The Spirit of the City, the Ghost in the Machine
Location
Janet Ayers Academic Center, JAAC 4094
Presentation Type
Presentation
Start Date
21-9-2017 12:00 PM
Description
London. New York. Paris. San Francisco. To reflect upon any one of these cities conjures an instant array of imagined vistas and a sense of personality, as if the place, itself, had its own persona, its own likes and dislikes, its own passions, hopes, dreams and fears, over and above the citizens who comprise its populace. We often speak of the body politic, but what about the soul? If Zeitgeist represents the “spirit of the times,” and if time and space [or, in this case, time and place] are intimately related, can we not also speak of a kind of Stadtgeist: a “spirit of the city”? Framed this way, I draw upon philosopher Gilbert Ryle’s critique of Cartesian mind-body dualism in his infamous “ghost in the machine” conundrum and attempt a playful solution to the problem as it manifests here. My presentation will attempt to answer whether such a “spirit of the city” may exist; if a city like London, New York, Paris, or San Francisco may have its own spirit, its own personality, quite independent of those who live within its borders or those who visit its bustling streets, and how this hypothetical Stadtgeist is experienced differently by those who are merely passing through and by those who call it “home.”
Recommended Citation
Smith, Clancy, "The Spirit of the City, the Ghost in the Machine" (2017). Humanities Symposium. 21.
https://repository.belmont.edu/humanities_symposium/2017/2017/21
The Spirit of the City, the Ghost in the Machine
Janet Ayers Academic Center, JAAC 4094
London. New York. Paris. San Francisco. To reflect upon any one of these cities conjures an instant array of imagined vistas and a sense of personality, as if the place, itself, had its own persona, its own likes and dislikes, its own passions, hopes, dreams and fears, over and above the citizens who comprise its populace. We often speak of the body politic, but what about the soul? If Zeitgeist represents the “spirit of the times,” and if time and space [or, in this case, time and place] are intimately related, can we not also speak of a kind of Stadtgeist: a “spirit of the city”? Framed this way, I draw upon philosopher Gilbert Ryle’s critique of Cartesian mind-body dualism in his infamous “ghost in the machine” conundrum and attempt a playful solution to the problem as it manifests here. My presentation will attempt to answer whether such a “spirit of the city” may exist; if a city like London, New York, Paris, or San Francisco may have its own spirit, its own personality, quite independent of those who live within its borders or those who visit its bustling streets, and how this hypothetical Stadtgeist is experienced differently by those who are merely passing through and by those who call it “home.”
Comments
Convocation Credit: Society and the Arts and Sciences