scholarly journals Ethos in Early Chinese Rhetoric: The Case of “Heaven”

Humanities ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Yong-Kang Wei
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Cultural Tradition ◽  
The West ◽  
Chinese Tradition ◽  
Rhetorical Tradition ◽  
Chinese Rhetoric ◽  
Human Desire ◽  
Collective Ethos ◽  
The Universe

Though applicable in many Western historical-cultural settings, the Aristotelian model of ethos is not universal. As early Chinese rhetoric shows in the example of cheng-yan or “ethos of sincereness,” inspiring trust does not necessarily involve a process of character-based self-projection. In the Aristotelian model, the rhetor stands as a signifier of ethos, with an ideology of individualism privileged, whereas Chinese rhetoric assumes a collectivist model in which ethos belongs, not to an individual or a text, but rather to culture and cultural tradition. This essay will be concentrating on the concept of Heaven, central to the cultural and institutional systems of early Chinese society, in an attempt to explore collective ethos as a function of cultural heritage. Heaven, it shall be argued, plays a key role in the creation of Chinese ethos. This essay will also contrast the logocentrism of Western rhetorical tradition with the ethnocentrism of Chinese tradition. The significance of Heaven in its role as a defining attribute of Chinese ethos is reflective of a unique cultural heritage shaped by a collective human desire in seeking a consciousness of unity with the universe. Just as there are historical, cultural, and philosophical reasons behind logocentrism in the West, so the ethnocentric turn of Chinese rhetoric should be appreciated in light of a cultural tradition that carries its own historical complexities and philosophical intricacies.

scholarly journals “Age of Ethos”: Exploring Rhetorical Practices in Early Chinese Society

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Yong-Kang Wei
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Society ◽  
Chinese Tradition ◽  
Discourse Practices ◽  
The Right ◽  
Collective Ethos ◽  
Key Aspects

The essay explores the notion of collective ethos by looking closely at some of the key aspects of rhetorical and discourse practices in early Chinese society, such as ethos-as-spirit, the oneness of ethos/logos, and wei-yi (威仪; authority and deportment) among others, with a conclusion about the ethocentric nature of the traditional Chinese discourse system, rhetoric and philosophy included. To put things in perspective, it also discusses Western theories on ethos, including those by noted postmodernist theorists such as Bourdieu and Foucault. However, it does not argue that the Chinese tradition is the right path to rhetoric in general and ethos in particular but, rather, points out that rhetoric varies across cultures for an array of reasons, hence the necessity of approaching and understanding ethos differently from the model formulated by Aristotle.

scholarly journals Transforming Society for the Better?

MaRBLe ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadja Aldendorff
Keyword(s):  
Moral Virtue ◽  
The State ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
State Council ◽  
Credit System ◽  
The West ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Social Credit ◽  
The Government ◽  
Social Sorting

In 2014, the State Council of the People’s Republic of China released a document that called for the construction of a nationwide Social Credit System (SCS) with the goal to encourage sincerity and punish insincerity. The system uses blacklists that citizens land on for various cases of misbehavior, ranging from failing to pay a fine to being caught Jaywalking. This research explains the design process behind the SCS and in particular why many Chinese citizens are embracing this form of surveillance. It focuses on three topics to answer this question: the historical roots underlying the system, the perceived lack of trust in Chinese society and the comparison with concepts from surveillance theories developed in the West. From the analysis, following conclusions could be drawn: Historically, the state has often acted as a promoter and enforcer of moral virtue. The SCS fits perfectly into this tradition. The most prominent reason for the positive Chinese reaction is the lack of institutions in China that promote trust between citizens and businesses. There is a severe trust deficit which the government had to find a solution for. Regarding surveillance theory, Foucault’s concept of ‘panopticism’ shows similarities with the SCS and underlines its effectiveness in changing and steering people’s behavior while Lyon’s notion of ‘social sorting’ is used to demonstrate the potential dangers of the Chinese system.

scholarly journals ¿Es el cine japonés un cine nacional?

STUDIUM ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 245-272
Author(s):  
Marcos Centeno Martín
Keyword(s):  
Film Theory ◽  
Film History ◽  
The Other ◽  
Cultural Tradition ◽  
National Cinema ◽  
The West ◽  
Japanese Cinema ◽  
Palabras Clave ◽  
The One ◽  
Film Language

Resumen La construcción del cine japonés como cine nacional ha partido a menudo de una visión esencialista que ha ignorado la dimensión transnacional de esta filmografía. Por un lado, el descubrimiento occidental de ciertos autores japoneses en los años cincuenta condujo a la articulación del paradigma del cine nacional japonés a partir de películas dirigidas a asombrar al público europeo con imágenes exóticas de Japón. Los grandes maestros, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi y Ozu fueron escogidos como representantes de una supuesta japonesidad cinematográfica ignorando el peso de Occidente en sus obras. Por otro lado, el estudio de este corpus tradicionalmente ha evolucionado con herramientas teóricas desarrolladas en Occidente y necesita renovarse con conceptos de la tradición cultural, estética y filosófica propia. Pero además, es necesario evaluar cómo se implementaron los elementos del lenguaje fílmico en Japón para entender su relativismo respecto a la historia general del cine. Sus usos y formas no siempre han coincidido con los desarrollos occidentales, de forma que conceptos fílmicos occidentales no han tenido exactamente el mismo significado en el contexto japonés. Palabras clave: cine japonés, cine nacional, transnacionalidad teoría fílmica, cine de postguerra   Abstract The construction of Japanese cinema as a national cinema has often drawn on a essentialist vision neglecting the transnational nature of this filmography. On the one hand, the Western discovery of certain Japanese authors in the fifties triggered the articulation of the paradigm of the Japanese “national cinema” from films aiming to astonish European audiences with exotic images of Japan. The great masters, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi and Ozu, were chosen as main representatives of the apparent cinematographic japaneseness neglecting the weight of the West on their works. On the other hand, the study of this corpus has been traditionally evolved with theoretical tools developed in the West and need a renewal with concepts taken from Japanese philosophical, aesthetic and cultural tradition. Moreover, it is necessary to assess how the film language elements were implemented in Japan in order to understand its relativism regarding the general film history. Their usages and forms were not always equivalent to those in the West and as a consequence, Western concepts ended up having different meanings in the Japanese context. Key words: Japanese cinema, national cinema, transnationality, film theory, postwar cinema

scholarly journals CHINESE SCULPTURE IN THE NEW ERA

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 125-135
Author(s):  
Wei Xiao
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Tradition ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
The West ◽  
New Era ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
National Spirit ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Cultural Content

With the advent of a new era, universal social changes pose new challenges for the art of sculpture. In terms of cultural content and practice, sculpture needs to keep pace with time. Chinese sculpture should participate in the global processes of modern sculptural development, guided by the literary and artistic concept «do not forget the past, absorb the foreign, look into the future». Not only should it receive inspiration and stimuli for development from the West but find its voice, preserving Chinese cultural tradition and Chinese national spirit.

The Corrupted “Wheel of Life”: An Essay on the Ouroboros

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 239-282
Keyword(s):  
Jacques Lacan ◽  
Layer By Layer ◽  
Closed Cycle ◽  
Human Spirit ◽  
The Third ◽  
Conceptual Schemes ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Human Desire ◽  
Symbolic Image ◽  
The Universe

The focus of this article is a symbolic image often found in world mythology - a giant snake or a dragon biting its own tail. This image is usually denoted by the Greek word “ouroboros” ( οὐροβόρος ), which means literally “eating its own tail.” This essay is devoted to an interpretation of this symbol, which the author sees as leading to the much broader topic of human unfreedom and the forms that this unfreedom takes. The first section deals with the unique features of Gnosticism which have made it appealing in extremely varied times and situations. Theauthor’s reflections start from understanding the Gnostic worldview as an expression of apprehensiveness about the radical otherworldliness of the human spirit and its alienation from the universe. The second section deals with the symbolism of the ouroboros and its place in Gnostic conceptual schemes as a reference to the closed cycle of nature that enslaves the human spirit. The third section attempts to decipher layer by layer the Gnostic conceptions associated with the ouroboros. Various levels of interpretation are identified: literal, mythological-magical, psychological-ascetic and socio-political. In the fourth section, the author connects Gnostic ideas with Christianity by interpreting St. Paul’s Epistles, particularly his ideas concerning rulers and authorities. The place occupied by the ouroboros in the Christian universe is analyzed. The last section relies on the ideas of René Girard, Jacques Lacan and Alain Badiou to illustrate the manifestations of the ouroboros in different dimensions of human existence, both individual and collective, with special emphasis on human desire and its futile circlings.

Consumatori cinesi e cibo: tra tradizione millenaria e influenze culturali occidentali

2012 ◽  
pp. 85-99
Author(s):  
Teresa Del Giudice ◽  
Francesco Caracciolo ◽  
Gianni Cicia ◽  
Klaus G. Grunert ◽  
Athanasios Krystallis
Keyword(s):  
Food Products ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Chinese Market ◽  
Chinese Consumers ◽  
Chinese Tradition ◽  
The Rich ◽  
The Ancient Chinese ◽  
Culinary Culture ◽  
Cultural Openness

China is one of the most dynamic economies of the planet. The dramatic economic development in recent decades has greatly influenced the structure and habits of Chinese society. This although still characterized by strong disparities between the poorer classes and the wealthy, shows a growing middle class and an increasingly high-income segment. These segments of society are, as expected, evolving from a cultural point of view beginning to incorporate into the ancient Chinese tradition elements of other cultures, most notably the Western one. As was the case for other new economies, especially the rich part of the population is showing an increasing inclination towards all aspects of Western culture. This opening is also affecting the food consumption habits, transforming the dynamic and vibrant Chinese market into a major destination for European food products. The following research by submitting a questionnaire to 500 Chinese consumers residents in metropolitan areas had a dual objective. The first involved the analysis of the propensity of consumers to enter into the ancient Chinese culinary culture food products from other countries. The second was represented by the attempt to segment consumers, depending on the degree of cultural openness towards non- Chinese food, using both socio-demographic and psychographic variables.

scholarly journals The AURA Observatory in Chile—part of the IAU/UNESCO Extended Case Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (A29A) ◽  
pp. 114-114
Author(s):  
Malcolm G. Smith ◽  
R. Chris Smith ◽  
Pedro Sanhueza
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
The Universe

Brief report. The Extended Case Study for AURA-O as a “Window to the Universe” (http://www2.astronomicalheritage.net/index.php/show-entity?identity=000059&idsub-entity=005) was prepared in the context of supporting the desire to preserve humanity's scientific/cultural heritage of outstanding, high-mountain, ground-based, observatory sites developed over the period 1870–2000.

The Mediaeval Cultural Heritage of the Mid-European Area

1956 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 487-507
Author(s):  
Francis Dvornik
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Order ◽  
The West ◽  
European Area ◽  
National Leaders ◽  
History Of

Interest in Slavic and mid-European studies,* so long neglected, is growing considerably in the United States. Unfortunately it concentrates mostly on modern history. In Slavic studies, too much time is often devoted to the history of Russia since the Revolution, and to the analysis of the new social and political order established in that country under the influence of non-Slavic social ideas which had originated in the West, and especially in Germany (K. Marx and Lasalle) in the nineteenth century. The earlier evolution of Russia, other Slav nations, and their mid-European neighbors, is still undeservedly neglected. It is a mistake. In the Middle Ages, the Slavic nations, the Hungarians, and the Rumanians played a prominent role in the civilizing of Europe. The memories of their glorious past helped the Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Serbs, Bulgars, Magyars, Rumanians and also the small Albanian nation to survive the difficult period of oppression by foreign rulers and inspired their national leaders in their fight for independence and freedom.

Islamic Modernism: Its Scope, Method and Alternatives

1970 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fazlur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
The West ◽  
Modern Education ◽  
Islamic Reform ◽  
The Status ◽  
Spiritual Issues ◽  
The Right ◽  
Law Of Evidence ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Status Of Women

The classical Muslim modernists of the nineteenth century envisaged Islamic Reform as a comprehensive venture: it took in its purview law, society, politics and intellectual, moral and spiritual issues. It dealt with questions of the law of evidence, the status of women, modern education, constitutional reforms, the right of a Muslim to think for himself, God and the nature of the universe and man and man's freedom. A tremendous intellectual fervour and ferment were generated. The liberals and the conservatives battled; the intellectual innovators were opposed and supported, penalized and honored, exiled and enthusiastically followed. Although the modernist movement dealt with all the facets of life, nevertheless, in my view, what gave it point and significance was its basically intellectual élan and the specifically intellectual and spiritual issues with which it dealt. This awakening struck a new and powerful chord in the Muslim mind because intellectual issues had remained for centuries under a state of selfimposed dormancy and stagnation at the instance of conservative orthodoxy. The nineteenth century was also the great age of the battle of ideas in the West, ideas and battles whose strong injections into Muslim society found a ready response. The character of this movement was then primarily intellectual and spiritual.

CONTEMPORARY ISLAMIC ICONOCLASM – A THREAT TO WORLD CULTURAL HERITAGE

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (XVIII) ◽  
pp. 145-157
Author(s):  
Dariusz Rozmus
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Human Being ◽  
The West ◽  
Religious Background ◽  
Heritage Sites ◽  
The People ◽  
The Face ◽  
World Cultural Heritage ◽  
Local Traditions

The vast destruction of the heritage sites in Syria and Iraq caused by the activities of ISIS may not only be attributed to fanatical iconoclasm with a religious background. The ideologists of the jihad movements in the so-called Islamic State intend to introduce one, unified version of Islam. In their world, there is no place for democracy, secularity, nationalism (even for patriotism) and other “abominations” of the West. Monuments which constituted elements of local traditions were destroyed with the application of huge resources. In the face of the tragedy of people, considerations in the field of broadly conceived culture may only supplement a description of unspeakable tragedies which were caused by the wars in the Near East. However, we may examine this question in such a way as not to separate the people from their heritage, for a human being is an integral part of his or her culture. “This isn’t a choice between people or stone,” said Deborah Lehr, chair of Antiquities Coalition. “Culture is part of who these people are, and this, ironically, is the cradle of civilization.”. Due to the situation which occurred, the stock-taking and digitalisation of artefacts and architectural monuments assumes huge significance. These proceedings should be also conducted with the use of the most recent methods of satellite teledetection.

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