We can educate our children better. Believe it or not, I am becoming quite fond of Dewey.
Veblen
INVIDIOUS COMPARISON
What a phrase!
It's amazing how much invidious comparison I facilitate in my own everyday. Most of my academic career has [sadly] been fueled by invidious comparison. [See image right] In my undergraduate music program, our entire selection, promotion and testing processes relied on students' invidious comparison. One of the benefits of this text was becoming conscious of this potentially destructive engagement. C'est vrai! We are more than the sum of our publications, possessions or first-chair wins.
I was also taken with the concept of conspicuous consumption. In our small group discussion, we all agreed that none of us felt like we purposefully displayed our wealth. Clearly, we're all in denial. The clothing, transportation, tools and toys we select say SOMETHING [perhaps many things!] about us. I love my Apple computer and my iPhone, but the giant Apple symbol on the back of the phone is displayed every time I make a call. It says something about my status, whether I intend it to or not. Conspicuous consumption has a mythological feel to it, much like Barthes mythologies. It is always with us, but rarely are we aware of its presence.
What a phrase!
It's amazing how much invidious comparison I facilitate in my own everyday. Most of my academic career has [sadly] been fueled by invidious comparison. [See image right] In my undergraduate music program, our entire selection, promotion and testing processes relied on students' invidious comparison. One of the benefits of this text was becoming conscious of this potentially destructive engagement. C'est vrai! We are more than the sum of our publications, possessions or first-chair wins.
I was also taken with the concept of conspicuous consumption. In our small group discussion, we all agreed that none of us felt like we purposefully displayed our wealth. Clearly, we're all in denial. The clothing, transportation, tools and toys we select say SOMETHING [perhaps many things!] about us. I love my Apple computer and my iPhone, but the giant Apple symbol on the back of the phone is displayed every time I make a call. It says something about my status, whether I intend it to or not. Conspicuous consumption has a mythological feel to it, much like Barthes mythologies. It is always with us, but rarely are we aware of its presence.
If you type conspicuous consumption into a google search,
this image appears on the first page.
Yes, it's a diamond-laden pacifier...