ISBN: 9780231147903

At many universities, money and support tend to flow in the direction of economics, science, and other departments that demonstrate measurable "progress." The humanities, however, present… Plus…

At many universities, money and support tend to flow in the direction of economics, science, and other departments that demonstrate measurable "progress." The humanities, however, present more abstract and uncertain outcomes. Medical research can cure disease, whereas the benefits of studying Hebrew scripture are hard to quantify, especially when so many scholars have already studied the texts. Because a humanist's objects of study are obscure in ways that pathogens and cell manufacture are not, the humanities will never progress according to scientific criteria.By comparing the objects of science, such as the brain, the galaxy, the amoeba, and the quark, to the objects of humanistic inquiry, such as the poem, the photograph, the belief, and the philosophical concept, Volney Gay reestablishes a fundamental distinction between science and the humanities, freeing the latter from its pursuit of material-based progress and restoring its disciplines to a place of privilege and respect. Through the metaphor of magnification, Gay shows that, whereas natural objects can be investigated to the limits of imaging capacity, cultural objects cannot be magnified without dissolving into noise& mdash;they can only be studied in context and through metaphor and narrative. Gathering examples from literature, art, film, philosophy, religion, science, and psychoanalysis, Gay finds a new justification for the humanities: In revealing the unseen and making abstract ideas tangible, the arts create meaningful wholes, which itself is a form of progress. Media >, [PU: Columbia University Press]<

ISBN: 9780231147903

Columbia University Press. Used - Very Good. Ships from Reno, NV. Former Library book. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one mill… Plus…

Columbia University Press. Used - Very Good. Ships from Reno, NV. Former Library book. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy!, Columbia University Press<

2009, ISBN: 0231147902

[EAN: 9780231147903], Gebraucht, sehr guter Zustand, [SC: 3.0], [PU: Columbia University Press], Jacket, Privately owned, unmarked text, unclipped jacket, ships airmail from Berlin Booksh… Plus…

[EAN: 9780231147903], Gebraucht, sehr guter Zustand, [SC: 3.0], [PU: Columbia University Press], Jacket, Privately owned, unmarked text, unclipped jacket, ships airmail from Berlin Bookshop bx73, Books<