Theses on the philosophy of history.

The passage that I chose is Benjamin third thesis."The third thesis reflects his concern arguing that historians should not distinguish between major and minor events. Injustice is revealed by looking at the minor events of people who you have never heard of. This also suggests that awareness of these things are obscured or concealed by something else, the major events: the official histories of kingdoms and nations." He is trying to argue that people always remember major event while overlooking the minor ones. I choose this passage because it relates to everyone, we all remember a major event in the country for example, the 9/11 was a bad memorable day in the US history, but is it the only memorable day in individual life? We celebrates the July 4th every year, but do we remember the day that we turned eighteen, that we gain our own independent? I think the major event will  always take priority over the minor event in every country or most household.

The work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

The passage that I choose is " Benjamin was likely influenced by the "theory of relativity" developed by Albert Einstein also in the early 20th century, which states among other things that space and time are relative to the perspective of the viewer (later scientists even dispute the notion of time at all). As it relates to integrated experience, Benjamin believed that the experience of time would change as well, what he called Jetztzeit, time "charged with the presence of now," a theological concept where the experience of times passing slows and a sense of the "everlasting present" takes hold. Again not to overemphasize the connection but Einstein once summarized his theory of relativity by pointing out the different experiences of time when you are doing pleasurable or painful activities, like talking to a beautiful woman or sitting on a hot stove, time spent doing something pleasurable like talking to someone you are attracted to will seem to pass by fast even if a lot of time has gone by while sitting on a stove for ten minutes will feel like an hour, as he says. The important point is that the Kantian idea of how time is experienced in a standard, uniform kind of way is challenged by both science and philosophy." He was talking about how people spent their time in relative to the activity that they were doing, if you are doing something that you love, the time seem that it moves faster and that it is not enough; but if you are stuck doing what you hate, for few minutes, you will feel like it is forever. I like this passage because it relates to everybody , if you are watching your favorite game or making love, the time moves so fast that you wish it can stay still for a while, but if you are in pain for few minutes, you feel like its going to last forever.


1) The difference between the cult value and exhibition value in art is that, the cult value refers to its status in magic and rituals, while exhibition value refers to the content or the information contained within the piece. Benjamin compare these values to fascism in politics.

2)Erfahrung which is integrated experience occurs by understanding the historical origins of objects that you come into contact with while Erlebnisse which is isolated experience suggest the opposite - objects are encountered in isolation and usually seem as hostile.  The difference is that the Erfahrung establishes a continuity or connection between experiences while Erlebnisse sees no connection between one experience and another. 
It relates to art because the detachment of objects from their historical context, which mechanical reproduction makes possible , risk cutting vital connection to history that makes integrated experience possible. 

3) Some of the positive effect of the destruction of the aura in art are;
     - It permits the reproduction  to meet beholder/listener in his own particular situation.  It  allows the reproduction of the art according to the need of a particular person.
     -It creates mass reproduction of the art to the public with easy access.
     -It allow people to see the universal equality of things. If they can have access to the same art in America, there is no need for them to travel far away  to the origin of the art to get the same thing.  
  Some of the negative effect of the destruction of the aura in art are;
   - The reproduction lacks unique existence.
   - The auratic quality diminishes or destroy. 


4) The impact of forms of mass culture like film in contemporary life take a huge part/toll in the people life especially the children. They learn about sex, violent, murderer, politics etc. The film that entertain  or pass across good information information or message to the children are few compare to the ones that pass across wrong information.
 Yes, they change human perception from culture/traditional way of life to modernize and technological way.
 Yes, few of them creates political consciousness in the public as a TV show.

ON PAIN

The passage that I choose from the essay ON Pain by Junger is "As a rule one will not have to go far to uncover the pain. Indeed, even the individual is not fully free from pain in this joyful state of security. The artificial check on the elementary forces might be able to prevent violent clashes and to ward off shadows, but it cannot stop the dispersed light with which pain permeates life. The vessel, sealed off from pain’s full flow, is filled drop by drop. Boredom is nothing other than the dissolution of pain in time (p. 13)." He is talking about how a country is full of security such as the army force or police force to prevent the citizen from violent attacks or terrorism, but still everybody has there own share of pain or sorrows to carry around. I choose this passage because it relates to what is going on everywhere, for example in this country after the 9/11 attacked, the States tighten their security to protect us from another terrorist attack, but does that reduce or eliminate individual pain? Things happen to people, it could be physical, health or emotional pain, we all still pass through this pain at one time or the other in our life, it is how we deal with it that matters.

1) According to Junger's thesis that pain is the central experience of life, I agree with him, most people learn through personal or other peoples bad experience. And, there is no experience that is good experience. When you had bad experience it usually attached to emotional pain. I look around me to see how many people achieved their goal in an easy way, none so far, because life is not fair to anybody which leads to emotional pain.

2) Post-liberal refer to the progress after the World War II, it is the transformation of liberal education into specialize education, and also the rapid introduction of technology into all areas of human life and its penetration into humanity. It relates to the idea of progress by translating human thought or ideal into machinery or technology which increases the efficiency of work.

3)According to Junger, the photograph is an "evil eye" because it is an artificial eye or lens that magnifies your mistakes or perfections to the world  to see through pictures.   


4) The relationship between the specialize education and the "worker type" was that they were both had an area of specialization. There was no restriction on the type of knowledge or education for students, therefore they would be able to specialized in their are of study and the worker type were working  according to their specialized field. 


5)Submission to totalitarian authorities protect an individual from pain by following the order given to them by their governments according to Junger,  but I do not agree with that theory, because it cannot protect you from emotional pain.