Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

ariel · 3rd December 2012, 01:52 PM

My knowledge of Keris is minute, approaching zero.

But in any other culture, traditions are not ossified. Minor modifications always occur and often accumulate. Thus, judging a 300 year old object as violating aesthetic criteria of the contemporary state of affairs by what we learned from our personal teachers ( all 20th century), or from our experience with a very limited number of contemporary or later examples might give us a false impression.
This Keris stands on its own, representing an unquestionable reality. And perhaps the only way to view it is to accept the imperfection of our knowledge rather than the "imperfection" of the object. As was said, the great tragedy of science is a beautiful hypothesis slain by an ugly fact:-)

Let's not forget: zoologists still encounter unknown or supposedly extinct species, and those are infinitely more complex than just a piece of metal with golden decorations created by a single human being and never intended for survival and procreation.

3rd December 2012, 01:52 PM	#17
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	My knowledge of Keris is minute, approaching zero. But in any other culture, traditions are not ossified. Minor modifications always occur and often accumulate. Thus, judging a 300 year old object as violating aesthetic criteria of the contemporary state of affairs by what we learned from our personal teachers ( all 20th century), or from our experience with a very limited number of contemporary or later examples might give us a false impression. This Keris stands on its own, representing an unquestionable reality. And perhaps the only way to view it is to accept the imperfection of our knowledge rather than the "imperfection" of the object. As was said, the great tragedy of science is a beautiful hypothesis slain by an ugly fact:-) Let's not forget: zoologists still encounter unknown or supposedly extinct species, and those are infinitely more complex than just a piece of metal with golden decorations created by a single human being and never intended for survival and procreation.