Moral Metaphors Research Articles

What Rousseau Teaches Us about Live Theatrical Performance

In his survey article, Art and Ethical Criticism: in some way affected by this consideration, An Overview of Recent Directions of while moderate autonomists will resist such a Research, Noel Carroll points out that although view. philosophers from Plato to Kant have engaged When discussing the recent attempts at ethin ethical criticism of art, Anglo-American ical criticism, as well as recent attempts at philosophers in the twentieth century have, until understanding the relationship between the recently, neglected this practice (even though moral and the aesthetic, Carroll mentions work art critics during the same period have not).' on literature, cinema, and television. Some Recent attempts at ethical criticism have stage plays are mentioned as well, but these are occurred within the context of a debate about given much less focus than other narrative art the viability, and proper orientation, of that forms. Yet of all the arts, the one with the richpractice. The two sides of the debate are dubbed est history of conflict with the defenders of moralism and autonomism.2 The conflict morality, both theological and philosophical, is between the two rests on the question of the theater. Despite the uneasiness moralists whether moral considerations bear in any way have historically felt with regard to art, some on the aesthetic evaluation of a work. Radical arts, and even some general aesthetic concepts moralists argue that moral considerations are all such as beauty and harmony, often enjoy the that is relevant to aesthetic evaluation, and privilege of becoming moral metaphors. But moderate moralists argue that moral considerwhen it comes to theater, the conflict with ations bear in some ways on the aesthetic evalumorality comes into sharp, unmitigated relief. ations of certain (usually narrative) works. In his monumental work, The Antitheatrical Autonomists deny the relevance of moral conPrejudice, Jonas Barish reminds us that this siderations to aesthetic evaluation, but whereas conflict is embedded in our very language. He radical autonomists completely deny the tenabilasks us to consider that, whereas most epithets ity of ethical criticism, moderate autonomists derived from the arts are laudatory (musical, acknowledge that some art can and should be poetic, graphic, picturesque, sculpturevaluated on ethical terms-they merely deny esque, etc.), those derived from the theater are that ethical evaluation bears on the aesthetic almost always condemnatory (melodramatic, evaluation of a given work. So, to take a comstagey, making a scene, acting the part, mon example from the literature, while both and, of course, theatrical). Barish points out moderate moralists and moderate autonomists that theater, far more than any other art, has can agree that Triumph of the Will (1934) puts been subject to censure, disapproval, opproforward a reprehensible, fascist point of view brium, and general defamation, and that this that must be challenged, moderate moralists state of affairs is not confined to the Englishmay argue that the movie's value as a movie is speaking world, or even to Europe, or even to

'The Seed Blows About in Every Breeze': Noxious Weed Eradication in the Cape Colony, 1860-1909

Crosby has portrayed the plants and 'weeds' that accompanied European colonial expansion as often beneficial to settlement. In fact, many settlers throughout the temperate zones expended vast amounts of capital and labour on the eradication of those imported plants designated as 'noxious weeds', which they deemed a direct threat to the development of the new colonies. This paper explains the spread of key weed species in the nineteenth century Cape Colony where the number of livestock soared, cultivation was extended, and some plants thrived in conditions of rapid environmental change. It analyses the problems experienced in defining plant species, understanding their spread, and devising systems of extirpation. The colonial state, without the finances or powers to impose its will on the rural populace or the technology to re-engineer the environment without their assistance, increasingly focused its attention on changing the culture of settler agriculture, instilling a work ethic, and demonising weeds through a mixture of military, medical and moral metaphors. Nevertheless, weeds sometimes directly imperilled the settlers' tenuous hold on the land. Europeans experienced protracted wars of attrition not only with indigenous people but with drought, pathogens, vermin, and the like. Weed history further qualifies the prevailing picture of colonialism by casting a very different light on the colonial state.

The moral metaphors of nursing.

The essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one thing in terms of another. Metaphorical concepts structure and reflect what we perceive, how we act, and how we relate to other people. In nursing ethics, several metaphors have emerged which have had a great impact on nursing practice. These metaphors include the military metaphor which exemplified nursing during the 1800s, the advocacy and academic metaphors which became a philosophical basis for nursing during the 1960s, and the individualist and community as caring metaphors which have emerged more recently. Although beneficial in some ways, these metaphors may be obscuring the complex moral reality of nursing practice. This article defines a moral metaphor, critiques nursing's moral metaphors, and provides an historical overview of their development with examples of how they have and do affect nursing practice.