| Abstract [eng] |
This Master thesis “The Conception of Medium: Generative, Material and Performative Aspects” analyses various conceptions and interpretations of medium which have been or are developed by different media theoretics and philosophers. At the end of the XXth century a medial turn in social sciences, humanities, and philosophy as well developed, and as a result the phenomenon of medium became an important object of investigation. However, the concept of medium as such, and consequently the conception of medium is quite ambiguous and has various interpretations. These different treatments of medium can be theoretically classified by main three aspects named in the title of this thesis. If compared with other philosophical problems, the question of medium and mediality is relatively new and is still discussed. That’s why it is important and substantive to analyse and summarize what was already done by preceding and contemporary media researchers. The aim of this thesis is to explore the conceptions of medium which are grounded on its generative, material and performative aspects. The object of this work is a conception of medium in its generativity, materiality and performativity aspects. The aim of the thesis is achieved by using the methods of problematic and comparative analysis, hermeneutic interpretation, and phenomenological analysis of medium. This aim is achieved through four tasks. The first task is to discuss the generative role of medium in the construction of the messages, to present a treatment of medium as a transcendental condition of possibility or a priori, and the essence of technological determinism, its critique. The second task is to scrutinize the conception of medium as a messenger, proposed by Sybille Krämer, and to present the problem of mediality. The third task is to elucidate the origin of the concept of medium in relation to Aristotle‘s tò metaxú, and to clarify the principles of transparency, aesthetic self-neutralization, and the material basis of a medium. And the fourth task is to explain the Dieter Mersch model of how the medium works in association with the specifics of two greek prefixes, meta and dia, to analyze the metaphorical workings of medium and the conception of its performativity. After having fulfilled these four set tasks, and as a result of this work, a generalization of various media conceptions is presented accordingly to discerned their three main aspects. This helps to get acquainted with, and to better understand some currents of media explorations such as media theory and media philosophy, and to comprehend the specificities of a phenomena of medium more clearly. This master thesis is composed of three chapters, each of them are subdivided into two sections. The first chapter concentrates on the generative aspect of the medium, and explains the medial turn, also it focuses on Marshall McLuhan‘s meaningful expression “The medium is the message”, which, and also Friedrich Kittler‘s works, is presenting the position of technological determinism, and the treatment of the medium as a condition of possibility. The second part of this chapter will present the question of mediality and mediation, and the interpretation of medium as a messenger or mediator. Second chapter examines the materiality of the medium, turning back to the origins of the concept “medium” which is found in two of Aristotle’s works. One of them accentuates the material character of the medium. The predecessor of the concept of medium is Aristotle’s tò metaxú, meaning “in between”. Also in this chapter is a research of a specific and indispensable invisibility of medium which ensures a fluent fulfillment of medium’s function. The last chapter explores the approaches of today’s media theorists and philosophers, who suggest treating medium as a performative practice. According to this position, medium works like a metaphor. Dieter Mersch proposes to think about the essence of medium as in a case of two greek prefixes meta and dia. The latter showing more of a material character and move of media practices. Media thus appear as performative practices, which need material medium or something in-between. The thesis deals with works of Dieter Mersch, Sybille Krämer, Friedrich Kittler, Niall Flynn, and other authors. |
