Evolutionary Aesthetics

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Evolutionary Aesthetics is the attempt to understand the aesthetic judgement of human beings and their spontaneous distinction between "beauty" and "ugliness" as a biologically adapted ability to make important decisions in life. The hypothesis is - both in the area of "natural beauty" and in sexuality, with regard to landscape preferences, but also in the area of "artificial beauty" (i.e. in art and design) - that beauty opens up fitness opportunities, while ugliness holds fitness risks. In this book, this adaptive view of aesthetics is developed theoretically, presented on the basis of numerous examples, and its consequences for evolutionary anthropology are illuminated.

Biopoetics: Evolutionary Explorations in the Arts

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Biopoetics: Evolutionary Explorations in the Arts

Manufacturer: Paragon House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0892262052

Beauty and the beast ;: An essay in evolutionary aesthetic,

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Beauty and the beast ;: An essay in evolutionary aesthetic,
Steward Andrew McDowall
Manufacturer: University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Aesthetics | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0008ABA9C

Environmental Awareness: Evoluntionay, Aesthetic and Social Perspectives

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Environmental Awareness: Evoluntionay, Aesthetic and Social Perspectives
Richard Coss
Manufacturer: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

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ASIN: 0757513921

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The preliminary edition of the volume presents a series of reviews and empirical studies of human-environment relationships relevant to readers interested in environmental psychology, health psychology, and the emerging field of evolutionary psychology. Because of its content, this volume should also interest individuals who are either practicing designers or are preparing for professions in architecture, landscape architecture, and design. Organized into seven, sections, the contents of this volume span discussions of the environmental challenges faced by human ancestors, the social behavior of people in public places, and the critical issues of world population growth and societal constraints on environmental policy decision making.

Evolutionary And Neurocognitive Approaches to Aesthetics, Creativity And the Arts (Foundations and Frontiers of Aesthetics) (Foundations and Frontiers ... (Foundations and Frontiers of Aesthetics)

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Evolutionary And Neurocognitive Approaches to Aesthetics, Creativity And the Arts (Foundations and Frontiers of Aesthetics) (Foundations and Frontiers ... (Foundations and Frontiers of Aesthetics)
Vladimir Petrov
Manufacturer: Baywood Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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New Directions in Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts (Foundations and Frontiers in Aesthetics) (Foundations and Frontiers of Aesthetics)

ASIN: 0895033062

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In this book, well-known scholars describe new and exciting approaches to aesthetics, creativity, and psychology of the arts, approaching these topics from a point of view that is biological or related to biology and answering new questions with new methods and theories. All known societies produce and enjoy arts such as literature, music, and visual decoration or depiction. Judging from prehistoric archaeological evidence, this arose very early in human development. Furthermore, Darwin was explicit in attributing aesthetic sensitivity to lower animals. These considerations lead us to wonder whether the arts might not be evolutionarily based. Although such an evolutionary basis is not obvious on the face of it, the idea has recently elicited considerable attention. The book begins with a consideration of ten theories on the evolutionary function of the arts, and this is followed by several chapters that consider the possible evolutionary function of specific arts such as music and literature. The theory of evolution was first drawn up in biology, but evolution is not confined to biology: genuinely evolutionary theories of sociocultural change can be formulated. That they need to be formulated is shown in several chapters that discuss regular trends in literature and scientific writings. Psychologists have recently rediscovered the obvious fact that thought and perception occur in the brain, so cognitive science moves ever closer to neuroscience. Several chapters give overviews of neurocognitive and neural network approaches to creativity and aesthetic appreciation. The book concludes with two exciting chapters describing brain-scan research on what happens in the brain during creativity and presenting a close examination of the relationship between genetically transmitted mental disorder and creativity.

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Harmonism and conscious evolution
Charles Walston
Manufacturer: MacMillan
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Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B00086JIAY

The non-extensional bases of morals, matter, sexology and aesthetics

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The non-extensional bases of morals, matter, sexology and aesthetics
R. P Askey
Manufacturer: D. Greenaway
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Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0007IYJGQ

Theatre and Consciousness: The Nature of Bio-Evolutionary Complexity in the Arts (Artists and Issues in the Theatre)

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Theatre and Consciousness: The Nature of Bio-Evolutionary Complexity in the Arts (Artists and Issues in the Theatre)
Gordon Scott Armstrong
Manufacturer: Peter Lang Publishing
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0820457736

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Human beings have speech, we have consciousness, but 130,000 years ago we had nothing: why? Theatre and Consciousness argues that the functioning of human consciousness in interpreting and staging a theatrical performance is among the most highly selective and adaptive operations known to science. The emergence of the human mind out of discontinuous, pulsing, neuronal brain patterns is a study in complexity theory, possibly as complicated as the organization of the universe. According to this book, the theatre as a substrate of consciousness is one element that defines modern man as a reflective species, having evolved over 190,000,000 years. The emergence of Homo Sapiens is unique and fundamentally unpredictable; our developed speech is closer to birdsong than to any other species' communication on earth, we have survived five galactic "beam-splitters" from space, and our evolutionary, discontinuous cortex has found a pattern to existence that may include up to twenty-six folded dimensions of "string-theory" space. This book asserts that the story of theatre is the story of the evolution of our second generation star.

Environmental Awareness: Evolutionary, Aesthetic and Social Perspectives

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Environmental Awareness: Evolutionary, Aesthetic and Social Perspectives
Richard Coss
Manufacturer: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: 075751393X

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A one-of-a-kind book discussing drug-membrane sensors in pharmaceutical analysisPharmaceutical Applications of Membrane Sensors is the first book to deal with the theory of drug-membrane sensors, as well as applications of such devices in pharmaceutical analysis. The book contains three main parts. The three major sections of the book cover the design and principles of membrane drug sensors, the use of membrane sensors in the analysis of pharmaceuticals, and various aspects of drug release monitoring by membrane sensors. Detailed analytical methods for more than 400 organic pharmaceuticals assayed by membrane sensor techniques are presented.Pharmaceutical Applications of Membrane Sensors will be a valuable reference for specialists in analytical and pharmaceutical chemistry, electroanalytical chemistry, medicine, pharmaceutical sciences, and pharmacology.

The Principles of Ion-Selective Electrodes and of Membrane Transport (Studies in Analytical Chemistry)

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The Principles of Ion-Selective Electrodes and of Membrane Transport (Studies in Analytical Chemistry)
W. E. Morf
Manufacturer: Elsevier Science Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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8-Hydroxyquinoline based neutral tripodal ionophore as a copper (II) selective electrode and the effect of remote substitutents on electrode properties [An article from: Analytica Chimica Acta]

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8-Hydroxyquinoline based neutral tripodal ionophore as a copper (II) selective electrode and the effect of remote substitutents on electrode properties [An article from: Analytica Chimica Acta]
S.K. Mittal , A. Kumar S.K. , N. Gupta , S. Kaur , and Kum
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B000PDT21A

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This digital document is a journal article from Analytica Chimica Acta, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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New PVC membrane ion selective electrodes based on 1,3,5-Tris(8-quinolinoxymethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene (MO8HQ) are reported. The basic sensing material belongs to the group of tripodal ionophores. Also their derivatives prepared by placing suitable substitutents at fifth position of 8-oxine moiety, i.e, 1,3,5-Tris(5-chloro-8-quinolinoxymethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene (5CHQ), 1,3,5-Tris(5-benzoyl-8-quinolinoxymethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene (5BHQ) and 1,3,5-Tris[(5-phenylhydroxymethylene)-8-quinolinoxymethyl]-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene (HYD-8HQ) ionophores have also been used to make copper-selective membrane electrodes. Among all the four electrodes, MO8HQ and HYD-8HQ ionophores based electrodes show excellent response towards Cu (II) ions. The electrodes having composition 33% PVC, 4% MO8HQ and 63% dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and 33% PVC, 6% HYD-8HQ, 63% dibutyl phthalate (DBP) exhibit a good Nernstian response to Cu (II) ions in the range of 1.0x10^-^6 to 1x10^-^1M. The electrode shows a reasonably fast response time of 15s. The effect of pH and electrode response is also reported. It shows good selectivity for Cu (II) ions in comparison to heavy metal ions, transition metal ions and for alkali and alkaline earth metal ions. The electrode response and selectivity remains unchanged for at least 5 months. The electrode can be used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of Cu (II) ions with EDTA.

Al(III)-selective electrode based on newly synthesized xanthone derivative as neutral ionophore [An article from: Analytica Chimica Acta]

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Al(III)-selective electrode based on newly synthesized xanthone derivative as neutral ionophore [An article from: Analytica Chimica Acta]
A. Yari , L. Darvishi , and M. Shamsipur
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B000RR6ZNW

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This digital document is a journal article from Analytica Chimica Acta, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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The suitability of a xanthone derivative, 1-hydroxy-3-methyl-9H-xanthen-9-one (HMX) as a neutral ionophore for the preparation of a polyvinylchloride (PVC) membrane electrode for aluminum(III) ions was investigated. The prepared electrode exhibits a Nernstian response for Al^3^+ ions over a wide concentration range (1.0x10^-^6 to 1.6x10^-^1M) with a limit of detection 6.0x10^-^7M. It has a relatively fast response time and can be used for at least three months without any considerable divergence in potentials. The proposed membrane electrode revealed very good selectivity for Al^3^+ ions over a wide variety of other cations and could be used at a working pH range of 3.0-8.5. It was used as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of aluminum ions with EDTA and in the determination of Al^3^+ in different real samples.

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Mathematical Modelling with Case Studies provides students with a firm grounding in basic modelling skills applicable to a wide variety of problems. The focus is on models involving differential equations, with the solution of differential equations as the primary technique used.The models considered relate to growth and decay processes, interacting populations, and heating/cooling problems, but the range of applications and mathematical techniques presented provide a broad appreciation of the scope of this type of modelling, while the skills developed readily transfer to many other areas. Within each modelling section of the book, the authors carefully consider the procedure for constructing a model, emphasizing a start simple, evaluate, and then extend process. They use flow diagrams and word equations and discuss the assumptions made, consequent limitations, and impact on the interpretation of results--a structured, detailed approach that has proved a successful learning strategy. Along with theoretical and computational tools for analysis, the authors also encourage graphical methods and integrate throughout the text MAPLE code and its ensuing results. The prerequisites for this text are minimal, including only a basic knowledge of calculus and fundamental computing skills. Thus the book is an excellent choice both for mathematics students and for those in the many other fields of study that require some expertise in modelling.

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Customer Reviews:

"We are shaped and fashioned by what we love".......2005-11-01

This is a story of forbidden love and passion. The 'elective affinities' are the connections made between the two pairs of lovers, whose real affinity cancels and overcomes their formal marital connection. The hidden power, the temptation and passion of love are presented here. And this when one central question is whether in the face of love, there can be free will or whether passion overpowers all.
This situation is presented and managed with great skill and insight. However as I feel it anyway the characters do not somehow forge their way in our hearts and minds the way let us say the great characters of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky do. Surprisingly they and their passion seem to me to be on the surface.
And characters one cannot sympathize with , I find anyway, are lesser characters.
Goethe is one of the great all- round geniuses but his novels are in my judgment , not of the very first rank.

The Elective Affinities.......2003-11-28

This is a fine novel, and Goethe is perhaps the giant in German literature. The title refers to the central metaphor of the novel, the way in which chemical compounds separate and unite themselves with each other in seemingly arbitrary but entirely predictable ways, just as the characters in this novel are. The novel subtley broaches questions about free will, and human nature. Well worth the read.

Who will you love?.......2001-01-27

This is a curious and interesting mix between novel and essay, written when Goethe was sixty (he lived much longer). Edward and Charlotte, aristocrat widowers, get married. They live in a beautiful castle surrounded by huge properties. Life there is easy and fun, since their main occupation is to remodel their estate and throw parties and entertainments. Then the Captain, a friend of Edward's who is down on his luck but also a smart guy, is invited by Edward to come and live with them while he is back on track. Charlotte thinks it is a good opportunity to have come with them her niece, Otilia, a pretty, shy and nice girl. Both guests turn out to be useful and likable, and the four of them get along well. That is, until the elective affinities are set to work. Charlotte and the Captain, as well as Otilia and Edward, have affinities of personality, tastes and approach to life, and that draws them together: they fall in love. As the situation becomes untenable, the Captain finds a job and leaves. Edward retires to antoher house he owns. Then Charlotte gives birth to a child she conceived with Edward and, when he knows it, leaves for war. It turns out that the child resembles the Captain and Otilia, because Edward was thinking of Otilia and Charlotte was thinking of the Captain at the moment of conception (ha!). After some time, the Captain and Edward talk, and decide to speak to Charlotte, proposing divorce. I won't spoil the ending.

With this novel, Goethe tries to demonstrate that love is not a matter of conscious decision-making; that we can not control at all who we fall in love with, and that it is absurd to try to fight against it (note: it is not a defense of promiscuity, but an argumentation about an undeniable truth). This, then, is a novel with a strong point to make, and successfully so. Goethe is a good writer, a great one indeed, and this novel is important, especially when you put it in the context of the Romantic movement of the time. The story is interesting, the more so because it is carefully designed to prove Goethe's point of view.

Love is Not a Controlled Experiment.......2001-01-16

First published in 1809, Goethe's novel "Elective Affinities" is a disturbingly dark work about rational people driven to distraction by passion and love. The novel seems to be as much influenced by 'The Tale of Foolish Curiosity' found in "Don Quixote" (chapters 33-35) as by Goethe's own marital difficulties. In the novel, Goethe explores the nature of love, and questions whether we have any choice over who we love - or over anything at all.

"Elective Affinities" is the story of two married aristocrats, Eduard and Charlotte, who spend their time and money in general indolence, tinkering with the land on their estate. A friend of Eduard's, the Captain, has fallen into economic instability, and Eduard suggests that they invite the Captain into their home until he can reestablish himself. Charlotte initially objects, but sees it as an opportunity to withdraw Ottilie, her niece, from an unproductive school experience. Under the auspices of doing good turns for their friends, Eduard and Charlotte unwittingly throw the listless harmony of their lives into chaos.

When the passionate Eduard meets the youthful, energetic Ottilie, and the stoical Charlotte meets the likewise prudent Captain - the scientific principle of Elective Affinities that gives the novel its name begins to take effect. The results of introducing two new elements into a closed system makes up the action of the remainder of the novel. Among other things, the novel examines and subtly criticizes the state of class relations in Germany in the early nineteenth century, the limitations of children's education, and matters of faith.

Goethe's "Elective Affinities" is a quick read - Hollingdale's translation is user-friendly, becoming ornate only when faith to the original seems to demand it. Though not as famous as Goethe's "Sorrows of Young Werther," "Elective Affinities" is certainly worth a read.

a gem from the "big daddy" of German Romanticism.......2000-05-05

If I were to teach a comparative literature class, this work would definitely be on the agenda. It is one of the true classics of Romantic art. We tend to forget that in his own era, Goethe was regarded as the preeminent genius of European letters. There is ample reason for the adulation. Whether writing a travelogue (The Italian Journey), a play (Faust), or a novel (Wether, Elective Affinities, Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship), Goethe is the consummate artist. Personally, my only complaint about Goethe was that he didn't think much of Beethoven's music. Maybe we can attribute it to genius jealousy. However you feel about the man, you can not call yourself well-read if you haven't at least exposed yourself to Goethe's writing. Give this one a chance and you'll probably want to read more by this great (and I don't use that term loosely) writer.

Elective Affinities (Oxford World's Classics)

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Elective Affinities (Oxford World's Classics)
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0192837761

Book Description

This is a new translation of a highly disturbing study of marriage and passion by Germany's greatest Romantic writer.

The Sorrows of Young Werther, Elective Affinities, and Novella (Goethe: The Collected Works, Vol. 11)

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The Sorrows of Young Werther, Elective Affinities, and Novella (Goethe: The Collected Works, Vol. 11)
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe , Victor Lange , and Judith Ryan
Manufacturer: Princeton Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3518029665

Book Description

This new series brings into modern English a reliable translation of a representative portion of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's vast body of work. This edition, selected from over 140 volumes in German, is the new standard in English, and contains poetry, drama, fiction, memoir, criticism, and scientific writing by the man who is probably the most influential writer in the German language. The executive editors of this collection are Victor Lange of Princeton University, Eric Blackall of Cornell University, and Cyrus Hamlin of Yale University. Princeton University Press is proud to be the distributor of the twelve volumes in hardcover of the originating publisher, Suhrkamp Verlag. In addition, Princeton will issue paperback reprints of these volumes over the next two years, beginning with volumes one through three.

The Sufferings of Young Werther and Elective Affinities (German Library)

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The Sufferings of Young Werther and Elective Affinities (German Library)
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0826403301

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The German Library is a new series of the major works of German literature and thought from medieval times to the present. The volumes have forewords by internationally known writers and introductions by prominent scholars. Here the English-speaking reader can find the broadest possible collection of poetic and intellectual achievements in new as well as great classic translations. Convenient and accessible in format, the volumes of The German Library will form the core of any growing library of European literature for years to come.

Nietzsche & Emerson: An Elective Affinity

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Praising well but not wisely.
Nietzsche Meets Emerson
Triumph of the American Alter Ego

Nietzsche & Emerson: An Elective Affinity
George J. Stack
Manufacturer: Ohio University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0821410377

Book Description

In this book, the author traces the sources of ideas and theories that have long been considered the exclusive province of Friedrich Nietzsche to the surprisingly radical writings of the American essayist and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Customer Reviews:

Praising well but not wisely........2001-05-31

I'm much more excited about this book than the first time I reviewed it. It was written back in 1992, and I could have considered it one of the most American studies of Nietzsche to be produced in the late 20th century. What made my first review exciting was how well I managed to ghost Walter Kaufmann in writing that review. Kaufmann had chosen to be a professor in the philosophy department of a great American university, at a time when cultured people everywhere might expect a modern philosophy to be enthralled with the idea of philosophy forming a basis for world order striving for the kind of educated greatness enhanced by Emerson. Since reading more of Emerson, I must rate him more highly than in my first review of this book, particularly in his work on Plato. Nietzsche might join Emerson in the view "the bitten world holds the biter fast by his own teeth." That is what Emerson noticed after: "so all this mammoth morsel has become Plato. He has clapped copyright on the world." Walter Kaufmann and I may have differed from each other generationally in our views on how well rock 'n' roll might also claim the world. Philosophy is much more difficult to discuss than the most recent songs, and the people who might read this book for professional reasons wouldn't have much excitement to talk about, so the years passed this book by in stony silence until I came along and compared it to what Walter Kaufmann said about this kind of simple comparison of the views of another with Nietzsche. Hegel set the standard for making philosophical comparisons, and Kaufmann kept trying to show how German this approach is. I really liked the idea of Kaufmann having an American alter ego who was going to make decisions based on the line, "Common, it'll be fun." This worked for me better after I tried it than before.

Nietzsche Meets Emerson.......2001-02-18

Only recently I came across Stack's Nietzsche and Emerson and was intrigued by the linking of the radical German philosopher and the supposedly "genteel" American poet and essayist. It came as a surprise to see how much R.W. Emerson influenced Nietzsche in regard to many themes - the will to power, fate, the way unvirtuous drives are converted into good traits or consequences, the aesthetic ideal of the "beyond-man," and much more. Apart from some repetitions of themes and terms, Stack has done a solid job -- scholarly, but not tedious -- in making his case. One thing this book does is to give us a very different and much more radical picture of Emerson. At the same time, Stack takes some of the shine off Nietzsche's reputed super-originality. The philosophy in N & E is accessible and the discussions of Emerson's insights are revealing and supported by many references to the Essays of the writer who has been called the "quintessential American" literary hero. For a comparative study, Stack's book manages to break new ground and go beyond the typical academic effort. I'd recommend it highly as illuminating where some of Nietzsche's thinking came from and placing a neglected American literary philosopher in a new, dramatic light. As far as I know, this is the only book length treatment of this rich topic in English.

Triumph of the American Alter Ego.......2000-09-13

A book previously written in German by Stanley Hubbard had established that Nietzsche had read Emerson's Essays, underlined them and quoted from them in several of his books. It is the opinion of George J. Stack that the great American sage of Concord was more than simply words upon a page for Nietzsche, who is widely studied by those who have some interest in philosophy. As a professor of philosophy (chair of that department at the State University of New York at Brockport, according to the back cover of this book), Stack sees how the important elements of philosophy can be pulled from Nietzsche's works as from a house of cards, and the entire deck can be handed over to Ralph Waldo Emerson. One of his points about Emerson: "Quite often he attacks social institutions, freely knocking down the `house of cards' of which, he believes, they are made. Society is viewed as at war with individuals, as a leveling force that resents genuinely independent people." (p. 37) The major fault of this book is its failure to realize how long philosophy has been pulling the same trick, with similar results, on different houses of cards.

Perhaps this book reflects a level of scholarship that has no qualms about being in a young country, based on a single language. It is easy here to forget that Nietzsche was born in Germany, as was Walter Kaufmann (1921-1980), an American professor who allowed his students to know when the ideas that they acquired had a German background. Nietzsche was once a young professor lecturing on the ancient Greeks, and it is most surprising here to find Stack criticizing Kaufmann for calling attention to a Greek, Aristotle, in the midst of Nietzsche's thoughts on "greatness of soul." In Stack's opinion, "his portrait of greatness owes far more to Emerson than to Aristotle." (p. 298) Perhaps Emerson, in a more modern setting, was able to put the idea of greatness into words which it was easier for Stack, a thoroughly modern professor, to understand, while Aristotle was having to put the concept into word that his pupil, Alexander the Great, could apply in practice when Alexander was king from the age of 20 until his death at the age of 33. Stack shows a very liberal idea of leadership when he reports, "Alexander the Great's intense desire for military conquest is mild compared to Plato's intellectual `ambition.'" (p. 156) Stack knows this because of something that he read on page 317 of The Portable Emerson.

Emerson also wrote, in "Of Friends," about friendship, a topic which has been a classic since Florian wrote "My friends, there are no friends." I believe I found this on page 46 of POLITICS OF FRIENDSHIP by Jacques Derrida, translated by George Collins (1997) as well as on page 48 this book by Stack, whose sage is always Emerson. So many times, when Stack is thinking of Emerson, the real experience is one of Nietzsche, and "One can understand, Nietzsche writes, the bitter remark of `the sage': `Friends, there are no friends.'"

In my own experiences, instead of doing this, I should be working on THE NEW VIETNAM WAR COMEDY TEAM JOKE BOOK. In my humble opinion, Nietzsche and I would make a better comedy team in a joke book than Emerson and I could ever be. Possibly Stack never meant to have Nietzsche and Emerson evaluated as a comedy team. I'm not recommending it.

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Superb survey of Thoreavian criticism

Goethe's Elective Affinities and the Critics (Studies in German Literature Linguistics and Culture)
Astrida Orle Tantillo
Manufacturer: Camden House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1571132120

Book Description

From the time of its publication to today, Goethe's famous novel The Elective Affinities (Die Wahlverwandtschaften, 1809), has aroused a storm of critical confusion. Critics in every age have vehemently disagreed about its content (whether it defends the institution of marriage, radically supports its dissolution, or even whether it is about marriage at all), its style (whether it is romantic, realistic, modern, or postmodern) and its tone (whether it is tragic, anti-romantic, or ironic). The present study begins by focusing upon the reaction of Goethe's contemporaries, and then discusses Goethe's own efforts -- in light of the initial negative critical reaction -- to shape the novel's reception. It continues by viewing the novel through the lens of 19th-century Hegelianism, positivism, and biographical studies, and by exploring the relationship between the novel's 19th-century reception and the growth of psychoanalytic theory and German nationalism. Moving on to the 20th century, the book considers the re-evaluation of Goethe's scientific works, the impact of World War II on the novel's interpreters, and the growing influence of literary theory. Here particular emphasis is placed upon Walter Benjamin's seminal essay on the novel and upon the criticism that the essay has inspired.Astrida Orle Tantillo is assistant professor of German at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Customer Reviews:

Superb survey of Thoreavian criticism.......2006-07-27

Gary Scharnhorst read and digested virtually every commentary on Henry Thoreau in English from the earliest reviews to the critical studies up to the time of this book's publication. The book is a gift to Thoreau's fans and scholars. Scharnhorst doesn't play favorites with any critical approach. He offers a balanced view of everything he considers, noting trends and doing brief content summaries to save readers many hours of work. Anyone researching Thoreau at the graduate or professional level should see this book.

Elective affinities: with an introd. by Victoria C. Woodhull

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Elective affinities: with an introd. by Victoria C. Woodhull
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Manufacturer: Cornell University Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

This volume is produced from digital images from the Cornell University Library Historical Monographs collection.

Afinidades Electivas: Elective Affinities

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Afinidades Electivas: Elective Affinities
Alberto Martin (ed) Exposito
Manufacturer: Arco / Ifema
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 8482153226

A Computer-Assisted Analysis of Goethe's Die Wahlverwandtschaften: The Enigma of Elective Affinities (Studies in German Language and Literature)

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A Computer-Assisted Analysis of Goethe's Die Wahlverwandtschaften: The Enigma of Elective Affinities (Studies in German Language and Literature)
Gordon J. A. Burgess
Manufacturer: Edwin Mellen Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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