In his work Texts and Lumps, Richard Rorty asserts the view pragmatists hold on language, that it is “a way to grab on to causal forces and making them do what we want,” that linguistic behavior is “tool-using.” One may endeavor to use language as a discourse to discover ethics, as Jurgen Habermas suggests in his work. John Rawls alludes to discourse being a key factor in establishing just social institutions. James Ferguson gives an example of the role of discourse in the “development” of third world countries. Jim Igoe expands upon this, and along with Ferguson, leans upon the ideas of Michel Foucault and these two authors assert the limitations of discourse as a linguistic tool to make the causal forces of the universe work for us. In this essay I will explore how language functions as a tool to illuminate ideals and values such as ethics, democracy and justice, and what its limitations are in the shadow of power structures and social tradition.
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Essays, Politics | 5.12.2006 17:13 | No Comments
“Religious love and courtly love were both suffered as a destiny, were both submitted to and not denied. Converted by a passion that henceforth directed and dominated them and for which all manner of suffering could be borne, the courtly lovers, like the religious, sought a higher emotional state than ordinary life provided. They sought ecstasy; and this required of them a heroic discipline, an ascetic fortitude, and single-mindedness.”
Scholar Joan Kelly Ph.D writes fascinating things about the romantic sexual love– which is at the same time sacramental –present in feudal times. I find inspiration and a precious glowing ember of fire and passion, with a glimpse into the prose of love a thousand years old, it striking chords deep in my very soul. I may well have stumbled upon an essence of the incredible energy I feel when I have a crush. This is a short summary from her essay Did Women Have a Renaissance? from her book Women, History, and Theory, and my humble commentary. I am fascinated.
As troubadours and their female counter-part trobairitz depict, in feudal society the relationship of some men and women of the nobility was often a vassalage- a relationship entered into freely, mutually, it was quite a different relationship from the arranged marriage. Love was in fact separate from marriage- as marriage was merely a social and natural necessity. Sexual love was glorified oustide the marriage. Passion, ecstasy, and a heroic wandering were exhalted, reflected in a romantic literature by such medieval writers as Chretien de Troyes and Gautier d’Arras, Marie de France, and others. The church acquiesced to blatant adultery such as the history of Eleanor of Aquitane who happened to be the wife of the king of France.
The life of noble-women differed dramatically from that of renaissance Italy and the rise of the early modern state. The shift of social structure to that of the modern state included a massive shift for the role of sexuality, women, their access to political power, education… In the restructurization, women lost all control over property, and all power they previously had. Any equality of men and women in nobility women held in feudalism gave way to a dependence on men, as “feudal independence and reciprocity yielded to the state.”(45)
Romance and chivalry were displaced by classical culture. Yes, women were educated, but by male educators of the humanistic school instead of by the court of a great lady. Sexual love was displaced by the emphasis on chastity, a transcendence of desire of the body to the pure ideal of beauty, to Spiritual Love. Asexuality and chastity characterized the relationship between men and women. Love became tied to marriage, legitimacy in children became indispensable, and obedience became paramount. Women’s role in society again corresponds to the stability and maintenance of the social structure. The renaissance heightened education in society and introduced ideas of the enlightenment, but conceptions about any sort of equality of women in society went deep into the periphery.
Life sounds much better, at least for the noble women in the vassalage, mutual service, in feudalism, in love.
The feudality disregarded any number of church rulings that affected their interests, such as prohibitions of tournaments and repudiation of spouses (divorce) and remarriage. Moreover, adultery hardly need the sanction of courtly love, which, if anything, acted as a restraining force by binding sexuality (except in marriage)to love…
…Love, on the other hand, defined a passion for the good, perfects the individual; hence love, according to Thomas Aquinas, properly directs itself toward God. Like the churchman, Lancelot spurned mere sexuality– but for the sake of sexual love. He defied Christian teaching by reattaching love to sex; and experiencing his love as a devout vocation, as a passion, he found himself in utter accord with Christian feeling. His love, as Chretien’s story makes clear, is sacramental as well as sexual
…(24) (original italics)
Precious, glowing ember.
Kelly, J. Women, History, and Theory. Chicago UP, 1984.
Essays, Love | 29.09.2006 3:17 | 1 Comment
Nina Lois is a graduate student at the University of Colorado at Denver obtaining a Master's Degree in Humanities with a B.A. in political science. Her passions are broad when it comes to the human condition. She is deeply interested in philosophy, psychology, environmental and social justice, peace studies, music, nutrition, tradition, and progress. 
Upon her imminent graduation, she wishes to contribute to the health, wealth, and happiness of the community through involvement, writing, and research. For goodness's sake, love the body, cultivate the mind and a garden, and feed the soul!
Thanks again