Disinterestedness in Criticism
But criticism, real criticism, is essentially the exercise of this very quality [curiosity]. It obeys an instinct prompting it to try to know the best that is known and thought in the world, irrespectively of practice, politics, and everything of the kind; and to value knowledge and thought as they approach this best, without the intrusion of any other considerations whatever . . . The rule may be summed up in one word—disinterestedness. And how is criticism to show disinterestedness? By keeping
Read MoreMyth Definitions and Cultural Shifts: Gatti, Sullivan, Sarlo
Gatti on Myth as Collective Construction
According to Gatti, myth is a collective construction. Society itself gives certain accounts value, provoking their preeminence and creating an effect of approximation and belonging among those who recognize them as such. Myth provides humans with a unit for processing and comprehending the reality around them. That is, humans cannot only know things directly related to them, but also things that contain added value in the comprehension of beings. This is
Read MoreGlobalization, Ethics, and Societal Challenges
Globalization and the Global Village
In the late ’60s, Marshall McLuhan introduced the idea of the global village, understanding human intercommunication as being generated by global electronic media. McLuhan argued that information travels via highways beyond natural borders, making men and women citizens of the world. Media can foster solidarity but can also shape opinions on controversial facts or actions.
Communication media (informing, disseminating ideas, creating opinion, aiding solidarity)
Read MoreMarxism, Anarchism, and Workers’ Movements
Marxism: Origins and Philosophy
Marxism is the set of political and philosophical doctrines derived from the work of Karl Marx, a German philosopher and revolutionary journalist who contributed in fields such as sociology, economics, and history, and his friend Friedrich Engels, who helped him in many of their theoretical developments. To distinguish it from later derived currents, the Marxism proposed by Marx and Engels has been called scientific socialism.
Key Philosophical Influences
Historically,
Read MoreKarl Marx: Philosophy, Influences, and Historical Setting
Karl Marx: Life, Context, and Thought
Biographical Sketch
Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818, in Trier. After studying at the high school in Trier, Marx enrolled in university, initially pursuing law but focusing on history and philosophy. He completed his studies in 1841, writing his thesis on The Difference Between the Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature. His ideas at that time were still Hegelian idealist. In Berlin, he associated with the circle of ‘Young Hegelians’ (including Bruno
Read MoreCharacteristics of Scientific and Technical Language
Language in Scientific and Technical Texts
The scientific and technical discourse is typical of scientific disciplines and, along with other discourses, is called professional language. Science tries to explain the laws governing the phenomena that make up our physical reality. Hence, the need for precision in this type of universal knowledge means that scientific-technical discourse has the following general characteristics:
- Universality
- Verifiability
- Objectivity
- Clarity
- Rigor
Scientific-technical texts
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