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A Philosopher’s G uide to Stonehenge, and beyond .

A Philosopher’s G uide to Stonehenge, and beyond . John Piper’s Stonehenge (1981). Jeremy Deller : Sacrilege. Time, history and progress. Time Beginning of time ………… Now………. End of time History Events, causes and effects , or HISTORY as MYSTERY

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A Philosopher’s G uide to Stonehenge, and beyond .

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  1. A Philosopher’s Guide to Stonehenge, and beyond.

  2. John Piper’s Stonehenge (1981)

  3. Jeremy Deller: Sacrilege

  4. Time, history and progress. Time Beginning of time ………… Now………. End of time History Events, causes and effects , or HISTORY as MYSTERY Past……………..Present……………………………Future Progress Humanitarian progress and Technological progress Past……………..Present……………………………Future

  5. My argument. • Philosophical principles for looking at History: Marx, Walter Benjamin, John Gray. • Use Stonehenge (long history) and Imperial War Museum (short history) as topics for discussion. Key questions as follows: • The nature of history, cause and effect or history as mystery ? • Has mankind made any progress since Stonehenge or ever ? • If no progress then what do we do , how do we behave, what do we believe in, where is meaning?

  6. Some of the people we are going to meet. • The Amesbury archer • Prof Mike Parker Pearson of the Stonehenge Riverside Project • The Wetwang Queen and her water mirror • Karl Marx • Walter Benjamin, the mystic Marxist • Hannah Hoch, Dada artist • Professor John Gray and his Straw Dogs • JG Ballard and the Shopping Centre from Hell. • The Little Boy at the Imperial War Museum • The good burgers of Cookham • The philosopher of the Bouncy Castle.

  7. Mike Parker Pearson, The Riverside Project.

  8. Amesbury Archer

  9. Stonehenge: Land of living, land of the Dead. Life and death, feasting,

  10. Conclusions re Stonehenge Is interpretation subjective ? Is scientific analysis the servant of the subjective hypothesis? Movement from Neolithic to bronze age , about technology of war (and jewellery)? How do we view? Progress in better weaponry, and a more itinerant society? The journey from Life to Death. Ways of looking at History, science and mystery. Post processual archaeology.

  11. “Queen’s” Chariot burial mirror Mirror

  12. How would Marx view prehistory ? Dialectical materialism (thesis, antithesis, synthesis: progress in history). Farming (Neolithic) followed by conquest and territorialism, chiefs etc (Bronze age and Iron age, followed by conquests (Roman Britain and end of prehistory). But it is all progress, isn’t it ?

  13. Time, history and progress. Time Beginning of time ………… Now………. End of time History Events, causes and effects , or HISTORY as MYSTERY Past……………..Present……………………………Future Progress Humanitarian progress and Technological progress Past……………..Present……………………………Future

  14. Walter Benjamin, 1892-1940

  15. An alternative concept of history and progress (the everlasting now) • Walter Benjamin: Messianic Time. • “The concept of history” • History is not a series of causes and effects (not materialist). • It is a flowing stream of “nows” (nuncstans, the everlasting now) , also in the past. • As such Marxist analysis leads to a simplification of history, and this simplification leads to rationalist concepts of progress, which lead to war. • The alternative is the lightning strike of time in the present. (Jetztzeit). See John Piper’s Stonehenge. • This is messianic time. • This contrasts with Hannah Arendt’s political analysis of evil.

  16. Paul Klee, Angelus Novus, Walter Benjamin, On the concept of history.

  17. Hannah Hoch: Photo Montage

  18. Time, History, Progress, Stonehenge: prehistoric warfare, power, science astronomy, models of interpretation, objetstrouves. Models of history, Marx dialetics. Benjamin Marxist mystic, messianic now time. John Grey. A view from today.

  19. Time, history and progress. Time Beginning of time ………… Now………. End of time History Events, causes and effects , or HISTORY as MYSTERY Past……………..Present……………………………Future Progress Humanitarian progress and Technological progress Past……………..Present……………………………Future

  20. John Gray picture

  21. John Gray’s model of history No progress as people always the same and human beings are fundamentally unreasonable. Myth supports ability to hold contradictions, eg flying saucers. Need outsiders egJ.G. Ballard, to see things as they really are (Kingdom Come). William Blake’s Jerusalem. Paradox of progress with technology, but no progress with human reason (archaeology of Stonehenge supports this view).

  22. Humans are like animals according to John Gray

  23. Time, history, progress Stonehenge, the archaeologist’s view Marx’ view of history. Now time, not linear history or progress Straw dogs (no humanitarian progress, only technological). The Imperial War Museum. The dilemma of presenting historical progress.

  24. Little Boy Atom Bomb at ImperialWar Museum, The causes and effects of war. Casement boat

  25. Imperial war museum: Progress or dissonance ? Museum as Now Time (Jetztzeit) Blinding lightning flash of insight Fragmentary consciousness Objects ripped from their original context Objects with multiple references and meanings Memorial to heroism Memorial to irrationalism Memorial to death of progress Dissonant exposition of exhibition

  26. Imperial War Museum: dissonant, fragmentation

  27. Oh dear , what shall we do next if John Gray is right ? Go political/ religious. Become a rationalist/ logician/ humanist/liberal/scientist. Become a guerillagardener. OR (please tick preferred option) Become JG Ballard and be a genius. Join the Pinner Philosophy Society and deliver a talk on Stonehenge. Join Longplayer.com Look for the Messianic in Cookham. Follow the children onto the bouncy castle. FOR A HAPPY ENDING.

  28. Levinas , alterity heaven (not hell) is other people. What does that look like ?

  29. Stanley Spencer, The Resurrection,Cookham 1927

  30. Progress, linear or Messianic

  31. Jeremy Deller at Stonehenge

  32. Jeremy Deller’s Sacrilege LevanskiAlterity Deller’s Sacrilege: anti power, democratic fun, connection between people, celebration. Challenges the scientific analysis of Stonehenge archaeologists Ironic, now time

  33. Sacrilege

  34. Time, history and progress. Time Beginning of time ………… Now………. End of time History Events, causes and effects , or HISTORY as MYSTERY Past……………..Present……………………………Future Progress Humanitarian progress and Technological progress Past……………..Present……………………………Future

  35. How I see it • Stonehenge: a symbol of petrified power • Technological progress, rationalist stasis. • Benjamin’s Marxist mysticism • John Gray’s Straw Dogs. • Lets all go to Cookham with Stanley Spencer. • Lets all bounce on the Stonehenge Bouncy Castle.

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