Bbenzon

Humankind got its start on the African savannas some hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years ago. At various times in our cultural history we’ve moved to distinctly new cultural ground, as it were. And so we are moving now, and have been for the past half century. This blog is how I see that move. Intellectually, I'm broadly interested in culture and the brain. Within that compass, anything could show up here. Literature and films (including animation), certainly, music as well, and graffiti. But, other things may show up as well. It's a blog, don't you know, it moves.
MY BLOGS
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New Savanna
http://new-savanna.blogspot.com/
Humankind got its start on the African savannas some hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years ago. At various times in our cultural history we’ve moved to distinctly new cultural ground, as it were. And so we are moving now, and have been for the past half century. This blog is how I see that move. I'm broadly interested in culture and the brain. Within that compass, anything could show up here. Literature and films (including animation), certainly, music as well, and graffiti. But, other things may show up as well. It's a blog, don't you know, it moves.
LATEST ARTICLES ( 6824 )
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STC, Poetic Form, and a Glimpse of the Mind
In which it is argued that we are in a position to glimpse, and only glimpse, a new vision of the human mind and of literary form.I've created a working paper... Read more
Posted on 10 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
The Illuminati: Leapin' Lizards!
Free the reptile within!From the Wikipedia:The Illuminati (plural of Latin illuminatus, "enlightened") is a name given to several groups, both real and... Read more
Posted on 10 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
The Prospero Project
I've uploated a thought experiment to Scribd. It's about a computer that can read literature and talk about it. It's called, naturally, Prospero. An abstract's... Read more
Posted on 09 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
To a Fellow Critic, on Cognitivism and Literary Form
I recently got a note from a fellow critic in which he talked about having had an Eminent Cognitivist visit his class. He said the fellow was bright, engaging,... Read more
Posted on 09 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
The Genius Chronicles: Going Boldly Where None Have Gone Before?
I've now assembled my posts on the MacArthur Fellows Program into a single document under the above title. You can download it at my Scribd page. Abstract and... Read more
Posted on 09 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
"Kubla Khan" and "This Lime-Tree Bower" Compared
On "Kubla Khan"; on "This Lime-Tree Bower".“Kubla Khan” (KK) and “This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison” (LTB) are very different poems, so different that if we... Read more
Posted on 08 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
The Sensory Word of Plants
Did you ever wonder how it is that flowers sense the morning sun and, in response, open their petals? And then they track the sun as it moves across the sky.... Read more
Posted on 08 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Small World Connections, a Few – From Britain to the New World
I was an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins from the fall of 1965 through the spring of 1969. During that same time David Hays, who would become my teacher at SUNY... Read more
Posted on 08 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Ancient Myths in Modern Movies
By Dr. Cora Angier Sowa. Here's her summary:Ancient and mediaeval epic tales like the Iliad and Odyssey, Gilgamesh, and the Chanson de Roland had plots made up... Read more
Posted on 07 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
The Ring-Form Challenge
The challenge is simple: for any given text – poem, drama, novel, film, what have you – is it a ring or not? That is, does it have the form:A, B, … X … B’,... Read more
Posted on 07 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
“This Lime-Tree Bower” – A Brief Anatomy
“This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison” is one in a series of poems in which Coleridge explored his love for a small circle of intimates. Read more
Posted on 07 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
A Baby’s Gaze May Signal Autism, Study Finds
So reports Pam Belluck in the NYTimes:Scientists are reporting the earliest behavioral sign to date that a child is likely to develop autism: when and how long ... Read more
Posted on 06 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
A City on the Move, Literally
Here's a real "blue sky" urban design. A small city mounted on huge caterpillar tracks allowing it to move around:In a world where people live more mobile... Read more
Posted on 06 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
The Jasmine Papers: Notes on the Study of Poetry in the Age of Cognitive Science
I have now collected my posts on "To a Solitary Disciple" and associated discussions into a single working paper having the above title. You may download it fro... Read more
Posted on 06 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Poetry, Science, and Felicity Conditions
I’ve just been looking at Margaret Freeman’s recent paper, The Role of Metaphor in Poetic Iconicity (downloadable PDF). No sooner had I read the intro than I ha... Read more
Posted on 06 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
The Disciple Revisited and Revived
Having made some remarks about how Lakoff and Turner have commented on “To a Solitary Disciple” in More than Cool Reason, I would now like to offer some... Read more
Posted on 05 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Interlude: Dylan Thomas Constructs a WONDERFUL Chiasmus
Some years ago, before I got a computer, I read. R. G. Peterson, Critical Calculations: Measure and Symmetry in Literature (PMLA 91, 3, May 1976: 367-375). Read more
Posted on 05 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Man-Machine Chess
Tyler Cowen:… a striking percentage of the best or most accurate chess games of all time have been played by man-machine pairs. Read more
Posted on 05 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
What’s a Global Reading For, Anyhow?
Let me continue my interrogation – as the kids call it these days – of Lakoff and Turner on “To a Solitary Disciple.” As interrogations are aggressive... Read more
Posted on 05 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Prose Rhythm, 2 Sentences by Hemingway
I’ve read a great deal of Hemingway, but years ago. He’s noted for his style. Here’s a paragraph from the Wikipedia entry:The simplicity of the prose is... Read more
Posted on 04 November 2013 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY