no the future doesn't.... etc.; this is boring dork shit
-
-
All knowledge is connected, even BAP’s views here on antiquity inescapably shaped by enlightenment.
-
no this is false!
-
unmediated view of antiquity is hard just reading bare text with no study of meaning (of words, of puzzles, of logic) means kwa kid will spatter ancients with zogpoison from his own brain but if you study meaning, who is your teacher?
-
Even post-modernism really begins in struggle with the interpretative and philological challenges of getting at authentic core of antique texts. Getting at the ‘real antiquity’ is noble aim, but much easier said than done.
-
Hard to know what it means to engage with antiquity apart from Montesquieu or Gibbon. The very idea of history itself is modern creation of enlightenment that affects and orients our perspective whether we admit it or like it
-
There are two complementary threads: one is how to read and understand the texts, the other is their ultimate meaning and relevance
-
To some extent you can read and evaluate using 20th c scholarship, ignore Enlightenment (but Voltaire, etc still very important for stupid views - like most ancient texts spurious or medieval fakes - and as source of still-popular misconceptions)
-
but advantages of Enl interp of ancients is, where material is handled well, it is beautifully written and made very engaging more ppl have gotten gist of Livy, Plutarch from Rousseau than recent critical historians of Rome
- 2 more replies
New conversation -
-
-
Antiquity is the deep well to which our civilization has returned time after time to rejuvenate itself when ideas became stale or there was great danger. Over-focus on Enlightenment or 20th C or a few decades in 13th C or whatever is a dork obsession, has musty smell
-
Agreed on overfocus, being an “expert” on rawls or arendt is as sad as “african philosophy”
-
Not even possible to be ‘expert’ in enlightenment without developing love and expertise of antiquity. No way to understand Hume without Cicero or Rousseau without Plutarch or German Idealism without Plotinus. Eternalness of antiquity is AFFIRMED by Enlightenment, not challenged
-
likewise no one is deeply steeped in aristotle, plato without caring about hellenisic and modern commentaries
-
no one can care deeply about herodotus without finding David Anthony and other indo-europeanists fascinating
End of conversation
New conversation -
-
-
Drang nach Augustine
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.