西方文化导论课后题答案7

1.PleasegiveanaccountofthesettingoftheEnlightenment.ThefactthattheEnlightenmentfirstoccurredinFrancewasascribedtothedeteriorationineconomic,political,socialandculturalconditionsinthe18th-centuryFrance.TheFrenchpeoplestronglydemandedthatthedecliningsituationbearrestedandreformsbecarriedout.Undersuchcircumstances,progressiveintellectualsbegantothinkmoreseriouslyaboutthesolutionstothecrisesandtriedtoresorttointellectualandsocialmeans.Thismovementalsoaskedformorepoliticalpowertothepeopleasthebourgeoisiejoinedinwithitseconomicsupportandthustheculturalmovementtinnedwithpoliticalcolourasabourgeoismark.Ontheotherhand,thedisseminationofscientificknowledgeandtheinfluencesofBritishempiricismalsoimmenselyheightenedintellectualandpoliticalawarenessofthepeopleingeneral.Thispreparedthepoliticalbasisofthebourgeoisrevolutiontofollow.2.BrieflyintroduceoneortworepresentativefiguresoftheEnlightenmentandtheircentralideas.VoltaireandMontesquieuaretwooftherepresentativefiguresoftheEnlightenment.VoltaireexposedthedarksideofFrancesuchasthecorruptionandinjusticeofChristianitybylaunchinghistheoryonhumannature.Also,hearguedforthefreedomandequalityofordinarypeople.What'smore,hestronglycondemnedfeudalautocracyandputforwardthetheoryoftheenlightenedmonarchy.Montesquieu'spoliticaltheorydevelopedtheprincipleofdividingpoliticalpoweralthoughtheprincipleitselfwasnothisinvention.MontesquieucontributedsignificantlytotheestablishmentofthemodernWesternstatebyexposingthenatureofstateandhumanbeingsinhisgreatworkSpiritofLawwhichhaswide-ranginginfluenceonthelatergenerationsofmodernWesternpoliticalthinkingandpractice.ForMontesquieu,itwasclimatethatcontributedmosttotheformationofasocietyandhebelieveditwasshowninnationalcharacter,politicalsystem,marriagecodes,religion,andtheuseofslavery.Hisgeographicalandenvironmentaltheoryisofsomeprogressivesignificance,butitexaggeratesthegeographicalfactorinsocialdevelopment.1.SaysomethingabouttheoriginandthemajorconcernsofRomanticism.Giveexamples.Romanticismoriginatedoutofthecravingforindividualfreedombytheyoungintellectualswhocouldnottolerateideologicalandintellectualoppressionderivedfromclassicismandrationalismimposedbytherulingclassandtraditionalculture,aswasdemonstratedinGermanywheretheStormandStressMovementoccurredunderRousseau'sinfluencewhichattractedmanyfollowersincludingGoetheandSchiller.TosomeextentitwasareactionagainsttheEnlightenmentandthe18th-centuryrationalismandmaterialismingeneral.Itdemandedmorereasonableattentiontohumanpassionandindividualityasawaytoreachrealhumanemancipationandfreedom.ThemajorconcernsofRomanticismcomprisedindividualism,emotionalism,worshipofnature,fascinationwiththealienaspectsofforeignlands,enthusiasmfornationalismandoftenexpressedanairofdisillusionment.2.Whatdoyouthinkofthesimilaritiesanddissimilaritiesbetweenrealismandnaturalism?Thesimilaritiesofrealismandnaturalismlieinthefactthattheybothaimtodescribereallifeandtrytorevealthenatureofsocialreality,especiallythedarksideofhumansociety.Butinthewaysofrepresentation,theydifferinthefollowingaspects:first,thenaturalistwriterdoesnotfocusonatypicalenvironmentortypicalcharactersforrepresentationofreality,andinstead,theywouldattempttodepictreallifeasitisbystickingtotheinherentfactorwhichwouldusuallyleadtothecauseormotivationofcertainorbehaviors;second,thenaturalistwriteremphasizesmoreoftheinfluenceofenvironmentonhumannatureandbehaviorbyexposingthedarkandevilaspectofhumansocietywhichisnotjustsimilartosocialrealismbutevenmoreviolentandbarbarousandemotional.1.2.ChooseonerepresentativecharacterfromGermanclassicalphilosophersandmakeabriefremarkonhiscontributiontothelatersocialorculturaldevelopment.ImmanuelKantwasan18th-centuryGermanclassicalphilosopher.HeisregardedasoneofthemostinfluentialthinkersofmodernEuropeandofthelateEnlightenment.KantcreatedanewwidespreadperspectiveinphilosophywhichinfluencedEuropeanphilosophythroughandafterhislifetime.Healsopublishedimportantworksofepistemology,aswellasworksrelevanttoreligion,law,andhistory.HismostimportantworksistheCritiqueofPureReason,aninvestigationintothelimitationsandstructureofreasonitself.Itencompassesanattackontraditionalmetaphysicsandepistemology,andhighlightsKant'sowncontributiontotheseareas.Kant'sgreatcontributionliesinhisinterpretationofhumanepistemology:theultimatenatureofrealityofthe“thingsinthemselves”remainsforeverunaccessibletothehuwmhantwmeindandcanknowisonlyitsphenomena.Themindimpressesitsformsofsensibilityviaspaceandtimeortheoriginaldataofthesensesandordersthemaccordingtothecategoriesofthought.1.SaysomethingyouknowaboutModernism,includingitsperformanceandfeatures.Modernism,initsbroadestsense,ismodernthought,character,orpractice.Morespecifically,thetermdescribesbothasetofculturaltendenciesandanarrayofassociatedculturalschools,originallyarisingfromwide-scaleandfar-reachingchangesinWesternsocietyinthelatenineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturies.Thetermencompassestheactivitiesandoutputofthosewhofeltthe“traditional”formsofart,architecture,literature,religiousfaith,socialconventionsanddailylifewerebecomingoutdatedinthenewconditionsofeconomic,socialandpoliticaldevelopmentsundertheinfluenceofindustrializationandcolonization.Modernism—despiteitscomplexityandmultiplicityintermsofideologicaltendenciesandrepresentationmodes,couldberegardedbasicallytobeirrational,thatis,inoppositiontorationaltraditionoftheWesterncultureandcivilization.Historyhasrepeatedlyprovedthatanyradicaldriveortrendcouldnotlastlongandsodidmodernismwhich,withallitsjustifications,onlysurvivedafewdecadessinceitsbeginningandhadtodeclineandfinallydisappearedasamovementthoughsomeofitsideasandformsortechniquesstillmaintained.Thereasonissimple—noonecouldrejectalltheinheritanceshisancestorshavepassedontohimnomatterwhethertheseinheritancesarevaluableenoughforhimtobenefitfrom.Inthatsensepeopleaftermodernism,particularlytheculturalpeopleorintellectuals,havetotakealessonfromModernistMovement,whichtheyshouldbecautiousaboutthewaytohandleculturalheritageandneedtotrytomakeuseofthepositiveelementsfromtradition.2.Describeoneortwomodernistwritersfocusedonhiswork.JamesJoyceisoneofmostprominentmodernistwritersintheearly20thcenturywhosereputationmainlyrestsuponhismasterfuluseoftheStreamofConsciousnesstechniqueinhiswriting.HeisbestknownforhislandmarknovelUlysses(1922)anditscontroversialsuccessorFinnegansWake(1939),aswellastheshortstorycollectionDubliners(1914)andthesemi-autobiographicalnovelletAPortraitoftheArtistasaYoungMan(1916).UlyssesisoneofthemostimportantworksofModernistliterature.Theactionofnovel,whichtakesplaceinasingleday,16June1904,setsthecharactersandincidentsoftheOdysseyofHomerinmodernDublinandbaseshisthreeprotagonists,LeopoldBloom,MollyBloomandStephenDedalus,onthetriangularrelationshipinparallelwiththeconstructionofOdysseus,PenelopeandTelemachus.Ulysses'stream-of-consciousnesstechnique,symbolicstructure,andexperimentalprosestyle—fullofpuns,parodies,andallusions—aswellasitsrichcharacterizationincloseassociationwithseriousthematicconcerns,suchasIrishnationalism,sympathyfortheJewandwomen,andprotestagainstCatholicism,thereforerendersthebookahighlyrecognizedstatusinModernistliterature.1.TellsomeideologicalRepresentativeFiguresoftheModernageandtheirmainideas..(1)Marx'sMarxism,itsmainideasincludescientificsocialism,politicaleconomics,anddialecticmaterialism.(2)Darwin'tsheoryofEvolutionbyNaturalSelection,Itsmainideaasfollow:Specieshavedevelopedorevolvedbyaseriesofsmallvariations.Allanimalsandplantsaredescendedfromasingleprototype.Naturalselectionorsurvivalofthefittestensuresthatonlythosevariationswhichimprovethechancesofsurvivalofspeciesareultimatelysignificant.Onlyinheritedcharacteristicscanbepassedontolatergenerations.Comet'sPositivism,includingTheoryofThreeStages:Manwantedtoacquireabsoluteknowledgeandexplaintheobservedphenomenaoftheoutsideworldwiththehelpofsupernaturaltheologicalinfluences.Manusedinsteadakindofpersonifiedabstraction,i.e.metaphysicalnatureand“natRationalsciencesdominatedeverything.Bergson'sIntuitionalIde:asi.Hewasopposedtothemonismofbothmaterialismandidealismandsoughtareturntophilosophicaldualism.ii.Thefunctionsofintuitionandintellectandtheirdifferences.Freud'sTheoryofPsychoanalys:isi.deep-levelpsychology:thehumanunconsciouswaslikethesubmergedpartofaniceberg,hidingmanyinstinctiveimpulsesandrepresseddesires;ii.Threeconcepts:theid,theego,thesuperego(choosetwoorthree)