Philosophy as an Art of Dying

This essay proposes a close look at the tradition of martyr-philosophers in the Western world (Socrates, Hypatia, Giordano Bruno, Edith Stein, Jan Pato?ka) and advances the claim that the death of these people has a distinct philosophical significance. For various reasons, these philosophers place themselves in limit-situations where they cannot use words anymore to express themselves, but have to turn their own flesh into a radical means of expression. Their dying thus becomes an extension of their work, and the image of their violent deaths comes to be regarded as an inseparable part of their heritage. First, I discuss Socrates as the founder of the tradition of “philosophical deaths” in the West; his gradual “taming” of death in Plato's Apology is discussed in some detail. I then introduce a modern case of “Socratic death,” that of Jan Pato?ka (1907–77). Finally, I map out the cultural and social mechanisms, as well as some of the phenomenological preconditions, presupposed by the notion of “philosophy as an art of dying.”     

试论克孜尔石窟出土陶祖为摩尼教艺术品

摩尼教作为一个公元3世纪后流行东西方的世界性宗教,其神学体系中有关性观念的描述,在世界古代几大宗教中独树一帜。但以往人们对此的认识都是在摩尼教文献中寻章摘句,很难见到形象化的具体实     

Art as Appearance: Two Comments on Arthur C. Danto's After the End of Art

In his latest book about art Arthur Danto claims that aesthetic appearance—visuality in the visual arts—has become more and more irrelevant for most of contemporary art. This essay first immanently critiques the distinction between the aesthetic and artistic properties underlying this claim. Danto's claim about the irrelevance of the aesthetic is not compatible with the spirit of his own writings: what Danto denies in After the End of Art has been a cornerstone of his theoretical work since The Transfiguration of the Commonplace , namely, that the aesthetic is indeed both an elementary and a defining property of art. Examples ranging from Duchamp's Fountain to a recent installation by the Art & Language group are discussed to support this critique. Second, the essay defends Danto's contention that developing a "definition of art" is a sensible enterprise. But it turns out that Danto's (self-ascribed) "essentialism" concerning art has no essentialist implications in any specific sense.     

The Destructive Potential of Earthworms on the Archaeobotanical Record

Abstract

As part of a large salvage project at yiftahel, Lower Galilee, Israel, layers of a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B village (of the 7th millennium B.C.) were uncovered. The excavation concentrated on a single dwelling, Structure 700, one of the largest of this period ever excavated in the Levant. Evidence for spatial variation in usage enables reconstruction of some of the activities carried out within and outside the dwelling.

A unique find was a store of more than 2000 horsebean seeds, which predates the earliest previously-known use of this vetch by about 2000 years. The excellent state of preservation of the significant botanical and faunal remains at yiftahel enables a better understanding of the diffusion of domesticated plants and animals and their exploitation in the various Neolithic communities.     

Interdisciplinarity as critical Inquiry: Visualizing the Art/Bioscience interface

Abstract

Much˙ of the physiology of human cells is controlled at their surfaces. Our knowledge is based on an interdisciplinar:r approach involving research in subject areas ranging from physics to medicine. In this review, the structure and function of cell surfaces, their turnover and their role in cell division is described. The concept of cell sulrface diseases is introduced and discussed. The conclusion is reached that further knowledge of cell surfaces will lead to better treatment of many common diseases.     

谈敦煌艺术的精神力量

敦煌艺术体现了延续不断的继承精神、绘画风格的连续精神、佛教艺术的宗教精神、向往美好的追求精神和艺术形式的自由精神。艺术形式的自由精神主要体现在艺术造型的自由性、色彩运用的自由性和构图运用的自由性三个方面,反映了中国文化的特点和中国人精神的自由性特点。     

翰海春拍力推市场蓝筹——写实画派与学院艺术演绎独有景观

自2003年下半年开始,中国书画和接续至今的当代艺术的相继飙升助推了整个市场大盘的增量和结构性提升,在天价和流拍带动的涨跌舞蹈中,很多的收藏者和投资者被牢牢的栓在了前卫艺术的热门板块上体验惊风骇浪,     

构建艺术品评估新体系

自2009年以来,中国的文物艺术品市场进入急速发展时期,三年来不仅亿元文物艺术品频频现身,而且文物艺术品价格得到整体提升。支持市场行情的收藏主体除传统藏家、行家、企业,艺术基金、艺术信托等以投资为目的的资本入场;涉及领域也更加丰富,当代艺术、     

介休——琉璃建筑艺术的故乡

<正>介休琉璃源远而流长。从唐贞元十一年(公元795年)就有文字记载,实物则可追溯到隋代,绵延达1400余年。到了明代,介休琉璃烧造达到鼎盛时期。后土庙琉璃建筑群、北     

Population and poverty in dependent states: Latin America considered

"Malthusians maintain that rapid population growth aggravates poverty, while Marxists contend that social formations determine its nature and extent. Each perspective is incomplete, however, since it ignores the insights of the other. Latin American states, characterized by dependent capitalism formations and dominated by ruling elites, are generally incapable of solving the problems of population and poverty. Since population growth under dependent capitalism weakens labor's bargaining position against capital, reduced population growth is emphasized as a labor empowerment strategy the poor can implement on their own to improve their socioeconomic conditions."