Vertrekkend vanuit een communicatief perspectief en concentrerend op mediatiseringsprocessen, formuleert deze dissertatie een alternatief voor het probleem van equivociteit binnen de studie naar... Show moreVertrekkend vanuit een communicatief perspectief en concentrerend op mediatiseringsprocessen, formuleert deze dissertatie een alternatief voor het probleem van equivociteit binnen de studie naar populaire muziek. Verschillende culturele en theoretische perspectieven zijn ingezet om de diverse vormen en betekenissen van populaire muziek te evalueren, bijvoorbeeld het type van muziek dat via complexe netwerken van betekenis in verschillende ambits door de geglobaliseerde wereld snelt. Authenticiteit en commodificatie zijn geïdentificeerd als de belangrijkste concepten voor de duiding van populaire repertoires -en van het begrip ‘'populair’ in relatie tot 'kunst' en 'folk'. Deze identificatie openbaart een patroon van betekenis-gevende praktijken, welke ik de ‘strategie van afwijzing’ heb genoemd. Deze strategie maakt het voor de cultuur-theoreticus mogelijk om inzicht te krijgen in de manier waarop het genre van populaire muziek is gedefinieerd, haar productie, verspreiding en consumptie. De essentie van het populaire lied wordt doorgaans negatief gedefinieerd, dat wil zeggen, door aan te geven wat het niet is: noch kunst noch folk. Opmerkelijk is dat negatieve definities van populaire muziek getuigen van latente spanningen tussen muziek producenten en consumenten, specifiek met betrekking tot de eclectische krachten gesignaleerd door het postmoderne denken en de waardeoordelen toegekend aan haar verschillende verschijningen. Show less
This thesis is a comparative study in the History of Modern Philosophy focused on the recourse to physiology on the part of two key figures, Spinoza and Nietzsche. This involves comparative... Show moreThis thesis is a comparative study in the History of Modern Philosophy focused on the recourse to physiology on the part of two key figures, Spinoza and Nietzsche. This involves comparative research into their emphatic appeal to the body as the key to solving fundamental philosophical problems. Both Spinoza and Nietzsche are thinkers of immanence and for both the turn to the body, which is part of their projects of naturalisation, is motivated by theoretical and practical goals. I argue that we can best understand the similarities and differences between their respective philosophical physiologies, and their broader philosophical positions, starting from their shared interest in power ontologies and their commitment to immanence and naturalism. Show less
This thesis interprets the Japanese Buddhist master, Dōgen's metaphysical ideas concerning Buddha-nature, Total-function, and temporality, with the help of Deleuze's pragmatism, in a manner... Show moreThis thesis interprets the Japanese Buddhist master, Dōgen's metaphysical ideas concerning Buddha-nature, Total-function, and temporality, with the help of Deleuze's pragmatism, in a manner congruent with the central Buddhist doctrine of pratītyasamutpāda. In doing so, the research attempts to overcome the problems of what I view as the two opposing poles of Dōgen interpretation: that of the Critical Buddhists who deny Dōgen's metaphysics, claiming that it is in-congruent to pratītyasamutpāda, and the “Comparative Philosophers,” who affirms Dōgen's metaphysics yet in a manner that disregards pratītyasamutpāda. The research reconsiders Dōgen's above metaphysical concepts, of which Critical Buddhism and comparative interpretations gives a shortsighted picture inasmuch as they impose upon Dōgen a “representational epistemology.” This error prevents the former interpretations of Dōgen to acknowledge the potential that Dōgen's metaphysical concepts can have a practical use for an ethics centered on pratītyasamutpāda. Deleuze's philosophy, insofar as it is pragmatist and non-representational, can help to elucidate this limitation, and to create a reinterpretation of Dōgen's doctrine on Total-function, time and Buddha-nature to function as tools for spiritual practice in concurrence to pratītyasamutpāda. Ultimately, I claim that Dōgen's metaphysics is not descriptive or explanatory of reality, but are pragmatically functional tools incorporated into spiritual practice. Show less
This thesis investigates Nietzsche's reception of Stoicism, and whether there is evidence for Stoicism influencing Nietzsche's conception of amor fati. Although secondary literature has made it... Show moreThis thesis investigates Nietzsche's reception of Stoicism, and whether there is evidence for Stoicism influencing Nietzsche's conception of amor fati. Although secondary literature has made it seem plausible that amor fati carries traces of Stoicism, pointing to the conceptual parallels between the love of fate and the Stoic therapy of a life ‘in accordance with nature’, this historical study shows that this claim is unlikely. In the first and last chapters a thorough textual analysis is presented of amor fati, showing that the concept undergoes a significant development from 1881/1882 to 1888. The amor fati of 1881/1882 should be situated in the context of Nietzsche's growing interest in physiology, I claim. The middle chapters uncover Nietzsche's engagements with Stoicism, based on a study of all explicit (and implicit) references to Stoicism. I conclude that Nietzsche's focus is restricted mostly to the context of the scientific quest for knowledge, thereby putting in perspective the assumption that Nietzsche's interest is mainly therapeutic. Although Nietzsche seems sympathetic to a Stoic attitude in 1870, he unequivocally rejects it in 1881/1882, in the same Book of Die fröhliche Wissenschaft in which, not coincidentally, amor fati for the first time occurs in the published works. Show less
This dissertation focuses on the life and work of the Reformed minister Josua van Iperen (1726 - 1780), who picked his way through the opposing forces of orthodoxy and Enlightenment. He can be... Show moreThis dissertation focuses on the life and work of the Reformed minister Josua van Iperen (1726 - 1780), who picked his way through the opposing forces of orthodoxy and Enlightenment. He can be seen as an exponent of the large body of moderately enlightened ministers in the Republic. The first part of this dissertation (chapters one to five) will look at his life and career as a minister. The second part (chapters six to fifteen) will deal with his perception of his duties as a university-trained minister of religion, and also cover his wide variety of interests. The conclusion can be that in van Iperen we encounter a curious mixture of ‘old’ and ‘new’, of traditionalism and a certain measure of Enlightenment. This makes van Iperen, as representative of a broad class of reformed ministers in the eighteenth century Republic, a very interesting case study that can serve to clarify the multifaceted relationship between faith and Enlightenment. Show less
