Simply Charly's Culture Insight

  Thanks to his groundbreaking work in logic, the philosophy of mind, mathematics, and language, as well as two published works, Tractatus and Philosophical Investigations, Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) played a leading role in the 20th-century analytic philosophy. Jaakko Hintikka was Professor of Philosophy at Boston University. Author of over 30 books, he was the main architect of game-theoretical semantics and of the interrogative approach to inquiry, and also one of the architects of distributive normal forms, possible-worlds semantics, tree methods, infinitely deep logics, and the present-day theory of inductive generalization. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Ludwig Wittgenstein.

  Pulitzer and Nobel-winning writer, Ernest Hemingway (1899 – 1961) was one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, whose simple, clear, and distinctive style revolutionized literature. American author Gay Talese is the bestselling author of eleven books. He was a reporter for the New York Times from 1956 to 1965, and since then he has written for the Times, Esquire, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, and other national publications. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Ernest Hemingway.

  The author of such literary classics as Ulysses and Finnegans Wake, James Joyce (1882 – 1941) was one of Ireland's most celebrated novelists known for his avant-garde and often experimental style of writing. Michael Patrick Gillespie is Professor of English at Florida International University and the Director of the Center for the Humanities in an Urban Environment. He has written eleven books and numerous articles on the works of James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, William Kennedy, Chaos Theory, and Irish Film. His anthology of early Joyce criticism was published in the spring of 2011 as part of the University Press of Florida Joyce Series. He is currently at work on an oral history of early Joyce studies and on a book on Joyce and the experience of exile. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of James Joyce.

  One of the most influential American inventors of all time, Thomas Edison (1847–1931) is responsible for the creation of several devices that shaped the face of modern technology. Most famous for his invention of the first practical light bulb, Edison was also a shrewd businessman who bridged the gap between invention and large-scale manufacturing. Possibly the single most important figure of the Second Industrial Revolution, Edison’s vast network of corporate contacts ensured that his name was forever cemented in history as the archetypal American scientist. Paul Israel is a historian of technology who serves as the Director and General Editor of the multi-volume documentary edition of the Thomas Edison Papers at Rutgers University. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Thomas Alva Edison.

  One of the most singularly talented pianists of all time, Franz Liszt (1811—1886) dominated the musical world of the 19th century. An unrivaled virtuoso who also composed his own music, Liszt laid the bedrock for the Late Romantic and Impressionistic schools that would follow him. To this day he is considered a musical genius who ranks alongside his contemporaries Chopin and Schumann as one of history’s most influential musicians. Now, in the fifth decade of an illustrious international career, Misha Dichter has performed with virtually all the world's great orchestras. His critically praised classical recordings display a passionate and nuanced interpretation of Brahms, Liszt, Gershwin, Beethoven, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Schubert, and other master composers and has received the "Grand Prix International du Disque Liszt" for his recording of Liszt's piano transcriptions. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Franz Liszt.

  German philosopher of the late 19th century, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) boldly and daringly challenged the foundations of Christianity, traditional morality, and other prevalent social mores. He was at the forefront of the existentialism, perspectivism, and nihilism movements that emphasized the importance of human individuality and freedom; discovery of truth only in the context of our own perceptions and interpretations; and rejection of religious and moral doctrines. Paul Katsafanas is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Boston University, where he teaches courses on nineteenth-century philosophy and ethics. His research centers on topics at the interface of ethics and philosophy of mind, including the way in which normative claims might be justified; the nature of self-consciousness; the nature of agency; the notion of drive; and the concepts of free agency and unified agency. Katsafanas’ recent book Agency and the Foundations of Ethics: Nietzschean Constitutivism was recently published by Oxford University Press. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Friedrich Nietzsche.

  The Russian composer Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) was one of the most influential composers of the twentieth century. His career spanned from the early twentieth century, when he composed ballets inspired by Russian myth and the era's revived interest in distinctly Russian culture, to the experimentation in compositional styles that followed the Second World War. Though born in the nineteenth century, he lived and worked long enough to see his works inspire progressive rock music, just as he himself had been inspired by earlier masters like Bach and Tchaikovsky. His importance in the history of music is unquestionable. John Heiss is an active composer, conductor, flutist, and teacher. He is the Director of the Contemporary Ensemble at New England Conservatory, where he teaches in the flute, chamber music, composition, music history, and music theory departments. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Igor Stravinsky. RECOMMENDED

  The author of such literary classics as Ulysses and Finnegans Wake, James Joyce (1882–1941) was one of Ireland's most celebrated novelists known for his avant-garde and often experimental style of writing. Philip Kitcher has taught at several American Universities and is currently John Dewey Professor of Philosophy at Columbia. He is the author of over a dozen books including Advancement of Science, Science, Truth and Democracy, The Ethical Project and Joyce's Kaleidoscope. A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he was also the first recipient of the Prometheus Prize, awarded by the American Philosophical Association for work in expanding the frontiers of Science and Philosophy. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of James Joyce.

  Arguably the most influential architect, designer, and urban planner of the 20th century, Swiss-born Le Corbusier (Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, 1887–1965), played a decisive role in the development of modern architecture representative of the industrial age. Kenneth Frampton is the Ware Professor of Architecture at Columbia University, and the author of several books including Modern Architecture: A Critical History, Labour, Work and Architecture, and a book about the Swiss-born architect Le Corbusier who became a French citizen in his 30s. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Le Corbusier.

  Austrian-born English philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) is considered as one of the most influential although controversial thinkers of the 20th century. His work touched on topics such as ethics, logic, and language. Rom Harré is Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Psychology at Georgetown University and Emeritus Fellow of Linacre College at the University of Oxford. He has published over 30 books in the Philosophy of Science and the foundations of Social Psychology. His 1972 book, The Explanation of Social Behavior, co-authored with P.F. Secord, is considered a landmark in modern social psychology. Harré shares his insight into the life and work of Ludwig Wittgenstein. RECOMMENDED

  Irish poet, dramatist, and prose writer, William Butler (W. B.) Yeats (1865–1939), is considered to this day as one of the greatest English-language poets of the 20th century. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923. Paul Muldoon is the author of numerous books of poetry, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Moy Sand and Gravel. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He teaches creative writing at Princeton University and was formerly professor of poetry at Oxford University. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of W. B. Yeats.

  Irish poet, dramatist, and prose writer, William Butler (W. B.) Yeats (1865–1939), is considered to this day as one of the greatest English-language poets of the 20th century. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923. Singer, scholar, stage director, producer, lecturer, teacher, and cultural activist, James Flannery is the Winship Professor of Arts and Humanities at Emory University. A specialist in the dramatic work of W. B. Yeats, he is the founder of the W. B. Yeats Foundation. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of W. B. Yeats.

  Widely hailed as the greatest American architect of all time, Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) designed hundreds of iconic buildings and structures throughout the early 20th century. Well-known for his creative and visionary designs, Wright believed that America should break away from traditional European architectural designs, and helped to establish a uniquely American style of structure. Over the course of his 70-year career, Wright planned over a thousand designs ranging from homes to churches to museums. Robert Twombly teaches architectural history at the City University of New York. He has written biographies of Louis Sullivan and of Frank Lloyd Wright, and has edited Sullivan's public papers. He shares his insight into the life and work of the great American architect.

  Although some of his theories are still hotly debated, Sigmund Freud, (May 6, 1856–September 23, 1939) is widely regarded as a trailblazer in the realm of psychiatry and psychology. The Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist, who was allegedly the first to offer a comprehensive explanation of how human behavior is determined by the conscious and unconscious forces, is regarded as the founder of psychoanalysis. Along with the “talk therapy” that remains the staple of psychiatric treatment to this day, Freud popularized, among other notions, such concepts as the psychosexual stages of development; Oedipus complex; transference; dream symbolism; Ego, Id and Super-Ego; and the one that has become part of colloquial English more than any other psychiatric term—the Freudian slip. Edward Erwin is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Miami at Coral Gables. He is the author of several books as well as numerous articles in philosophy of science, epistemology, philosophy of language, and philosophy of psychology. He is also editor-in-chief of The Freud Encyclopedia: Theory, Therapy, and Culture—the first in-depth Encyclopedia on the life, work, and theories of Sigmund Freud. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Sigmund Freud.

  Paul Dirac (1902–1984) was an English theoretical physicist and mathematician who was instrumental in the development of both quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics. In 1933, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger. Sir Michael Atiyah is one of the world's greatest living mathematicians and is well known throughout the mathematical world. He is a recipient of the Fields Medal, the mathematical equivalent of the Nobel Prize, as well as the Abel Prize—two of mathematics' highest honors—and is still at the peak of his career. Atiyah received a knighthood in 1983 and the Order of Merit in 1992. He also served as president of the Royal Society from 1990–1995. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of British physicist Paul Dirac. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of British physicist Paul Dirac. SUGGESTED READING