PH3113 Philosophy of Existence and Death, UCC

Despite the fact that Mary Shelley and E. M. Cioran have never been previously analyzed in the same context (they belong not only to different ages but also to divergent genres), we will find that they share at least two similar themes. The motif of solitude, common among Romantic poets (Coleridge, Byron, Poe), finds a deep expression in Shelley's Frankenstein and in Cioran's early oeuvre. A more thorough investigation of the British novelist and the Romanian-French self-described " anti-philosopher " discloses that hatred (a theme that is not frequently researched from a philosophical point of view) might be another of their obsessions. The concept of the nihilistic not-man becomes useful when we will follow the tripartite shape of hatred (of others, of myself and of God) not only in literature or philosophy but also in pop culture. Romanticism and Nihilism: Mary Shelley and E. M. Cioran Cioran's early work contains many post-Romantic features: the fierce (almost extreme) individualism (a trait shared with Kierkegaard and Stirner, among philosophers, but also present in the works of poets such as Jean Paul and Byron), the antihumanism and obvious misanthropy of his diatribes (in the 19 th century tradition of Schopenhauer, Nietzsche and Mainländer), his focus on the " night soul " , on the dark side of being (a process similar to the Romantic discovery of the unconscious, anticipating the discoveries of psychoanalysis), his anti-intellectualism and criticism of the decadence of Western civilization (influenced by theoreticians such as Feuerbach, Nietzsche, Weininger, and Spengler), his reactionary radicalism and dismissal of the values of Enlightenment (we might remember here that Romanticism is considered a counter-Enlightenment by D. J. Moores). Moreover, his entire

Filozofski vestnik, 2020

Notwithstanding the fact that already in his early essay “The Logical Time” Lacan suggested that the “ontological form of anxiety” is the constitutive element in the process of the constitution of subjectivity, thus far there have only been rare attempts at inquiring into the relation between the affect of anxiety and Lacan’s critique of classical ontology, which this article will try to explore. Specifically, my argument will be that Lacanian anxiety, unlike, for instance, its Heideggerian variation, is inextricably connected with the third dimension of being, which amounts to what Lacan in Seminar XI labelled “the unrealized,” i.e. to the peculiar structure of the unconscious, which distorts the classical ontological opposition between being and non-being. For Lacan, the unconscious, rather than referring simply to repressed unconscious content, is instead structured around a “pre-ontological” gap (Lacan) or “ontological negativity” (Zupančič). While anxiety notoriously “does not deceive,” it does not deceive only regarding the subject’s encounter with the real, but also – and most importantly – regarding the specific ontological structure of the unconscious, which includes the negativity as its own “material cause”. In this respect, anxiety might be regarded as an “ontological” or even objective material affect – yet not in a posthumanist sense of the affect of being/matter, but rather as the affective correlate or material signal for the fracture of being itself. In short, without this specific ontological gap/negativity, there would only be fear and frustration, not anxiety, which brings anxiety into the domain of metapsychology.

In the interest of protecting the NYU Berlin community, we are closely following guidance around COVID-19 from the Robert Koch Institute (Germany's institute for disease control and prevention), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization, and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and adjusting our recommendations and policies accordingly. Your health and well-being is our top priority. You are required to adhere to the most recent policies. Please note that you are expected to attend every class meeting in-person; however, this may change at any point during the semester if local COVID-19 regulations so require. You will be assigned a seat on the first day and are expected to use that seat for the entire semester due to NYU COVID-19 safety protocol. Course Description This course examines critiques, ideas and analyses of power through a rich tradition of German-speaking 19th and 20th century social and political thought. A medium which eludes our understanding and defies contestations, power represents a permanent fixture in our lives. From power dynamics in the household to power in the state, from social hierarchies to international relations, from cultural artifacts to religious dogma-a host of widely varying problems hinge on notions of power that are continuously reworked and reimagined.

www.laetusinpraesens.org, 2021

Pseudo-relevance: science, scientism and pseudo-science? Challenges of science upheld as an exclusive mode of inquiry Vulnerability of collective initiatives to memetic diseases Masks as symbols from popular perspectives Pandemic implications from a professional "psychoscience" perspective Implications of masking: sexual and otherwise Strategic panic in response to vaccine hesitancy Symbolism of obsessive sanitising as a preventive measure Panic engendered by cultivation of fear of death Interrelating the pandemic as symbol, as imagined and in reality Eradication of evil in the guise of health misinformation? Symbolic integration of a cognitive challenge of civilization? Psychosexual connotations of a toroidal configuration Configurative design clues from the traditional Ouroboros, Tesla and the Tokamak Force-field analysis and pandemic responses A 12-fold configuration of strategic responses to the pandemic?

2013

This research looks at William Shakespeare's works (Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth) from a philosophical point of view, in order to find new interpretations of the characters of his works, and, thus, to get to know man by means of an interdisciplinary approach. To carry out these aims, I developed six main chapters, which are subdivided into twenty-four parts. The first chapter covers Shakespeare's life, background, works, and the speculation about the authorship of his works. In the second chapter, the passionate love between Romeo and Juliet is interpreted from the point of view of philosophical voluntarism. The next chapter analyzes Hamlet's indecision from that of existentialism. The fourth chapter examines Othello's personality from that of psychoanalysis. The following chapter treats King Lear's tragedy from that of vitalism. Finally, the last chapter explores Macbeth's ambition, which is stained with nihilism. The interdisciplinary cooperation between Literature and Philosophy displays the rational and irrational elements of human life in a dialectical relationship. Tragedy convulses human life, and at the same time, it calls for man to realize his emptiness. However, this same emptiness motivates man towards building his own being by using reason as a vital tool.

2019

A través de nueve ensayos y un prólogo, escrito por el presidente y portavoz de la Internationale Philipp Mainländer Gesellschaft (IPMG), W. H. Müller-Seyfarth, el lector podrá adentrarse en reflexiones en torno a la muerte, la autodestrucción, el caos, el nihilismo o la nada, considerando fundamentalmente planteamientos que fueron sondeados más allá de los cánones establecidos durante la tradición; específicamente le será posible recoorer estos temas a través de la vida y obra de un pensador muy desatendido por la filosofía: Philipp Batz, mejor conocido como Philipp Mainländer (1841-1876). Además, se anexan, a modo de apéndice, una biografía y un fragmento autobiográfico titulado, Conversaciones con mi demonio, que serán de gran importancia para los hispanopensantes y que están traducidos del alemán al castellano por Manuel Pérez Cornejo. Sandra Baquedano Universidad de Chile

Appraisal, 2021

In this paper, we address true humour, which three luminaries in Western thought have already sought to resolve. They were, respectively, Joseph Addison in 18th-century Britain, Arthur Schopenhauer in 19th-century Germany, and Luigi Pirandello in 20th-century Italy. First, we present their reflections about humour in general and their specific conceptions of 'true humour' in particular. Second, we offer a concise rendition of the three main theories of humour in Western philosophy, i.e., superiority, incongruity and relief. In the third and last place, we discuss true humour in the works of Addison, Schopenhauer and Pirandello, indicating how it constitutes an instance of the superiority theory of humour, despite this theory being, in modern times, the subject of extensive criticism. We conclude with some reflections on how the three main theories of humour can be combined. In: Appraisal 13(1-2)/2021: 13-21 (https://www.britishpersonalistforum.org.uk/uploads/1/2/8/3/128394511/12.3___4_issue.pdf).

2017

Translated by Carol Hayes and Rina Kikuchi from Japanes