The Body Paper/ Philo 101
A Human is not a “being” divided into a mind and a body but is a “being living in the world”. The aim of the compiled works of Maurice Merleau-Ponty is to refute the Cartesian ideology and define the essence of a human being. Several chapters concerning the body (that explain consciousness, motility; perception and meaning) will be presented and linked to Merleau-Ponty’s aim.
In the chapter “Situating the Body” Maurice begins with examining the problem presented with the instances of phantom limb. Maurice seeks to understand how he can connect this problem that deals with the mind and the body. To explain this he brings up the essence of animals. He states that animals are different from other types of mass such as oil. But animals do much more than just adapt to their surroundings as oil does. He states further that animals react and interact with their environment. However, he firmly explains that this is not comparable to the human experience. They do not have perception or an objective conscious of their environment. Humans have a very unique aspect which is their “attention to life” in which humans are aware of the experience their bodies are going through. Maurice tries to further distinguish the differences from animals and humans by discrediting the idea that human’s experience are just a pattern of reflexes. He elaborates that reflex has no objective concept of the danger presented.
He states that reflexes only exist in specific situations. There are things in this world that are independent of stimuli which would not make it plausible to say that being in the world is a “collection of reflexes”. In his last point to this specific argument Maurice states that man has the ability to react to this world but also there is a part of him that can see it and know what he sees, and know that he knows what he sees. During the last portion of this chapter Maurice starts winding down. Concerning the consciousness Maurice concludes that man is not a mind joined to a body, but the movement and the specific motion through point A and point B is existence. Through this “motion” we are able to experience and perform acts. He breaks down this description and labels actions either acts of the psychic or somatic. Our body is consciously acting or acting on reflex while in time. In conclusion Maurice refutes the Cartesian ideology and pulls the finishing blow with the stating that the mind and body are not a combination of separate terms, Therefore the body is a process that occurs at every moment during motion which is existence.
In the chapter “The Lived Body” Maurice starts to describe Consciousness and its prerequisites. Consciousness is our mediator between objects and our body. With this firm definition of consciousness Maurice expands upon consciousness and the body and defines that the body exists in the “now”. We have the ability to understand where we are, and we know where we are because we have a clear concept of what “here” is. If we did not know where we were we would just be caught up in past memories. Our position in the present can be defined as a succession of prior positions. To further expand this point he describes the properties of space and time, not as environments but as aspects of the body. Maurice at the ends of this chapter alludes to the theme of his writings. He states how the essence of humans is not made from the bodies experience but of the bodies “being” in the world. Maurice comes to the conclusion that he has discovered a new meaning for meaning. Meaning is acquired through our bodies experience and not a consciousness, because it is our bodies that are forced to notice the potential of meaning.
In the chapter “The Body In Its Sexual Being”, the focus is not so much on what is sexual about our being but more deeply discusses the relationship between our body and being in the world. In the beginning of this chapter Maurice discusses things of sexual significance. He describes how sexual significance is not derived from this consciousness but something that he doesn’t mention now but later alludes to. This is where the concept of “meaning” is brought up again. Maurice quotes Freud in saying that every action has a meaning. Maurice attempts to define the meaning of sexuality now. He states that sexual life is not a function of sexual organs but that sexual life is a section of our life that has a connection to the existence of sex. Maurice concludes that sex is just another manifestation of personal experience like sight, hearing and the body. The existence of these manifestations is absorbed into the personal experience. What Maurice is saying is that these concepts are how we are “connected”, “belong”, and how we “communicate” with other manifestations. We are connected with colors and lights through our vision, and to sounds with our hearing, and how sexuality is connected with our body.
In this same chapter Maurice digresses and fixates his arguments on how our body relates to feelings. Maurice gives an example of a girl who is forbidden to see a man who she is interested in. Through this frustration she somehow loses her ability to speak. When she loses her ability to speak it is displaying her desire to give up her link to communal existence. Maurice tries to make a point with this in how what the girl is doing is not a representation of how she feels, but this act is the representation of itself. She is not talking because she is trying to keep silent, because when she lost her voice that gave her the inability to deliberately keep silent. She is forced to keep silent. Maurice describes this “hysteria” of losing your voice in that the subject never lost their voice but in reality overlooked the ability that the subject could. This loss of voice is categorized as a situation. When Maurice discusses freedom in relation to different situations, is that we do not have freedom but are constrained to the “situation”. When Maurice laid the foundation of the “situation” he goes on to further elaborate that personal existence is the acquiring and presence in a situation.
In the last chapter “The Natural World and The Body” Maurice tries to explain the relationships that our bodies have with our senses and the outside world. Maurice defines what we can sense as invasions into our senses. He states that he senses things because the things themselves attract his senses. These things that attract him are made up of component parts/aspects which belong to the whole of the object. These different aspects translate into a single being. He further elaborates that the ideas we have about objects that make the object, but the aspects which make it self-evident. Objects are not component parts with meaning but forms that are able to be observed by our body. This refers to how objects do not have meaning but only the meaning that we infer after experiencing them. The only things that we can experience from an object are what we are able to experience from it. After laying this foundation Maurice declares the reality of what he has been discussing. He declares that a thing is a thing because it imparts to us the organization of its aspects that we can sense. Therefore we can never know a thing by its aspects that we perceive and sense but only though living and being in the world to experience it.
At the end of this chapter are where the summaries lie and how all the previous chapters are tied in. Maurice states that a thing is not something we can understand through perception but something that is sensed by us and how we organized the information sensed and how it is experienced by us. This conclusion points back the theme through out all the chapters, that the essence of a human being is a being living in the world.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Male form
Developments in the Form of the Nude and Dressed Male Figure
In the development of the nude figure there were competing trains of thought. The trains of thought varied between realism, idealism, and perfection. Some cultures desired to have sculpted the bodies of athletes and have their bodies shown as perfect. Other cultures wanted to stray away from the normal traditions and sculpt men as they naturally are.
Starting with the “Standing Youth (Kouroos) which was created in 600 bce this piece reflects the idealism of the culture and its artists. The stance of the figure is not natural, it is still shows resemblance to the stance of the Egyptian hieroglyphic figures where the body is standing straight with one foot stepping forward. The craftsmanship of this piece is not comparable to the future ones to come, but this piece sets the stage for the future changes that are going to be taken place.
The next piece is going to show the great shift in the thinking process of men and how they should be represented in sculpture. In the Riace Warrior sculpted by Phidias, the nude man stands with his hips slightly leaning as if he were balancing his weight on one leg. The man in the sculpture is relaxing. This pose is very different from the awkward stance of Kouroos in the above mentioned sculpture. No man really stands like that of Kouroos, but man when standing slants his hips. This shift was a shift from idealism to realism. This sculptor wanted to show how man actually is. Not only is this piece drastically different in concept, but also in style and its aesthetics. One could only imagine the magnificence of this sculpture if it still had its golden wreath and spear and shield still attached to him. This piece was created around 455 BCE.
Another example of this perfection and realistic shift is the Doryphoros (Spear Bearer) which was created by Polycleitos of Argos. This piece is showing a very great uniqueness from other sculptures in the fact that it is showing how man is and that it is showing motion. The stance of his hips indicates the weight distribution of him balancing (not the awkward Egyptian post) himself while he is walking. This is a depiction of an athlete in a competition.
The best example of true human emotion however mixed in with a realistic display of man is the “Laocoon and his Two Sons”. Even the great Michelangelo was taken aback from this work. This work was so influential that it changed his whole thinking of how the human form should be displayed. If you look closely and study the contours of this piece you can tell a striking resemblance to the depiction of the Judean-Christian God on his famous ceiling painting.
In the development of the nude figure there were competing trains of thought. The trains of thought varied between realism, idealism, and perfection. Some cultures desired to have sculpted the bodies of athletes and have their bodies shown as perfect. Other cultures wanted to stray away from the normal traditions and sculpt men as they naturally are.
Starting with the “Standing Youth (Kouroos) which was created in 600 bce this piece reflects the idealism of the culture and its artists. The stance of the figure is not natural, it is still shows resemblance to the stance of the Egyptian hieroglyphic figures where the body is standing straight with one foot stepping forward. The craftsmanship of this piece is not comparable to the future ones to come, but this piece sets the stage for the future changes that are going to be taken place.
The next piece is going to show the great shift in the thinking process of men and how they should be represented in sculpture. In the Riace Warrior sculpted by Phidias, the nude man stands with his hips slightly leaning as if he were balancing his weight on one leg. The man in the sculpture is relaxing. This pose is very different from the awkward stance of Kouroos in the above mentioned sculpture. No man really stands like that of Kouroos, but man when standing slants his hips. This shift was a shift from idealism to realism. This sculptor wanted to show how man actually is. Not only is this piece drastically different in concept, but also in style and its aesthetics. One could only imagine the magnificence of this sculpture if it still had its golden wreath and spear and shield still attached to him. This piece was created around 455 BCE.
Another example of this perfection and realistic shift is the Doryphoros (Spear Bearer) which was created by Polycleitos of Argos. This piece is showing a very great uniqueness from other sculptures in the fact that it is showing how man is and that it is showing motion. The stance of his hips indicates the weight distribution of him balancing (not the awkward Egyptian post) himself while he is walking. This is a depiction of an athlete in a competition.
The best example of true human emotion however mixed in with a realistic display of man is the “Laocoon and his Two Sons”. Even the great Michelangelo was taken aback from this work. This work was so influential that it changed his whole thinking of how the human form should be displayed. If you look closely and study the contours of this piece you can tell a striking resemblance to the depiction of the Judean-Christian God on his famous ceiling painting.
subconscious
Assignment 4, Psych 101
The topic that I found the most interesting was the concept of the subconscious. The subconscious was alluded to in many of the chapters. The fact that we can know something but not consciously know it was very intriguing. When the term implicit memory was brought up, it showed how we interacted with our world without having to consciously think about it. Other terms that dealt with our subconscious were the conditioned response, unconditioned response, conditioned stimuli. This intrigued me because we could be trained to be predisposed to react to a certain stimuli without making a conscious effort. We also covered hypnotism and the power of suggestion which hinted at how our own experiences are not even safe. The whole concept of the subconscious implied that there is apart of us where our true motives lie and that our consciousness can be deceived by ourselves through defense mechanisms. The fact that we can never really understand our subconscious is very mysterious and that’s why I found it the most interesting.
Looking back at this past semester the theme that stood out in every lesson was the theme of the Multifactorial causation. That point was really driven home in every study that we did. So many of us assign reasons why things happen without keeping an open mind and examining all the possible branches of why said event happened. I now understand why such weight was placed at the beginning of the semester on this theme.
The theme helped clear up so many false assumptions that I had already had ingrained in my mind of what the cause of certain events was.
The topic that I found the most interesting was the concept of the subconscious. The subconscious was alluded to in many of the chapters. The fact that we can know something but not consciously know it was very intriguing. When the term implicit memory was brought up, it showed how we interacted with our world without having to consciously think about it. Other terms that dealt with our subconscious were the conditioned response, unconditioned response, conditioned stimuli. This intrigued me because we could be trained to be predisposed to react to a certain stimuli without making a conscious effort. We also covered hypnotism and the power of suggestion which hinted at how our own experiences are not even safe. The whole concept of the subconscious implied that there is apart of us where our true motives lie and that our consciousness can be deceived by ourselves through defense mechanisms. The fact that we can never really understand our subconscious is very mysterious and that’s why I found it the most interesting.
Looking back at this past semester the theme that stood out in every lesson was the theme of the Multifactorial causation. That point was really driven home in every study that we did. So many of us assign reasons why things happen without keeping an open mind and examining all the possible branches of why said event happened. I now understand why such weight was placed at the beginning of the semester on this theme.
The theme helped clear up so many false assumptions that I had already had ingrained in my mind of what the cause of certain events was.
The Developments in Architecture
The Developments in Architecture
The Architecture through the Greek and Gothic periods went through shifts of stylist and structure that were heavily influenced by artists and religion. We can also observe that stylistic changes were often borrowed from other cultures, even to the extent of cultures importing structure pieces to their country to finish a building. Such things that were borrowed and built upon were Corinthian columns, arch’s, flying buttresses and even some vague idea’s of the birds eye view of a building from Egypt made it into Christian architecture. Each culture had its very own distinguishable traits, for instance the Gothic structures always had pointed arches that insisted that the eyes were to look up, flexibility, large stain glass windows, and surmounting elegance.
Starting with the Parthenon, this was designed by the hands of the architects Iktinos and Kallikrates. What is unique to this structure is that it was not built on a level ground and all the columns were tilted slightly inward. This meant that each column had to be carved specifically according to its location in the rectangle. If lines were drawn from each column parallel to the angle they were inclined to the points would meet 1.5 miles in the air. The length of the Parthenon was 8 columns wide and 17 columns long which measured 101’ by 228’. This structure was erected in the High classical period around 448-432 BCE in Athens.
The next structure that was heavily influential and ground breaking was the Pantheon in Rome. The Pantheon was constructed to fit as a temple for “all the gods”. It was custom-built and designed by Emperor Hadrian. While many aspects of the pantheon are revolutionary the front façade was a put in place as a tribute to the tradition (the columns especially). The dome part was the revolutionary part; the known geometry at the time was put into work very efficiently. Hadrian used the geometry of 2 intersecting circles to design the “eye” or sphere that would shaping the interior space. Not just the idea, but the execution of building the dome was very impressive. Too the casual observer it looks like there are a pattern of square chunks carved out of the top side of the dome. However those were put there not only deliberately as an aesthetic pattern but to actually strengthen the dome. What it did was that it reduced the weight of the dome and made it so they could keep making it lighter and lighter until the peak. There are other ways that they kept the dome light. When they were mixing the concrete they were mixing in softer stone, until eventually they were using the lightweight stone pumice for the very top of the dome. Inside the pantheon the interior measures 144’ high and 144’ wide. The peak point of the dome which is referred to as the oculus measured a diameter of 27’. This magnificent structure was constructed in Rome around 118-23 CE. This in fact will be the largest dome ever built until the 19th century.
Rivaling the structural ingenuity of the Pantheon is the Hagia Sophia. The way this marvelous structure rivals the Pantheon is I’ts pendentive dome. This dome is built on a square base which would require complex building strategies using geometry. Who better than to build this building then a mathematician and a physicist? A mathematician and a physicist could take on the enduring task of completing such a feat. The architects of this building were Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus. Other great parts of this structure are its light source. The way that its built it offers a very efficient way of lighting the interior, from a 1st hand experience it would seem the interior is glowing. This structure was completed near 523-37 CE in Constantinople. The measurements of this structure are 270’long, 240’ wide and 183’ high. What’s interesting about this structure is that is that its base of the central dome is 144’ which is equal to that of the Roman Pantheon.
This next work which is a very interesting piece “The St. Sernin church” because it has very vague implications that it has concepts from long ago taken from Egypt. Long ago in Egypt, the god “Reh” that they worshipped was said to have an attraction to the “Ben-Ben” stone. The Ben-Ben stone was a pyramid shaped crystal that was translucent. So the Egyptians built the pyramids hoping that when Reh looked down from the heavens and saw the great pyramids he would see Ben-Ben stones instead. That same thought can be correlated into this early Christian church. From a bird’s eye view of the building the church’s top looks like a cross. The cross is an icon heavily associated with Christianity because the savior Jesus Christ died on the cross, fulfilling the Old Testament, so that everyone who believed could have their penalty of sin paid for. So that when the Judean Christian God would look upon the earth he would see the cross. This structure was completed around 1080-1120 CE in France.
The Architecture through the Greek and Gothic periods went through shifts of stylist and structure that were heavily influenced by artists and religion. We can also observe that stylistic changes were often borrowed from other cultures, even to the extent of cultures importing structure pieces to their country to finish a building. Such things that were borrowed and built upon were Corinthian columns, arch’s, flying buttresses and even some vague idea’s of the birds eye view of a building from Egypt made it into Christian architecture. Each culture had its very own distinguishable traits, for instance the Gothic structures always had pointed arches that insisted that the eyes were to look up, flexibility, large stain glass windows, and surmounting elegance.
Starting with the Parthenon, this was designed by the hands of the architects Iktinos and Kallikrates. What is unique to this structure is that it was not built on a level ground and all the columns were tilted slightly inward. This meant that each column had to be carved specifically according to its location in the rectangle. If lines were drawn from each column parallel to the angle they were inclined to the points would meet 1.5 miles in the air. The length of the Parthenon was 8 columns wide and 17 columns long which measured 101’ by 228’. This structure was erected in the High classical period around 448-432 BCE in Athens.
The next structure that was heavily influential and ground breaking was the Pantheon in Rome. The Pantheon was constructed to fit as a temple for “all the gods”. It was custom-built and designed by Emperor Hadrian. While many aspects of the pantheon are revolutionary the front façade was a put in place as a tribute to the tradition (the columns especially). The dome part was the revolutionary part; the known geometry at the time was put into work very efficiently. Hadrian used the geometry of 2 intersecting circles to design the “eye” or sphere that would shaping the interior space. Not just the idea, but the execution of building the dome was very impressive. Too the casual observer it looks like there are a pattern of square chunks carved out of the top side of the dome. However those were put there not only deliberately as an aesthetic pattern but to actually strengthen the dome. What it did was that it reduced the weight of the dome and made it so they could keep making it lighter and lighter until the peak. There are other ways that they kept the dome light. When they were mixing the concrete they were mixing in softer stone, until eventually they were using the lightweight stone pumice for the very top of the dome. Inside the pantheon the interior measures 144’ high and 144’ wide. The peak point of the dome which is referred to as the oculus measured a diameter of 27’. This magnificent structure was constructed in Rome around 118-23 CE. This in fact will be the largest dome ever built until the 19th century.
Rivaling the structural ingenuity of the Pantheon is the Hagia Sophia. The way this marvelous structure rivals the Pantheon is I’ts pendentive dome. This dome is built on a square base which would require complex building strategies using geometry. Who better than to build this building then a mathematician and a physicist? A mathematician and a physicist could take on the enduring task of completing such a feat. The architects of this building were Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus. Other great parts of this structure are its light source. The way that its built it offers a very efficient way of lighting the interior, from a 1st hand experience it would seem the interior is glowing. This structure was completed near 523-37 CE in Constantinople. The measurements of this structure are 270’long, 240’ wide and 183’ high. What’s interesting about this structure is that is that its base of the central dome is 144’ which is equal to that of the Roman Pantheon.
This next work which is a very interesting piece “The St. Sernin church” because it has very vague implications that it has concepts from long ago taken from Egypt. Long ago in Egypt, the god “Reh” that they worshipped was said to have an attraction to the “Ben-Ben” stone. The Ben-Ben stone was a pyramid shaped crystal that was translucent. So the Egyptians built the pyramids hoping that when Reh looked down from the heavens and saw the great pyramids he would see Ben-Ben stones instead. That same thought can be correlated into this early Christian church. From a bird’s eye view of the building the church’s top looks like a cross. The cross is an icon heavily associated with Christianity because the savior Jesus Christ died on the cross, fulfilling the Old Testament, so that everyone who believed could have their penalty of sin paid for. So that when the Judean Christian God would look upon the earth he would see the cross. This structure was completed around 1080-1120 CE in France.
Self-Esteem
Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is someone’s overall assessment of their worth as a human being. People with low self-esteem don’t value themselves very favorably, and people with high-self esteem evaluate themselves as very important.
In this article of the Modesto Bee the results of research on Self-esteem in the school environment is discussed. Apparently students with high self-esteem do not do well better in school because they have high self-esteem; rather they have high self-esteem because they get good grades. Another assumption that was invalidated was the idea that bullies suffered from low self-esteem and would turn around if the bully was shown understanding and praised. The idea that low self-esteem in children made them more susceptible to turning to violence was also debunked. In conclusion the money spent on self-esteem programs have been largely ineffective at changing a student’s academic performance.
Pit Bull
Pit Bull
The “Pit Bull” is a category of batterers within the context of a relationship. The Pit Bull’s anger is a slow build up of aggression, rather than a hot quick reaction. They are dependent on their partner and do not want to give up control. They don’t want to be abandoned after abusing their partner, so they play mind games, making their partner question if they really had been abused. Pit Bulls also keep their partners isolated from family and friends.
I had an opportunity to be informed of this reality by going on a site visit in my “social problems in the U.S.” class. We visited a staff member of the Haven Women’s Center in the airport district of Modesto. At the end of the presentation we were handed pamphlets that included warning signs indicating if you were in an abusive relationship. One of the indicating questions is “My partner hits me and then asks how I got hurt”. This question is clearly categorized as being a symptom of being in a relationship with a Pit Bull. Another Indicator which fits the description of a Pit Bull is “My partner won’t let talk to or visit my family or friends”.
Peripheral Route to Persuasion
Peripheral Route to Persuasion
Peripheral Route to Persuasion occurs when the persuasive element is not a rational statement, but cues that trigger a response without time for a counterargument. Advertisements that use P.R. to P. depend on the attractive appeal of the advertisement then the actual reasons why you should buy whatever is being advertised.
In this advertisement for Lunchables Chicken Dunks the focus of the picture is on the little girl who is smiling. This ad does not try to persuade you to buy this product by rational reasons. This ad implies that your child will benefit emotionally from this product. The added quotation “pack a smile” implies that your child will surely be happy while eating this lunch. The only reasons to buy this product are in VERY small print at the bottom of the page.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)