In search of the cultural heroes of our time
This one is in English thanks to the fact that this is a shared search.
Together with K, we intend to discover who are the cultural heroes of our time. It is not an easy task. It may be done through comparision, it may be done by applying a definition, it may something completely different.
Where do we start?
I will start the simple way. What is a hero?
So I go to a diccionary (Portuguese, because I allow cultural difference to interfere in my search). From the Priberam online dictionary (translated by me, from Portuguese):
Hero
From Latin, herva < Greek, héros,
hero s. m., extraordinary man due to his battling qualities, triunfs, value or "magnimousity" (does this exist in English?)
Literature, protagonist or main character of a literary work; the most exalted character of an epic poem;
History, name that the Greek gave to divinized men;
Depriciative, man noticeable by his misadventures, that has involved himself in adventures and scandals.
So I already have a problem. This definition only allows for men. I think this is crap. So I will allow for women. I will also ignore the literary and historic approaches, because I am looking for conteporary "real" people. I am also giving some concern to the post-modernist effect of putting everything into perspective and considering that there are no absolute goods or bads. There is a Good or a Bad and even though we might not agree with it. I think that there are some common points that shoud be shared by all. I mean, would anyone here kill someone? Would anyone here steal someone who really needed something? Would you harm anyone who hasn't done anything to you before, just for sport? Would you appreciate doing something socially unacceptable only because it would enhance your appeal? Well, I hope not, or else you are not welcome and can leave. So I do believe that there are some basic values that might be considered absolutely good or bad. Therefore, I am disconsidering the depreciative definition and someone who has involved himself in scandals, will not be considered a hero just because of that. It does not contribute to anything Good. But our quest is not only looking for a hero, I am looking for a cultural heroe. Therefore, we need to define culture.
From the same source:
Culture From Latin, cultura s. f., act, efect of cultivating.
From German, kultur s.f., intelectual development, knowledge; industrial usage of certain natural products; study, elegance; care; the body of behaviour patterns, beliefs , institutions and other moral and material values that characterize a society; civilization.
Wow, things get complicated here. For starters, we disregard the latin definition and stick with the German. I am not looking for a farmer hero. "Old MacDonald had a farm" and someone sang his epic poem, but I am not really looking for someone like him. I am looking for "an extraordinary man (or woman, ok, lets use the P.C. "person") that due to his battling qualities, triunfs, value or "magnimousity", contributed to intelectual development, knowledge, industrial usage of certain natural products, study, elegance, care, civilization and the body of behaviour patterns, beliefs, institutions and other moral and material values that characterize a society". Does anyone know where we can find one?
Together with K, we intend to discover who are the cultural heroes of our time. It is not an easy task. It may be done through comparision, it may be done by applying a definition, it may something completely different.
Where do we start?
I will start the simple way. What is a hero?
So I go to a diccionary (Portuguese, because I allow cultural difference to interfere in my search). From the Priberam online dictionary (translated by me, from Portuguese):
Hero
From Latin, herva < Greek, héros,
hero s. m., extraordinary man due to his battling qualities, triunfs, value or "magnimousity" (does this exist in English?)
Literature, protagonist or main character of a literary work; the most exalted character of an epic poem;
History, name that the Greek gave to divinized men;
Depriciative, man noticeable by his misadventures, that has involved himself in adventures and scandals.
So I already have a problem. This definition only allows for men. I think this is crap. So I will allow for women. I will also ignore the literary and historic approaches, because I am looking for conteporary "real" people. I am also giving some concern to the post-modernist effect of putting everything into perspective and considering that there are no absolute goods or bads. There is a Good or a Bad and even though we might not agree with it. I think that there are some common points that shoud be shared by all. I mean, would anyone here kill someone? Would anyone here steal someone who really needed something? Would you harm anyone who hasn't done anything to you before, just for sport? Would you appreciate doing something socially unacceptable only because it would enhance your appeal? Well, I hope not, or else you are not welcome and can leave. So I do believe that there are some basic values that might be considered absolutely good or bad. Therefore, I am disconsidering the depreciative definition and someone who has involved himself in scandals, will not be considered a hero just because of that. It does not contribute to anything Good. But our quest is not only looking for a hero, I am looking for a cultural heroe. Therefore, we need to define culture.
From the same source:
Culture From Latin, cultura s. f., act, efect of cultivating.
From German, kultur s.f., intelectual development, knowledge; industrial usage of certain natural products; study, elegance; care; the body of behaviour patterns, beliefs , institutions and other moral and material values that characterize a society; civilization.
Wow, things get complicated here. For starters, we disregard the latin definition and stick with the German. I am not looking for a farmer hero. "Old MacDonald had a farm" and someone sang his epic poem, but I am not really looking for someone like him. I am looking for "an extraordinary man (or woman, ok, lets use the P.C. "person") that due to his battling qualities, triunfs, value or "magnimousity", contributed to intelectual development, knowledge, industrial usage of certain natural products, study, elegance, care, civilization and the body of behaviour patterns, beliefs, institutions and other moral and material values that characterize a society". Does anyone know where we can find one?
Etiquetas: Cultura
posted by Hugo Viseu at 7:47 da tarde
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