Inherent Beauty Research Articles

Nature Conservation in England and Germany 1900–70: Forerunner of Environmental Protection?

Nature plays a significant role in the discussion for and against modernism, which got under way from the late eighteenth century onwards. The rationalists of the Enlightenment considered not only human nature, but also the whole uncultivated realm of nature beyond, that of the animals and plants, as wild and dangerous. It should, according to them, be tamed for the benefit of mankind and put to use. Thus they laid the ideological foundations that made possible the unrestrained exploitation of natural resources for the free development of the market and specifically for industrialisation, ie for material and ideological modernisation processes. The Romantics, on the other hand, emphasised the importance of non-material values. In their view the inherent and irretrievable beauty of nature should not be sacrificed on the altar of utilitarianism. A century later the critics of unrestrained economic modernisation expanded on the Romantics' view. They criticised the ‘tumours’ of industrialisation, urbanisation and materialism, advocating greater preservation of the wilderness and, indeed, of agrarian land and the rural way of life. For them, such things were not just symbols of originality, beauty and health, but were also part of the ‘national character’. They were unique treasures, unlike replaceable material interests. Nature, as a source of raw materials, became a multifunctional cultural heritage. ‘Materialism’ and the idea of progress, the central characteristics of modernisation, were challenged by criticism of civilisation and by historicism. Thus the basic cultural and political camps were established, but also the decisive ideological preconditions for the emergence of a nature conservation movement.

Physiological, Biochemical and Genetic Control of Bacterial Bioluminescence

Publisher Summary The bioluminescent bacteria comprise one of several groups of luminous organisms. Significant differences exist between the bioluminescence reactions of different organisms, including the structure and properties of the luciferases and substrates. Molecular oxygen is the only common feature of bioluminescence reactions, indicating that the luminescent systems in most organisms may have evolved independently. Luminescent bacteria are present in marine environment, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats. They can occur as free-living forms, saprophytes, commensal symbionts, parasites of animals, and specific light-organ symbionts. The luminescence produced by these bacteria, because of its inherent beauty and ease of detection, has attracted scientific attention. With the use of molecular approaches to study the luminescence systems of these bacteria, population biology, ecology, and molecular mechanisms of luminescence (lux) gene regulation can be studied. This chapter describes the current status of bioluminescent systems of luminous bacteria, emphasizing the biochemistry, lux gene organization, and the physiological and genetic regulation of lux gene expression. The effects of oxygen on luminescence illustrate the application of bacterial luminescence system as a sensor of specific molecules that affect metabolic function and gene expression. Knowledge of the basic biochemistry, molecular biology, and physiology of luminescent bacteria is thus not only of interest but of importance for future scientific endeavors.

Three-dimensional images of Ramón y Cajal's original preparations, as viewed by confocal microscopy

The drawings prepared by Santiago Ramón y Cajal have an inherent beauty as well as being accurate and arose partly as a result of the difficulty contemporary photographic methods had in reproducing informative images of the thick sections he used. Modern methods are better and in this brief article Alan Boyde presents some three-dimensional images of these historical preparations, generated by confocal microscopy.

The Rise of the Polypol Sculpture

There is an inherent beauty in mathematics that captivates practitioners but is, unfortunately, often beyond the grasp of others. A wider audience has gained greater insight through computer graphics that display complex configurations gyrating on a screen under the direction of a mysterious mathematical driver. One such driver draws heavily on the discipline known as algebraic-geometry, which uses concepts of classical geometry and algebra. Twenty years ago I discovered an application of algebraic-geometry to the construction of finite-element basis functions for function

SOFT DESIGNS FOR COASTAL PROTECTION AT SEABROOK ISLAND, S.C.

To gain a better understanding of the cycles of shoreline changes on Seabrook Island, South Carolina and advise a private developer on how to deal with localized erosion problems, a detailed field survey and historical study were completed. The data base included historical charts dating from 1661, vertical aerial photographs from 1939, field surveys of beach profiles and nearshore bathymetry over a sixmonth period, and sediment cores through the entire Holocene section. Seabrook Island, less than 6 km in length, is bounded by tidal inlets with extensive seaward shoals. With a 2 m tidal range for the area, changing exposure and orientation of the shoals over time has had a profound effect on the adjacent shoreline of Seabrook Island. Historical evidence points to the importance of offshore shoals which act as natural breakwaters and sediment storage systems. At various times in recent history, these shoals have supplied sediment to Seabrook beaches by means of bypassing mechanisms around tidal inlets. On the other hand, migration of shoals has allowed excess wave energy to strike portions of the shore causing local erosion. Along a portion of the shoreline, short-term erosion is jeopardizing the development. Based on the present study, a set of "soft" engineering designs was proposed which attempt to manipulate offshore sand bodies in a way that will be beneficial to the development and preserve the inherent beauty of the shoreline. Remedial measures recommended for the developer included dredging new inlet channels and construction of a breakwater in the position of a former protective shoal.

A Hundred Years of Finnish Folklore Research: A Reappraisal

ALMOST every description of the background of Finnish folklore research begins with a reference to romanticism. Johann Gottfried von Herder in Germany and Henrik Gabriel Porthan in Finland are the towering figures of the scene toward the end of the 18th century, when the era of the Enlightenment gives way to a new understanding of the non-literate but creative layers of mankind, the poor peasants of the Western civilized world and the happy savages of non-Western cultures. It is true that some students at the University in Turku were interested in Herder and other Romanticists and that Porthan's penetrating analyses of Finnish folk poetry paved the way not only for enthusiasm about but also practical work on folklore materials. But it would come close to overstatement to say that two or three philosophers and scholars at the end of the 18th century planted in the Finnish soil the idea of collecting folklore, an idea which then won the support of younger academic cohorts and led to ever-increasing interest in folk poetry during the 19th century and the publication of the famous folk epic, the Kalevala, in 1835. Such a sketch of the development is typical of a history of learning in total isolation from everything else that is taking place in the society. Actually, the development was much more dramatic. The motivation for folklore collection did not stem from romantic dreams only, nor from an admiration for the peasant way of life nor the inherent beauty of folk poetry. When Henrik Gabriel Porthan died in 1804 his nation was largely dormant, unaware of itself, little more than a bundle of provinces of the Swedish Crown. Much of the nationalism that later historians have found in the works of Porthan is by implication only: his treatises on Finnish history and folklore do not contain high-flown dreams of the magnificent past of the nation. As a matter of fact Porthan was only discovered and identified as a national hero after he had lain in his grave for six decades (his statue was unveiled in Turku in 1864). At the time of Porthan's death there was hardly such a concept as Finland in the consciousness of civilized Europeans. Madame de Stail, the French writer and admirer of the North, travelled in 1812 through Southern Finland and wrote: 'There is no centre, no competition, nothing to say and not much to do in this North-Swedish and North-Russian countryside, and eight months of the year the entire living nature is sound asleep.' But half a century later such a characterization would not have been possible. The peace treaty of Hamina in 1809 brought about a structural change-and a nation. The era of imperial Sweden was past, and Finland became an autonomous Duchy under Russian rule. It preserved its constitu-

Geometry: an artistic approach

Children are naturally interested in drawing, coloring, painting, and other artistic activities. And geometry, if examined from the standpoint of nature, has an inherent beauty, harmony, and artistic form. Geometric beauty permeates every shape we perceive, from the tiniest snowflake to the greatest star in the cosmos, from the humble spider's web to the glorious blossom of the flower. These are all exquisite lessons in the artistic beauty of geometry.

The Care of Antiques

The purpose of this book is to provide guidelines for the collector or curator to preserve the inherent beauty of the objects themselves and provide care to thwart the ravages of time and the consequences of neglect. The true patina of age, however, is to be protected; use of the seemingly most innocuous materials can lead to irreparable damage. The categories of art objects that are discussed include furniture; metals; glass, porcelain, bone, ivory, and jewelry; marble, stone, and sculpture; textiles, books, manuscripts, watercolors, prints; and paintings. For each of these categories, the most common materials used in their production are discussed in regard to major factors causing deterioration; both preventive care and remedial treatment are described. Examples of art objects that have undergone restoration illustrate the use of specific materials and techniques described. Painting display and framing problems are discussed at length. (Abstractor's note: Certain materials and techniques may no longer be approved: i.e., use of pentachlorophenol, DDT, and formalin. However, access to this information is invaluable to those reviewing old conservation procedures on objects in preparation for current treatment.) -- AATA

The Prospect for a Union of Democracies

With regard to the specific subject of The Prospect for a of Democracies, I have had to choose between two quite different approaches. I could have taken some one scheme for union, such, for instance, as the much-publicized one called Union Now, and have examined it in detail, stressing the importance of this aspect of the plan and questioning that, and going on to ask whether such a proposal was likely to be adopted in a postwar world. This procedure seemed to me somewhat like that of selecting a gown because of its inherent beauty and its wearing quality, hoping that it might eventually fit that lady of one's dreams who was manifestly as yet of altogether unknown proportions. Fitting substance to form seemed to be reversing the order of Nature; and while the attempt might be highly interesting, and even exciting, it could hardly be very significant. At the risk of seeming to be altogether desultory I have tried to begin with the lady-with postwar conditions so far as we are able to envisage them at this distance. What are some of the

The Lighter Side of Mathematics

In our profession we often come into contact with those who do not understand Pure Mathematics. Some of these are respectful as if entering a shrine; but others, of the baser sort, are contemptuous. These have found the way of progress dark and difficult. Their guides, perhaps, have not inspired them, and symbolism seems far removed from the needs of ordinary human life. They deny that it can have an ideal, that it can have any claim to beauty. They admit that it has some purpose in its application to the practical affairs of life, but that it can have an end in itself is incomprehensible. It is associated in the minds of some with the removing of interminable brackets, and with the chasing of elusive unknowns. Since it deals usually with the variable and not with the particular, and since it is concerned more with deductions from data than with the truth of these data, it has been described as the subject “in which we never know what we are talking about, nor whether what we are saying is true.” It is usually considered unwise to express lack of appreciation of the works of a great painter or sculptor or poet, but there have been men of intellect who not only have expressed ignorance of scientific method, but have also been inclined to exaggerate that ignorance. The questions that such a criticism of the subject naturally raises are: Is this hostility justified? Can it be wholly attributed to feebleness of insight? For it is possible that although Mathematics need not fail to supply the necessary stimulus to intellectual thoughts and aspirations, yet its exponents may fail in the interpretation and expression of its ideals; and it must be admitted that the way of mathematical learning can be, and often is, a dull and cheerless one, especially for him whose aptitude is weak. The inherent beauty of mathematical reasoning may be marred by methods that are brutal, and its outlook warped by unduly insisting on the necessity of the moment.

XVIII.—A Definition of the Pastoral Idyll

The history of the pastoral is a long history; perhaps no other manner of writing has exerted so wide an influence or held so deep a fascination. The words pastoral, idyllic, Arcadian still move us; they surround us with an atmosphere of charm; they encourage those moments that are unstrenuous; they recall us to an early and almost outgrown freshness of feeling. Yet, oftentimes, the poets of the Golden Age are regarded as mere literary alchemists by critics who cannot yield themselves to genuine poetic illusion, failing to recognize in that distant world the embodiment of really existent beauty. Pastoral has, in many cases, justly been a word of reproach and ridicule, a synonym for insipid creations, unreal in feeling, affected in style; but whether good art or bad it has appeared, Proteus-like, in numerous forms. Music, sculpture, and painting have used the pastoral motif; the Good Shepherd has been for twenty centuries, in the Christian church, a tender symbol of Divine Care; and in literature the pastoral has never really faded away, but has come back again and again with persistent appeal. It seems, therefore, that there must be in it some inherent beauty, some elemental greatness which deserves investigation and acknowledgment.