Conversations with Will Sipling Will Sipling

Introduction

In this series, I'll be talking through an edited and expanded version of my master's thesis that I wrote for my MA at the University of St. Thomas (MN). I'll be presenting it "conference style," meaning I'll be mostly reading my paper and interjecting various comments or extra clarification as needed.

Abstract

Society's vision for "the good" has become disconnected from action—Callicles can no longer agree with Callicles. What accounts for this? The human Self has been relegated by Modern culture, the phenomena characterized by post-Enlightenment positivism . A return to the Self, by drawing upon mythoi, can revivify the Self's re-constitution towards others and the realm of "the gods," towards koinonia and kosmia.

The systems of Modernity are critiqued by an engagement with Adorno and Horkheimer's Dialectic of Enlightenment, shedding light on the Self's reification and alienation due to Modernity's overarching scientistic and consumeristic kulturindustrie.

Charles Taylor, in Sources of the Self and A Secular Age, moves the argument from deconstruction to reconstruction through communal iterative reasoning. This reasoning is may allow room for the mythological by what is typified by an exploration of Newman's illative sense found in the Grammar of Assent.

Finally, the mythos of St. Francis of Assisi is brought to center stage, examining his character as one who finds himSelf through the Ascetic and Hierarchic Way.

Throughout the Commedia, the phrase “enwhiten” (or imbiancare) emerges as an analogical phrase related to the concepts of heat, passion, the melting down of sinful desire, and the illuminating of one’s spirit. Further, each instance of imbiancare appears, directly or indirectly, with the figure of Beatrice, who as a source or proxy of divine brightness, supplies the Pilgrim with enlightenment.

The word for this brightening will be examined and the effect of “blanching” exhibited throughout its appearances in the poem. To begin, a technical, grammatical analysis of this word and its various linguistic forms will be given, then a detailed commentary (using multiple translations) of the each instance of the word will be followed, and finally, a synthesis of the meanings with an offering of more analysis and discussion will be presented. It will be demonstrated that throughout the Comedy, this blanching is connected not only to the central narrative of Dante’s progressive sanctification, but also to Bice’s direct or instrumental provision of illumination for his spiritual and emotional journey, within and without of the poem.

Introduction

In this series, I'll be talking through an edited and expanded version of my master's thesis that I wrote for my MA at the University of St. Thomas (MN). I'll be presenting it "conference style," meaning I'll be mostly reading my paper and interjecting various comments or extra clarification as needed.

Abstract

Society's vision for "the good" has become disconnected from action—Callicles can no longer agree with Callicles. What accounts for this? The human Self has been relegated by Modern culture, the phenomena characterized by post-Enlightenment positivism . A return to the Self, by drawing upon mythoi, can revivify the Self's re-constitution towards others and the realm of "the gods," towards koinonia and kosmia.

The systems of Modernity are critiqued by an engagement with Adorno and Horkheimer's Dialectic of Enlightenment, shedding light on the Self's reification and alienation due to Modernity's overarching scientistic and consumeristic kulturindustrie.

Charles Taylor, in Sources of the Self and A Secular Age, moves the argument from deconstruction to reconstruction through communal iterative reasoning. This reasoning is may allow room for the mythological by what is typified by an exploration of Newman's illative sense found in the Grammar of Assent.

Finally, the mythos of St. Francis of Assisi is brought to center stage, examining his character as one who finds himSelf through the Ascetic and Hierarchic Way.

Introduction

In this series, I'll be talking through an edited and expanded version of my master's thesis that I wrote for my MA at the University of St. Thomas (MN). I'll be presenting it "conference style," meaning I'll be mostly reading my paper and interjecting various comments or extra clarification as needed.

Abstract

Society's vision for "the good" has become disconnected from action—Callicles can no longer agree with Callicles. What accounts for this? The human Self has been relegated by Modern culture, the phenomena characterized by post-Enlightenment positivism . A return to the Self, by drawing upon mythoi, can revivify the Self's re-constitution towards others and the realm of "the gods," towards koinonia and kosmia.

The systems of Modernity are critiqued by an engagement with Adorno and Horkheimer's Dialectic of Enlightenment, shedding light on the Self's reification and alienation due to Modernity's overarching scientistic and consumeristic kulturindustrie.

Charles Taylor, in Sources of the Self and A Secular Age, moves the argument from deconstruction to reconstruction through communal iterative reasoning. This reasoning is may allow room for the mythological by what is typified by an exploration of Newman's illative sense found in the Grammar of Assent.

Finally, the mythos of St. Francis of Assisi is brought to center stage, examining his character as one who finds himSelf through the Ascetic and Hierarchic Way.

Introduction

In this series, I'll be talking through an edited and expanded version of my master's thesis that I wrote for my MA at the University of St. Thomas (MN). I'll be presenting it "conference style," meaning I'll be mostly reading my paper and interjecting various comments or extra clarification as needed.

Abstract

Society's vision for "the good" has become disconnected from action—Callicles can no longer agree with Callicles. What accounts for this? The human Self has been relegated by Modern culture, the phenomena characterized by post-Enlightenment positivism . A return to the Self, by drawing upon mythoi, can revivify the Self's re-constitution towards others and the realm of "the gods," towards koinonia and kosmia.

The systems of Modernity are critiqued by an engagement with Adorno and Horkheimer's Dialectic of Enlightenment, shedding light on the Self's reification and alienation due to Modernity's overarching scientistic and consumeristic kulturindustrie.

Charles Taylor, in Sources of the Self and A Secular Age, moves the argument from deconstruction to reconstruction through communal iterative reasoning. This reasoning is may allow room for the mythological by what is typified by an exploration of Newman's illative sense found in the Grammar of Assent.

Finally, the mythos of St. Francis of Assisi is brought to center stage, examining his character as one who finds himSelf through the Ascetic and Hierarchic Way.

Introduction

In this series, I'll be talking through an edited and expanded version of my master's thesis that I wrote for my MA at the University of St. Thomas (MN). I'll be presenting it "conference style," meaning I'll be mostly reading my paper and interjecting various comments or extra clarification as needed.

Abstract

Society's vision for "the good" has become disconnected from action—Callicles can no longer agree with Callicles. What accounts for this? The human Self has been relegated by Modern culture, the phenomena characterized by post-Enlightenment positivism . A return to the Self, by drawing upon mythoi, can revivify the Self's re-constitution towards others and the realm of "the gods," towards koinonia and kosmia.

The systems of Modernity are critiqued by an engagement with Adorno and Horkheimer's Dialectic of Enlightenment, shedding light on the Self's reification and alienation due to Modernity's overarching scientistic and consumeristic kulturindustrie.

Charles Taylor, in Sources of the Self and A Secular Age, moves the argument from deconstruction to reconstruction through communal iterative reasoning. This reasoning is may allow room for the mythological by what is typified by an exploration of Newman's illative sense found in the Grammar of Assent.

Finally, the mythos of St. Francis of Assisi is brought to center stage, examining his character as one who finds himSelf through the Ascetic and Hierarchic Way.