calculus
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====== Calculus ====== | ====== Calculus ====== | ||
- | Vilém Flusser’s philosophical work can be divided | + | Vilém Flusser’s philosophical work can be divided into two main periods: the first, sometimes referred to as “philosophy of language, |
- | into two main periods: the first, sometimes | + | |
- | referred to as “philosophy of language, | + | |
- | second one, known as “philosophy of communication” | + | |
- | or “media philosophy.” In the latter, the | + | |
- | word “calculus” gains a more accurate and precise | + | |
- | meaning than in the first period, for reasons | + | |
- | that will be described in the following. | + | |
- | In the first stage of Flusser’s thinking, his conception | + | In the first stage of Flusser’s thinking, his conception of mathematics contains the notion of calculus. In The History of the Devil (2014) this concept is rather negative in the chapter on wrath, and more positive in the chapter concerning pride, as well as in the section on music in the chapter “A Língua Cria Realidade” [Language Creates Reality] in //Língua e Realidade// [Language and Reality] (1963). |
- | of mathematics contains the notion of | + | |
- | calculus. In The History of the Devil (2014) this | + | |
- | concept is rather negative in the chapter on | + | |
- | wrath, and more positive in the chapter concerning | + | |
- | pride, as well as in the section on music | + | |
- | in the chapter “A Língua Cria Realidade” [Language | + | |
- | Creates Reality] in //Língua e Realidade// | + | |
- | [Language and Reality] (1963). | + | |
- | In the first case, his notion of mathematics, | + | In the first case, his notion of mathematics, |
- | from the Renaissance to the present day, refers | + | |
- | to the idea of law (that exists since classical | + | As for his philosophy of communicology, |
- | antiquity) which has been interpreted as a | + | |
- | mechanical regularity. This gave rise not only to | + | //Original article by [[: |
- | modern science, but also to the technologies it | + | |
- | spawned. The negative connotations of mathematics | + | // |
- | mentioned above relate to the blind faith | + | |
- | in the truth of the “hard” sciences and also to | + | |
- | the danger that the technologies brought forth | + | |
- | by these sciences are so powerful they can annihilate | + | |
- | all human life. As described in the two | + | |
- | main works produced during Flusser’s first work | + | |
- | phase, the positive side of mathematics derives | + | |
- | from its similarity with music: “This aesthetic | + | |
- | quality (why shouldn’t one say it?), this musical | + | |
- | aspect of mathematics is, most likely, the real | + | |
- | reason for the attraction it exerts on the intellect. | + | |
- | And, vice versa, the mathematical quality | + | |
- | of music at the level of prayer makes music the | + | |
- | greatest contribution to the inflected languages | + | |
- | in all the actual conversations that constitute reality.” | + | |
- | (//Língua e Realidade//, | + | |
- | from the Portuguese) | + | |
- | As for his philosophy of communicology, | ||
- | term “calculus” appears in the context of | ||
- | Flusser’s periodization, | ||
- | images refer to prehistory, texts to history, | ||
- | and technical images refer to post-history. If | ||
- | this sequence is understood as the progressive | ||
- | abstraction of the dimensions through which | ||
- | we experience reality, traditional images are | ||
- | two-dimensional (a dimension of our three-dimensional | ||
- | world experience is abstracted), | ||
- | is one-dimensional, | ||
- | zero-dimensional. Geometrically, | ||
- | corresponds to one point (just | ||
- | as two-dimensionality refers to the plane and | ||
- | one-dimensionality refers to the line), which can | ||
- | be understood as one of the elementary units | ||
- | that lead to the calculus (Latin; literally “small | ||
- | pebble,” as used on an abacus). This becomes | ||
- | the origin of “computerization” and of the encoded | ||
- | world we currently live in: “Therefore, | ||
- | and computing are the fourth gesture of | ||
- | abstraction (the length of the line is abstracted), | ||
- | whereby humans transform themselves into | ||
- | players who calculate and compute concepts.” | ||
- | (//O Universo das Imagens Técnicas//, | ||
- | translated from the Portuguese)* | ||
- | * Editorial note: This passage does not exist in the English edition. | ||
- | //Original article by Rodrigo Duarte// |
calculus.1604883233.txt.gz · Last modified: 2021/11/05 17:47 (external edit)