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The essays in this book are the distillation of years of reflection, writing, lecturing and active participation in the ongoing debate on the cultural identity of the European Union, the vicissitudes of the transatlantic dialogue, the envisioning of new social paradigms, the building of more solid and more relevant bridges of understanding between two continents that have a common Western humanistic tradition albeit synthesized to other cultures in America. While the approach is personal, it remains interdisciplinary and holistic throughout, rooted in the poetic philosophy of history of Giambattista Vico and encompassing literature, philosophy, myth, linguistics and political science, on the edge of boundaries between the historical grand narrative, the religious and even the quotidian and the anecdotal. These thirty essays trace the origins of Western Civilization and the synthesis of Humanism and Christianity that is the Renaissance, but also, Janus-like face, they look forward to a new Renaissance and humanistic synthesis yet to be envisioned and forged, that will dare to be both old and new, that will encompass the poetical as well as the rational without losing sight of the universality of our common humanity. The journey may be long arduous but it has already begun some sixty years ago. Moreover, these essays will appeal especially to those readers who are perplexed at the loss of humanistic modes of thought in our post-modern technological society. A book sure to stimulate the intellect and the imagination of its readers. They are given to understand from the outset that Europe, more than a geographical political reality, is an evolving idea, and it is her destiny to live or die as such. The readers will be provided with a Vichian chart to assist them in intellectually navigating and journey on this unique idea called Europa.
How our beliefs about the soul have developed through the ages, and why an understanding of it still matters today The concept of the soul has been a recurring area of exploration since ancient times. What do we mean when we talk about finding our soul, how do we know we have one, and does it hold any relevance in today’s scientifically and technologically dominated society? From Socrates and Augustine to Darwin and Freud, In Search of the Soul takes readers on a concise, accessible journey into the origins of the soul in Western philosophy and culture, and examines how the idea has developed throughout history to the present. Touching on literature, music, art, and theology, John Cottingham illustrates how, far from being redundant in contemporary times, the soul attunes us to the importance of meaning and value, and experience and growth. A better understanding of the soul might help all of us better understand what it is to be human. Cottingham delves into the evolution of our thoughts about the soul through landmark works—including those of Aristotle, Plato, and Descartes. He considers the nature of consciousness and subjective experience, and discusses the psychoanalytic view that large parts of the human psyche are hidden from direct conscious awareness. He also reflects on the mysterious and universal longing for transcendence that is an indelible part of our human makeup. Looking at the soul’s many dimensions—historical, moral, psychological, and spiritual—Cottingham makes a case for how it exerts a powerful pull on all of us. In Search of the Soul is a testimony to how the soul remains a profoundly significant aspect of human flourishing.
As its title powerfully suggests, this bookwhile being a personal memoir, a narration of ones life journey from sunrise to sunsettranscends the personal. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that these memories are the memories of an immigrant who has lived in the country as a US citizen (with an American-born father) for some sixty years. It is much more than a list of events and anecdotes of an immigrant experience. It is written in a Dantesque and Vichian spirit, and as such, it goes beyond the listing of historical events and people. More than a physical journey, it is an intellectual journey into the mind of an immigrant in search of ones self and ones ethnic identity. As such, it is a universal journey with which nonimmigrants, even native-born, can easily emphatize. Our common humanity makes it universal. As Dante well put it when he began the narration of his lifes journey, In the middle of the journey of our lives, I found myself in a dark wood. As Dante begins the journey guided by Virgil and Breatrice, he finds out that indeed the journey is universal beyond the purely personal. As Michelangelo said, Ancor imparo [I am still learning]. He uttered such a statement at the venerable age of eighty-nine, a few days before he died. He was still sculpting and learning. Likewise, if we dare to begin the journey, at whatever age we may find ourselves, we may soon find out that we too are still learning, and the journey may well have a common purpose and destination.
This insightful and inspirational anthology of first-person accounts brings together--for the first time--the stories of more than 50 writers, who have eloquently explored the spiritual impulses that have significantly informed their lives.
In 1912 James Reese Europe made history by conducting his 125-member Clef Club Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. The first concert by an African American ensemble at the esteemed venue was more than just a concert--it was a political act of desegregation, a defiant challenge to the status quo in American music. In this book, David Gilbert explores how Europe and other African American performers, at the height of Jim Crow, transformed their racial difference into the mass-market commodity known as "black music." Gilbert shows how Europe and others used the rhythmic sounds of ragtime, blues, and jazz to construct new representations of black identity, challenging many of the nation's preconceived ideas about race, culture, and modernity and setting off a musical craze in the process. Gilbert sheds new light on the little-known era of African American music and culture between the heyday of minstrelsy and the Harlem Renaissance. He demonstrates how black performers played a pioneering role in establishing New York City as the center of American popular music, from Tin Pan Alley to Broadway, and shows how African Americans shaped American mass culture in their own image.
Rifkin delves deeply into the history of Europe--and eventually America--to show how Europeans have succeeded in slowly and steadily developing a more adaptive, sensible way of working and living.
The historical avant-gardes defined themselves largely in terms of their relationship to various versions of realism. At first glance modernism primarily seems to take a counter-position against realism, yet a closer investigation reveals that these relations are more complex. This book is dedicated to the links between realism, modernism and the avant-garde in their international context from the late 19th century up to the present day.