i found a use for my plurk

"In primitive societies the training of the child is usually directed to his learning the traditions of the tribe, so that he may find his identity, not in anything peculiar to himself, but in the common mind

of his people." 1

cf. conservatism on education: "The function of education is conservative: not to deify the child's 'glorious self-expression,' but to limit his instincts and behavior by unbreakable ethical habits.

"In his natural instincts, every modern baby is still born a caveman baby. What prevents [him] from remaining [so] is the conservative force of law and tradition, the slow accumulation of civilised habits"

"Every new generation constitutes a wave of savages who must be civilised by their families, schools, and churches." (Democratic Ideal, p89)

"the psychological sense of a clear distinction between my being, and that of other people" cf. Hegel's alienations

"the Greek tragedy was a drama of circumstance, whereas the Western tragedy is essentially a drama of character" p.4

p. 5 breakdown of renaissance myth

mini-renaissance of humanism & individualism 1080-1150

"At a technical level ["humanism"] implies the ability to read Latin easily and write it elegantly... an essential preliminary to the imaginative exploration of themselves and the universe." 7

"What cannot be verbalized can scarcely be thought [cf. SWH], and before 1050 the capacity of most writers to express themselves lucidly was poor."

Einhard's awkward Suetonius pastiche @ Charlemagne (8)

Erasmus's sine Graecitate; 12th c sine Latinitate

"[Mastery of Latin] made possible a naturalness and immediacy of observation, and a subtlety of reflection, which had been impossible in previous centuries" 9

"A sense of individualty and value is implicit in belief in a God who has called each man by name"

"Europe so predominantly agricultural, Church maintained liturgical year based not on seasons but on sacred history and feasts of saints; upon man and God's acts in man"

community-language of the new testament; body of christ, etc. but church hierarchy smothered potential small collectivism & individualism got space again to grow

12 good analysis of audience's context reading new testament

"The twelfth century was inclined to help itself to what it wanted from classical literature, as the Hebrews had robbed the Egyptians of their jewels-- a soothing analogy to many scholars' uneasy consciences"

"The later world of rabbit-warren towns and monster autocracies" led to the emergence of quite different cultural forms, among them "despair born of chaos"

big medieval monopolies take over, individual rooted, result: religions of world-renunciation, LIBERATION from self to join One (Neoplatonists, Manichees)

"breakup of classical system of city-states left the individual bewildered and rudderless, but... conferred new responsibilities and forms of ethical status.

The frontiers are wider-- and more like our own. For man confronts the universe not as a citizen but as an individual." 14 im so fucking stealing that line

DANCE BREAK

Seneca's letters: self examination

Augustine's Confessions in Greco-Roman "tradition of self exploration"

"the sovereign remedy against ills is seen as true self-knowledge: "It is because forgetfulness of thyself hath bewildered thy mind that thou hast bewailed thee as an exile"

--boethius (18)