寫給當代的經典III Classics for Today III
何謂啟蒙：從康德到傅柯
What is Enlightenment? From Immanuel Kant to Michel Foucault
講者：劉國英
Speaker: Lau Kwok Ying

二十世紀法國哲學家米歇爾•傅柯(Michel Foucault, 1926-1984)被視為後現代思潮的大旗手，卻於晚年重新發問德國哲學家康德(Immanuel Kant, 1724-1804)於1784年已經提出的「何謂啟蒙？」這一問題，並宣稱康德是把哲學實踐顯現成批判風骨的先驅。把康德和傅柯的〈何謂啟蒙？〉一文一起閱讀，可以看出後現代思潮與現代批判意識之間的承傳和轉化關係。

寫給當代的經典III Classics for Today III
Incompleteness: Godel, Escher, Bach and Godel's Proof
講者：張亮夫
Speaker: Cheung Leung Fu

奧地利數學家哥德爾 (Godel) 於二十世紀三十年代發表了一個驚天動地的「不完備定理」(Incompleteness Theorem），改寫了人類對數學本質的看法。

二十世紀五十年代，內格爾 (Nagel) 和紐曼 (Newman) 出版了一本很有啟發性的科普小書《哥德爾証明》 (Godel's Proof)，令更多人能領會哥德爾的思路。

《哥德爾証明》一書映響深遠，更成為七十年代一本科普暢銷書《GEB : 一條永恆的金帶》（Godel, Escher, Bach : an eternal golden braid）的啟發。

In 1931, the young Austrian mathematician K. Godel announced a result which changed the humanity's understanding of mathematics forever.

In 1956, Nagel and New published a non-technical article in the magazine Scientific American which explained the proof of Godel.

Two years later, the two authors expanded this article to a wonderful little book Godel's Proof, which motivated the bestseller "Godel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter.

寫給當代的經典III Classics for Today III
飛越長生：文學與藝術作品中埃及豔后的自殺
Death Becomes Her: The Suicide of Cleopatra in Literature and Art
講者 Speaker: Robert Gurval

在西方文化中，每當提及既著名又難忘的死亡場面，無論是文學、戲劇或視覺藝術，總不缺埃及豔后克麗奧佩脫拉（Cleopatra）自殺這一幕。而這個故事主要取材自普魯塔克（Plutarch）撰寫的馬克安東尼（Mark Anthony）傳記。克麗奧佩脫拉的自殺由欺騙、謀慮及死亡三大主題構成，高潮則當然是蛇吻一刻。本講座檢閱文學及視覺藝術中有關克麗奧佩脫拉自殺的代表作，從何瑞斯（Horace）寫的抒情詩《克麗奧佩脫拉賦》（Cleopatra Ode），到HBO有線電視網絡的「羅馬」系列，探討自殺於古典時代及其後世代的強大象徵意義。本講座亦嘗試討論克麗奧佩脫拉最後之舉──蛇吻──能否為她帶來救贖及飛越長生。

The suicide of Cleopatra has bequeathed to western culture one of the most famous and memorable death scenes in literature, drama and the visual arts of painting, sculpture and film. The traditional story derives chiefly from the rich narrative of Plutarch’s biography of Mark Antony. Its action is driven by multiple themes of deception, deliberation, and death. The climactic moment, of course, is the bite of the asp. Surveying the literary and visual representations of Cleopatra’s dramatic death, from Horace’s celebrated Cleopatra Ode to the HBO cable network series Rome, this lecture will explore the potent symbolism of the suicide in classical antiquity and subsequent eras. It will try to answer the question whether her final act of dying by the serpent’s bite redeems Cleopatra and death becomes her.

寫給當代的經典III Classics for Today III
聖經 The Bible
講者：黃根春
Speaker: Eric Wong

本講座會探討聖經的歷史地位，其作為神聖書卷的轉變及其文學價值

講座內容

1.  聖經的歷史地位
   • 基督宗教
   • 猶大教
2.  聖經作為神聖書卷
   • 二千年來 (生命轉化；對西方文明的影響)
   • 18至19世紀 (開始對東方亦有影響)
   • 20至21世紀 (後二次大戰：從宣教轉移到對話)
3. 聖經作為文學作品

• 新舊約的文本重構
• 語言及其概念的特徵

This talk discusses the historical position of the Bible, reviews its impact as a sacred document, as well as literature.

Program Outline

1. I.  Its Historical Position
   • Christianity
   • Judaism
2. II.  As Sacred Document
   • Over 2000 years [changed lives; influenced West civilization]
   • C18th/19th [influenced also the East]
   • C 20th/21st  [Post WW2: from evangelism shifting to dialogue]
3. III.  As a Literature
   • Reconstruction of the TEXT NT & OT
   • Linguistic and Conceptual Characteristic, an Illustration