What to do with antiquity?
True is that I am still experimenting with a new camera and lens (Leica M8 plus Voigtlaender 40/1.4; here at F11). Using a rangefinder camera is quite a challenge for me and I will not go into any pros and cons (judge for yourself). However, I wish to combine these experiments with actual issues, and one of these is what we are going to do with the traditions we have inherited from Greek and Roman antiquity. These traditions (and their historical re-incarnations as it were) have been profoundly influential for our political thinking, for developing the scientific method and culturally of great importance too. In the West it was used to liberate the human mind from religious totalitarianism. However, in the 21st century we live in a world that is culturally divers and religiously extremely active. Rethinking antiquity and Enlightenment, a lot of cracks have become obvious. Social inequality and slavery and the stigmatising of the other are featuring prominently. "What have the Romans ever done to prevent the transatlantic slave trade?" I could ask rhetorically. The question is whether we can pick the liberating traditions only and disregard what we think is unacceptable.
What to do with antiquity?
True is that I am still experimenting with a new camera and lens (Leica M8 plus Voigtlaender 40/1.4; here at F11). Using a rangefinder camera is quite a challenge for me and I will not go into any pros and cons (judge for yourself). However, I wish to combine these experiments with actual issues, and one of these is what we are going to do with the traditions we have inherited from Greek and Roman antiquity. These traditions (and their historical re-incarnations as it were) have been profoundly influential for our political thinking, for developing the scientific method and culturally of great importance too. In the West it was used to liberate the human mind from religious totalitarianism. However, in the 21st century we live in a world that is culturally divers and religiously extremely active. Rethinking antiquity and Enlightenment, a lot of cracks have become obvious. Social inequality and slavery and the stigmatising of the other are featuring prominently. "What have the Romans ever done to prevent the transatlantic slave trade?" I could ask rhetorically. The question is whether we can pick the liberating traditions only and disregard what we think is unacceptable.