I used to have a "magic" dictionary. As you might know all dictionaries are not created equal. So often the word one is looking up is either not there, or is there with a definition that is too narrow, not worded well, or generally not helpful. The reason my dictionary was magic is that it always contained exactly the definition I needed to expand my thinking. I lost it in the fire and have never found another up to the job. In the read more section below I have cut and pasted definitions of words from our critical theory readings. I don't know how it is for the rest of you but I know that some of these words I have looked up several time before, but for some reason the meanings don't attach well, so I look them up again. Others were completely new to me.. "monad".
The list is not alphabetical, instead it is ordered chronologically (as I encounter these words in the readings.)
I will continue to add to this list through the term, and will not limit myself to the theory readings.
One thing I find very interesting is how many of the words I look up (in general) have definitions listed first that apply to science or medicine. It seems to me that this makes them metaphoric..... but I guess they're not if they are in the dictionary.... but then again... all dictionaries are not created equal....
I must say again; I love words, that isn't to suggest that I know a lot of them, or what they mean, but I love that we all use them almost as though they are solid and indisputable objects, when in fact they are components of a completely fluid medium, with infinite meanings. Perhaps I can describe the magic I see in words/language by making a rather lame and obvious comparison. If you are in my house and the lights go out and I offer you a torch, you might think that I am either a little reckless, or just dramatic, but if you are British you will understand I mean a flash light. I know this is a stupid example, but if you are to take on what I think about words and language being perceived as firm and almost physical things.... picture this, you are in my house the power goes out and I hand you an actual torch! This will color the way you think about me, my house that evening. I believe that even when there is a lingual miscommunication that is cleared up later, an image, or an experience has irrevocably happened. The way we interpret the words we hear or read, become part of our experience and history.
The fact that we all use words means to me that we are all artists and social sculptors, via this fact alone! Joseph Beuys expressed a strong belief in the power/importance of language, and I agree. But my feelings about this predate my knowledge of him. Language is so abstract and fundamentally creative, the public at large is considered to be uncomfortable with abstraction and creativity, but in fact they are fluent in both when they use language!
By the way, all the definitions in the read more section were taken from the web, mostly from encarta, but also wikapedia.
dialectic
noun
Definition:
1. tension between conflicting ideas: the tension that exists between two conflicting or interacting forces, elements, or ideas
2. investigation of truth through discussion: the investigation of the truth through discussion, or the art of investigating truths through discussion
3. debate resolving conflict: debate intended to resolve a conflict between two contradictory or apparently contradictory ideas or parts logically, establishing truths on both sides rather than disproving one argument ( takes a singular verb )
4. Hegelian process: the process, in Hegelian and Marxist thought, in which two apparently opposed ideas, the thesis and antithesis, become combined in a unified whole, the synthesis
5. Socratic method for revealing truth: the methods used in Socratic philosophy to reveal truth through disputation
[Late 16th century. Via Latin dialectica Greek dialektikē (tekhnē) "(art) of discussion or debate" dialektikos "of conversation" dialektos (see dialect)]
semiotic
- study of signs: the study of signs and symbols of all kinds, what they mean, and how they relate to the things or ideas they refer to
study of symptoms of diseases: the study of identifying the ways that various symptoms indicate the diseases that underlie them
mnemonic
mne·mon·ic [ ni mónnik ]
noun (plural mne·mon·ics)
Definition:
memory aid: a short rhyme, phrase, or other mental technique for making information easier to memorize
adjective
Definition:
1. acting as mnemonic: acting as a memory aid
2. relating to mnemonics: relating to the practice of improving the memory, or to systems designed to improve the memory
[Mid-18th century. mnemonics, or Greek mnēmonikos "relating to memory" mnēmon- "mindful"]
mne·mon·i·cal·ly adverb
antinomy
an·tin·o·my [ an tínnəmee ] (plural an·tin·o·mies)
noun
Definition:
1. philosophy paradoxical result: a contradictory and illogical conclusion produced by two apparently correct and reasonable statements or facts
2. law legal discrepancy: a contradiction between two laws, principles, or authorities
[Late 16th century. Via Latin antinomia Greek, literally "against law" nomos "law, rule"]
an·ti·nom·ic [ ànti nómmik ] adjective
diacritical
di·a·crit·i·cal [ d ə kríttik'l ]
adjective
Definition:
marking a change or modification: indicating a change or modification in something, especially in the way a printed letter is to be pronounced or stressed
di·a·crit·i·cal·ly adverb
pathos
pa·thos [ páy thòss, páy thàwss ]
noun
Definition:
1. quality that arouses pity: the quality in something that makes people feel pity or sadness
2. expression of pity: feelings of pity, especially when they are expressed in some way
[Late 16th century. Greek, "feeling, disease"]
epistemology
e·pis·te·mol·o·gy [ i pìstə mólləjee ]
noun
Definition:
theory of knowledge: the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of knowledge, in particular its foundations, scope, and validity
[Mid-19th century. Greek epistēmē (see epistemic)]
e·pis·te·mo·log·i·cal [ i pìstəmə lójjik'l ] adjective
e·pis·te·mo·log·i·cal·ly adverb
e·pis·te·mol·o·gist noun
simulacrum
sim·u·la·crum [ sìmmyə láykrəm, sìmmyə lákrəm ] (plural sim·u·la·cra [ sìmmyə lákrə ])
noun
Definition:
1. representation or image: a representation or image of something
2. something vaguely similar: something that has a vague, tentative, or shadowy resemblance to something else
[Late 16th century. Latin simulare (see simulate)]
imbricate
im·bri·cate [ ímbrə kàyt ]
adjective
Definition:
1. architecture made of overlapping tiles: consisting of overlapping tiles or slates
2. botany zoology overlapping like roof tiles: describes plant or animal parts that overlap in a regular pattern
transitive and intransitive verb (past and past participle im·bri·cat·ed, present participle im·bri·cat·ing, 3rd person present singular im·bri·cates)
Definition:
overlap or be overlapping: to lay things so that they overlap in layers in a similar way to roof tiles, or be laid in this way
[Mid-17th century. Latin imbricat-, past participle of imbricare "cover with pantiles" imbric- "roof tile" imber "rain"]
im·bri·cat·ed adjective
im·bri·ca·tion [ ìmbrə káysh'n ] noun
The Heresy of Paraphrase" is the title of a chapter in The Well-Wrought Urn, a seminal work of the New Criticism by Cleanth Brooks. Brooks argued that meaning in poetry is irreducible, because "a true poem is a simulacrum of reality...an experience rather than any mere statement about experience or any mere abstraction from experience." Brooks emphasized structure, tension, balance, and irony over meaning, statement, and subject matter. He relied on comparisons with non-verbal arts in order to shift discussion away from summarizable content:
The essential structure of a poem (as distinguished from the rational or logical structure of the 'statement' which we abstract from it) resembles that of architecture or painting: it is a pattern of resolved stresses. Or, to move closer still to poetry by considering the temporal arts, the structure of a poem resembles that of a ballet or musical composition. It is a pattern of resolutions and balances and harmonizations, developed through a temporal scheme.
Proper criticism responds with suppleness and delicacy to such patterns, rather than paraphrasing their propositional content.
Central to "The Heresy of Paraphrase" was a vigorous critique of conventional distinctions between form and content:
The structure meant is certainly not 'form' in the conventional sense in which we think of form as a kind of envelope which 'contains' the 'content.' The structure obviously is everywhere conditioned by the nature of the material which goes into the poem. The nature of the material sets the problem to be solved, and the solution is the ordering of the material...The relationship between the intellectual and the non-intellectual elements in a poem is actually far more intimate than the conventional accounts would represent it to be: the relationship is not that of an idea 'wrapped in emotion' or a 'prose-sense decorated by sensuous imagery.
Though Brooks applied this theory to his reading of poetry from many periods, subsequent literary scholars have suggested that the doctrine was shaped by the aesthetics of modernist literature. They point out that the New Criticism emerged at the peak of T.S. Eliot's influence as both poet and critic. Archibald Macleish's "Ars Poetica" (written eleven years before The Well Wrought Urn) is often cited as prefiguring Brooks' doctrine:
A poem should be palpable and mute
As a globed fruit
Dumb
As old medallions to the thumb
Silent as the sleeve-worn stone
Of casement ledges where the moss has grown -
A poem should be wordless
As the flight of birds
A poem should be motionless in time
As the moon climbs
Leaving, as the moon releases
Twig by twig the night-entangled trees,
Leaving, as the moon behind the winter leaves,
Memory by memory the mind -
A poem should be motionless in time
As the moon climbs
A poem should be equal to:
Not true
For all the history of grief
An empty doorway and a maple leaf
For love
The leaning grasses and two lights above the sea -
A poem should not mean
But be.
Though many of the aesthetic assumptions of the New Criticism are now challenged or dismissed, the "heresy of paraphrase" is still commonly used to refer to reductive or utilitarian approaches to poetry.
materialist
ma·te·ri·al·ist [ mə tree əlist ]
noun (plural ma·te·ri·al·ists)
Definition:
1. somebody concerned about possessions: somebody who values material wealth and possessions rather than spiritual or intellectual things
2. supporter of philosophical materialism: a supporter of the philosophical theory that physical matter is the only reality and that psychological states can be explained as physical functions
adjective
Definition:
Same as materialistic
Althusserianism:
(Pronunciation: altuˡseʁ) (October 16, 1918 – October 22, 1990) was a Marxist philosopher. He was born in Algeria and studied at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, where he eventually became Professor of Philosophy.
Althusser was a lifelong member and sometimes strong critic of the French Communist Party. His arguments and theses were set against the threats that he saw attacking the theoretical foundations of Marxism. These included both the influence of empiricism on Marxist theory, and humanist and reformist socialist orientations which manifested as divisions in the European Communist Parties, as well as the problem of the 'cult of personality' and of ideology itself.
Althusser is commonly referred to as a Structural Marxist, although his relationship to other schools of French structuralism is not a simple affiliation and he is critical of many aspects of structuralism.
Contents
neologism
ne·ol·o·gism [ nee óllə jìzzəm ] (plural ne·ol·o·gisms) or ne·ol·o·gy [ nee ólləjee ] (plural ne·ol·o·gies)
noun
Definition:
1. new word or meaning: a recently coined word or phrase, or a recently extended meaning of an existing word or phrase
2. coinage of new words: the practice of coining new words or phrases, or of extending the meaning of existing words or phrases
[Early 19th century. French néologisme néo- "new" + Greek logos "word"]
ne·ol·o·gist noun
ne·ol·o·gis·tic [ nee òllə jístik ] adjective
ne·ol·o·gize intransitive verb
superstructure
su·per·struc·ture [ spər strùkchər ] (plural su·per·struc·tures)
noun
Definition:1. upper part of ship: the part of a ship above the main deck
2. visible part of building: the part of a building above its foundations
3. part developed on base: a physical or intellectual structure built on or developed from a fundamental form, base, or concept
4. politics institutions associated with particular economy: in Marxist theory, the complex of social, legal, and political institutions that are an extension and reflection of the type of economy operating in a particular society
su·per·struc·tur·al [ spər strúkchərəl ] adjective
valence
va·lence [ váylənss ] (plural va·lenc·es) or va·len·cy [ váylənssee ] (plural va·len·cies)
noun
Definition:
1. combining power of atoms: the combining power of atoms or groups measured by the number of electrons the atom or group will receive, give up, or share in forming a compound
2. combining antigenic determinants: the number of different antigenic determinants with which a single antibody molecule can combine
3. combining power of verb: the ability of a verb to combine grammatically with noun phrases in a given clause
[Late 19th century. Variant of valency]
telos
/telloss/
• noun (pl. teloi /telloy/) Philosophy or literary an ultimate object or aim.
ORIGIN Greek.
volatilize
Main Entry:
vol·a·til·ize Listen to the pronunciation of volatilize
Pronunciation:
\ˈvä-lə-tə-ˌlīz, British also və-ˈla-\
Function:
verb
Inflected Form(s):
vol·a·til·ized; vol·a·til·iz·ing
Date: 1657 transitive verb: to make volatile; especially : to cause to pass off in vaporintransitive verb: to pass off in vapor
— vol·a·til·iz·able Listen to the pronunciation of volatilizable \-ˌlī-zə-bəl\ adjective
vol·a·til·i·za·tion Listen to the pronunciation of volatilization \ˌvä-lə-tə-lə-ˈzā-shən, British also və-ˌla-\ noun
perennate
Main Entry:
pe·ren·nate
Pronunciation:
\ˈper-ə-ˌnāt, pə-ˈre-ˌnāt\
Function:
intransitive verb
Inflected Form(s):
pe·ren·nat·ed; pe·ren·nat·ing
Etymology:
Latin perennatus, past participle of perennare, from perennis
Date:
circa 1623
: to live over from one growing season to another a perennating rhizome
per·en·na·tion Listen to the pronunciation of perennation \ˌper-ə-ˈnā-shən\ noun
symp·to·ma·tol·o·gy [ sìmptəmə tólləjee ] (plural symp·to·ma·tol·o·gies)
noun
Definition:
1. study of symptoms: the study of the relationships between symptoms and diseases
2. set of symptoms: the set of symptoms that are associated with a disease or that affect a patient
[Late 18th century. Greek sumptōmat-, stem of sumptōma (see symptom)]
monad
mo·nad [ mṓ nàd ] (plural mo·nads [ mō méntə ])
noun
Definition:
1. microbiology single-celled microorganism: a microorganism consisting of just one cell, especially a flagellate protozoan. Genus Monas.
2. chemistry atom with valence of one: an atom or chemical group that has a valence of one
3. philosophy basic entity in metaphysics of Leibnitz: in the metaphysics of Leibnitz, an indivisible indestructible unit that is the basic element of reality and a microcosm of it
[Mid-16th century. Directly or via French monade late Latin monad- Greek monos "single"]
mo·nad·ic [ mō náddik ] adjective
mo·nad·i·cal [ mō náddək'l ] adjective
mo·nad·i·cal·ly [ mō náddəkəlee ] adverb
mo·nad·ism [ mṓnə dìzzəm ] noun
putative
pu·ta·tive [ pytətiv ]
adjective
Definition:
1. generally accepted: generally believed to be or regarded as being something
the putative father of the child
2. thought to exist: believed to exist now or to have existed at some time
[15th century. Directly or via French late Latin putativus putare "prune, think over"]
pu·ta·tive·ly adverb
Word History
The Latin word putare "to prune, think over," from which putative is derived, is also the source ofEnglishaccount,amputate,compute,count1 (of numbers),deputy,dispute,impute,recount, andreputation.
Kalos kagathos
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kalos kagathos (καλὸς κἀγαθός, IPA: [kalos kaːgatʰos]), sometimes written kalokagathos or kalos kai agathos, is an idiomatic phrase used in ancient Greek literature (including philosophy and historiography), attested to since Herodotus and the classical period.[1] The phrase is adjectival, composed of two adjectives, καλός and ἀγαθός (of which κἀγαθός is the crasis with καί, "and"). The derived noun is kalokagathia (καλοκαγαθία)
[edit] Uses
The phrase could be used both in a generic sense, or with certain specific force. As a generic term, it may have been used as the combination of distinct virtues, which we might translate as "handsome and brave", or the intersection of the two words "good" or "upstanding". Translations such as "gentleman" or "knight" have traditionally been suggested to convey the social aspect of the phrase, while "war hero" or the more cynical "martyr" are more recent versions, and emphasise the military element.
It became a fixed phrase by which the Athenian aristocracy referred to itself; in the ethical philosophers, the first of whom were Athenian gentlemen, the term came to mean the ideal or perfect man.
kalos kai agathos, the singular balance of the good and the beautiful.
[edit] Καλός
The adjective καλός encompasses meanings equivalent to English "good", "noble", and "handsome". The form given by convention is the masculine, but it was equally used of women (the feminine form is καλή) and could also describe animals or inanimate objects.
Plato, in his work Republic, used the term τό καλόν (the neuter form) in his attempts to define ideals - although it should be noted that his protagonist (some would say 'mouthpiece') in the dialogue, Socrates, stated that he did not fully comprehend the nature of this καλόν.
[edit] Αγαθός
This second adjective had no particular physical or aesthetic connotations, but described a person's bravery or ethics. Again, around the 4th Century, it had become politically meaningful, and carried implications of dutiful citizenship.
historicism
his·tor·i·cism [ hi stáwrə sìzzəm ]
noun
Definition:
1. theory that natural laws govern history: the belief that natural laws beyond human control determine historical events
2. belief in uniqueness of historical periods: the theory that each period of history has its own unique beliefs and values and can only be understood in its historical context
his·tor·i·cist noun
positivism
pos·i·tiv·ism Listen to the pronunciation of positivism
Pronunciation:
\ˈpä-zə-ti-ˌvi-zəm, ˈpäz-ti-\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
French positivisme, from positif positive + -isme -ism
Date:
1847
1 a: a theory that theology and metaphysics are earlier imperfect modes of knowledge and that positive knowledge is based on natural phenomena and their properties and relations as verified by the empirical sciences b: logical positivism2: the quality or state of being positive
— pos·i·tiv·ist Listen to the pronunciation of positivist \-vist\ adjective or noun
— pos·i·tiv·is·tic Listen to the pronunciation of positivistic \ˌpä-zə-ti-ˈvis-tik, ˌpäz-ti-\ adjective
pos·i·tiv·is·ti·cal·ly Listen to the pronunciation of positivistically \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
epistemology
Main Entry:
epis·te·mol·o·gy Listen to the pronunciation of epistemology
Pronunciation:
\i-ˌpis-tə-ˈmä-lə-jē\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Greek epistēmē knowledge, from epistanai to understand, know, from epi- + histanai to cause to stand — more at stand
Date:
circa 1856
: the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge especially with reference to its limits and validity
— epis·te·mo·log·i·cal Listen to the pronunciation of epistemological \-mə-ˈlä-ji-kəl\ adjective
— epis·te·mo·log·i·cal·ly Listen to the pronunciation of epistemologically \-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
epis·te·mol·o·gist Listen to the pronunciation of epistemologist \-ˈmä-lə-jist\ noun
Jürgen Habermas
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Western Philosophy
20th century
Jürgen Habermas
June 18, 1929 (1929-06-18) (age 78)
Düsseldorf, Germany
School/tradition
Critical theory
Main interests Social theory · Epistemology
Political theory · Pragmatics
Notable ideas
Communicative rationality
Discourse ethics
Deliberative democracy
Universal pragmatics
Influenced by
Weber · Durkheim · Mead · Marx
Dilthey · Parsons · Kant
Heidegger · Piaget · Horkheimer
Adorno · Marcuse · Arendt · Peirce
Austin
Influenced
Benhabib · Forst · Fraser · Honneth
Mockus · Hoppe · Feenberg
Wingert ¤Georg Henrik von Wright
Jürgen Habermas (IPA: [ˈjʏʁgən ˈhaːbɐmaːs]; born June 18, 1929) is a German philosopher and sociologist in the tradition of critical theory and American pragmatism. He is best known for his work on the concept of the public sphere, which he has based in his theory of communicative action. His work has focused on the foundations of social theory and epistemology, the analysis of advanced capitalistic societies and democracy, the rule of law in a critical social-evolutionary context, and contemporary politics -- particularly German politics. Habermas's theoretical system is devoted to revealing the possibility of reason, emancipation and rational-critical communication latent in modern institutions and in the human capacity to deliberate and pursue rational interests.
semantic
se·man·tic [ sə mántik ]
adjective
Definition:
1. linguistics relating to word meanings: relating to meaning or the differences between meanings of words or symbols
2. linguistics of semantics: relating to semantics
3. logic relating to truth: relating to the conditions in which a system or theory can be said to be true
[Mid-17th century. Via French Greek sēmantikos "significant" sēmainein "signify" sēma "sign, mark"]
interstice Show phonetics
noun [C usually plural] FORMAL
a very small crack or space:
somatic
so·mat·ic [ sō máttik ]
adjective
Definition:
1. affecting body as distinct from mind: relating to or affecting the body, especially the body as considered to be separate from the mind
2. anatomy relating to outer walls of body: relating to the outer walls of the body, not the inner organs
3.cell biology of somatic cell: relating to a somatic cell
illocutionary
il·lo·cu·tion·ary Listen to the pronunciation of illocutionary
Pronunciation:
\ˌi-lə-ˈkyü-shə-ˌner-ē, ˌi(l)-lō-\
Function:
adjective
Etymology:
2in- + locution
Date:
1955
: relating to or being the communicative effect (as commanding or requesting) of an utterance “There's a snake under you” may have the illocutionary force of a warning
essentialism
Main Entry:
es·sen·tial·ism Listen to the pronunciation of essentialism
Pronunciation:
\-ˌli-zəm\
Function:
noun
Date:
1927
1 : an educational theory that ideas and skills basic to a culture should be taught to all alike by time-tested methods — compare progressivism 2 : a philosophical theory ascribing ultimate reality to essence embodied in a thing perceptible to the senses — compare nominalism 3 : the practice of regarding something (as a presumed human trait) as having innate existence or universal validity rather than as being a social, ideological, or intellectual construct
es·sen·tial·ist Listen to the pronunciation of essentialist \-list\ adjective or noun
Scylla
Scyl·la [ síllə ]
noun
Definition:
mythological sea monster: in Greek mythology, a sea monster who attacked sailors. In later times, Scylla was thought to be a rock on the Italian side of the Straits of Messina.
be between Scylla and Charybdis to be faced with the necessity of choosing between two equally undesirable or unpleasant things
Charybdis
Cha·ryb·dis [ kə ríbdiss ]
noun
Definition:
monster in Greek myth: in Greek mythology, a monster in the form of a dangerous whirlpool at the mouth of the cave of the sea monster Scylla
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