hello everybody!

Here's just a little note as to
what's happened in the blog recently.

First, please find a series of brief video shots below
from my doctoral defense day, 11 December 2010.

Second, there's a collection of five series of photographs taken during
(i) the PhD defense, (ii) the quick coffee hour after the defense, and
(iii) the so-called "karonkka", i.e. the evening party in another place.

* *

I've added the pics in the order I've received them, so please
don't expect too much coherence & consistency between them.

Enjoy the data, regardless of whether you were there or not!

-- Eli lyhyesti suomeksi: blogista löytyy nyt tuoreita videoita ja
viisi erilaista sarjaa valokuvia; tuoreimmat jutut ovat
ulkomaisia ystäviä ajatellen englanniksi *

v i d e o s !

Enter the candidate & the custos & the opponent ..


.. conception of the self's relation to the world."
[the end of Mr. Lysaker's interrupted sentence]


Here's a snippet of my response to the opponent's inquiry
as to why Emerson should be read as a philosopher ..


.. I think we should be fine with this."
[the end of my opening speech in the evening party]

Suurkiitokset Marita Maskoselle
mukavan ytimekkäistä videoista!

väitöskuvia IV

Hmm ... Self and World ... What on earth does he think
is Emerson's conception of the WORLD?


-- Well, it's not a seamless unity, contrary to what some would think;
it's something like the concrete reality of experienceable objects
around us, pervaded with general laws operating in the world --


I like your style.
-- one of the most memorable quips by Mr. Lysaker, after I had
basically commented I didn't feel like answering one question of his ..


Some of your citations from Emerson manifest supreme selectivity.
You narrow down the project too much when you ignore them.


-- No, I think YOU narrow the project too much!
[the remark followed by a quirky face from myself, which many of the
folks in the audience, as I later learned, had apparently noticed ;]


[the distinguished custos, Professor Leila Haaparanta,
throwing her occasional glance over the dissertation]


Perhaps, in the end, we side with the
divine precisely when we don't see it?


-- Yes, perhaps so indeed. Though I do place a bulk of emphasis
on how we might actually experience divinity in our lives, there
is a sense in which such experiences are always fleeting --


.. After about three hours of relatively relaxed discussion,
(I was starting to get tired though) the discussion was declared
closed, and we were happy to head out for coffee & cake ..

Pictures by Nemanja Balcin,
published with infinite gratitude --

väitöskuvia III

KARONKKAtime -- some of the specific
& special folks in the evening party:


This is my uncle Seppo & his wife Marita;
terveisiä molemmille blogia kenties lukeville!


The beloved folks from the Tampere department -- apologies
for the somewhat unsuccessfully reduced red eyes!


Philosopher-colleagues, part II, Jarkko and Miira
(to the right) from Helsinki and Jyväskylä, respectively


These are some of the junior folks also from the department,
eli suomeksi: jatko-opiskelijoita, ts. väitöskirjantekijöitä


All of these (except for Antti, making faces two pics above) to face
the same doctoral ordeal before too long (Henna here from Jyväskylä) --


These *could* be professors, too, judging from
appearance (only in reality they are relatives)


Nk. veikeiden & viekkaiden veijareiden pöytä --
Not sure how to translate that .. the fiendish & feisty folks ..


And finally my invaluable sister Hanna!
Eli rakas siskoni Hanna, joka velunsa kanssa
heti paparazzimaisesti bongattiin ..

Pictures by Nemanja Balcin;
monia armorikkaita kiitoksia!