The Soviet Union limited the creation of musical pieces by composers during Stalin’s reign. The state gradually strengthened the degree of ideological control from the 1930s to the 1940s, forcing composers to create music works that enhanced the Soviet ideologies and followed the Socialist Realist style. This paper focuses on Dmitri Shostakovich’s works and his music career under Stalinist rule, aiming to evaluate how his works and his attitude towards state control were affected. By using his oratorio Song of the Forests as a case study, this paper examines the extent to which this oratorio is a genuine artistic expression of Shostakovich or represents his conformity to the strict doctrine. The musical score of this oratorio reveals several features that align with Socialist Realist expectations. Considering the historical context of the increasing severity of censorship, this paper argues that this oratorio implied Shostakovich’s adaptation to state control, functioning more as a survival strategy rather than an artwork. This investigation displays the effects of censorship on cultural diversity and artistic freedom, as well as reflecting the difficulty of maintaining individual expression under state oppression.

Show more

The current controversy surrounding the definition of AI hallucinations in the field of artificial intelligence research reveals the inherent limitations of an engineering-centered perspective. Based on the German theory of Kulturtechnik and through a retrospective analysis of media history, this paper argues that AI hallucinations are not merely technical flaws, but cultural practices that continue the developmental logic of earlier media such as writing and printing. Whether it was the telescope challenging the interpretive authority of theology, or the printing press shaping cognitive power, technological innovations have consistently structured cultural power by defining the boundaries of “reality,” with human anxieties over the erosion of cognitive privilege deeply embedded throughout. As a product of cognitive augmentation in digital media, AI hallucinations, by rewriting the limits of “reality,” constitute a dynamic frontier in the evolution of knowledge forms within human–machine symbiotic civilization. This paper advocates abandoning the binary corrective approach that treats hallucinations solely as technical errors, embracing instead a “new reality” under probabilistic distributions, and reflecting on the emergent ethical relationships of human–machine co-symbiosis and co-evolution.

Show more

This paper explores the boundaries between dreams and reality, posing the question of whether an ontology grounded in lucid dreams is possible. It challenges the traditional distinction that “perception is real while dreams are illusory,” conducting a philosophical analysis through discussions of phenomenology, psychology, existentialism, and perceptual realism. It argues that both perception and dreams are fundamentally constructive imaginative activities. Lucid dreams, as a unique conscious experience, particularly demonstrate freedom, authenticity, and meaning—elements often absent in everyday reality. Findings indicate that perception and dreams share the same ontological status as constructions of the world, lacking any fundamental ontological difference; their distinction lies only in the degree of construction. Based on this, the paper proposes a “Lucid Dream Ontology,” reinterpreting “reality” as a continuum of constructive experiences rather than a fixed external domain inhabited during wakefulness. Consequently, dreams can attain ontological status equivalent to so-called reality or become a new reality. This perspective not only challenges traditional metaphysical realism but also offers new possibilities for understanding existence, meaning, and authenticity.

Show more

This paper revisited Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical theory in the context of digital self-presentation on social media platforms. Drawing on Goffman’s concepts of frontstage, backstage, and impression management, it examined how the affordances and constraints of platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Rednote (Xiaohongshu) reshaped the boundaries between public and private spheres. Integrating perspectives from Ben Agger’s concept of oversharing, Lee Humphreys’s notion of the qualified self, and Michel Foucault’s theory of disciplinary power, the analysis identified the structural forces—particularly algorithms and persistent data traces—that increasingly governed online performances. The paper argued that while Goffman’s framework remained a valuable analytical lens, its emphasis on individual agency is challenged in a platform-mediated environment where users perform not only for human audiences but also for systems. The discussion concluded with implications for future research on digital identities, algorithmic governance, and the potential emergence of new “backstages” in virtual spaces.

Show more