The fundamental research question in this dissertation is what the image of man - in the broadest sense of the word - entails within the classical and modern enlightenment points of view. This... Show moreThe fundamental research question in this dissertation is what the image of man - in the broadest sense of the word - entails within the classical and modern enlightenment points of view. This overarching question is considered with regard to the notions of man maintained by the ancients and moderns, with regard to their visions of society, and with regard to the worldview these theories entail. We also evaluate which of the two paradigms is the more convincing upon scrutiny. We have answered such questions by distilling the ideas of the classical philosopher Aristotle -and some ontological ideas from his teacher, Plato- on the one hand, and from the modern intellectual giant, Thomas Hobbes, on the other hand. This is premised on the belief that the essential features of the classical and modern idealtype are to be found within their thought and works.In order to answer our central question, we had to look into the values which underly each vision of man. After all, values are the ideas that motivate our actions as individuals and as a community. We found that the classical vision is guided by the value of Virtue/Duty, Hierarchy and the pursuit of Community in a world permeated with objective values, whilst the modern conception embraces Freedom, Equality and Individuality in a world that is set free of objective values. Show less
Besides the official care for cultural heritage on Java, which in the 1920s and 1930s was under the responsibility of the Dutch Archeological Service, different attitudes towards heritage are... Show moreBesides the official care for cultural heritage on Java, which in the 1920s and 1930s was under the responsibility of the Dutch Archeological Service, different attitudes towards heritage are identified of which three are discussed more elaborately using three typical case studies. It will become clear how for the local population on Java statues and sites were still places of worship where offerings were made and rituals performed. This use of heritage often clashed with repairs undertaken by the Archeological Service, for instance, for constructional reasons, but which in practice sealed off the heritage for local people for whom it was a site of veneration still. On the other hand, local people sometimes also deliebrately destroyed heritage such as statues who would have had a negative agency. This chapter aims to contribute to how such responses and attitudes should be explained and what questions need to be addressed further to understand the meaning of cultural heritage for the people living nearby heritage sites to whom they are more than reminders of an ancient past. Show less
That art has some sort of relation to reality is an assumption underlying most of the past and the present discourse on and about art. The questions of what sort of relation, whether it is at all... Show moreThat art has some sort of relation to reality is an assumption underlying most of the past and the present discourse on and about art. The questions of what sort of relation, whether it is at all valid and specific (as opposed to science’s or philosophy’s relation to reality), however, are hardly ever addressed. In studying a relation between terms, one needs to be clear about the terms themselves: ‘Art’ is understood here in the sense of the notion that crystallized no earlier than the 18th century in Europe. That notion is, in its essential features, still valid today. ‘Reality’ tends to be understood as that what exists independently of us ‘out there’, but it can also be the inner world of feelings, perceptions and memories, which entirely depends on the individual. The former is best described by science whereas the latter is inaccessible for it. Then there is the reality of inter personal relations, like society, culture and language. The thesis examines art in relation to each of them, on the level of individual experience, on the level of social life, in historical perspective. Informed by all these different viewpoints it eventually addresses the question whether the making or the experiencing of art can lead to any knowledge.Concerning the illustrations 5, 9, 10, 11, 18, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, 34, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, and 49 of Chapter I, the illustrations 15, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 31 of Chapter II, the illistrations 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 32, 33, 42, 45, 44, 45, 46 , 47, 48, 49, and 50 of Chapter III. the illustrations 4, 5, 8, 9, and11 of chapter IV, and the reproduction of a painting by Mondriaan on the cover the author does not own the copyright, Concerning this material the author has striven to ensure that in using the illustrations all legal rights have been taken into proper account. However, parties who believe they can claim legal rights are invited to apply to Leiden University, c/- Universiteitsbibiotheek, Afd. Acquisitie, Postbus 9501, 2300 RA Leiden, or to proefschrift@library.leidenuniv.nlMet betrekking tot de afbeeldingen 5, 9, 10, 11, 18, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, 34, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48 en 49 van het hoofdstuk (I.), de afbeeldingen 15, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 en 31 van het hoofdstuk (II.), de afbeeldingen 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 32, 33, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49 en 50 van het hoofdstuk (III.), de afbeeldingen 4, 5, 8, 9, 11 van het hoofdstuk (IV.), en de afbeelding van het Mondriaan schilderij op de cover bezit hij geen copyright. Met betrekking tot dit beeldmateriaal heeft de promovendus ernaar gestreefd de rechten van de illistraties volgens wettelijke bepalingen te regelen. Degenen die desondanks menen zekere rechten te kunnen doen gelden, kunnen zich wenden tot de Universiteit Leiden, p.a. Universiteitsbibliotheek, Afd. Acquisitie, Postbus 9501, 2300 RA Leiden, of bij proefschrift@library.leidenuniv.nl Show less
