Which problem are Marxism and German Idealism trying to solve?
How do we know that the things in our heads mirror the world outside? (According to Kant we can’t compare our worldview with those of others)
What does the Kantian Divide refer to?
According to Kant we can’t have access to the outside world. All we have are mental representations in our heads. Everything we perceive is filtered. However, human beings can’t accept this and they try to get a glimpse of an objective world regardless.
What is German Idealisms answer to the Problem of Culturally Shared Worldviews?
- Nature is ordered rationally. This is theexpression of a supreme principle. („Weltseele“, „Weltgeist“)
- Our minds are imperfect manifestations of that same „Weltgeist“. (It is not about thinking, but about feeling the work of beauty)
- Therefore, we are capable of understanding the principles that govern nature, if only imperfectly.
- The closer we get to that „Weltgeist“, the better we will understand the world outside. (One can develop a sort of cultural literacy)
According to German Idealism what is the function of art in creating culturally shared worldviews?
Art, at its best, allows us a glimpse at the supreme rationality of the “Weltgeist”. (Artists have superior access to the Weltgeist and thus we are reliant on the artists to describe the world to us)
Explain the model of German Idealism
What is Marxisms answer to the question of How we know that things in our head mirror the world outside?
Who the f*** cares? The things outside are only relevant when we try to do something with them. As long as we succeed, the mental representation of the outside world was good enough. (Nietzsche: What works is true enough)
What are the foundations of the Marxist approach?
- The mind is formed in interaction with the world.
- The contents of minds, therefore, depend on what the world looks like.
- Whoever determines the shape of the material world, determines the contents of the minds of those who live in it.
- The most significant interaction with the world is work.
ERGO: Whoever controlls the conditions under which work is done controls the contents of the minds in the respective society.
Explain the Marxist model
What was kept finally about marxism in the lecture?
- Marxism is one of the earliest theories that has a concept of the interaction between the different dimensions of culture, if a pretty simplistic one.
- Many of the early approaches in Cultural Studies can be seen as attempts to overcome „Vulgar Marxist“ approaches without getting rid of the basic ideas of Marx and Engels.
- There has always been a strong resistance to these attempts from more traditionally-minded scholars.
- In many cases this resistance goes back to Idealistic and Romantic concepts of Art and Culture.
Why do people want Culturally Shared Worldviews?
Because they want to pretend that there are objective facts about the world.
What is Ideology in the Marxist sense?
- Through our interaction with the outside world we develop a worldview.
- Then exchange value becomes part of the world. Now everything is ascribed a vlaue (That is Ideology). There is an arbitrary link between what you do and what you get. Ideology in the Marxist sense is similar to the Artist helping us to cross the Kantian Divide. Ideology is what makes us believe that we know about the world.
- Ideology has won over when people consider social structures as norm (or reality).
Explain the Marxist model of Ideology
What is Adornos and the Frankfurt schools idea of Ideology?
- Our pictures of the world in many societies are centered around money (or exchange).
- Through Ads, Novels etc. the Kulturindustrie tries to equate objects with certain ideas.
- We seem to be able to even buy immaterial stuff (Tauschprinzip is urverwandt mit dem Identifikationsprinzip).
- It is also about monetizing emotionality. Ideology is always meant to sell stuff.
- “Ideologie steckt in der impliziten Identität von Begriff und Sache. Identität ist die Urform von Ideologie”
What is the role of language in Ideology according to the Frankfurt school of thought?
Language is both, the big equalizer and yet also provider of ideology.
What is the function of Art according to the Frankfurt school of thought?
Art can refuse or destroy identity. Thus “good” art has to be brought to the masses. Avantgarde-Art for example highlights how we can’t jump to conclusions and that A isn’t necessarily always B. Which is why we have to insist on the uniqueness of experiences.
What are some of the examples of Art that Destroy or Refuse “Identity”?
- Theatre of the Absurd
- Abstract paintings
- Twelve-tone music
What is the relationship between the Frankfurt school of thought and the Birminghame approach to Cultural studies?
- It is the complete counter-notion to the Birmingham Cultural Studies idea of Culture.
- Many conflicts can be tracked from Birmingham vs. Adorno/Critical Theory.
What is Idealism?
Where the Mental dimension of culture is more important than the social and material dimensions.
What is Marxism’s focus in the three dimensions of cultural studies?
Marxism is the core of much of materialist cultural studies, but marxism is also the first concept of the interaction between different dimensions of culture.
