• In the time of Alexander the Great, the expanded empire’s culture was influenced by many foreign cultures: Buddhist, Italian, Anatolian, North African cultures and many others. • The new Greek culture was now multiethnic. As a consequence, the ideas in the culture evolved. • The ideology that Athens and Pergamon represented (left and right picture respectively) opposed each other in their perception of the world. o In the Hellenistic Greece, humanism turned into individualism, idealism into realism and rationalism into empiricism.
3. Individualism
• Glorifying heroes instead of glorifying gods (the cult of hero worship) • Spirit of being adept/professional at something (such as politics, arts, athletics) instead of free/spontaneous curiosity & interest in everything. • The rule of a small group around the "semi divine" king instead of public decisions. • The picture in this slide is an example of the glorification of the king (hero) o Two contradicting ideas related to individualism are: Stoicism and Epicureanism.
4. Stoicism and Epicureanism
• Stoicism: • Is concerned about finding the balance between godly/divine order reflected on earth and humans role in this order. • According to Stoicism: “people are mere actors”. In other words, human will is also a part of the "master plan". • It was founded by Zeno who regarded humanity as one because every individual is a part of the nature (divine plan) regardless of the race and citizenship of the individual. • The picture on the upper right represents stoicism because it portrays the harmonious life of people under the rule of a royal family whose role is assigned by the creator (i.e. the angel)
• Epicureanism: • Based on atomism and scientific materialism. • Everything consists of little atoms that dissolve back to nature when we die. (Picture on the left) • No after life therefore one should seek the hedonistic pursuit of pleasure now and here o Both of these perceptions of the world had significant effects on arts.
5. Philosophy and the Arts
• The arts focused more on oddities and flaws instead of idealistic forms (like the Spear Bearer) as a result of individualism and realism. (individual aspects are valued) • The picture on the left depicts defeat. • The picture in the center depicts pain. o The change in arts can also be accounted for the new idea of realism (showing forms as they appear)
6. Realism Overview
• Using the allegory of the cave, it can be said that the Hellenistic Greeks preferred world of appearances over the realm of the forms • Greeks valued the variety in the nature more than the ideal monotonous unity. • Types and archetypes are abandoned. o The realism influenced architecture as well.
7. Realism in Architecture
• Buildings in the Hellenistic period are not independent of their surroundings - they interact with nearby buildings and therefore are not "self-contained" • As a result of seeing buildings as parts of the community, city planning gained importance. o In sculpture as well, the subject is now seen as a part of its surroundings.
8. Realism in Sculpture
• Sculpting techniques have become better, because the artists wanted their sculptures to have their particular characteristics - their small details which are difficult to sculpt • The artists tried to achieve the appearance of flesh on stone. The images in this slide are such sculptures that have realistic (close to the real human) skin details. • The pain and old age are appropriate themes now (old market woman and the Seated Boxer are examples of this), since those are natural aspects of real life too. o Just as the approach to sculpture is changed by realism, the approaches to philosophy and history are changed by empiricism.
9. Empiricism and Hellenistic Thought
• Scientific approach and search of practical applications instead of "abstract logic" (~Socratic logic) and aimless free-thinking. • In the Classical Period- individual inquiry to find the truth • In the Hellenistic Period- scientific method to find the truth • Antiquarianism- concerned with old and rare things: editing and compiling old manuscripts and poetic literature • The fall of creativity and its replacement by collecting and cataloguing (researching). • Copying antique pieces of art (see slide 6: copy-paste :) ) • Creation of great libraries. o All the discussions made until here helped us understanding the former culture that lead to the final (Hellenistic) culture.
10. How has your understanding Hellenic thought deepened?
• Through the Hellenistic period, we learned that the Hellenic Greeks: o Preferred individual free inquiry over methodology o Preferred perfect ideal forms over the imperfect, easy to grasp, natural and realistic forms. o Preferred collective life style (e.g. the rule of the demos-people) over individual stylization o Preferred God worship instead of hero worship o Believed in afterlife (as seen in the Odysseus – crossing the river to reach Hades)
MR. SHULHA’S COMMENTS
The question remains, why are these comments so effective in communicating ideas. • First, they reflect the general nature of the English language- they are direct! • Each bullet point communicates one idea • Language- the is a fantastic example of how the precise words can make your ideas more effective. When you do not use, or possess, the correct word what happens is that you end up talking around the idea rather than talking about the idea. • The assignment- the students recognized the nature of the assignment. So often I find students not answering the question that they have been asked. They simply look at the question, see a word they recognize and then write everything they know about that subject. CRAFTING your answers is a skill. A skill, I have to say, that is poorly developed in most students at RC. • Please read these answers and then re-read your and I hope you will see the differences. I fyou have any questions bring your work to class and we can talk.
1 comment:
Comments on the Voicethread
1. What are you thinking?
2. Introduction: Opposing views
• In the time of Alexander the Great, the expanded empire’s culture was influenced by many foreign cultures: Buddhist, Italian, Anatolian, North African cultures and many others.
• The new Greek culture was now multiethnic. As a consequence, the ideas in the culture evolved.
• The ideology that Athens and Pergamon represented (left and right picture respectively) opposed each other in their perception of the world.
o In the Hellenistic Greece, humanism turned into individualism, idealism into realism and rationalism into empiricism.
3. Individualism
• Glorifying heroes instead of glorifying gods (the cult of hero worship)
• Spirit of being adept/professional at something (such as politics, arts, athletics) instead of free/spontaneous curiosity & interest in everything.
• The rule of a small group around the "semi divine" king instead of public decisions.
• The picture in this slide is an example of the glorification of the king (hero)
o Two contradicting ideas related to individualism are: Stoicism and Epicureanism.
4. Stoicism and Epicureanism
• Stoicism:
• Is concerned about finding the balance between godly/divine order reflected on earth and humans role in this order.
• According to Stoicism: “people are mere actors”. In other words, human will is also a part of the "master plan".
• It was founded by Zeno who regarded humanity as one because every individual is a part of the nature (divine plan) regardless of the race and citizenship of the individual.
• The picture on the upper right represents stoicism because it portrays the harmonious life of people under the rule of a royal family whose role is assigned by the creator (i.e. the angel)
• Epicureanism:
• Based on atomism and scientific materialism.
• Everything consists of little atoms that dissolve back to nature when we die. (Picture on the left)
• No after life therefore one should seek the hedonistic pursuit of pleasure now and here
o Both of these perceptions of the world had significant effects on arts.
5. Philosophy and the Arts
• The arts focused more on oddities and flaws instead of idealistic forms (like the Spear Bearer) as a result of individualism and realism. (individual aspects are valued)
• The picture on the left depicts defeat.
• The picture in the center depicts pain.
o The change in arts can also be accounted for the new idea of realism (showing forms as they appear)
6. Realism Overview
• Using the allegory of the cave, it can be said that the Hellenistic Greeks preferred world of appearances over the realm of the forms
• Greeks valued the variety in the nature more than the ideal monotonous unity.
• Types and archetypes are abandoned.
o The realism influenced architecture as well.
7. Realism in Architecture
• Buildings in the Hellenistic period are not independent of their surroundings - they interact with nearby buildings and therefore are not "self-contained"
• As a result of seeing buildings as parts of the community, city planning gained importance.
o In sculpture as well, the subject is now seen as a part of its surroundings.
8. Realism in Sculpture
• Sculpting techniques have become better, because the artists wanted their sculptures to have their particular characteristics - their small details which are difficult to sculpt
• The artists tried to achieve the appearance of flesh on stone. The images in this slide are such sculptures that have realistic (close to the real human) skin details.
• The pain and old age are appropriate themes now (old market woman and the Seated Boxer are examples of this), since those are natural aspects of real life too.
o Just as the approach to sculpture is changed by realism, the approaches to philosophy and history are changed by empiricism.
9. Empiricism and Hellenistic Thought
• Scientific approach and search of practical applications instead of "abstract logic" (~Socratic logic) and aimless free-thinking.
• In the Classical Period- individual inquiry to find the truth
• In the Hellenistic Period- scientific method to find the truth
• Antiquarianism- concerned with old and rare things: editing and compiling old manuscripts and poetic literature
• The fall of creativity and its replacement by collecting and cataloguing (researching).
• Copying antique pieces of art (see slide 6: copy-paste :) )
• Creation of great libraries.
o All the discussions made until here helped us understanding the former culture that lead to the final (Hellenistic) culture.
10. How has your understanding Hellenic thought deepened?
• Through the Hellenistic period, we learned that the Hellenic Greeks:
o Preferred individual free inquiry over methodology
o Preferred perfect ideal forms over the imperfect, easy to grasp, natural and realistic forms.
o Preferred collective life style (e.g. the rule of the demos-people) over individual stylization
o Preferred God worship instead of hero worship
o Believed in afterlife (as seen in the Odysseus – crossing the river to reach Hades)
MR. SHULHA’S COMMENTS
The question remains, why are these comments so effective in communicating ideas.
• First, they reflect the general nature of the English language- they are direct!
• Each bullet point communicates one idea
• Language- the is a fantastic example of how the precise words can make your ideas more effective. When you do not use, or possess, the correct word what happens is that you end up talking around the idea rather than talking about the idea.
• The assignment- the students recognized the nature of the assignment. So often I find students not answering the question that they have been asked. They simply look at the question, see a word they recognize and then write everything they know about that subject. CRAFTING your answers is a skill. A skill, I have to say, that is poorly developed in most students at RC.
• Please read these answers and then re-read your and I hope you will see the differences. I fyou have any questions bring your work to class and we can talk.
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