In recent years, the contribution of various disciplines and professionals (i.e. from marketing, computer science, psychology and pedagogy) to museum management has encouraged the development of a new conception of museology. Specifically, psychology has affected the overall conception of museum and the visitors towards a more holistic vision of the museum experience as a complexity of memory, personal drives, group identity, meaning-making process, as well as leisure preferences. In this regard, psychological research contributes to advance the scientific knowledge about psychological (...) and social phenomena related to the visitor experience, as well as to design innovative technologies and future tourism services. The present contribution discusses the Socio-Cultural Activity Theory as a theoretical framework to conceptualize the museum visit as an activity mediated by the technology, and to better identify the factors shaping the interaction between the visitors and the technologies. To do so, a case study is presented: a qualitative research performed at the Ara Pacis Museum in Rome (Italy) to analyze the visitor experience of a tour that integrates augmented and virtual reality. Information derived from applying Activity Theory on visitors’ experience highlight the value of technology as mediating tool between the museum mission and the visitor experience, considering the interaction between visitors’ characteristics, museum environmental dimensions and technology’s features. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:"A City of Brick":Visual Rhetoric in Roman Rhetorical Theory and PracticeKathleen S. LampPerhaps none of the words Augustus, the first sole ruler of Rome who reigned from 27 BCE to 14 CE, actually said are quite as memorable as the ones Cassius Dio has attributed to him: "I found Rome built of clay and I leave it to you in marble" (1987, 56.30).1 Suetonius too discusses Augustus's building program, (...) offering an alleged quote along with an explanation of his motivation: "Since the city was not adorned as the dignity of the empire demanded, and was exposed to flood and fire, he so beautified it that he could justly boast that he had found it built of brick and left it in marble" (1998, Aug.28.3). Though Suetonius's explanation is practical, Dio argues Augustus's "city of brick" had a more metaphoric or symbolic meaning: "In saying this he was not referring literally to the state of the buildings, but rather to the strength of the empire" (1987, 56.30).Both historians, then, perceive a connection between the physical appearance of the city and Rome's place at the head of the (Roman) world. Maecenas, Augustus's right-hand man who was essentially the minister of culture, explicitly draws attention to this strategy in a speech fabricated by Dio. Maecenas advises Augustus, "Make this capital beautiful, spare no expense in doing so, and enhance its magnificence with festivals of every kind. It is right for us who rule over so many peoples to excel all others in every field of endeavor, and even display of this kind tends to implant [End Page 171] respect for us in our allies and to strike terror into our enemies" (1987, 52.30). Here Dio suggests, albeit in hindsight, that Augustus's building program was a conscious "display" of Rome's supremacy meant to elicit a reaction, particularly from those who dwelled outside the city.Though from this passage of Dio's it is possible to argue that the physical appearance of the city of Rome was meant to persuade, or at least elicit some response, the passage does not provide support for the claim that architecture, monuments, and city planning functioned rhetorically in ancient Rome. After all, Quintilian reminds us that "many other things have the power of persuasion" (1970, 2.15.6-9). Nonetheless, this passage does generate questions about the relationship between the Augustan building program, or more broadly the Augustan cultural campaigns, and rhetoric in the principate—specifically about the way in which the cultural campaigns functioned rhetorically to help Augustus gain and maintain power.Recently, I have argued that the Ara pacis Augustae, an Augustan monument commissioned in 13 BCE, functioned as a visual example of a rhetorical text, meant not only to celebrate Augustus's successful campaigns is Spain and Gaul but also to garner public support for Augustus's heir and the process of dynastic succession. Because specific rhetorical techniques often associated with the epideictic genre clearly function on the altar, the Ara pacis demonstrates that Augustus and/or his ministers were thinking rhetorically when constructing at least some Augustan monuments (Lamp 2009). Similarly, architectural historian Diana Favro has argued that certain aspects of Augustan architecture made use of rhetorical techniques related to the canon of memory (1996). These findings are perhaps not surprising given that George Kennedy, writing nearly forty years ago, acknowledged that Augustus, a figure he called "the greatest rhetorician of antiquity, " "developed new techniques of verbal and visual persuasion which took over some of the functions and adapted some of the methods of traditional oratory" (1972, 378, 382).Still, very little attention has been paid to Augustus as a rhetorical figure, which is not to say that scholars of rhetoric have paid no attention to Roman rhetoric. While the classicist Theodore Mommsen, writing in the latter half of the nineteenth century, went as far as to refer to the principate as the "end to the entire discipline of rhetoric" (1992, 125), the decline narrative in regards to Roman rhetoric is shifting. Traditionally, this decline narrative suggested that following the assassination of Cicero, traditional oratory retreated into... (shrink)

1. Il significato del Parmenide nella filosofia di Platone -- 3. Tempo e verità nella fenomenologia di Husserl -- 4. Kierkegaard e Thomas Mann -- 5. Ingens sylva.

We develop a cultural evolutionary theory of the origins of prosocial religions and apply it to resolve two puzzles in human psychology and cultural history: (1) the rise of large-scale cooperation among strangers and, simultaneously, (2) the spread of prosocial religions in the last 10–12 millennia. We argue that these two developments were importantly linked and mutually energizing. We explain how a package of culturally evolved religious beliefs and practices characterized by increasingly potent, moralizing, supernatural agents, credible displays of faith, (...) and other psychologically active elements conducive to social solidarity promoted high fertility rates and large-scale cooperation with co-religionists, often contributing to success in intergroup competition and conflict. In turn, prosocial religious beliefs and practices spread and aggregated as these successful groups expanded, or were copied by less successful groups. This synthesis is grounded in the idea that although religious beliefs and practices originally arose as nonadaptive by-products of innate cognitive functions, particular cultural variants were then selected for their prosocial effects in a long-term, cultural evolutionary process. This framework (1) reconciles key aspects of the adaptationist and by-product approaches to the origins of religion, (2) explains a variety of empirical observations that have not received adequate attention, and (3) generates novel predictions. Converging lines of evidence drawn from diverse disciplines provide empirical support while at the same time encouraging new research directions and opening up new questions for exploration and debate. (shrink)

We hypothesize that cultural narratives such as myths and folktales are more likely to achieve cultural stability if they correspond to a minimally counterintuitive (MCI) cognitive template that includes mostly intuitive concepts combined with a minority of counterintuitive ones. Two studies tested this hypothesis, examining whether this template produces a memory advantage, and whether this memory advantage explains the cultural success of folktales. In a controlled laboratory setting, Study 1 found that an MCI template produces a memory advantage after a (...) 1‐week delay, relative to entirely intuitive or maximally counterintuitive cognitive templates. Using archival methods, Study 2 examined the cognitive structure of Grimm Brothers folktales. Compared to culturally unsuccessful folktales, those that were demonstrably successful were especially likely to fit an MCI template. These findings highlight the role of human memory processes in cultural evolution. (shrink)

Enzo Paci (1911-1976) est l’une des principales figures de la philosophie italienne de la deuxième moitié du xxesiècle, et a une importance toute particulière pour le développement de la phénoménologie en Italie. En effet, après une première phase proche de l’existentialisme (entre les années quarante et le début des années cinquante) et une tentative de reconfiguration plus autonome de sa pensée sous le nom de « relationnisme », à partir de la fin des années cinquante Paci appelle de ses vœu...

У статті розглянуто історичні та соціокультурні відмінності між масовою і популярною культурою. З’ясовано стосунок обох феноменів до загальної сфери культури та її головних засад. Розуміючи культуру як облаштування, плекання, виховання, вміння, вдосконалення, можна говорити про високі зразки осягання світу. Позаяк масові соціальні явища пов’язані з ослабленням інтелектуально-естетичних параметрів, виникає потреба порівняти високі та низькі рівні культури. Індустріалізація й урбанізація прискорили розвиток медій, які допомогли наблизити здобутки цивілізації до мас. Але ринкові механізми розповсюдження благ сприяли диктату комерції. Мистецькі виміри культури не (...) відповідали прагматичним вимогам і були притлумлені маркетинговими програмами, що спричинили інфантильність і споживацтво. Ці риси характеризують масову культуру. Та поруч із високою культурою віддавна існувала й народна, традиційна, низова культура, ознаками якої є доступність, поширеність, неофіційність, периферійність, неоднорідність і субкультурність. Проаналізовано становлення популярної культури від стародавніх до модерних часів. З’ясовано, що творці культури зарівно оперують високими ідеалами та популярними смислами. Втім, популярне відрізняється від масового завдяки породженню альтернатив. Тобто популярна культура не виродилася у конформізм, а зберегла запал протесту. Популярні тенденції не лише містять прагнення до задоволення широких потреб, а й враховують шанс протистояти примусу. Отже, варто визнати нетотожність маскульту і поп-культури. Тому популярна культура є цариною виникнення ідей, у якій соціальні гравці здатні творчо реалізувати свої уявлення та цінності. (shrink)

The authors examined cultural preferences for formal versus intuitive reasoning among East Asian (Chinese and Korean), Asian American, and European American university students. We investigated categorization (Studies 1 and 2), conceptual structure (Study 3), and deductive reasoning (Studies 3 and 4). In each study a cognitive conflict was activated between formal and intuitive strategies of reasoning. European Americans, more than Chinese and Koreans, set aside intuition in favor of formal reasoning. Conversely, Chinese and Koreans relied on intuitive strategies more than (...) European Americans. Asian Americans' reasoning was either identical to that of European Americans, or intermediate. Differences emerged against a background of similar reasoning tendencies across cultures in the absence of conflict between formal and intuitive strategies. (shrink)

Contributed articles on modern philosophy, Saiva Siddhanta and Cō. Kiruṣṇarājā.

In this article, the author examines the relationship between the human self and its two distinctive conditions – the Other, as any alternative form of being, and the Stranger, as hostility. In the first part of the article, the author shows historical and cultural dimensions of Self and the Other in the European context. In this regard, anything that does not belong to a particular cultural area is deprived of ontological status and expelled. The Other has attributes of femininity or (...) bestiality and is associated with evil or deviation. However, the extraordinariness of the Other causes a certain enchantment. Finally, the Other becomes an image of the mirror that offers a look at oneself from aside. The second part exposes the structure of the relationship between Me and Thou according to the theory of Martin Buber. Here the monolithic world appears as a double. Openness, intimacy, and trust are characteristic for this construction. Aggressive forms of power are replaced with respect and responsibility. In the third part, based on the ideas of Emmanuel Levinas, the totality of being is proved unlocked by interaction with the Other. It becomes possible as a response to sympathy and love. Therefore, the Other is revealed through his/her face that one can see, while human condition is based on the fact that a human cares for the existence of the Other. Finally, in the fourth part, the author appeals to Julia Kristeva approach to the problem of Stranger. He finds out that the possibility of recognizing the essential elements of Stranger within our Self is an important aspect of human identity, as we will only be able to clarify our own purposes by accepting someone else in ourselves. (shrink)

As ıl adı Ebû Muhammed Abdullah b. Muhammed b. Yusuf b. Abdulmennan El-Hilmi el-Amasi’dir. Daha çok Yusuf Efendizade lakabıyla tanınmı ş tır. 18.yüzyılda ya ş amı ş bir osmanlı alimidir. Osmanlı devletinde kıraat ilminin geli ş mesinde büyük payı vardır. Kıraat sahasında çok sayıda önemli eserler telif etmi ş tir. Dönemin karakeristik özelliklerini yansıtması bakımından en önemli çalı ş malarından birisi de “er-Rediyyetü li’d-Dâd el-Mu’ceme” adlı risalesidir. Bu çalı ş masında saçaklızade diye bilinen el-Mera’ ş i’ye dâd harfinin okunu ş (...) u hakkında cevap vermi ş tir. Saçaklızade’nin “keyfüyetü edai li’d-dâd” adlı risalesi osmanlı alimleri arasında büyük bir polemi ğ e yol açmı ş tır. Bu meyanda kendisine dönemin büyük kıraat âlimlerinden reddiyeler gelmi ş tir. Ş eyhü’l-Kurra müessesinin temsilcil ğ ini yapan Yusuf Efendizade dâd harfini kıraat, tecvid, fıkıh, tefsir ve dil ilimlerine göre de ğ erlendirerek ilmi bir risale yazmı ş tır. Makale, Reis’ul-Kurra Yusuf Efendizade’nin bu risalesini kıraat ilmine bir katkıda bulunmak üzere tahkikli metniyle birlikte sunmayı hedefler. (shrink)

Albert Schweitzer maintained that the idea of "Reverence for Life" came upon him on the Ogowe River as an "unexpected discovery, like a revelation in the midst of intense thought." While Schweitzer made numerous significant contributions to an incredible diversity of fields - medicine, music, biblical studies, philosophy and theology - he regarded Reverence for Life as his greatest contribution and the one by which he most wanted to be remembered. Yet this concept has been the subject of a range (...) of distortions and misunderstandings, both academic and popular. In this book, Ara Barsam provides a new interpretation of Schweitzer's reverence and shows how it emerged from his studies of German philosophy, Indian religions, and his biblical scholarship on Jesus and Paul. By throwing light on the origin and development of Schweitzer's thought, Barsam leads his readers to a closer appreciation of the contribution that reverence makes to current ethical issues. Whereas previous commentators have focused on "reverence for life" as a philosophical ethic located in that tradition, this book demonstrates that it is in fact Schweitzer's theology that provides the hitherto undiscerned foundation for his ethic. Even among those who herald Schweitzer as the one who brought "reverence" to Christianity, there exists a tendency to underemphasize how his thinking also developed from his pivotal encounter with Indian religions. As Barsam shows, it is impossible to grasp the nature and the significance of Barsam's contribution without addressing that link. Life-centered ethics - in the broadest sense - have continued to flourish, yet Schweitzer's pioneering contribution is often overlooked. Not only did he help establish the issue on the moral agenda, but, most significant, he also provided much sought after philosophical and theological foundations. Schweitzer emerges from this critical study of his life and thought as a remarkable individual who should rightfully be regarded as a moral giant of the twentieth-century. (shrink)

From Italy’s capital to its northern borders runs an old racist ad-age: “Africa begins in Naples.” In a range of texts and films beginning in the late 1950s, Pier Paolo Pasolini shifted that proverbial frontier further north, to places like Pietralata, or Rebibbia, or Tiburtina: that is, to the edges of the Eternal City itself, to the borgate disinherited from authority both urban and institutional. The very notion of “Africa,” Pasolini writes in 1961,is the concept of an extremely complex subproletarian (...) condition that has yet to be utilized as a real revolutionary force. Perhaps I am best able to define this concept if we identify Africa with the entire world of Bandung [Indonesia, site of a... (shrink)