Oxbridge 2008 Discussion 1 – Bruce Herman Thesis

Christian artist and educator Bruce Herman, brings his faith, visual sensibility, and careful thinking about the influence of art and pop-culture on our sense of self to his Oxbridge 2008 lecture topic “Outgrowing the iSelf: Beauty, Personhood, and Pop-Culture – An Artist’s Perspective”

Thesis:
“The famous Apple ads showing a silhouetted figure dancing alone with her iPod against a brightly colored backdrop are fitting symbols of the imagined autonomy of the postmodern “constructed” self. This self-concept is actually more the sum of consumer choices than the wholesome identity one develops through a deep sense of belonging and accountability in community. And individualistic pursuit of self often results in isolation and anomie rather than meaning, belonging, and a sense of vocation.”

What is your reaction to this thesis? Do you agree/disagree? Why?

Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass – what is the appropriate response?

Last week, we sent out an e-mail about the film version of Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass. It included a link to Alan Jacob’s interview with Ken Myers about the novels upon which the film is based. We also included the summary of the interview from the Mars Hill Audio website. We found Professor Jacob’s response to be fair and balanced in its view of the quality, purpose, and style of Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy and thought it worth sharing with our many friends.

Although we merely intended it to serve as a resource for each reader’s individual discernment, we soon learned that some readers of the e-mail assumed that our official stance was against the film and that we advocated a boycott of the movie. While several readers were in favor of this stance and cheered us on, others were surprised that we would take such a position. One reader, much to our surprise, rebuked us for “biasing [people] in advance” rather than recommending that they decide for themselves, which is precisely what we thought we had done. Others sent us further resources on the topic.

In view of the spirited response to our e-mail, we decided to create a space where our friends and supporters can safely weigh in with their thoughts and their voices on important issues of the day.

So what is an appropriate response to Pullman’s works? We invite you to tell us!

Welcome!

Welcome to the C.S. Lewis Foundation’s blog. In response to many requests from our friends and supporters, we have decided to create this weblog to offer you a chance to join the discussion on various topics related to our mission: “Inspired by the life and legacy of C.S. Lewis, our mission is to advance the renewal of Christian thought and creative expression throughout the world of learning and the culture at large.”

Please bear in mind that this is our fledgling attempt at launching and maintaining a blog. At this stage, we plan to post a new topic for comment about every two weeks. Once we gain momentum and identify editors to oversee up the site, we hope to add to the site weekly and even daily.

To visit the website of the C.S. Lewis Foundation, please go to www.cslewis.org