The colonial period of U.S. history contains a variety of interesting lessons. One of these pertains to the concept of a "virtuoso." The virtuoso was primarily characterized by curiosity. Rather than being overly specialized, the virtuoso explored a wide range of interests. The study of nature, art, literature, and theology all would have been pursuits common to this stereotype. This blog aspires to take this early category and use it as a point of departure for exploration and reflection.
Monday, March 14, 2016
Schiller on Liberation and Politics
"Before humans are able to act as independent political agents, Schiller argues, they must first develop themselves intellectually and morally. Schiller points to two paths for the improvement of character: philosophy, which seeks 'justification of concepts [Berechtigung der Begriffe],' and aesthetic culture, which leads to 'purification of feelings [Reinigung der Gefühle]' (FA 8, 505). Coming at the end of a century of Enlightenment, Schiller finds that the first task has been sufficently accomplished, but the second remains unfinished - indeed, has been largely forgotten in the concentration on the first. The human mind has rationally deduced the rights of man, but man's feelings are still prey to confusion, selfishness, and brutality." Joshua Billings, Genealogy of the Tragic, pg. 90.
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