Aarne Ruben - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Aarne Ruben
Semiotica, 2013
This paper is concentrated on the phenomenon of silence in a situation, which lacks an actual sig... more This paper is concentrated on the phenomenon of silence in a situation, which lacks an actual signifier: silence is renderable, although not accessible for every hearer. Different strata of silence are represented and thoroughly depicted. The author observes several historical appearances of the phenomenon of quietness: pictorial, radio silence, conventional (arbitrary) silence. Silence is never perfect, it is only a harmony of accidental noises. Silence in the Hell-mouth tradition in folklore plays the role of semiotic relaxation time. There were devils in the seventeenth century Estonian witchcraft tradition. In cases when witches would not be quiet and revealed some parts of their identity to their enemies, e.g, through their magic spells, Satan could immediately run with them to a remota loca. Through the stages of civilization's formation, silence cast the following roles: discursive or memorial gaps, memory traumas. The symbols of local memory traumas are codes for the magical operators in the mouth of Hell: you should never disclose your name to the non-identity.
![Research paper thumbnail of Fontannikud enamlaste võitlussalga lõhestajaina [The Fontanka men as the drivers of a split among the Bolshevik fighting groups]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/82238333/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](The article discusses conflicts among Estonian communists at the beginning of the 1920s. The root... more The article discusses conflicts among Estonian communists at the beginning of the 1920s. The roots of those conflicts dated back to events preceding WWI. The split damaged the relationships between the leaders of the movement, exacerbated the underground fight against the Republic, and therefore, the implementation of the world revolution event planned by the Bolsheviks, and in the end nearly led to the demise of all those involved mainly in the course of Stalin’s cleansings in 1937. The main emphasis is on conspirative life and the actual underground fight against the Republic of Estonia. The approach is primarily based on preserved correspondence between the underground communists in Estonia and the communists in Petrograd. Keywords Republic of Estonia, 1924 December coup, Communist Party of Estonia, Comintern, world revolution
Preternature: Critical and Historical Studies on the Preternatural
abstract:This article explores the shadowy Pärnu witch trials of 1641‒42, including an edited and... more abstract:This article explores the shadowy Pärnu witch trials of 1641‒42, including an edited and annotated transcript of the trials. The file is preserved in the Estonian Historical Archives, EAA. f. 915 (County Court of Pärnu), n.1, s.1, pages 54‒70 and 83‒90, with a comprehensive explanation. The trial in Pärnu was the most detailed known trial in the territory of Estonia. The author shows how tense societal relations led to real anger in the economic top-down hierarchy. As is common in a microhistory, the article reveals the life of the peasant Laÿske Martt, the first person actually accused and the instigator of the following tragic consequences.
Semiotica
The early Pleistocene hunt scene was instant: when an antelope jerked in the water edge, the firs... more The early Pleistocene hunt scene was instant: when an antelope jerked in the water edge, the first “drivers” of the hunt were already in motion; the moment of outburst after a long ambush lasted less than second. The sudden hunt movements were typical of every prey-abundant landscape since even earlier geological periods. The analysis of Laetoli footprints made by our evolutionary ancestors more than three millions years ago indicates that in a randomly chosen moment, the landscape was full of animals of different species. The language used in the attack moment has to be agitative, only vowels in clausure between two consonants. During the process of further development, those consonants became more and more similar to delimitators, the borders where intrasemiotic realities translate extrasemiotic environment. Speech is an old Paleolithic tool for directing hunters to the useful positions. It was rather an instrument of a leader than grooming “clicks” of kin’s females.
Semiotica, 2017
Socrates remains one of the most prominent paternal figures of Western dialogism and phonocentric... more Socrates remains one of the most prominent paternal figures of Western dialogism and phonocentric paradigm; the man who stirred up the dialectic imaginations of his days. In Plato’s Socratic dialogues, his inner voice (daimonion) sounds as a last-instance statement to cast the light on the final solution of the conversation. In the context of antiquity and following cultural tradition, Socrates was the only hearer of warning signals from inside. The rest of the voices were urging (voices of the imaginable cursed souls, saints, angels, etc.). There was no need for a “personal” dictating voice when a divine dictation was already present. According to Charles Peirce’s classification, a “voice without evident source” or a voice from the head is a dicent indexical legisign.
Witch hunts in and around Pärnu 1641‒1642, 2019
This paper explores the shadowy Pärnu witch trials of 1641‒42. The file is preserved in the Eston... more This paper explores the shadowy Pärnu witch trials of 1641‒42. The file is preserved in the Estonian Historical Archives, EAA. f. 915 (County Court of Pärnu), n.1, s.1, pages 54‒70 and 83‒90, with a comprehensive explanation. The trial in Pärnu was the biggest detailly known trial on the territory of Estonia. The author shows how tense societal relations led to real anger in the economic top-down hierarchy. As is common in a micro-history, the article reveals the life of the peasant Laȳske Martt, the first person actually accused and the instigator of the following tragic consequences.
In the arena. Communication between animals and Christians in damnatio ad bestias, 2015
The semiotic relationships described in this article are between man and African lion (Panthera l... more The semiotic relationships described in this article are between man and African lion (Panthera leo), the breed used during the reign of Roman emperors. The lions refused to consume their (human) prey in the arena. The prey's signals to the predator consist of many components: it mimics, spreads pheromonic scents and leaves footprints. Mimicry techniques may evolve as both cryptic and conspicuous strategies. Predators also use mimicry tricks: the most common example is a domestic cat, which is known for pretending to be asleep, while invigilating his prey prior to attack (Fitzgerald & Turner 2000). Nature is full of survivalist techniques and strategies, but not all kinds of mimicry and mime are versions of iconicity. To our knowledge the Christians had no prior contact with the lions that were trained and used to kill them. Their fearlessness guaranteed their survival. Lions are very hierarchical animals. If the Christian remained calm in the arena and courageously looked the lion directly in the eyes, the lion considered him to be on higher level and would not treat him as prey. In addition, we can make a hypothesis that for the lion, the behaviour of the Christian was equivalent to that of their tamer. Their trainers also looked them directly in the eye. But the trainer had a whip from which lashes could easily follow in the case of disobedience. If a lion was unresponsive, its tamer punished him with whipping, after first looking him in the face. The lion was unable to differentiate between his tamer's staring and whip lashes and the Christian, the stronger or even strongest (dominant animal) in the arena. Dominant animals or pack leaders not only defend the rest of the herd, but they also receive information. If a prowling leopard approaches the herd one of the zebras is pretty sure to perceive the danger, and the others take warning by observing his alarm. What we believe to be true about the animal kingdom needs constant reviewing from the human perspective. How to participate in crypsis patterns is a typical semiotic, but also a zooeconomic problem: which connotations are most economic for surviving or dominating.
This paper is concentrated on the phenomenon of silence in a situation, which lacks an actual sig... more This paper is concentrated on the phenomenon of silence in a situation, which lacks an actual signifier: silence is renderable, although not accessible for every hearer. Different strata of silence are represented and thoroughly depicted.
The author observes several historical appearances of the phenomenon of quietness: pictorial, radio silence, conventional (arbitrary) silence. Silence is never perfect, it is only a harmony of accidental noises. Silence in the Hell-mouth tradition in folklore plays the role of semiotic relaxation time.
There were devils in the seventeenth century Estonian witchcraft tradition. In cases when witches would not be quiet and revealed some parts of their identity to their enemies, e.g, through their magic spells, Satan could immediately run with them to a remota loca. Through the stages of civilization’s formation, silence cast the following roles: discursive or memorial gaps, memory traumas. The symbols of local memory traumas are codes for the magical operators in the mouth of Hell: you should never disclose your name to the non-identity.
Semiotica, 2013
This paper is concentrated on the phenomenon of silence in a situation, which lacks an actual sig... more This paper is concentrated on the phenomenon of silence in a situation, which lacks an actual signifier: silence is renderable, although not accessible for every hearer. Different strata of silence are represented and thoroughly depicted. The author observes several historical appearances of the phenomenon of quietness: pictorial, radio silence, conventional (arbitrary) silence. Silence is never perfect, it is only a harmony of accidental noises. Silence in the Hell-mouth tradition in folklore plays the role of semiotic relaxation time. There were devils in the seventeenth century Estonian witchcraft tradition. In cases when witches would not be quiet and revealed some parts of their identity to their enemies, e.g, through their magic spells, Satan could immediately run with them to a remota loca. Through the stages of civilization's formation, silence cast the following roles: discursive or memorial gaps, memory traumas. The symbols of local memory traumas are codes for the magical operators in the mouth of Hell: you should never disclose your name to the non-identity.
The article discusses conflicts among Estonian communists at the beginning of the 1920s. The root... more The article discusses conflicts among Estonian communists at the beginning of the 1920s. The roots of those conflicts dated back to events preceding WWI. The split damaged the relationships between the leaders of the movement, exacerbated the underground fight against the Republic, and therefore, the implementation of the world revolution event planned by the Bolsheviks, and in the end nearly led to the demise of all those involved mainly in the course of Stalin’s cleansings in 1937. The main emphasis is on conspirative life and the actual underground fight against the Republic of Estonia. The approach is primarily based on preserved correspondence between the underground communists in Estonia and the communists in Petrograd. Keywords Republic of Estonia, 1924 December coup, Communist Party of Estonia, Comintern, world revolution
Preternature: Critical and Historical Studies on the Preternatural
abstract:This article explores the shadowy Pärnu witch trials of 1641‒42, including an edited and... more abstract:This article explores the shadowy Pärnu witch trials of 1641‒42, including an edited and annotated transcript of the trials. The file is preserved in the Estonian Historical Archives, EAA. f. 915 (County Court of Pärnu), n.1, s.1, pages 54‒70 and 83‒90, with a comprehensive explanation. The trial in Pärnu was the most detailed known trial in the territory of Estonia. The author shows how tense societal relations led to real anger in the economic top-down hierarchy. As is common in a microhistory, the article reveals the life of the peasant Laÿske Martt, the first person actually accused and the instigator of the following tragic consequences.
Semiotica
The early Pleistocene hunt scene was instant: when an antelope jerked in the water edge, the firs... more The early Pleistocene hunt scene was instant: when an antelope jerked in the water edge, the first “drivers” of the hunt were already in motion; the moment of outburst after a long ambush lasted less than second. The sudden hunt movements were typical of every prey-abundant landscape since even earlier geological periods. The analysis of Laetoli footprints made by our evolutionary ancestors more than three millions years ago indicates that in a randomly chosen moment, the landscape was full of animals of different species. The language used in the attack moment has to be agitative, only vowels in clausure between two consonants. During the process of further development, those consonants became more and more similar to delimitators, the borders where intrasemiotic realities translate extrasemiotic environment. Speech is an old Paleolithic tool for directing hunters to the useful positions. It was rather an instrument of a leader than grooming “clicks” of kin’s females.
Semiotica, 2017
Socrates remains one of the most prominent paternal figures of Western dialogism and phonocentric... more Socrates remains one of the most prominent paternal figures of Western dialogism and phonocentric paradigm; the man who stirred up the dialectic imaginations of his days. In Plato’s Socratic dialogues, his inner voice (daimonion) sounds as a last-instance statement to cast the light on the final solution of the conversation. In the context of antiquity and following cultural tradition, Socrates was the only hearer of warning signals from inside. The rest of the voices were urging (voices of the imaginable cursed souls, saints, angels, etc.). There was no need for a “personal” dictating voice when a divine dictation was already present. According to Charles Peirce’s classification, a “voice without evident source” or a voice from the head is a dicent indexical legisign.
Witch hunts in and around Pärnu 1641‒1642, 2019
This paper explores the shadowy Pärnu witch trials of 1641‒42. The file is preserved in the Eston... more This paper explores the shadowy Pärnu witch trials of 1641‒42. The file is preserved in the Estonian Historical Archives, EAA. f. 915 (County Court of Pärnu), n.1, s.1, pages 54‒70 and 83‒90, with a comprehensive explanation. The trial in Pärnu was the biggest detailly known trial on the territory of Estonia. The author shows how tense societal relations led to real anger in the economic top-down hierarchy. As is common in a micro-history, the article reveals the life of the peasant Laȳske Martt, the first person actually accused and the instigator of the following tragic consequences.
In the arena. Communication between animals and Christians in damnatio ad bestias, 2015
The semiotic relationships described in this article are between man and African lion (Panthera l... more The semiotic relationships described in this article are between man and African lion (Panthera leo), the breed used during the reign of Roman emperors. The lions refused to consume their (human) prey in the arena. The prey's signals to the predator consist of many components: it mimics, spreads pheromonic scents and leaves footprints. Mimicry techniques may evolve as both cryptic and conspicuous strategies. Predators also use mimicry tricks: the most common example is a domestic cat, which is known for pretending to be asleep, while invigilating his prey prior to attack (Fitzgerald & Turner 2000). Nature is full of survivalist techniques and strategies, but not all kinds of mimicry and mime are versions of iconicity. To our knowledge the Christians had no prior contact with the lions that were trained and used to kill them. Their fearlessness guaranteed their survival. Lions are very hierarchical animals. If the Christian remained calm in the arena and courageously looked the lion directly in the eyes, the lion considered him to be on higher level and would not treat him as prey. In addition, we can make a hypothesis that for the lion, the behaviour of the Christian was equivalent to that of their tamer. Their trainers also looked them directly in the eye. But the trainer had a whip from which lashes could easily follow in the case of disobedience. If a lion was unresponsive, its tamer punished him with whipping, after first looking him in the face. The lion was unable to differentiate between his tamer's staring and whip lashes and the Christian, the stronger or even strongest (dominant animal) in the arena. Dominant animals or pack leaders not only defend the rest of the herd, but they also receive information. If a prowling leopard approaches the herd one of the zebras is pretty sure to perceive the danger, and the others take warning by observing his alarm. What we believe to be true about the animal kingdom needs constant reviewing from the human perspective. How to participate in crypsis patterns is a typical semiotic, but also a zooeconomic problem: which connotations are most economic for surviving or dominating.
This paper is concentrated on the phenomenon of silence in a situation, which lacks an actual sig... more This paper is concentrated on the phenomenon of silence in a situation, which lacks an actual signifier: silence is renderable, although not accessible for every hearer. Different strata of silence are represented and thoroughly depicted.
The author observes several historical appearances of the phenomenon of quietness: pictorial, radio silence, conventional (arbitrary) silence. Silence is never perfect, it is only a harmony of accidental noises. Silence in the Hell-mouth tradition in folklore plays the role of semiotic relaxation time.
There were devils in the seventeenth century Estonian witchcraft tradition. In cases when witches would not be quiet and revealed some parts of their identity to their enemies, e.g, through their magic spells, Satan could immediately run with them to a remota loca. Through the stages of civilization’s formation, silence cast the following roles: discursive or memorial gaps, memory traumas. The symbols of local memory traumas are codes for the magical operators in the mouth of Hell: you should never disclose your name to the non-identity.