Abstract
Communication and empirical “principles”. Communication with historical “partners”. “Multi-perspectivity”. Inter cultural communication. Visuality, audiality, and tactility. Deconstruction as communication. Communication based on physiological data. Discourse as power.
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Notes
- 1.
See Kačerauskas (2008) for an extensive discussion.
- 2.
Another name (Greek) for this procedure is epoché.
- 3.
For example, a claim that “information is transmitted only by means of language” is negated by showing that information can be transmitted by a gesture or facial expression. Yet, since gestures and expressions are a part of language we encounter empirical limits.
- 4.
Its truth does not necessarily correspond to reality. Depending on which theory of truth we maintain, there can be other criteria of truth—utility, evidence, coherence, and praxis.
- 5.
Which, in part, corresponds to the cybernetic school.
- 6.
This might be called a ‘super-view’ as an aspect of metacommunication, although as a survey of totality a super-view is impossible. Rather, it is necessary as an appearance of any phenomenon or even environment, which brings to mind the dialectic of activity and passivity. Active is not only phenomenon, emerging in a passive environment, but the latter is also active, “ejecting” or “exiling” from itself a passive phenomenon. Such passive-active dialectic makes sense of intolerance and even the repression of outstanding creators. The history of art as well as the sciences speaks loudly with examples of such repressions, which, in their mildest form, is non-acceptance, the most famous case being Vincent van Gogh. The repressive activity of the environment is a strategic part of self-preservation (passive one?). Conversely, the passivity of a creator in case of the rejection of their work (purportedly, the work must defend itself without the aid of the author) is an active aspect of such creativity.
- 7.
However, there are discussions about a common, communal archetypical experience, inherent in the “collective unconscious” (Jung 1991), and with which empiricism has nothing in common, and would not tolerate such a claim.
- 8.
Kant (1999) was concerned with the incompatibility between empiricism and scientific, universal necessity, which resulted in the thesis of synthetic a priori judgments.
- 9.
The primacy, even the metaphysics of empiricism, did not persuade Lazarsfeld’s students to remain his followers. Thus, the question of empirical communication returns us to the issue of communication between teacher and student.
- 10.
Here, we should recall Roger Bacon.
- 11.
Famous thinkers such as Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Hegel, and even Kant, are considered to be rationalists.
- 12.
This reputation was due mainly to the British and Scottish philosophers, Francis Bacon, John Locke and David Hume.
- 13.
The mental experiment of Einstein could be regarded as a rational imitation of experiment. This does not mean that to support a theory there is no need to discover empirical data, however theories are created as logical and economic standards.
- 14.
Let us recall the doctrine of recollection (anamnesis) of Plato, the father of rationalism. Upon seeing (confirming by senses) a friend, we recall the idea of friendship. An opposite example comes from the founder of empiricism, Aristotle, who claims that any individual (primary substance) is understood in a context of common features (secondary substance).
- 15.
This reminds us of Buber’s (2000) “I-You” relationship.
- 16.
In Heidegger’s words, Dasein.
- 17.
Both aspects of the history of communication are clarified by Peters (1999).
- 18.
Let us recall his funeral eulogy.
- 19.
They were realized by the teachings of the sophists.
- 20.
We mentioned in another context that metaphor cannot be translated without creating a semantic deficit.
- 21.
Let us recall the late Wittgenstein’s (1990) question whether a diffused image is something that we do not need?
- 22.
Another way to consider this is that it could be an imaginative variety or even a variety of worldviews.
- 23.
For more about rating mind set and media similarity, see Bourdieu (2011).
- 24.
This is the case in Lithuanian politics where social democrats destroyed small business by disproportionally taxing it before joining the EU.
- 25.
The rules of education in North Korea and South Korea.
- 26.
Education rules in Netherlands and Germany.
- 27.
Educational rules in state and private institutions.
- 28.
Merleau-Ponty (1968).
- 29.
After Copernicus “recalled” Aristarchus’s heliocentric system, most astronomers continued to use the geocentric system for a further 150 years. This has less to do with a lack of open communication, as much as with some visible details of the world—the returning movements of the planets, which until Kepler was better explained by the geocentric view of the followers of Ptolemy. In other words, an encounter with things determined by a perspective. We return to the phenomenological view as a channel for various perspectives.
- 30.
The somewhat unique question is whether or not the Sovietization of the Baltic states was colonialism. In this regard Epp Annus (2012) explores several problems. First, colonialism is a Western phenomenon and Russia hardly represents Western culture. Second, colonialism is inseparable from capitalism, while the Soviet system rejected the latter. Third, colonialism encounters “primitive” cultures which can be easily assimilated, while in the case of so-called Soviet colonization local culture was resistant, and even attractive (one aspect of such attraction—its being Western).
- 31.
The first impetus to change Western culture in the face of another culture appeared after the Crusades of the medieval period. It is paradoxical that during the Crusades (which were completely intolerant, even with respect to culturally similar cultures, such as Byzantium) reclaimed not only lands, but also some of the essential components of Western culture, e.g. the scientific heritage of Aristotle, including his rhetorical and metaphysical works. Yet, in this case, Flusser’s rule of communication is valid: Aristotle is reclaimed not by taking him away from Arabic culture, but by sharing his work.
- 32.
It is possible to speak of varied types of democracy in ancient Greece (democracy with slavery), in Russia (democracy of leaders), in Central and East Europe (pendulum democracy) and more. In this case we have a minor multi-perspectivism in multi-layered Western culture.
- 33.
In being a translator I will add a translation of your part of this work—and not only that of Heidegger’s work, Being and Time.
- 34.
This is how Benjamin reflects on Hölderlin’s literal translation: “it is self-evident how greatly fidelity in reproducing the form impedes the rendering of the sense. Thus, no case for literalness can be based on a desire to retain the meaning. <…> translation must in large measure refrain from wanting to communicate something, from rendering the sense, and in this the original is important to it only insofar as it has already relieved the translator and his translation of the effort of assembling and expressing what is to be conveyed. <…> On the other hand, as regards the meaning, the language of a translation can-in fact, must-let itself go, so that it gives voice to the intentio of the original not as reproduction but as harmony, as a supplement to the language in which it expresses itself, as its own kind of intentio” (1969: 78–79). Thus, translation must be a dimension to expand the original sense and not to be limited by it. Literal translation leads to limitation. The difficulties of literal translation are the lack of communicative channel, neither between different languages nor cultures. To the contrary, communication possibility between them is enhanced by their disappearance and disproportion.
- 35.
Yet, Hölderlin is the favourite poet of Heidegger who is responsible for enhancing the reputation of the poet (and not a translator). In this case, a philosopher served as a publicist of a poet. First, this suggests the commonality between poetry and philosophy. Second, philosophy and poetry are mutually founding: poetry signifies being which is deliberated by philosophy. This is not to say that between them there is a communication channel. To the contrary, any communication between them rests on a common existential region.
- 36.
Let us recall Heidegger’s student, Arendt’s (1958) “un-ease” (Un-ruhe, nec-otium, a-scholia).
- 37.
For example, the representatives of larger nations (or cultures) invariably know less languages, and as a result are less communicative.
- 38.
According to Flusser, codification is done in the name of communication, i.e. in the name of a meaningless world and life to be persuaded, as well as to silence death (2007: 259–260).
- 39.
This is attested by places in encyclopaedia or sacred writings where the creation is most likely to become closed and not open to communication.
- 40.
This is an analogy with Aristotle’s unmoved mover. Yet, metaphor is a minor mover or concretizer, by not being beyond, but in the heart of this world—language. Aristotle was concerned with metaphor in the context of rhetoric, which is the more convincing. The more sensational is the figure of language. Metaphor can be interpreted as Aristotle’s poetics of cleansing of the soul in tragic context.
- 41.
For more on this see Kačerauskas (2006).
- 42.
- 43.
Heidegger calls this inbeing. We are not only, and not somewhat close to the world, as much as we are in it. Senses are what make us unworldly.
- 44.
- 45.
Trace is another theme in Lévinas philosophy (1979) where it is predominantly ethical. It can be said that shibboleth is a trace of Lévinas’ ethics in the region of Derrida’s deconstructed morality.
- 46.
The absence of a trace is analogous to the non-being of metaphor.
- 47.
Unmasking can be investigated in analogy to deconstruction.
- 48.
After Nietzsche, who has mortified metaphysics (Heidegger 1972), it means superfluous activity.
- 49.
The same can be said of Heidegger’s (1996) applied destruction. Primarily, Plato, Aristotle, and Descartes are brought into a specific space wherein illuminated by existential ontology, they are destroyed.
- 50.
One version concerning orders is the Russian use of swearwords in communicating orders—which was a factor in the Russian victory in the Second World War. It would seem that the limit of swear words is equivalent to the signals of other creatures. Of course, communication by the use of swear words does not mean clarity—even if they are simple and unambiguous. The same historical swear words can be used in different situations and understood differently.
- 51.
For example, the absence of diplomatic ties between Poland and Lithuania between the two world wars was a clear message: Return Vilnius.
- 52.
- 53.
More seeing than hearing, smelling, touching or tasting.
- 54.
Semantic communication equally exploits sense difference. The mentioned difference of J. Derrida is related etymologically to difference.
- 55.
Let us look at the paradox of toleration: do we have to be tolerant of non-tolerance, and if non-tolerance for non-tolerance abolishes tolerance? Put another way, does the murder of murderers justify murder?
- 56.
It is said that the gays are best conversants with women.
- 57.
Recall Baudrillard’s (2016) hyper-reality.
- 58.
The phenomenon of insanity and the demarcation of madness from specific institutions without medical aid is another theme discussed elsewhere by Foucault (1972). The theme of madness is intertwined with that of creativity (Schopenhauer 1969), not only because mad persons and creative workers are primarily categorised as disturbers of the normal order. Every creative worker is mad since they aim at the unknown and novel, and in doing so blaze new trails for the community.
- 59.
The expulsion of the most creative and talented members of society in democratic states has an old tradition. In the case of Anaxagoras his thinking “went too far” and threatened to disrupt the stability of the Athenian order.
- 60.
Whether true or not, scientists are often accused of appropriating their student’s (doctoral) research and texts.
- 61.
This is illustrated by interactive media with the possibility for readers’ commentaries. Yet, the amount of commentaries (even if negative) indicate the importance of a topic. Such communication also demonstrates provocations that are required for creativity.
- 62.
This illustrates that such instruments as classification used to control the sciences prevent interdisciplinary studies, despite pronouncements to the contrary.
- 63.
For example, Heidegger destroys Aristotelianism by involving the resources of existential ontology. J. Derrida acts similarly with respect to Platonism, even if he claims to be neutral with respect to any discourse. This pretended neutralism hides meta-discoursivity: it is possible to deconstruct by a suspicious rejection of any discourse. In this case suspicion appeals to another—Marxist or Frankfurt school—discourse; but these traditions also must be destructed and deconstructed. Is this not an infinite regress criticised by Aristotle?
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Kačerauskas, T., Mickūnas, A. (2020). Perspectiveness and Discoursiveness. In: In Between Communication Theories Through One Hundred Questions. Numanities - Arts and Humanities in Progress, vol 14. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41106-0_9
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