[ox-en] Re: self-unfolding in the middle-ages

• From: Stefan Merten <smerten oekonux.de>
• Date: Sun, 24 Mar 2002 12:51:13 +0100

Hi David, Graham, Benni, list!

Last month (40 days ago) David Riley wrote:
^^^^^^^^^^
Sorry for the monster delay :-( .

Benni Baermann <benni obda.de> writes:

On Mon, Feb 11, 2002 at 06:14:38PM -0500, Graham Seaman wrote:

Well you did say 'schematically': but even so, I think this is completely
wrong. For proof: go into any  gothic cathedral and look at the
mix of personal expression and overall structure and design. There was
far more 'selbstentfaltung' in 'high' feudalism than most of capitalism.

Thats IMHO not true. As a basis for Selbstentfaltung you need
something like a subject, an individual, who can do things because he
want to do it. There is nothing like this in gothic cathedrals. We
know mostly not any _name_ of the artists involved. It was not
necessary for them, they just do it as craftsman for god, not for
themself.

I agree that medieval craft production was not the same as
selbstentfaltung but I think the key difference is in the community
element. I see it as more akin to individualist `self-realisation',
eg the guild system was designed to restrict specialised skills /
knowledge to a (relatively) privileged elite.

I think it is generally difficult to mix notions like selbstentfaltung
with medieval craftsmanship. I think the intellectual background of
then and today is simply to different for a useful application.

However, I think that art in general and thus also in the expression
of a medieval craftsman points to a innate potential of human beings.
This innate potential has always been there and probably it's a direct
result of the human relation of possibility ("Möglichkeitsbeziehung")
to reality / freedom.

The question is how this potential has been expressed over time. These
expressions and I think even the way people felt about it changed
again and again. (Today?) alienation is a main show stopper in these
days (seen with todays eyes of course) it was religion.


						Mit Freien Grüßen

						Stefan

_______________________
http://www.oekonux.org/

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