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Lockean Matter and its Discontents
Get PDFMaterialism/physicalism purports to be a significant metaphysical doctrine about the nature of reality, being the standard position in many contemporary philosophical debates. It is my view that this doctrine is misguided, a remnant of the categories of the 17th century. To argue for my position, I examine Locke’s commitment to corpuscularianism – a prevalent view about the nature of matter in the early scientific period – and the erroneous conclusions he draws from it. This historical reflection serves me to make a broader point: we do not anymore hold a strict conception of the material or the physical for good reasons, while these terms have no place in our technical subjects of inquiry. I conclude that materialism and any ontological position which depends on it are of no consequence
Conflict and Alienation in Mahler’s First: A Critical Analysis
No full textThis article focuses on critically reviewing the current state of analysis of Gustav Mahler’s First Symphony, with reference to score analysis of the work. This article presents the argument that the most coherent interpretation of the symphony can be drawn through analysing it specifically in relation to Adorno’s theories on alienation, conflict, disintegration and truth in Mahler’s symphonies. Many music historians have claimed that this symphony is most coherently interpreted as conveying the narrative of an heroic protagonist triumphing over adversity – this article argues, however, that the opposite of such a narrative is portrayed by the music of this symphony
His Father’s Son? Examining inheritance through the figure of Neoptolemus in Sophocles’ Philoctetes and Vergil’s Aeneid
No full textThe play Philoctetes, by Sophocles, and the Aeneid, Vergil’s epic, are parts of the same homeric tradition; responses to ancient poetry afforded practically divine status. This paper is primarily interested in how these authors explore their reception of this tradition through Neoptolemus’ acceptance or rejection of his inheritance; what he may choose to emulate from the person of Achilles, and what they in turn wish to take from the work of Homer. This exploration is particularly concerned with the anxieties of their own times, and a uniting desire to consider conflict and its effect on culture and populace through literary forms. This paper was originally written for the honours course Homer and his readers, taught by Dr Hau and Dr Chadha of the Classics department, and seeks to engage with the same issues of historiography, intent and intertext
Sound Symbolism: Challenging Saussure’s View on the Arbitrary Nature of the Sign
No full textOver 100 years ago Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure proposed that, aside from onomatopoeia, there is no logical relationship between words and their meanings. This article aims to gather and analyse the mounting evidence that has emerged over the last century that overrules this assertion. From the books we escape to, to the inescapable marketing language surrounding us; from the names we call our children, to how children learn language: sound symbolism pervades everyday life in more ways than is probably realised. It becomes apparent that the mind’s perception of meaning may be influenced by the sounds of words themselves. By consequence, it seems that some of the roots of language may not be as illogical as Saussure thought; this article considers the possibility of there being a neurological explanation behind ‘sound symbolism’
Turning a Man’s World into a Woman’s World: Male/Male Erotic Fiction as a Tool for Female Readers and Writers to Create Quasi-Egalitarian Experiences within a Gendered Society
No full textWhy do females who identify as heterosexual write and/or read male/male erotic fiction? The goal of this paper shall be to highlight one explanation of the appeal this genre holds as a form of entertainment for some, while certainly not all, of its female readers and writers. It will be argued that the key to understanding the genre’s appeal for these women is not the homosexual content of the narratives. Rather, male/male erotic fiction, with its challenge to binary and hierarchical gender roles, is used by them to dabble in privileges traditionally reserved for men and thus as a tool to create quasi-egalitarian experiences for them within a gendered society
Divided to the Vein: Defining a West Indian Self
No full textThis article explores the development of West Indian cultural identity through its expression in poetry from and about the West Indies. Early forms of cultural expression from the Anglophone Caribbean were frequently realised through mimicry of British poetic forms, themes, and language. Later post-Independence poetry frequently denounced such reverence and aimed to identify the West Indian poetic voice with a conception of ‘Africa’ as an alternative parent culture. Ultimately however, neither Africa nor Britain provides a suitable comparison for the fragmented and diverse West Indies. Rather, the most apt expressions of West Indian cultural identity are found in poetry which focuses on racial hybridity, West Indian landscapes, and local dialects
War, Crime and Disease: An Evaluation of the Double Threat of Terrorism
No full textSince 9/11 and the declaration of the War on Terror, terrorism has featured prominently in the 21st century security agenda. As a result, a wide range of counterterrorist measures have been developed in order to provide security in states across the globe. Yet their intensification, while ostensibly diminishing one threat, has arguably increased the threat to another: civil liberties. By adopting Sederberg’s typology of counterterrorist measures into war, crime and disease approaches, the following analysis seeks to determine the degree to which they alter the balance between security and liberty. Drawing upon evidence from counterterrorist strategies in the US, UK, EU, France and Norway, this article demonstrates that liberal democracies should refrain from securitising or de-politicising terrorism, as either approach would come at a cost to liberty and security, respectively. Rather, the politicisation of counterterrorism, found particularly within the crime approach, offers the most practicable balancing solution to the ‘double threat’ of terrorism
Conflicts of Capitalism: Condoms as a mass-produced commodity in the US, 1920s-1930s
No full textThe emergence of mass-produced condoms in the US during the 1920s and 1930s is considered a prime example of modern industry and big business. By retelling the history of condoms in the US during this period from production to circulation and impact, this article highlights the social and cultural conflicts that shaped the trajectory from brothel necessity to modern commodity. This history corresponds to Arjun Appadurai’s assertion that capitalism is more than a ‘techno-economic design’ and manifests the cultural and social dimensions of modernity. Such a narrative also illuminates the concept of the ‘medicalisation’ of society and highlights its corporeal and material dimensions
A Modernist Desire: Oriental Signification in Salomé and Death in Venice
No full textThis article considers two emblematic texts in the modernist canon, Salomé by Oscar Wilde and Death in Venice by Thomas Mann, and the implications of their modernist aesthetics when writing queerness in the context of Edward Said’s Orientalism. As play and novella, the texts contrast the self-sufficiency of the realist narrative that Said argues is crucial for the establishment of the Orient in Western imagination. The signification of queer desire, through a language of Oriental tropes, introduces competing discourses in the texts that work to undermine the meaning and values of the imperial and Oriental framework in which they are writte
A Theory of Origin: A Revision of the Auteur Theory in Film Studies
No full textThis article reviews the traditional auteur theory within film and television studies, looking at how notions of the author and authorship are constructed. It moves through an overview of traditional auteur theory, highlighting its successes and failures as an academic theory. In reviewing the theory this article presents an alternative and hopefully more productive way in which to analyse and decipher notions of authorship. The new theory is tested by application to three distinct case studies involving the film director Tim Burton, singer Lady Gaga and the video-on-demand service provider Netflix