HCJ catch up

Well, I had intended over the past 4 weeks to do one HCJ post a week to catch up on the ones that I have so far failed to blog about, but that clearly didn’t work, so I’m smushing (technical term) it all into this one. Enjoy.

German Idealism

German idealism derives from an antithesis and dislike of British Empiricism and was influenced by the Romantic Movement.  It is based on the idea that metaphysics as a possible/worthwhile activity.

Kant, “the anti-Hume” according to my notes, tried to prove that all knowledge comes from experience but not through generalising observations through pure logic. He says that our knowledge is also based on ideas that are, in a way, instinctive and not logical.

	A Priori	A Posteriori
Analytic	Triangles have three sides Bicycles have 2 wheels	???
Synthetic	7+5=12	Dogs bark Fire burns

Hegel believed that the only thing that does not change is that things change. He came up with the idea that all things have a “geist” or ghost form so that though things change/decay, it is still that thing. For example, though you grow older and change, your still you therefore you must have a geist.

Schopenhauer suggested that suffering is essential to life and is caused by will which makes people pursue things that leave them feeling unfulfilled and unhappy. He thinks that a good man goes against will and nature.

Scepticism

The 4 Great sceptics:

1.       Marx – class ideology, economics
2.       Nietzsche – morality, culture
3.       Weber – power, legitimacy
4.       Freud – sexuality, irrationality

                            all believe there is no absolute or definite truth and that all experience is seen from a certain perspective. They all also think that the clouding of the enlightenment lead to cultural pessimism.

Weber & Bureaucracy

As there was no revolution as Marx had desired/predicted, there was a rise in the German state and social democracy (i.e. very bureaucratic, efficient and rigid in structure) which was then copied in England, France, America, etc. This type of state lead to the creation of the middle class and more jobs. However, it also leads to greater separation between employer and employee.

Bureaucratic plans are rationalised to the public who obey due to their authority (domination and legitimacy)

1.       Traditional (family, ritual, etc. – honour & dignity)
2.       Charisma (‘magical’ powers, religion, personality, costume & ceremony)
3.       Legal-rational/bureaucratic (qualification, routine, professionalism)

4 fundamental types of social action:
1.       Instrumental-rational action – rational/useful
2.       Value-rational action – good practice
3.       Effectual-emotional  affirmation/disaffirmation – emotional
4.       Traditional orientation – society

Nietzsche

Nietzsche separates reality from what is perceived using Greek Gods Apollo and Dionysus. Apollo, a god of light, dreams, knowledge and reason, represents idealism whilst Dionysus, god of wine, madness and ecstasy, is the chaos in reality however, neither can exist without the other. Greek tragedy relied on the conflict between Apollonian and Dionysian perception to create the struggle and misfortune needed for the genre.

From the reading it is clear that, at the time of writing his book ‘Birth of Tragedy’ at least, “Nietzsche believed all people suffer, but that the Greeks (and therefore the Germans, who he considered to be the most superior race since the Greeks themselves) suffered the most.” It is interesting to consider that these two ages are amongst the most fruitful and influential in terms of philosophy however, would his opinion of this be different if he were from a different country.

Additional thoughts on Anti-Semitism

In seminar, we discussed in what way others might have thought the Jews would alter their society. To me, I couldn’t see why they were threatened – after research and discussions with a friend of mine, I came to realise that, whilst Judaism differs in some aspects such as diet, there were few differences that could dramatically change their culture as the religion suggests that only those born into the religion need to practice it. Unless you are born to a Jewish mother, you are not truly Jewish therefore there is no sense in others of the time, or even now, being worried about being converted or having their culture altered. After a long chat over facebook with my friend, we concluded that the only real and justified (in a warped sense of the word) reason for this prejudice is ignorance, which is true even in today’s society and of many other religions or cultures.

We also discussed an aspect I left out of my paper which is the way in which different people reacted to conquerors at the time. From my understanding of the reading, most civilians were happy to accept their new ruler as long as they were not made inferior (e.g. enslaved) whilst Jewish people were more concerned about protecting their practices rather than their freedom – as long as they were able to follow the rules they were given by God, they did not mind (to an extent) being made to work.  This could have lead to people resenting them as they did not stand together to protect their freedom.

Easy as Pie

Before I begin, yes I do realise that, technically, I’ve totally failed my lent thing already but I’ve decided this week to swap Friday and Sunday round because, as an ‘adult’ and a student, my life’s rather hectic and unfortunately I don’t have the ability to decide not to do my work just to fullfil a promise I half-heartedly made very late at night after consuming a stupid amount of pizza and pancakes. So there.

Anyway, sticking on the theme of food, I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of students getting a reputation for not eating properly when the large percentage of us do. If you’re one of the few that doesn’t, Dude! You’re letting the side down! Don’t tell me it’s hard work or that you can’t afford it. What’s wrong with you? Learn to budget, jeez…

Prove it? Fine! Here’s a recipe (and Nigela Lawson spoof) for leftover pie. It goes great with vegetables (mixed, frozen, fresh or otherwise) and will totally impress your friends and family of a Sunday lunch time.

Equipment:

·         Oven-proof dish

·         Mixing bowl

·         Spoon (preferably wooden)

·         Sieve

·         Weighing Scales

Ingredients:

Pastry: (amounts may need to be changed, depending on size of pie)

·         4oz (120g) flour

·         2oz (60g) butter

·         1 or 2 tbsp water

Filling:

·         Leftover meats, stuffing, vegetables or vegetarian substitutes*

·         Gravy

·         Herbs and/or spices (optional)

* Note that these don’t have to be leftovers, often I’ll cook Quorn chicken, sausages and anything else that might as well go in there specifically for it. So long as it’s all cooked and it’s still okay to eat, it’s all good.

Yeah, see, half of that you have scattered around your kitchen anyway, don’t you? …Don’t lie.

Method:

Preheat the oven to about 200°C/400 Fahrenheit/Gas mark 6

Pastry:

·         Put small lumps or cubes of the butter in a  mixing bowl

·         Seive flower on top of this

·         Use your fingertips to rub the fat into the flour until it becomes a breadcrumb-like mixture

·         Add water a little at a time, stirring between additions until most/all the ‘breadcrumbs’ are stuck together in one big ball.

·         Mix and knead the pastry with your hands

·         Roll out to desired thickness

Most recipes say to put the dough in a bag and chill in the fridge for about half an hour but I’ve never bothered. It also says roll the pastry above... I don’t own a rolling pin here, so I kind of just stretch it out with my hands… Don’t question it; it works.

Now, if you’re making a proper pie, you’ll need to roll it out thick enough to line the inside of you dish before putting the filling in it. Usually I don’t do this and just make a top to the pie, so the filling just goes straight in the dish.

Filling:

·         Make gravy, adding in any herbs or spices to taste (I normally use rosemary, thyme, coarse ground pepper and sometimes a little paprika)

·         Cut up meat, vegetables, etc. into bite-size pieces

·         Place meats, etc. in dish and cover with the gravy

It’s up to you how thick you want your gravy, but remember it will get thicker as you cook it in the oven.

Now, you simply put your pie lid over the top and place in the oven. Depending on the size of your pie, depends on how long it will take to cook. Generally speaking, it’s ready when the pastry is a golden brown colour but if the dish I particularly deep or big, you may need to cover it in foil part way through to insure the middle is cooked through properly without burning the top.

Take it out the oven & check the pie is piping hot all the way to the middle and serve. Boom!

The real test, of course, is if everyone goes quiet when they eat it (or, alternatively, how easy it is to persuade them to do the washing up afterwards).

Leftover pastry? No problems!

·         Grate a little cheese and knead into the pastry.

·         Roll it out and cut into strips.

·         Place on baking tray and in oven until golden brown

·         Voila! Cheese straws!

Now, tell me students can’t cook. I dare you.