The thesis reconstructs Carl Schmitt's 1956 monography on 'Hamlet'. By scanning and unearthing books, essays, think-pieces, articles, personal diaries and private correspondence, this investigation... Show moreThe thesis reconstructs Carl Schmitt's 1956 monography on 'Hamlet'. By scanning and unearthing books, essays, think-pieces, articles, personal diaries and private correspondence, this investigation fully addresses the unwritten philosophy of history -partially developed- in Schmitt's late thought. The question of tragedy, theater, art and myth are also discussed. Show less
This research aims to address the relationship between cinema and political thought in Latin America, in order to question a limited understanding of cinema politics, which has dominated the field... Show moreThis research aims to address the relationship between cinema and political thought in Latin America, in order to question a limited understanding of cinema politics, which has dominated the field of study since the middle of the last century, and to propose a different one that we will call politics of anonymity in Latin American cinema. With the production of this concept, we will seek to take charge of this "extensive and amorphous matter" of Latin American cinema, to demonstrate the existence of a radical cinema politics right there where it has been denied, both by conventional film studies and by the political theories of Latin American militant filmmakers. Show less
This dissertation deals with Hegel’s theory of the sublime (das Erhabene). I focus specifically on die heilige Poesie (sacred poetry), a form of art that he identifies with the Judaic Psalms and... Show moreThis dissertation deals with Hegel’s theory of the sublime (das Erhabene). I focus specifically on die heilige Poesie (sacred poetry), a form of art that he identifies with the Judaic Psalms and which I claim to be the core of Hegel’s approach to sublimity. I claim that Hegel’s apparent lack of interest in the sublime must be clarified and interpreted in the light of his comments on the heilige Poesie. But to fully elucidate this, it is necessary to move beyond the domain of Hegel’s aesthetics: we should turn to his early practical dispute, before 1800, with Kantian morality in order to reconstruct and fully elucidate Hegel’s attitude toward sublimity. Show less
The making of sacrifices seems part and parcel of any elite sportsperson’s life. Remarkably, the insights that we find in the current literature in social sport studies are not able to make sense... Show moreThe making of sacrifices seems part and parcel of any elite sportsperson’s life. Remarkably, the insights that we find in the current literature in social sport studies are not able to make sense of the references to sacrifice in the data that emerged in the context of this study on the social significance of elite women’s football. The thesis that I put forward is that the existing Marxist, cultural studies and Foucauldian poststructuralist frameworks that we find in the field of social sport studies must be supplemented by the theory of play inherited from Johan Huizinga, Eugen Fink and Hans-Georg Gadamer for both conceptual and ethical reasons. I argue that the theory of play allows us first of all to make sense of the player’s experience of sacrifice. More precisely, understood as an independent, irreducible structure of experience, play allow us to make sense of the women’s football players’ experiences of sacrifice in a way that is compatible and complimentary to those insights of Marxism, cultural studies and Foucauldian poststructuralism, which remain indispensable. Secondly, the theory of play makes visible that the existing frameworks miss important insights in theorizing the subject, and, by extension, brings forth a notion of freedom and resistance that is currently lacking in the field of social sport studies. ‘Lacking’, as we cannot find these notions in the field of social sport studies, but also ‘lacking’ because the field of study is in need of alternative ways to think about freedom and resistance. This thesis thus contains a systematic point, namely our discovery that “players play”, that their experience cannot be understood without an account of play as such, alongside an analysis of what that means; and a methodological point, namely that in order to take into consideration that players play, we need a new method, which I describe as a feminist playology. The prefix feminist refers to the commitment of this method to understand sport as a gendered activity. Show less
Starting from Husserl’s somewhat controversial claim about the immortality of the constituting subjectivity, this thesis uses the limit-case of death in order to present a phenomenological... Show moreStarting from Husserl’s somewhat controversial claim about the immortality of the constituting subjectivity, this thesis uses the limit-case of death in order to present a phenomenological exploration of the notion of subjectivity and its relationship to nature. It also offers a second-order discussion about the method and nature of phenomenology in the face of naturalism. The main conclusion of the research is that, in order to make sense of death while abiding by Husserlian methodological rules, it is necessary to reconsider the notion of subjectivity Show less
Parliaments in democratic systems serve as the people’s representatives, legislators and overseers of the executive. They have the power to define the framework in which the executive can act and... Show moreParliaments in democratic systems serve as the people’s representatives, legislators and overseers of the executive. They have the power to define the framework in which the executive can act and must report about its action. For parliaments to fulfil their roles, though, they depend on access to information. Executive secrecy is an obvious impediment. How, then, do parliamentary actors try to reconcile secrecy and the normative demands of an open, democratic society? The study investigates their arguments, conflicts and patterns of agreement around this topic for the case of Germany. Using the example of two case studies – intelligence agencies and Public-Private Partnerships, the empirical analysis shows that substantive rationales are the main reference point for actors’ acceptance of executive secrecy. In their view, secrecy may be legitimate where it serves a specific goal. Information should be kept secret if its disclosure would obstruct achieving that goal. However, references to instrumentality are highly contentious in political practice. Procedural legitimation has the potential to fill the gap left by the contestation of substantive legitimation: legislation sets framework conditions ex-ante, and usually in a more generalized way, while parliamentary scrutiny works ex-post and deals with concrete issues, cases and conflicts. Show less
How we think about and act on the usefulness of scientific research has epistemological and political implications: what knowledge consists of, how it comes about and to what ends. In this... Show moreHow we think about and act on the usefulness of scientific research has epistemological and political implications: what knowledge consists of, how it comes about and to what ends. In this dissertation, I situate the usefulness of scientific research in concrete places for knowledge exchange. The exchange of knowledge within and between environments is shaped by many spatial factors: from architectural designs, physical proximity and material infrastructures to city planning, regional development and geopolitics. And not only knowledge travels: also spatial models for research organisation circulate. Focusing on ‘utility spots’ instead of prominent scientists, dominant disciplines or powerful organisations is proposed as a fruitful way to highlight the intersection of political, societal, economic, cultural and scientific developments. In this dissertation I propose and develop the utility spot concept as spatio-historical approach to the epistemology of useful scientific research. This allows me to relate different utility concepts to the histories of science, universities, science policy, and the geopolitics of the Atlantic world in the second half of the twentieth century. Future research into previous, current and future organisation of scientific research with societal value could focus on the politics of proximity (in multiple dimensions) at various utility spots. Show less
The dissertation focuses on the work of German philosophers Theodor W. Adorno and Max Horkheimer, founders of critical theory at the Frankfurt School. Specifically, it is a study of the “early”... Show moreThe dissertation focuses on the work of German philosophers Theodor W. Adorno and Max Horkheimer, founders of critical theory at the Frankfurt School. Specifically, it is a study of the “early” writings, dated between 1925 and 1940, to reconstruct the early stages of critical theory. The thesis argues that the critique of metaphysics is the philosophical project of critical theory. This argument is sustained by reconstructing this new materialism through the emergence of the concepts of history and society, human and nature, memory and suffering, domination and emancipation as crucial elements in the theories of both authors. This reconstruction leads to the implications of philosophical materialism into the development of the social theory and political philosophy of both authors. This perspective argues for throughout this study and defines the central themes that guided this materialism until the critical theory was postulated as an established research program. Show less
The relevance of intentionality to the interpretation of Aristotle was first suggested by Brentano in his Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint. Here we take our starting point from Brentano and... Show moreThe relevance of intentionality to the interpretation of Aristotle was first suggested by Brentano in his Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint. Here we take our starting point from Brentano and investigate how Brentano’s concept of intentionality is rooted in Aristotle. Most importantly, what does it mean for our understanding of Aristotle’s psychology if we approach his theory with the modern notion of intentionality in mind? Do the implications of intentionality in Aristotle reveal different aspects in Brentano’s proposal? In this dissertation, I would like to investigate the roots of intentionality in Aristotle’s psychology and make a comparison between Aristotle and Brentano on the topic of intentionality. In order to achieve this result, I will first set up a work. g definition of intentionality by tracing the development of “intention” along historical lines. Then I shall deal with Aristotle’s psychology—perception, phantasia, memory, dream, recollection, and intellect one by one, to survey whether any sign of intentionality is revealed in these psychic activities and how. Finally, I would like to make a comparison between Aristotle and Brentano on intentionality based on Brentano’s Aristotelian background and to survey the echo of Aristotle in modern philosophy of mind. Show less
The German hand-reader Julius Spier (1887-1942) played an important role in the life of the Dutch Jewish diarist Etty Hillesum (1914-1943). This thesis argues that instead of being a charlatan - as... Show moreThe German hand-reader Julius Spier (1887-1942) played an important role in the life of the Dutch Jewish diarist Etty Hillesum (1914-1943). This thesis argues that instead of being a charlatan - as he has become viewed through Hillesum's writings -, Spier was a talented hand-reader who 'psychologized' hand-reading. Under the influence of C.G. Jung, Spier had parted from the long tradition of hand-reading to predict people the future. Spier used the inspection of a pair of hands to advise the owner of those hands on his or her path of individuation.During the Interbellum, hand-reading was a well-known practice in Germany. There were other serious hand-readers and a range of literature was published about the study of hands.The situation in the Netherlands was quite different. The Dutch had less interest in hand-reading. They merely considered it a fortune-telling practice and a fun pastime. However, during the 1930s the notion of hand-reading altered, and was viewed more seriously. Spier played a role in this development.Several of Spier's Jewish students fled Berlin on time, and continued to practice hand-reading in their new hometowns. Through them, and the publication of Spier's manuscript, his influence reaches further than usually is anticipated. Show less
This dissertation concerns the role of analogy in Kant’s “Critique of the Teleological Power of Judgment”, especially the role of analogy for the formation of the concept of a natural end ... Show moreThis dissertation concerns the role of analogy in Kant’s “Critique of the Teleological Power of Judgment”, especially the role of analogy for the formation of the concept of a natural end (Naturzweck). A ‘natural end’ is a ‘regulative concept’ of the reflective power of judgment, that is, a heuristic device that enables us to make sense of the seemingly end-directed and self-organizing character of living beings. Kant’s description of the concept of Naturzweck appeals to the analogy with our “causality in accordance with ends”. However, he is not clear at all what “causality in accordance with ends” means in this context. The philosophical literature on Kant has typically—and predominantly—conflated this analogy with the traditional analogy from design. On this reading, Kant is drawing an analogy between artifacts and living beings. My proposal is that the best way to construe this analogy is not by identifying it with the old argument from design, but rather with our own reason in its “technical use”. That is to say, the analogy with our causality in accordance with ends does not establish a relation of identity between organisms and artifacts, but between organisms and technical reason itself. Show less
This dissertation addresses the different use of the same philosophical model: immanent teleology. In this work Aristotle, the founder of the study of final causes, is put in relation with the... Show moreThis dissertation addresses the different use of the same philosophical model: immanent teleology. In this work Aristotle, the founder of the study of final causes, is put in relation with the modern French evolutionary thinker Henri Bergson, the philosopher of time. The dissertation tackles the two ways of understanding final causality in regard with the structure of their arguments (analogy, perfection and regularity) and it also shows the way in which these arguments are applied to different fields of knowledge (from embryology to anthropology, from anthropology to cosmology). Show less
This thesis investigates Søren Kierkegaard’s place in Martin Heidegger’s first Freiburg period lecture courses. The principal questions asked are: what is Heidegger searching for in his first... Show moreThis thesis investigates Søren Kierkegaard’s place in Martin Heidegger’s first Freiburg period lecture courses. The principal questions asked are: what is Heidegger searching for in his first Freiburg period and where does he turn to Kierkegaard? The point of departure is taken from the question which Heidegger himself raises in these lecture courses: ‘what is philosophy?’ The replies given to this explicitly asked question lead to the central claims of this thesis. First, I claim that Heidegger rethinks philosophy in two directions. On the one hand, philosophy is philosophizing, a mode of access in the living situation. On the other hand, philosophy is about a proper methodology for accessing and expressing its subject matter: it is a mode of investigation. Second, I claim that Kierkegaard appears in one of these directions: when Heidegger considers access in the living situation. In addition, I show that two dominant approaches to Heidegger’s philosophy emphasize either one or the other side of what Heidegger puts forth. This insight, together with the view of how Kierkegaard appears in Heidegger’s path, makes it possible to account for the contradictory takes on Kierkegaard’s role in Heidegger’s philosophy that emerge in the secondary literature. Show less
Since as far back antiquity, philosophers have been inquiring into the nature of conflict. One of the most prominent ideas to have dominated this inquiry is that conflict represents an undesirable... Show moreSince as far back antiquity, philosophers have been inquiring into the nature of conflict. One of the most prominent ideas to have dominated this inquiry is that conflict represents an undesirable part of life, one that stands opposed to the ideals of harmony, co-operation and consensus. Nietzsche, however, rejects this position, proffering various arguments for why we ought to positively value conflict. Yet Nietzsche’s stance is by no means unambigious. Commentators sharply disagree regarding the specific form of conflict to which his endorsement refers. His “hard” readers present him as a warmonger, who predominantly advocates unmeasured, destructive types of struggle (e.g. war). Conversely, Nietzsche’s “soft” readers claim that he exclusively promotes a measured, agonal mode of struggle modelled on the non-violent contests (or agons) that pervaded ancient Greek culture. I contend that both of these readings are one-sided and require modification. Indeed, the thesis that this dissertation defends is that Nietzsche promotes both measured and unmeasured struggle in an entirely coherent manner. I further argue that commentators have neglected the most significant form of conflict in Nietzsche’s thought, which is characterised by a combination of measured and unmeasured conflict. This species of struggle is analogous to the biological process of digestion, which simultaneously involves 1) a measured struggle to incorporate that which is deemed serviceable to the organism, and 2) an unmeasured struggle to eliminate material deemed redundant or harmful. This dualistic struggle is what I term organisational conflict on account of the fact that both incorporation and exclusion form part of a single overarching impetus to establish healthy organisation. Show less
The leading argument of this doctoral thesis is that Aristotle’s text [De Interpretatione] is of methodical relevance for present-day philosophical thinking. In the era of science and technology,... Show moreThe leading argument of this doctoral thesis is that Aristotle’s text [De Interpretatione] is of methodical relevance for present-day philosophical thinking. In the era of science and technology, the status of philosophy has become problematic. The philosophical questions of old have been either debunked as grammatical misconceptions or reformulated and incorporated into modern scientific enquiry.Given this situation, the aim of this doctoral thesis is twofold. It purports to show that the problematic status of philosophy can be traced back to Aristotle’s [De Interpretatione]. In addition, it shows that this text also contains clues to truth of a more fundamental nature that is not restricted to propositional correctness, thereby opening up the possibility of a transformed way of philosophical thinking. Show less
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
