{"id":2203,"date":"2010-03-26T08:52:43","date_gmt":"2010-03-26T15:52:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/i81.a52.mywebsitetransfer.com\/?p=2203"},"modified":"2014-10-26T07:15:23","modified_gmt":"2014-10-26T14:15:23","slug":"compostmodern-forum-featured-member-victoria-alexander","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dactylfoundation.org\/?p=2203","title":{"rendered":"CompostModern Forum: featured member Victoria N. Alexander"},"content":{"rendered":"

Friday April 2, 2010, 4-6 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Victoria Alexander will give a 30 min talk at 5PM <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Secular Teleology for the 21st Century<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In a teleological narrative, all the events depicted, or at least the key ones, are chosen and included because of the way they reflect, refract, or prefigure a general theme of the story or the end of the story, the resolution of a problem. There is usually progression or development. \u00a0Events exist in the story because of the purpose they serve. Critics of \u00a0“teleological” narratives may claim that “realistic” representation should capture a world in which the parts do not relate to a whole. They may claim that nature is not “progressive” nor is it “self-organizing”\u2014the characteristics of natural processes that Immanuel Kant defined as teleological. Authors who choose to try to write non-teleological novels often have their characters wandering aimlessly without undergoing change, either for better or worse. Many things happen to them that don’t seem to add up to anything. But is this any more of a “realistic” representation of the world and our roles in it? <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Recent science provides strong evidence that evolution is progressive insofar as there is a natural tendency toward complexification and increased diversity. \u00a0That nature is indeed “self-organizing” is also something supported by contemporary science. \u00a0Is it time to reexamine the definition of a teleological narrative? \u00a0Should we reconsider the view that aligns teleology with theology? \u00a0Is it possible to have purely secular teleological narratives that celebrate chance, diversity, and emergent agency? -VNA<\/span><\/p>\n

Held every Friday 4-6PM, \u201cCompostModern,\u201d a salon-style discussion forum, revolutionizing the way we present the work of artists, poets, writers, and other thinkers to the public. We have opened the floor to the community, bringing you in to participate in the planning, discussion, and hopes for the future of art, poetics and science.\u00a0As the name implies, the CompostModern forum aims to re-cycle our rich aesthetic history. If the project of postmodernism was to deconstruct traditions, it has left us with a fertile soil out of which new forms may emerge. It is with the belief that all new forms of art must evolve from a history that we approach the guiding question of the forum: What is creativity? At each weekly meeting,members, noted artists, poets, and scientists will be able to talk freely and on equal terms. We want to know your opinions, beliefs, values and theories about everything from beauty and meaning to pop-culture. \u00a0Admission free.<\/span><\/div>\n