Truth and Falsehood in Science and the Arts
Truth and Falsehood in Science and the Arts
Contributor(s): Barbara Bokus (Editor), Ewa Kosowska (Editor)
Subject(s): Philosophy, Social Sciences, Language and Literature Studies, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Special Branches of Philosophy
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: truth; falsehood; science; art; subjectivity; forgery
Summary/Abstract: The authors discuss truth and falsehood in science and the arts. They view truth as an irreducible point of reference, both in striving for elementary knowledge about the world and in seeking methods and artistic means of achieving this goal.The multilevel and multiple-aspect research presented here, conducted on material from different periods and different cultures, shows very clearly that truth and falsehood lie at the foundation of all human motivation, choices, decisions, and behaviors. At the same time, however, it reveals that every bid to extrapolate the results of detailed studies into generalizations aimed at universalization – by the very fact of their discursivation – either subjects the discussion to the rules of formal logic or situates it outside the realm of truth and falsehood.
- E-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-4220-9
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-4212-4
- Page Count: 299
- Publication Year: 2020
- Language: English
Beyond Truth and Falsehood
Beyond Truth and Falsehood
(Beyond Truth and Falsehood)
- Author(s):Ewa Kosowska, Barbara Bokus
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:7-20
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:truth; falsehood; science; art; subjectivity; forgery
- Summary/Abstract:The authors discuss truth and falsehood in science and the arts. They view truth as an irreducible point of reference, both in striving for elementary knowledge about the world and in seeking methods and artistic means of achieving this goal. The multilevel and multiple-aspect research presented here, conducted on material from different periods and different cultures, shows very clearly that truth and falsehood lie at the foundation of all human motivation, choices, decisions, and behaviors. At the same time, however, it reveals that every bid to extrapolate the results of detailed studies into generalizations aimed at universalization – by the very fact of their discursivation – either subjects the discussion to the rules of formal logic or situates it outside the realm of truth and falsehood.
Between Science, Art, and Forgery: Latin Textual Criticism as a Case Example
Between Science, Art, and Forgery: Latin Textual Criticism as a Case Example
(Between Science, Art, and Forgery: Latin Textual Criticism as a Case Example)
- Author(s):Jerzy Axer
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:21-35
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:Latin textual criticism; forgery; academic editing; intertext; science; art
- Summary/Abstract:The methodology and practice of Latin text editing is presented in the paper as an example of a humanities scholar’s work that combines scientific effort with artistic activity, including forgery of works by old masters. Part one outlines the methodological situation in textual criticism in the 1960s and 1970s, when the author was a university student and novice researcher. Next, the author considers what caused changes in editing methodology in subsequent decades and, finally, he comments on present-day debates surrounding the role of the academic editor, with a special focus on the interdisciplinary aspects of this issue.
Mechanism of Mystification and Demystification at the Point of Contact between the Humanities and Science: Case Study of the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife
Mechanism of Mystification and Demystification at the Point of Contact between the Humanities and Science: Case Study of the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife
(Mechanism of Mystification and Demystification at the Point of Contact between the Humanities and Science: Case Study of the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife)
- Author(s):Przemysław Piwowarczyk
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:36-45
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:Gospel of Jesus’ Wife; Karen King; papyrology
- Summary/Abstract:The case of the so-called Gospel of Jesus’ Wife lays bare all the problems of research on early Christian manuscripts. We have here a manuscript of unknown provenance, a private collector wishing to protect his anonymity, an academic institution hungry for media interest, and, last but not least, the ideological bias of a scholar. In the end, the manuscript proved to be a modern forgery. However, we know this without any serious doubt not thanks to laboratory analyses and more traditional paleographic or historical studies. The issue was not resolved until a professional journalist conducted a journalistic investigation. If this method of verification of manuscript authenticity joins the others, it would be an undisputable benefit of this whole four-year-long saga.
Why Is Philosophy Bad for the Soul? Commentary on Al-Ġazālī’s Critique of the Philosophers
Why Is Philosophy Bad for the Soul? Commentary on Al-Ġazālī’s Critique of the Philosophers
(Why Is Philosophy Bad for the Soul? Commentary on Al-Ġazālī’s Critique of the Philosophers)
- Author(s):Karol Wilczyński
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:46-61
- No. of Pages:16
- Keywords:Al-Ġazālī; Islam; philosophy; erring
- Summary/Abstract:In this text, two notions described in two works by Al-Ġazālī are analyzed: the notion of “precipitance” (Arabic: tahāfut) and “attachment to authority” (Arabic: taqlīd), which are described in Tahāfut al-falāsifa (English: The Precipitance of the Philosophers) and Al-Munqiḏ min al-ḍalāl (English: Rescuer from Error). I try to show that Al-Ġazālī in his criticism of philosophy focused not only on theoretical issues, but that one of the key parts of his criticism are practical issues concerning the philosophers’ way of life. Pointing to specific examples of using the two aforementioned concepts to overthrow philosophy, I propose a different interpretation of these two late works by Al-Ġazālī.
Only a Poet Never Lies… Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski’s Thoughts on the Privilege of Poets
Only a Poet Never Lies… Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski’s Thoughts on the Privilege of Poets
(Only a Poet Never Lies… Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski’s Thoughts on the Privilege of Poets)
- Author(s):Maria Łukaszewicz-Chantry
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:62-68
- No. of Pages:7
- Keywords:mimesis; probability; poetic art; fiction; allegoresis
- Summary/Abstract:In his treatise De perfecta poesi, sive Vergilius et Homerus, Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski presents his reflections on poetic art and states that poets never lie. This privilege results from the conviction that a poet creates in the same way as God, bringing his characters to life. That is why “he can speak about what is not, as if it really existed.” Poetic fictions are also often a veil behind which a precious truth is hidden. This truth can be reached by using an appropriate allegorical interpretation.
Illusion and Truth in Theater from the Baroque to Romanticism
Illusion and Truth in Theater from the Baroque to Romanticism
(Illusion and Truth in Theater from the Baroque to Romanticism)
- Author(s):Izabella Zatorska
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:69-89
- No. of Pages:21
- Keywords:truth; illusion; theater within the theater; mise en abyme; mimesis
- Summary/Abstract:What does theater, as a metonymy for literature and art, represent in the centuries of transition? French classical theater was aware of difficulties in using the Aristotelian rule of mimesis. The problem of the impossibility of capturing the essence of things, when post-truths were not yet known, was acknowledged, in theory and in practice, by Baroque theater: From the perspective of theatrum mundi, with the use of “theater within the theater” (Shakespeare, Pierre Corneille, Molière), it showed the hidden, disturbing depth of “the norm of the day.” The problem of appearances (Lesage, Marivaux) resulted in the aesthetic and moral reform of Diderot, theoretician and practitioner of drama. Radical in their revolt, the protagonists of Schiller and Musset rejected both any compromise with illusion and the possibility of reforms. At the same time, they longed for the incarnation of the ideal of pure love, and were prepared to destroy others and even themselves if this ideal was to turn out to be a lie. Goodness and responsibility, as the basis for a play, are the values which – according to Father Józef Tischner – promise that Abel’s choice will prevail over Cain’s.
Honesty as a Trait of Non-Civilized Man in the French Image of Southern Slavs at the Turn of the 18th and 19th Centuries
Honesty as a Trait of Non-Civilized Man in the French Image of Southern Slavs at the Turn of the 18th and 19th Centuries
(Honesty as a Trait of Non-Civilized Man in the French Image of Southern Slavs at the Turn of the 18th and 19th Centuries)
- Author(s):Wojciech Sajkowski
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:90-100
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:Morlachs; Montenegrins; sincerity; falseness; Enlightenment; Dalmatia; Illyrian Provinces
- Summary/Abstract:The paper deals with the French view on the morality of peoples considered uncivilized, specifically Southern Slavs inhabiting the territories of today’s Croatia and Montenegro. The problem of morality is analyzed first of all in the context of natural honesty, which was attributed to peoples considered uncivilized. The analysis uses not only the testimonies of French authors, but also French-language descriptions that were popular in France during the Enlightenment, especially the works of Alberto Fortis and Stefano Zannowich. These sources shaping the image of the Morlachs (Slavic shepherds living in provincial Dalmatia) or Montenegrins, which were popular in the second half of the 18th century, are compared with documents related to French rule in Dalmatia (1806–1813). The analysis has allowed to show what place the Slavic communities living in the peripheries of Europe at the time had in the Enlightenment’s discussions on the morality of civilized and savage people.
The Validity of Aesthetic Judgments: George Santayana’s Polemics with Tradition
The Validity of Aesthetic Judgments: George Santayana’s Polemics with Tradition
(The Validity of Aesthetic Judgments: George Santayana’s Polemics with Tradition)
- Author(s):Adam Grzeliński
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:101-114
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:aesthetic judgement; aesthetic experience; Santayana; Kant
- Summary/Abstract:The paper discusses issues of the validity of aesthetic judgements in the concept of George Santayana, the author of The Sense of Beauty and Reason in Art. Although Santayana places aesthetic experience as well as experience as such at the center of his analyses, and explicitly opposes the view that aesthetic judgements are supra-individual, I endeavor to demonstrate that his concept is not necessarily contrary to the achievements of 18th-century aesthetics proclaiming the validity of judgements of taste (Shaftesbury, D. Hume, E. Burke or I. Kant). It is true that Santayana’s multifaceted understanding of beauty reveals the limitations of Kant’s aesthetics, but nevertheless, it does not contradict its achievements. The differentiation he made between the beauty of matter, form, and expression suggests a dual meaning of the validity of aesthetic judgements, on the one hand pointing to their universality while on the other referring to the ideals of reason whose sensual representation is available in works of art.
Not Naked but Wearing “Dress upon Dress”: Johann Georg Hamann on Truth
Not Naked but Wearing “Dress upon Dress”: Johann Georg Hamann on Truth
(Not Naked but Wearing “Dress upon Dress”: Johann Georg Hamann on Truth)
- Author(s):Anna Żymełka-Pietrzak
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:115-127
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:Johann Georg Hamann; truth; incarnation; condescension; authorship
- Summary/Abstract:The chapter presents a detailed analysis and interpretation of Johann Georg Hamann’s metaphor of truth clothed in dress upon dress, which was introduced in Hamann’s letter to Kant of July 27, 1759. Truth is displayed as a woman in many layers of dresses, but removing the clothing reveals a fearful ghost. This metaphor is in the chapter regarded as emblematic for Hamann’s reflection on truth and has been interpreted in the light of the author’s theologico-ethical model in which God’s truth becomes accessible to humans in communicational acts of condescension. The incarnation of Jesus Christ is the most important act of this kind, and comprises a theological matrix for human authorship. The incarnation of truth is an imitation of God’s kenotical act and is understood as service to the truth.
Worthless yet Priceless: The Truths and Economics of Poetry
Worthless yet Priceless: The Truths and Economics of Poetry
(Worthless yet Priceless: The Truths and Economics of Poetry)
- Author(s):Marta Baron-Milian
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:128-146
- No. of Pages:19
- Keywords:poetry; truth; economy of literature
- Summary/Abstract:The essay tries to capture the epistemological status of poetry from the perspective of questions posed by the economy of literature. Selected theories of poetry – those of Jochen Hörisch, Viktor B. Shklovsky, Jean Baudrillard and Franco Berardi – can be regarded as a kind of “economics of poetry” due to their proposed treatment of the properties of the poetic medium from an economic perspective. In each of these theories, poetry is defined as uneconomical and useless, which, paradoxically, becomes its fundamental condition for existence as a place for breaking the linguistic circulation of signs, a point of resistance against conventionalized communication and automatization of perception, and thus a medium offering unique knowledge about reality.
Truth and Falsehood of the Mirror: Subjectivity – Reflection – Practice
Truth and Falsehood of the Mirror: Subjectivity – Reflection – Practice
(Truth and Falsehood of the Mirror: Subjectivity – Reflection – Practice)
- Author(s):Paweł Tomczok
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:147-160
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:mirrors in culture; dialectics; metaphorology
- Summary/Abstract:The author discusses different uses of the mirror metaphor in philosophy, literature and aesthetics. On one hand, a mirror serves to talk about human empowerment and inner life, while on the other becoming one of the most important metaphors of truth, of proper representation of reality. The final part of the paper considers the practical location of mirrors – and the practice of mirroring as the basis for other philosophical and existential metaphors. The author treats the mirror not only as a metaphor but also as an artefact with its own history: the history of an object but also social and economic history. By taking into account this physical history of mirrors, we can observe the changing foundation of epistemological and aesthetic metaphors.
The Disengaged Researcher as a Type: Truth and Probability in Studies on Religious Thought
The Disengaged Researcher as a Type: Truth and Probability in Studies on Religious Thought
(The Disengaged Researcher as a Type: Truth and Probability in Studies on Religious Thought)
- Author(s):Michał Rogalski
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:161-171
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:truth; probability; intellectual controversy; history of ideas; Catholic modernism
- Summary/Abstract:The paper discusses the issue of the intellectual historian’s attitude to the subject of his research, especially if it takes the form of an intellectual conflict or controversy. It is a critical analysis of the possibility of assuming an objective attitude towards one’s own research: without any valuation. Based on Aristotle’s remarks on rhetoric, the author shows that the presentation of research results in writing is linked to taking a position towards them and giving them a place and meaning in the context of broader reasoning, which is synonymous with the operation of evaluation. The empirical context of the presented argument is provided by a self-analytical case study: the author’s research on Catholic modernism in Poland. Reflecting on it, the author points to another source of the impossibility of objectivity, hidden in the hermeneutic method of research. Gadamer’s postulate of writing history again and again for the sake of the changing historical context leads to a strong emphasis of the worldview of researchers themselves in their studies.
Hannah Arendt’s Marranic Evasions and the Truth of Her Cryptotheology
Hannah Arendt’s Marranic Evasions and the Truth of Her Cryptotheology
(Hannah Arendt’s Marranic Evasions and the Truth of Her Cryptotheology)
- Author(s):Rafał Zawisza
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:172-188
- No. of Pages:17
- Keywords:Hannah Arendt; Augustine of Hippo; philosophical anthropology; natality; birth; gnosis; secularity
- Summary/Abstract:The text is a re-reading of The Human Condition by Hannah Arendt with emphasis on the concept of natality, showing connections between this book from 1958 and the author’s dissertation written three decades earlier. The linking point is the thought of Augustine of Hippo, whose topics Arend tre-wrote into modern language, aiming to ultimately overcome gnosis, of both Christian and modern provenance. The era of nihilism as a modern type of gnosis reduced life to a biological process, a fact Arendt counterbalanced with “the divinity of birth” and, more precisely, with the latent sacredness of spontaneity. However, the operation of overcoming gnosis can only be grasped through careful research on Arendtian language, which is full of nuances. The hypothesis that Arendt worked on concepts as a “philosophical Marrano” helps elucidate the assertion that her secular anthropology is at the same time a cryptotheology.
Narration True and False: Dialogical Self Theory in Psychotherapy
Narration True and False: Dialogical Self Theory in Psychotherapy
(Narration True and False: Dialogical Self Theory in Psychotherapy)
- Author(s):Piotr Kałowski
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:189-204
- No. of Pages:16
- Keywords:postmodernism; dialogical self theory; narration; psychotherapy
- Summary/Abstract:Postmodernism denies universal values and emphasizes the role of political power in constructing truth. This creates a challenge for psychotherapy, where the client’s perspective must simultaneously be respected and filtered through a given modality’s theory. The paper discusses the notions of truth and falsity in psychotherapy, presenting dialogical self theory as an approach responding to the aforementioned challenges. Comparing it to the dominant cognitive-behavioral approach, examples of its practical use, especially problems related to identity and its continuity, are described, and the benefits and limitations of the metaphor of therapeutic work as a dialogue or narration are outlined.
Truth and Untruth in Irony
Truth and Untruth in Irony
(Truth and Untruth in Irony)
- Author(s):Anna Milanowicz
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:205-211
- No. of Pages:7
- Keywords:truth; non-literal language; irony; meaning ambiguity; gender
- Summary/Abstract:The concept of truth in irony should be approached through the lens of the speaker’s beliefs and intentions. However, the experience and emotions of an ironic message’s recipient are not without significance. The proposed approach describes irony as a form of concealment and camouflage. Irony vibrates between “what is said but not intended” and “what is intended but not said. ”It balances between the ostensible truth and the ostensible untruth. “Ironic criticism,” also known as “blaming by praise,” appears positive, although its true message is not. The reverse happens to be true for “ironic praise.” From a moral perspective, irony is not virtuous: It violates “truth-telling” and is sometimes clownish. The author’s final considerations on the subject of “Does irony have gender?” are followed by a concise description of gender differences in the use of irony and self-mockery.
When Does Simulation Enable Us Adequately to Attribute Mental States to Others?
When Does Simulation Enable Us Adequately to Attribute Mental States to Others?
(When Does Simulation Enable Us Adequately to Attribute Mental States to Others?)
- Author(s):Adrianna Smurzyńska
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:212-220
- No. of Pages:9
- Keywords:mentalization; simulation; differentiation of perspectives
- Summary/Abstract:The paper discusses issues of taking different perspectives and attributing mental states. The main focus is on the criteria of their adequate ascription. Taking another’s perspective and simulation theory are taken into consideration. The paper considers the results of research on the development of the ability to differentiate perspectives and disorders of this ability in borderline personality disorder. The ability to differentiate one’s own and others’ mental states has been presented as an aspect of social cognition that enables adequate mentalization, by accepting the presence of various perspectives and the possibility of the coexistence of various representations of reality.
Music vs. Truth: Illustrative Music in the Context of Musical Aesthetics
Music vs. Truth: Illustrative Music in the Context of Musical Aesthetics
(Music vs. Truth: Illustrative Music in the Context of Musical Aesthetics)
- Author(s):Joanna Barska
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:221-232
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:musical rhetoric; representation in music; aesthetics of music
- Summary/Abstract:The paper discusses the problem of musical rhetoric in the Renaissance and the Baroque. In the 16th century, the imitative qualities of music were developed through the concept of imitazione della natura. The relationship between word and music stabilized. Representation was a major function and was inspired by the ancient concept of merging words, harmony, and rhythm. In ancient times, music had become a key to metaphysics and an important educational tool. Thus, specific compositions were related directly to a specific state of the soul, characters and emotions. The author presents the aforementioned concept in later times, i.e. in the Renaissance, when not only theorists but also composers, performers and listeners assigned musical-rhetorical figures to specific meanings. The paper extensively discusses examples of the musical application of different musical-rhetorical figures and how they are used. The author underlines, however, that despite the universalization of musical language, the rhetorical system in music is highly diverse and is subject to individual contextual interpretations.
Truth and Early Music: The Intersection of Arts and Humanities
Truth and Early Music: The Intersection of Arts and Humanities
(Truth and Early Music: The Intersection of Arts and Humanities)
- Author(s):Karolina Kolinek-Siechowicz
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:233-246
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:Early Music; revival; Historically Informed Performance; authenticity; truth
- Summary/Abstract:The aim of the paper is to show how the concept of truth relates to the Early Music revival. The author shows consecutive stages of the revival in the light of different problems related to the tension between the arts and academic knowledge. The development of the movement is compared with the general concept of music revival presented by Bithell and Hill (2014).
Truth Embodied in Music
Truth Embodied in Music
(Truth Embodied in Music)
- Author(s):Anna Chęćka-Gotkowicz
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:247-251
- No. of Pages:5
- Keywords:music; truth; interpretation; value
- Summary/Abstract:This contribution to the discussion on truth in music shows two ways of thinking most often chosen by representatives of the contemporary English-speaking world’s analytic philosophy. The first way assumes seeking truth or falsehood in the actual musical work and its structures, while the other is related to truth in experiencing music, and thus to the sincerity, authenticity of a performance (and especially performers’ faithfulness to the score and to themselves). The text concludes with a literary example of the debate on truth in music. For aestheticists, it can be a source of reflection on metacritical issues of music performance, and for critics – encouragement to verify their own interpretative strategies.
Truth of a Painting, Truth of Matter: Robert Rauschenberg, Henryk Streng, and the History of Art
Truth of a Painting, Truth of Matter: Robert Rauschenberg, Henryk Streng, and the History of Art
(Truth of a Painting, Truth of Matter: Robert Rauschenberg, Henryk Streng, and the History of Art)
- Author(s):Piotr Słodkowski
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:252-258
- No. of Pages:7
- Keywords:art history; modernism; Holocaust; intertextualism; new materialism
- Summary/Abstract:Starting from the issue of truth in painting, the text presents a methodological discussion on inter-image relations. The starting point for this thinking is a radical juxtaposition of two artistic practices: Rauschenberg’s erasures on a drawing by de Kooning and Henryk Streng scratching out the signature on his own paintings. Both these interferences facilitate an analysis of the transition from approaching images intertextually to a research viewpoint that – quite the opposite – enhances the material aspect of visual representations.
The Polish History of Literature as a Lieu de Mémoire
The Polish History of Literature as a Lieu de Mémoire
(The Polish History of Literature as a Lieu de Mémoire)
- Author(s):Maciej Junkiert
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:259-270
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:history of literature (discipline); Adam Mickiewicz; Maria Janion
- Summary/Abstract:The paper contains an analysis of the genealogy of 19th-century Polish research in the field of literary history. My inquiry contains a comparison between literary research in Germany and in Poland. From this point of view, literary history was an important factor in the process of building a modern nation. Furthermore, literary historians also played the role of indispensable authorities on the cultural past and present: in Germany as professors of universities, and in Poland during the partitions as intellectuals and writers.
Truth of the Place and Truth of the Exhibition: “Case Study” of the State Museum at Majdanek
Truth of the Place and Truth of the Exhibition: “Case Study” of the State Museum at Majdanek
(Truth of the Place and Truth of the Exhibition: “Case Study” of the State Museum at Majdanek)
- Author(s):Jan Kutnik
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Psychology, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
- Page Range:271-289
- No. of Pages:19
- Keywords:Majdanek; Holocaust; museum; truth of place; exhibition
- Summary/Abstract:The author discusses the problem of truth in museum exhibitions invoking the tragedy of World War II. In this respect, he is very appreciative of the value of Majdanek, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Stutthof and the other museums set up within the compounds of former Nazi German camps. Based on his own research from 2016–2019, he finds that shaping the relations between the truth of the place and the truth of the exhibition, skillfully using authenticity, and finding new forms of “speaking” to visitors are enormous challenges facing exhibitors.