Welcome readers
With reference to "Mathew Arnold's essay on 'Culture & Anarchy'" which was published in 'periodical essays' between 1867-68, collected in book in 1869 and finally a preface was added in 1875. I am writing some of the points suggested in it; such as 'sweetness&light', 'doing as one likes', 'barbarians, philistines and populace', a central idea of combining 'hebraism as well as hellenism', 'Porto unum necessarium' and 'liberal practitioners'.
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SWEETNESS & LIGHT |
"Sweetness: Moral righteousness + Light: Intellectual power&truth = Ministry of Culture":
Victorian Era : Mammon Worshipping
Based on History and Society
'Moral righteousness doesn't mean 'rigidity' andmammon worshiping' as it was prevailing in "Victorian Era". But something which is related to inner depth, moral sense(spirituality) which indicates our mind towards spirituality. It is like seeing as "Plato was seeing the world(with truth in it, rather concerning realism)".
If due to undecidability "moral sense" is stucked in between, it will damage human psycology(as happened with Hamlet in Hamlet play). Say morality as seen in (Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens: Though a boy an exceptional among many common people retain his self, till the end, without distorting his moral senses).
To achieve the idea of "what was bestly thought by the people in the past". We need to balance both "sweetness and light". Sweetness as we had discussed in prior section, lightness has regardance with "active intelligence". Which is an emancipatory approach, not abided but loosely pouring its light for the welfare of people, which is deeply rooted in scepticism, scepticism in terms of every aspect of life, where evil is scepticised and solution is made for the betterment of the people.
We may have an example of "Restoration era" where due to puritan strictness, the era was flinged into dark and so people of that particular era had to suffer and in this era the idea of deliriousness was given importance, for the welfare of the people.
By balancing both the scientific passion for pure knowledge with temperament of social and moral can be gained for people's welfare.
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Doing as one likes
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It is mere a Joker, whose job is to entertain the people with his funny bodily movements and facial expressions. While on the other side it seems to be a 'criminal or masquerade' who in exact terms is something else but pretending to be the one valuable.
Refering to the first idea of entertainment, if like joker everyone is free to behave as one likes and noone is their to control(authority power) then what would be the ultimate status of any place/region/country/city/continent. It would transform into anarchy, for those who are practising pleasurable activities for them it will retain as usual thing but an outsider(intellectual resistant) would have the unbiased look and he would feel that these fun makers need some resistance.
Doing as one likes also meant to be "an anarchy": Which refers to a society without a public enforced government or violently enforced politically authority.
If we refer the other chunk of "masquerade of Joker" humanbeings have also become similar to this. Somewhere openly spreading chaos, (those will be untamed/insensible or sometimes a rebellious people)somewhere hiddenly releasing negative viruses(those who are indulged in insensitive political power)while somewhere by being masked doing many problematic things to transform the society into anarchy or some favourable things for the welfare of people and society( sometime for public welfare, sometime intentionally to deteriorate the society and its people).
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HEBRAISM
Who by nature are fashionable, more civilized, free-thinker, liberantian and rich. |
PHILISTINE:
Who were pure industrialist and commercial.As believe 'money as a prime concern for life' those by being in "coffee hubs" exchange the ideas and utilize those for the progression of their particular business.
For example : Eighteenth Century(Coffee hub)
A coffee hub in London, where people were used to gather and exchange their ideas, and likewise dissemination of information was made to happen.
To relate with these some characteristics of some characteristics from "Far from the madding crowd" novel, we have "Boldwood":
In this novel by Thomas Hardy, Gabriel Oak, Troy, Boldwood and Bathsheba are represented, presenting their given roles. If we see Boldwood, he is literally business man, while Bathsheba can't be considered as domesticated in house.Thus the philistinians were utilizing those ideas for Development of their business, and seems to be interested in leveling their higher strata in society.
POPULACE:
As they were already indulged in gaining their 'basic necessities' due to extreme poverty, they can't think out of their reach, can't cultivate skills or such abilities to push themselves ahead in their lives and as their weakness is known to those people, who were dictators, they were easily succumbed to subjectivity and were used in gaining their own(dictators) personal benefits.
Hence the idea is one should follow 'balanced way of life' which can be done by two approaches; one is Hebraim(conscience of strictness, therefore obedient) and another is Hellenism(spontaneity of consciousness), merging of both can lead to equilibriumity, staunchly following one, hebraism(Jewish idea) won't provide "intellectuality or light", while travelling on only "hellenism" perhaps lead to free way of living life but not balanced one, which is also necessary for living healthy and prosper life.
Hebraism has connection with rigidity, bias, superiority and anarchy, and which is also static. While Hellenism refers to spontaneity, which travels between both "Hebraism as well as Hellenism" rather than sticking to any one, has balance tendency.
Hebraism goes with Bible, narrow-mindedness, thinking only for God follower. While Hellenism will go with spirit of Greek, open-minded knowledge, thinking for practical follower of the platonic idea.
Thus balance of both is suggestive for every human being.
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| Our Liberal Practitioners |
Unpretending writers are such, who will see each and everything, coming in front of them with logical and reasoning and if any idea or any sect doesn't possess this naturality, then they will do away with that prevailing idea.
According to them if a religion, without critical tendency accepts the rules of any religion blindly, and blocks their intellectual space as not able to access through the thinking arena of what is being right and wrong even don't have scepticism towards anything, if suppose it is there, people will have solution but without it the thinking won't get free flow of thought and so without identifying what is right and wrong just indulging themselves into what is coming forward. They also say that they don't have any bias or problem with any idea or any type of religion if they provide space for free thinking.
For Example - Gandhiji:
(Refering this idea with religion's context)
As father of our nation: Mahatma Gandhiji, who was heavily influenced by 'Jainism' in his youth, but in some respects he was libertarian. He had accepted all hebraising ideas and was amiable with all religious people. Whether those were Christians, Muslims, Hindus or Sikhs.
Thus a libertarian will be of a flexible tendency, who doesn't have any bias, prejudices or any kind of antipathy towards anyone, but will try to adjust in any situation, with any person, by cultivating within elasticity.
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| PORRO UNUM EST NECESSARIUM |
Porro Unum Est Necessarium, is a satire on Wellington's pressure over king's "Catholic emancipation". Lettered in the title caption "his ambition will lead him to attempt that one thing", Vide Napolean Bonaparte's prophecy.
As per "Bonaparte's prophecy", as wellington king has a specific ambition towards the king, not to allow him to be his self with "Catholicism" and as the prediction of prophecy, it had effectual consequences also in the past, where "protestantism, a christian sect was established, while somewhere the same sect was followed, but they weren't allowed to follow this particular sect openly.
Likewise, it is explained for "Doing as one likes" that when "freedom" reaches at its extreme stage, then everything transforms into anarchy. But if it is balanced with "conscience of strictness" and "spontaneity of consciousness", respectively representing the ideas of 'Hebraism' and 'Hellenism', then a person can flourish and prosper with reconcialation
Otherwise it isn't possible if one is staunchly stucked only to one idea, the stimulated faculty of mind will prosper, while the other will remain in 'dormant state'
Thus we had seen subsequently Sweetness and light, doing as one likes, three stratas of culture; hebraism, philistines and populace, along with the balancing idea of "hebraism and hellenism", liberal practitioners and at last Porro unum est necessarium.
Thankyou
Samiya Kagdi
A learner at PG center
Department Of English
MKBU
APPLIED SOURCES:
https://dilipbarad.blogspot.com/2020/01/culture-and-anarchy.html
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