Philosophy
When I visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, I make it a point to stop by Jacques Louis David's famous neoclassical masterpiece "The Death of Socrates." This habit is motivated partly from a humble desire to pay homage to the inventor of the Socratic method (a tool the use of which has become an essential aspect of my own sense of personal identity), and from a desire to reflect on the meaning of his life and moral fortitude.
But there's also the art, the aesthetic and philosophical contemplation of which almost invariably forces on me the understanding of the necessity and the struggle of balancing realities that are often in conflict with one another: the abstract and the concrete, alienation and connection, distance and understanding, mind and body, authenticity and comfort, feeling and rationality, change and timelessness, meaning and purposelessness, identity and freedom, freedom and equality, individuality and belonging, etc.
Great art often manages to convey its message at various levels of discourse, from the simple and humble to the technical and esoteric. If you've simply seen "The Death of Socrates" before, even in passing, you have probably already experienced some of its emotional, moral and intellectual power. But if you want to get a better sense of how much more there is to this painting than meets the eye, how much thought went into developing every inch, how much history, philosophy, politics, geometry, religion and symbolism is hiding in plain sight, how a centuries-long dialogue is expressed in the negative space between the characters, you will probably find the short introductory video below quite helpful, and your own appreciation of the aesthetic experience enhanced and improved.
- The Allegory Of The Bourne Identity
Continuing the discussion about education, Socrates begins telling the story of prisoners kept under a very specific set of conditions. These prisoners are kept shackled so that they may only face the wall of a dark cave that they are in, and all they...
- Fear Guides Justice
What keeps a person from going out and doing harm to their enemies is the fear of consequences that society has placed on such actions. Fear is an element that can over rule a persons desire because it What keeps a person from going out and doing harm...
- Week One: Traditional Philosophy
TEXT: THE LIFE OF PYTHAGORAS Pythagoras once stated, "...the purest and most geniune character is that of the man who devotes himself to...beautiful things." He basically was talking about himself because he has left a lasting influence on this world....
- Newt Gingrich - Atheist Islamist Takeover
In Plato's classic dialogue The Apology, Socrates is impeached on charges of impiety. The prosecutor, Meletus, argues that Socrates is an atheist, and that Socrates believes in gods not approved by the state. How could Socrates believe in gods and...
- 12 Biggies Of Philosophy Get Reviewed
Book review... ""Examined Lives": The secret lives of philosophers" A new book looks at the personal stories behind some of history's best-known thinkers, with fascinating results by A. C. Grayling January 24th, 2011 Salon Plato has Socrates say,...
Philosophy
Understanding Art - The Death of Socrates
But there's also the art, the aesthetic and philosophical contemplation of which almost invariably forces on me the understanding of the necessity and the struggle of balancing realities that are often in conflict with one another: the abstract and the concrete, alienation and connection, distance and understanding, mind and body, authenticity and comfort, feeling and rationality, change and timelessness, meaning and purposelessness, identity and freedom, freedom and equality, individuality and belonging, etc.
Great art often manages to convey its message at various levels of discourse, from the simple and humble to the technical and esoteric. If you've simply seen "The Death of Socrates" before, even in passing, you have probably already experienced some of its emotional, moral and intellectual power. But if you want to get a better sense of how much more there is to this painting than meets the eye, how much thought went into developing every inch, how much history, philosophy, politics, geometry, religion and symbolism is hiding in plain sight, how a centuries-long dialogue is expressed in the negative space between the characters, you will probably find the short introductory video below quite helpful, and your own appreciation of the aesthetic experience enhanced and improved.
- The Allegory Of The Bourne Identity
Continuing the discussion about education, Socrates begins telling the story of prisoners kept under a very specific set of conditions. These prisoners are kept shackled so that they may only face the wall of a dark cave that they are in, and all they...
- Fear Guides Justice
What keeps a person from going out and doing harm to their enemies is the fear of consequences that society has placed on such actions. Fear is an element that can over rule a persons desire because it What keeps a person from going out and doing harm...
- Week One: Traditional Philosophy
TEXT: THE LIFE OF PYTHAGORAS Pythagoras once stated, "...the purest and most geniune character is that of the man who devotes himself to...beautiful things." He basically was talking about himself because he has left a lasting influence on this world....
- Newt Gingrich - Atheist Islamist Takeover
In Plato's classic dialogue The Apology, Socrates is impeached on charges of impiety. The prosecutor, Meletus, argues that Socrates is an atheist, and that Socrates believes in gods not approved by the state. How could Socrates believe in gods and...
- 12 Biggies Of Philosophy Get Reviewed
Book review... ""Examined Lives": The secret lives of philosophers" A new book looks at the personal stories behind some of history's best-known thinkers, with fascinating results by A. C. Grayling January 24th, 2011 Salon Plato has Socrates say,...