Enlightenment:
In history,enlightenment is a European philosophical movement stressing thr importance of reason[1]. Apparently,enlightenment is the advance of thought. It is aimed at “liberating human beings from fear” and “installing them as masters” and is also aimed at disenchanting the world. However,It already contains the germ of regression[2] and it is totalitarian in some aspect. Enlightenment suppresses everything to conform the standard of calculability and utility. To some extend,enlightenment itself is a kind of myths.
Dialectic:
The dialectic is using opposite views to elicit truth. If we want to find out the truth of something,we should get different views from the discussion. Thinking of the opposite opinion,we can have a better understanding through different angles. Using this dialectic method,Adorno and Horkheimer aimed at awakening the public that there are till many disadvantages of promoting enlightenment. We should review enlightenment from different angles. In some points,Adorno and Horkheimer put forward the question that how can we safeguard the enlightenment,and how to make sure the enlightenment can go on a right path.
The "Nominalism":
Nominalism is a metaphysical view and nominalist deny the existence of universals. They believe everything is individual and unique. Obviously this view is different from what enlightenment advocate. Enlightenment make everything to be calculable and regard everything which cannot be resolved into one ,as illusion. By using “Nominalism”,authors stressed enlightenment could be dictator one day,which makes us review or re-evaluate enlightenment.
Meaning of "myth":
In ancient times,people uses Myth to explain something and make the society in order. It has a more powerful state than others and control citizens. Similarly,Enlightenment has something in common with the myth. In myth,we use mythical figures to explain the cause of nature, and in enlightenment,we just replace the mythical figures for “the subject”. Enlightenment is a kind of dictator using its theory to govern bourgeois justice and material flow. In this books, enlightenment itself will regress to be myth.
1.superstructure & substructure:
In this essay, superstructure represents for all area of the culture which are not directly to do with production,and substructure represent for all the things which is related to production,such as economy. From analyzing cultural production from a Marxist perspective,we can understand that the developmental tendencies of art under present conditions of production will be of great importance,no matter in the superstructure or in the economy[3]. With the development of the technique, it is more easily to reproduce an art than ever before. The new technique bring the diminishment of the arts’ aura. Also, the arts began to be based on politics rather than ritual. Using the Marxist perspective,the author would like to stress the point that the present production could set an revolution on the demands in politics of art.
2.revolutionary potentials:
In Benjamin's point of view, culture have revolutionary potentials.People's view will change as the time goes by. When photography came out,the art met the crisis. Also, after the film being produced out, our concepts would be changed. The arts would not be aimed at few people any more ,and would be aimed at the public.The conception of art is not used for the ritual. In stead,it is used for politics.All this above are revolutions for the culture. In my view, Benjamin’s perspective has differences to the perspective of Adorno and Horkheimer. Although they all show their anxiety towards the changes of our culture,they are on different stressing points. Adorno and Horkheimer were worried that enlightenment might force the culture to be unity and depressed into myth,while Benjamin was worried about the changes in tendencies of art could make arts lose their aura.
3.historically determined perception:
We perceive this world through our senses and we form a conception out of nature at first. We admire beauty naturally,and avoid danger subliminally when we see some dangerous things.These are from our nature. But we can also get knowledge from our experiences and form our own conception. A baby does not know how to express his feeling but an adult can. our perception can be determined by new knowledege. In ancient times,we regarded the earth is a plane,but when we recognized earth is spherical,our perception changed totally. From then on,human have a different perception towards the earth. Similarly,we believed the earth is the centure of the universe until Galileo support for heliocentrism. In total,our perception can be both naturally and historically determined.
4."aura":
In my point of view ,the aura of an art object is not only the artistic value,but also its authenticity.When one work of arts has aura,it means this wok has its own value and uniqueness,in other words,"its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be". Authenticity is the essence of an art,which reproduction can not have.While the aura in natural objects means some lights from these objects.
The dialectic is using opposite views to elicit truth. If we want to find out the truth of something,we should get different views from the discussion. Thinking of the opposite opinion,we can have a better understanding through different angles. Using this dialectic method,Adorno and Horkheimer aimed at awakening the public that there are till many disadvantages of promoting enlightenment. We should review enlightenment from different angles. In some points,Adorno and Horkheimer put forward the question that how can we safeguard the enlightenment,and how to make sure the enlightenment can go on a right path.
The "Nominalism":
Nominalism is a metaphysical view and nominalist deny the existence of universals. They believe everything is individual and unique. Obviously this view is different from what enlightenment advocate. Enlightenment make everything to be calculable and regard everything which cannot be resolved into one ,as illusion. By using “Nominalism”,authors stressed enlightenment could be dictator one day,which makes us review or re-evaluate enlightenment.
Meaning of "myth":
In ancient times,people uses Myth to explain something and make the society in order. It has a more powerful state than others and control citizens. Similarly,Enlightenment has something in common with the myth. In myth,we use mythical figures to explain the cause of nature, and in enlightenment,we just replace the mythical figures for “the subject”. Enlightenment is a kind of dictator using its theory to govern bourgeois justice and material flow. In this books, enlightenment itself will regress to be myth.
1.superstructure & substructure:
In this essay, superstructure represents for all area of the culture which are not directly to do with production,and substructure represent for all the things which is related to production,such as economy. From analyzing cultural production from a Marxist perspective,we can understand that the developmental tendencies of art under present conditions of production will be of great importance,no matter in the superstructure or in the economy[3]. With the development of the technique, it is more easily to reproduce an art than ever before. The new technique bring the diminishment of the arts’ aura. Also, the arts began to be based on politics rather than ritual. Using the Marxist perspective,the author would like to stress the point that the present production could set an revolution on the demands in politics of art.
2.revolutionary potentials:
In Benjamin's point of view, culture have revolutionary potentials.People's view will change as the time goes by. When photography came out,the art met the crisis. Also, after the film being produced out, our concepts would be changed. The arts would not be aimed at few people any more ,and would be aimed at the public.The conception of art is not used for the ritual. In stead,it is used for politics.All this above are revolutions for the culture. In my view, Benjamin’s perspective has differences to the perspective of Adorno and Horkheimer. Although they all show their anxiety towards the changes of our culture,they are on different stressing points. Adorno and Horkheimer were worried that enlightenment might force the culture to be unity and depressed into myth,while Benjamin was worried about the changes in tendencies of art could make arts lose their aura.
3.historically determined perception:
We perceive this world through our senses and we form a conception out of nature at first. We admire beauty naturally,and avoid danger subliminally when we see some dangerous things.These are from our nature. But we can also get knowledge from our experiences and form our own conception. A baby does not know how to express his feeling but an adult can. our perception can be determined by new knowledege. In ancient times,we regarded the earth is a plane,but when we recognized earth is spherical,our perception changed totally. From then on,human have a different perception towards the earth. Similarly,we believed the earth is the centure of the universe until Galileo support for heliocentrism. In total,our perception can be both naturally and historically determined.
4."aura":
In my point of view ,the aura of an art object is not only the artistic value,but also its authenticity.When one work of arts has aura,it means this wok has its own value and uniqueness,in other words,"its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be". Authenticity is the essence of an art,which reproduction can not have.While the aura in natural objects means some lights from these objects.
(u1ucvszr)
References:
[1]The Free Dictionary by Farlex (2015.9.9)
[2]Adorno och Horkheimer Dialectic of Enlightenment trans. by Edmund Jephcott
[3]Walter Benjamin The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction trans.by Harry Zohn(2005)
References:
[1]The Free Dictionary by Farlex (2015.9.9)
[2]Adorno och Horkheimer Dialectic of Enlightenment trans. by Edmund Jephcott
[3]Walter Benjamin The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction trans.by Harry Zohn(2005)
No comments:
Post a Comment