Academic Work
I’ve put together a selection of my most recent and memorable work. These focus on subjects that I am interested in pursuing.
Rejecting Ortega’s “Dehumanization” of Art in Favor of an Action-Based Aesthetics
Through an analysis of Ramos’s concept of personality and Arendt’s concept of action, I will argue that the foundation of art is the expression and remembrance of human deeds and values and, therefore, that Ortega is not correct in his assertion that New Art rejects what Hegel calls the spiritual aspect of art. Finally, I will consider an objection implied by C. Thi Nguyen’s exploration of group values, namely, that Ramos’s conception of art is restricted to certain “great personalities” and thus rejects the participation of society. This objection can be avoided by emphasizing the fact that action requires equality and participation.
Was Jesus a Cynic or a Platonist? An Assessment of Two Philosophical Models for Jesus Christ
In this paper, I argue that the body of literature on Jesus as a Cynic points broadly toward two deficiencies with the Cynic Jesus thesis. First, these studies correctly emphasize the importance of Greek philosophy in the development of Christian teachings, but I contend that conceiving of Cynicism as a family of related philosophies necessitates a closer consideration of the larger patchwork of philosophical influences. Second, the focus on the historical Jesus brings with it its own methodological baggage. The details of Jesus' life are notoriously uncertain and the question of which schools of Greek thought would have been active in rural Lower Galilee can only be answered with further archaeological and literary evidence.
The Alhambra Palace Complex: The Legitimizing Power of Art and Architecture
This essay focus on the beautiful remains of the Alhambra Palace Complex in the south of Spain. Through an analysis of the architecture, tapestries, and paintings which define the palace, the economic and political situations of the Granadan rulers are elucidated.