Is a justified war ethical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Is a justified war ethical - Essay Example historians and theologians depict them as holy wars fought to oust Muslim domination and regain control of Christian Holy Lands, while others portray the wars as a series of ruthless and intentional attacks by religious extremists (Guibert). The stance of the Church is that the Crusades were ethically justified. They heavily base their arguments on the ‘Just War Theory’ that was proclaimed by two of the Church’s most celebrated theologians – St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. The former was a renowned Catholic Bishop and theologian who lived in the 5th Century, author of many books of which ‘City of God’ and ‘Confessions’ are the most famous. He is looked upon as the creator of the Just War Theory. His effect on Christian theology is so immense that his influence persisted from the time of the middle ages up to the current period (Crusade-Encyclopedia). St. Thomas Aquinas was a renowned Catholic priest, philosopher and theologian who lived in the 13th Century. He totally agreed with his 5th Century counterpart’s Just War Theory principles, adding that religious and philosophical truths do not oppose each other, but in fact each one complements the other, as they are nothing but two different sides of the same truth. St. Aquinas went on to add that perception power and thought were required to comprehend the many facets and workings of the Universe (Bbc.co.uk). St. Augustine’s Just War Theory states that in case of defending oneself solely and personally in matters related to life or material possessions, one does not have the right to take the life of another human being. This train of thought follows the abstract idea of Christian charity which proclaims that if struck on the cheek, one should not retaliate likewise but instead exercise restraint and meekly ‘turn the other cheek’ to receive additional punishment. However, when it involved the good and safety of others the above principle ceases to hold relevance and one faces the moral

Photomedia in Modern and Contemporary Art Essay

Photomedia in Modern and Contemporary Art - Essay Example The essay "Photomedia in Modern and Contemporary Art" talks about the Photomedia in the context of Modern and Contemporary Art. In week 2 the articles analyzed were Laszlo’s Moholy-Nagy A New Instrument of Vision and Walter Benjamin’s the Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Moholy-Nagy’s text provides a broad theoretical overview of the unique qualities of the photographic art. The most notable element is the indication that photography is not simply the replication of reality, but rather assumes new artistic forms of expression. This argument is very sound in that instead of focusing on abstract notions of aesthetics, it indicates that photography largely demonstrates newly perceptions on space and reality. Walter Benjamin’s the Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction is a seminal work of art criticism and contains a number of important points. One of the most pervasive considerations is Benjamin’s contention that are in th e current milieu has lost a sense of mystique of mysticism because of mass production methods. Benjamin’s insights make considerable sense especially when considered in light of contemporary Internet or new media art forms where the very medium is transitory. While Benjamin links this insight to the need to reimagine the political context of the art object, it is perhaps more contemporary relevant in the perspective it provides on the larger structural interpretations of the art object. In these regards, one considers that art functions. not just as a plane of understanding where one judges its aesthetic qualities, but that the nature of ‘aesthetic qualities’ is also a shifting significatory pattern. Week 3 While previous readings have considered the nature of photography as an art form and the extent that the subject content bespeaks to an aesthetic form, the Photographic Conditions of Surrealism examines the nature of framing and other elements that contribute to the artistry of the photograph. In examining two pictures, the author states, â€Å"In both cases one is treated to the capture of the photographic subject by the frame, and in both, this capture has a sexual import† (‘Photographic Conditions of Surrealism,’ p.89). Even as a slight argument could be made for the sexual implications of the photographic framing techniques implemented, it seems that in large part the author has overreached in his assessment as a means of hyperbole. Still, the insight that photographic framing affects the perceptions of the specific aesthetic elements of the photograph remains a