FRINK Linked Data Fragments server

Matches in SemOpenAlex for { <https://semopenalex.org/work/W3119377632> ?p ?o ?g. }

• W3119377632 endingPage "281" @default.
• W3119377632 startingPage "280" @default.
• W3119377632 abstract "Reviewed by: C'était mieux avant! by Michel Serres Keith Moser Serres, Michel. C'était mieux avant! Pommier, 2017. ISBN 978-2-7465-1288-7. Pp. 96. In his latest essay, which the cover of the book identifies as another sequel to his commercially successful Petite Poucette (2012), Serres pokes fun at members of the older generation who cling to an idealized version of the past. Combatting the pervasive mentality that c'était mieux avant with cogent arguments deriving their force from empirical evidence, the transdisciplinary philosopher demystifies utopian representations of the past. With a strong dose of his biting, sarcastic wit, Serres implores the ever-growing segment of the population that he refers to as theGrands-Papas Ronchonsto think a little harder about all the immense anguish that quotidian existence used to entail for our not-so-distant human ancestors (6). In this regard, Serres reminds the reader that modern homo sapiens are living longer lives than ever before. In addition to this drastic increase in life expectancy, Serres explains how modern medicine alleviates the chronic pain associated with certain medical conditions for which there was no cure in the past. Citing compelling statistics to support his claims, Serres also posits that we are living in an unprecedented era of relative peace. While carnage incessantly inundates our plethora of screens, the philosopher notes that violence linked to organized warfare is no longer one of the leading causes of mortality, for the first time ever. Serres decries the senseless violence perpetrated by terrorist groups, but he asserts that these deplorable acts of aggression cannot be compared to theboucheries perpétuellesthat epitomize much of human history (9). In this vein, the philosopher juxtaposes the current period of soixante-cinq ans de paix to ces guerres d'antan that claimed the lives of millions of victims (8; 9). Moreover, in La fée électricité, Serres mocks the intellectual myopia of those who obstinately refuse to admit how inventions like electricity, central heating and air, and [End Page 280] running water have enhanced the quality of human life (76). Although those who are familiar with Serres's prolific oeuvre will notice that he covers similar ground in earlier works, he successfully refines many of his previous theories by adding critical nuances and new wrinkles. For instance, Serres persuasively maintains that the situation of billions of women has improved vastly in the twenty-first century. Not only were women denied access to basic civil liberties including universal suffrage and the right to own property, but Serres also presents disconcerting historical data related to the prevalence of domestic abuse and sexual assault that frequently occurred with impunity (75). The philosopher is cognizant that many forms of gender discrimination still exist. Nonetheless, he implies that older women who yearn for the past have even less to be nostalgic about than men. C'était mieux avant! is a thought-provoking essay written by an atypical philosopher whose highly original works offer invaluable insights about the world in which the modern subject now lives. [End Page 281] Keith Moser Mississippi State University Copyright © 2018 American Association of Teachers of French" @default.
• W3119377632 created "2021-01-18" @default.
• W3119377632 creator A5039471056 @default.
• W3119377632 date "2018-01-01" @default.
• W3119377632 modified "2023-10-17" @default.
• W3119377632 title "C'était mieux avant! by Michel Serres" @default.
• W3119377632 doi "https://doi.org/10.1353/tfr.2018.0173" @default.
• W3119377632 hasPublicationYear "2018" @default.
• W3119377632 type Work @default.
• W3119377632 sameAs 3119377632 @default.
• W3119377632 citedByCount "0" @default.
• W3119377632 crossrefType "journal-article" @default.
• W3119377632 hasAuthorship W3119377632A5039471056 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConcept C111472728 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConcept C138885662 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConcept C144024400 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConcept C149923435 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConcept C19165224 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConcept C2777344014 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConcept C2777938546 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConcept C2908647359 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConcept C95457728 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConceptScore W3119377632C111472728 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConceptScore W3119377632C138885662 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConceptScore W3119377632C144024400 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConceptScore W3119377632C149923435 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConceptScore W3119377632C19165224 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConceptScore W3119377632C2777344014 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConceptScore W3119377632C2777938546 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConceptScore W3119377632C2908647359 @default.
• W3119377632 hasConceptScore W3119377632C95457728 @default.
• W3119377632 hasIssue "1" @default.
• W3119377632 hasLocation W31193776321 @default.
• W3119377632 hasOpenAccess W3119377632 @default.
• W3119377632 hasPrimaryLocation W31193776321 @default.
• W3119377632 hasRelatedWork W1484440016 @default.
• W3119377632 hasRelatedWork W2158310159 @default.
• W3119377632 hasRelatedWork W2748952813 @default.
• W3119377632 hasRelatedWork W2788793889 @default.
• W3119377632 hasRelatedWork W2891549155 @default.
• W3119377632 hasRelatedWork W2899084033 @default.
• W3119377632 hasRelatedWork W2977045651 @default.
• W3119377632 hasRelatedWork W3103055447 @default.
• W3119377632 hasRelatedWork W3172106654 @default.
• W3119377632 hasRelatedWork W3208126818 @default.
• W3119377632 hasVolume "92" @default.
• W3119377632 isParatext "false" @default.
• W3119377632 isRetracted "false" @default.
• W3119377632 magId "3119377632" @default.
• W3119377632 workType "article" @default.