Erasmus

This essay seeks to examine the history of the intellectual comradeship between J.L. Talmon and the philosopher, political thinker, and historian of ideas, Isaiah Berlin (1909–1997). The scholarly dialog between the two began in 1947, continued until Talmon's death in 1980, and is well documented in their private correspondence. I argue that there were two levels to this dialog: First, both Berlin and Talmon took part in the Totalitarianism discourse, which was colored by Popperian terminology, and thus I claim that their ideas should be examined as part of the Cold-War political discourse. The second level stemmed from their similar East-European origin, their mutual Jewish identity, and their attitude towards the Zionist movement.

At times the two levels of discourse conjoined commensurably, but in other cases the juxtaposition of the two created conceptual tensions. Examining Berlin and Talmon's thought from this dual perspective, I argue, can shed new light on the inner conflicts and conceptual tensions that each of them had to face. In particular, I claim that both thinkers tried to integrate their Anglophile liberal heritage with their support of National movements in general, and the Jewish National movement in particular. Nevertheless, the different approaches of Talmon and Berlin present two concepts of liberal Nationalism: While Talmon assumed that Zionism solved the Jewish individual's dilemmas by making Jews members of a commune attached to soil; Berlin sought to preserve the individual in an inviolable sphere and thus was more ambivalent in his attitude towards the state of Israel. In conclusion, I offer to see Talmon as a classic Zionist liberal and Berlin as a supporter of what I call “Diaspora Zionism”, an approach, which would later provide the grounds for Berlin's celebrated pluralism.     

The Christian Peace of Erasmus

The aim of this essay is to show that Erasmus’s concept of peace should be understood as a form of irenicism rather than pacifism. I argue that Erasmus’s basic claims on war and peace do not qualify him as a pacifist, first of all because his concept of peace is non-universal: it is exclusively Christian since it does not include Muslims and Jews unless they have converted to Christianity. Secondly, Erasmus’s willingness to fight the Turks and his call for a Christian war against them suggests that he was not a pacifist. Since the peace Erasmus preached for was exclusively Christian, it cannot be identified as pacifism in its accepted universal sense, but rather as a commitment to the peace of Christendom, and therefore his concept of peace should more precisely be described as irenic. By shedding new light on Erasmus’s notion of war and peace, this essay suggests that his alleged religious tolerance should be considered anew.     

伊拉斯莫新论

在我国,人们对但丁、莎士比亚、马丁·路德比较熟悉。但是对伊拉斯莫却很陌生。即使在文化教育界对他也知之较少。其实,伊拉斯莫在欧美的知名度与上述人是类同的。他曾被人们誉为“西方的明灯”、“人文主义的泰斗”、“文艺复兴的纪念碑”、“科学之王”……。伊拉斯莫在世时,德皇查理五世曾表示要在帝国议会上钦赐他一个固定的席位;英王亨利八世希望他在英国永久居留;法王法兰西斯一世盛邀他访问巴黎,并且要他出任新设立的法国皇家学院院长     

Erasmus Darwin: Master of Interdisciplinary Science

Abstract

Dr Erasmus Darwin (1731–1802) was by profession a physician, at Lichfield and later Derby, and was widely regarded as the leading doctor in Britain, author of the massive treatise Zoonomia (1794–6). His many original contributions to science cover a wide range of disciplines, including physics, chemistry, geology, meteorology, plant growth and nutrition and evolutionary biology. He was a prolific inventor, a close friend of Boulton and Watt, and a leading spirit in the ‘Lunar Society’ of Birmingham. In the 1790s he became the most famous poet of the day with his Botanic Garden, which greatly influenced Coleridge, Wordsworth and others.     

The drivers to Erasmus work placement mobility for UK students

This paper examines the drivers to UK student work placement mobility through the Erasmus programme (European Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students). This research was stimulated by the overrepresentation of UK students in the Erasmus work placement programme since its introduction in 2007. Using a multi-methods approach, based on student interviews and report analysis, five main drivers to Erasmus work placement mobility are revealed: employability, the economic downturn and subsequent failure to secure a placement in the UK, language, finance and personal factors. This paper discusses these five factors to reveal the complex and interlinked influences that encourage UK students to undertake an Erasmus work placement. Overall, employability is identified as the main driver to the mobility of Erasmus work placement students. It is argued that the neoliberal agenda in UK higher education, to streamline away from education for the public good, towards education for employability purposes, is a key factor in explaining the popularity of Erasmus work placements in the UK. Importantly, this paper argues that the drivers to work placement mobility are different to the motivations to study abroad. It is, therefore, essential that they are dealt with separately in order to explore the differences and similarities between sub-types of student mobility.     

To Our Readers

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编读往来

编者按: 四月,李波发给我一幅照片,一群吉沙村民在飘飞的小雪里,在2003年第一期杂志中欣赏着他们美丽的家乡.他们中有的我见过,有的没见过,在做这个选题的过程中,我随李波到过吉沙,体验过吉沙人的善良与困惑.     

读者活动透视

在小围村的考察 初秋的一天,<华夏人文地理>读者俱乐部的成员们来到深圳东部郊区的小围村,考察当地的人文环境和生态环境.之所以选择小围村,是因为此地具有依山、傍河、靠海等较为复杂的地理位置,且目前外界事物介入不是很多,自然生态和人文环境保持得相对完好.我们还特地邀请了仙湖植物园的陈珍传老师,使我们能较为专业化地调查小围村的植物种类和生态.此外,同行的俱乐部成员还有进行过多次田野调查和有动植物考察经验的行家里手.     

黄土高原的窑洞

2002年的正月里,<华夏人文地理>杂志宝鸡读者俱乐部一行六人,驱车抵达延安,途经绥德、米脂、佳县、榆林、靖边,然后过吴旗,到甘肃的庆阳.历时7天,行程约1,900多公里.陕北之行给人印象最深的,是那些多年不变的窑洞.