Contra Cartesiana: An Original Translation of Some Scholastic Criticisms of René Descartes, c. 1643

2015-4-23 Translation img02The world remembers René Descartes for his two major seminal philosophical works, Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy, published in 1637 and 1641, respectively. In addition to this, he accomplished the world-changing marriage of algebra and geometry with his Cartesian coordinate system, allowing any function or equation to be expressed in terms of lines and curves twining around his x and y axes.

Descartes’ philosophy, born in the midst of the bloody Thirty Years’ War – the heart-breaking religious wars (1618-1648) between Catholics and Protestants – sought to establish absolute certainty. Continue reading

Redefining Art

BRITAIN-ENTERTAINMENT-ART-AUCTION-EMINBefore modern art, critics understood that the best art is the most beautiful. This traditional idea of art has given way to a relativistic definition that grounds artwork’s value in the claim of the artist and the reception of the audience. “The first thing that makes it art is that I say that it is…” asserts modern artist Tracey Emin, referring to the rumpled, trash-strewn bed she exhibited at the Tate Gallery in 1999. She would argue that there is no objective distinction between her work and Romantic artist Eugene Delacroix’s 19th century oil painting of disheveled bed covers. Both required an idea, creative energy, and physical expression, after all. Continue reading

A Reasoned Defense of the Irrational

2015-4-2 Irrationality img01Is it logical to enjoy irrational things?

The terms of the question seem to necessitate “No” as an answer. The logical and the irrational appear immiscible.

On closer inspection, however, the question asks whether “it” is logical to enjoy irrational things. So then, this asks not about the things themselves, but about the enjoyment of them. Is that actually illogical? Continue reading

How Music Is Comprised In The Ear of Man, or, An Inquiry Concerning The Nature and Forms of Music, Part I

2015-3-19 music img01Note: included are links to music examples, or explanations of technical musical concepts.

In this series of posts, I will attempt to give my perspective on music as a lover of music, and a musician. It may be a bit rambling, and my opinions may change as I progress through and learn more. A little bit of my background in the subject: I play several instruments, mostly self-taught. I know very little musical theory and don’t read musical notation all that well. I enjoy listening to music carefully, picking up the nuances and subtleties.

What is music? Continue reading

On the Art of Storytelling: the Merits and Pitfalls of Interactive Media as a Storytelling Medium, Part II

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Read the first post in this series here.

What’s in a game?  This is a question which has prompted a great deal of debate, particularly with the rise of video games, and it is difficult to say definitively what actually comprises a “game.”[1]  With regard to the new media, many will cite traits such as gameplay, graphics, sound, etc.—but perhaps the most important and fundamental characteristic which comes to mind, particularly in respect to storytelling, is player agency.

Continue reading

Good, True, Beautiful

2015-2-25 GoodTrueBeautiful img01Editor’s Note: To commemorate the one-year anniversary of Good True Beautiful, Pallas has undertaken to summarize a mission statement for the blog.

Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,

“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”

Continue reading

Math: A Universal Language, Part I

2014-10-30 math books img01I’ve seen math described as a universal language, a prerequisite to philosophy, and the common sense equivalent of Iron Man’s suit. Most people, however, wouldn’t dream of trying to crack open a calculus textbook in their free time. This is understandable for a field so fraught with technical lingo high up and obvious concepts down low. Nevertheless, math has spawned some more popular, commonplace, entry-level literature, which at times even allows for some of the sweeping, beautiful visions from upper-level math. Like that of any other field from art history to English literature, mathematics’ reading material is divided between the technical and the popular. It is true that math is underrepresented in the latter; I said to a friend the other day, “I’m learning how much good mathematical literature is out there.” He replied, “That’s like saying that there’s some Argon in the atmosphere.”[1] I thought, subsequently, that compiling a list for people’s convenience would be a fitting service. Continue reading

On the Art of Storytelling: The Merits and Pitfalls of Interactive Media as a Storytelling Medium

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Once upon a time, a man left his village and traveled in the wilderness for many, many years.  When his wanderings were done and he finally deemed it time to return home, he found that things were not quite as he recalled them.  Where once the village folk had gathered around fires in the evening and hearkened to the voice of the storyteller, who remembered every line of the epics passed down to him through the generations; where once those stories and many more were written on parchment, and later printed on paper; where once children played games and ‘make-believe’ outside with sticks and stone forts…well, the man found that they still played these games, and read these stories, and heard these tales.  But they did other things as well, like scrying far-off or even imaginary events in little speaking boxes and in glowing windows.  And the man found these novel additions quite curious. Continue reading

Egyptian Gold in the Christian’s Treasury

2014-8-7 Egyptians img01When the people of Israel were thrust out of Egypt in the time of Moses, they took at God’s command some of Egypt’s riches with them. To a Christian observer of the Western Heritage, the phrase “plundering the Egyptians” may have an additional, metaphorical meaning. From Tertullian’s “What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” to Clement of Alexandria’s “The way of truth is therefore one. . . . into it, as into a perennial river, streams flow from all sides,” the early church writers ran the gamut of attitudes towards extra-biblical philosophy. Augustine’s use of imagery from the book of Exodus, arguing for a sanctification of pagan philosophy, has prompted enthusiastic battle cries of “Plunder ALL the Egyptians!”

But before we take their stuff, can we make positively certain our use for it is better than theirs? Continue reading