Philosophy from the Bottom of the Well: The Creative Potential of Misunderstanding Metaphorical Anecdotes

Buhagiar, L

Philosophy from the Bottom of the Well: The Creative Potential of Misunderstanding Metaphorical Anecdotes

Buhagiar, L

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Publisher:: Taylor & Francis
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Architectural Theory Review, 2022, 26, (2), pp. 307-325
Issue Date:: 2022-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Buhagiar, L https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3123-4769
dc.date.accessioned	2023-07-07T20:10:14Z
dc.date.available	2023-07-07T20:10:14Z
dc.date.issued	2022-01-01
dc.identifier.citation	Architectural Theory Review, 2022, 26, (2), pp. 307-325
dc.identifier.issn	1326-4826
dc.identifier.issn	1755-0475
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/171311
dc.description.abstract	Philosopher Hans Blumenberg’s book Das Lachen der Thrakerin (1987, The Laughter of the Thracian Woman) addresses the various iterations of a single Aesop’s Fable. In the anecdote, a stargazing philosopher stumbles into a well and a maid laughs at his absentmindedness. Blumenberg suggests the various reinterpretations of the anecdote over the millennia reveal each epoch’s attitude towards philosophical endeavour. The work becomes a metanarrative when the laughter directed at diligent scholars is extended to Blumenberg and his readers. For architects, speculating about that laughter offers insights into the indeterminacy of architectural meaning. To demonstrate, this paper deconstructs two anecdotes from architectural discourse to contribute an alternate and nuanced perspective of the relationship between architecture and philosophy. The first anecdote regards a border-crossing from Le Corbusier’s writing, and the second is an epiphany from Charles Jencks. Lastly, this paper considers the creative returns potentially generated for architects through ambiguity and misunderstanding.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Taylor & Francis
dc.relation.ispartof	Architectural Theory Review
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1080/13264826.2022.2162557
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.subject	1201 Architecture
dc.subject.classification	3301 Architecture
dc.title	Philosophy from the Bottom of the Well: The Creative Potential of Misunderstanding Metaphorical Anecdotes
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	26
utslib.for	1201 Architecture
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building/School of Architecture
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
dc.date.updated	2023-07-07T20:10:12Z
pubs.issue	2
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	26
utslib.citation.issue	2

Abstract:

Philosopher Hans Blumenberg’s book Das Lachen der Thrakerin (1987, The Laughter of the Thracian Woman) addresses the various iterations of a single Aesop’s Fable. In the anecdote, a stargazing philosopher stumbles into a well and a maid laughs at his absentmindedness. Blumenberg suggests the various reinterpretations of the anecdote over the millennia reveal each epoch’s attitude towards philosophical endeavour. The work becomes a metanarrative when the laughter directed at diligent scholars is extended to Blumenberg and his readers. For architects, speculating about that laughter offers insights into the indeterminacy of architectural meaning. To demonstrate, this paper deconstructs two anecdotes from architectural discourse to contribute an alternate and nuanced perspective of the relationship between architecture and philosophy. The first anecdote regards a border-crossing from Le Corbusier’s writing, and the second is an epiphany from Charles Jencks. Lastly, this paper considers the creative returns potentially generated for architects through ambiguity and misunderstanding.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/171311