In deze scriptie wordt aan de hand van de Urgenda-uitspraak van de rechtbank Den Haag het verschijnsel van de ‘politieke beslissing’ geïntroduceerd. Bij een zogenaamde politieke beslissing neemt de...Show moreIn deze scriptie wordt aan de hand van de Urgenda-uitspraak van de rechtbank Den Haag het verschijnsel van de ‘politieke beslissing’ geïntroduceerd. Bij een zogenaamde politieke beslissing neemt de rechter een beslissing waarbij de eigen politieke voorkeur leidend wordt geacht. Dergelijke beslissingen worden bekritiseerd. Aan de hand van de politieke filosofie en rechtsfilosofie van de Duitse filosoof Carl Schmitt wordt in deze scriptie echter betoogd dat iedere beslissing – in meer of mindere mate – een politieke dimensie kent. Het onderkennen van deze dimensie is essentieel alvorens een zinvolle discussie gevoerd kan worden over de politieke beslissing van de rechter. Deze scriptie poogt het startpunt te zijn van een dergelijke discussie.Show less
This thesis intends to use The 120 Days of Sodom to contribute to a reflection upon sovereignty in political philosophy. The overarching aim is to determine the extent to which Sade’s conception of...Show moreThis thesis intends to use The 120 Days of Sodom to contribute to a reflection upon sovereignty in political philosophy. The overarching aim is to determine the extent to which Sade’s conception of transgression in The 120 Days can illumine the problem of sovereignty. The thesis will argue that this novel presents a sustained revelation of a particular paradox evident in sovereign theory. This paradox is explicitly dealt with in the political philosophy of the German jurist Carl Schmitt (1888-1985). It is the contention of this thesis that the political philosophy of de Sade, as outlined in The 120 Days, contains precise affinities with Schmitt’s theory of the exception. Like Schmitt, Sade articulates the transgressive capacity of sovereign power. Sovereignty rests upon mere attribution, not moral or normative considerations. Sovereign authority, once attributed, is legitimate because the sovereign has the power and authority to decide that it is legitimate. This ‘decision’ creates our paradox: the transcendent preserver of law is ultimately not bound to the law that is ordered. Consequently, the sovereign power alone is capable of legitimate transgression, going beyond the normal order with the aim of sustaining the normal order. Any suspension of law on behalf of the sovereign is an act of transgression. In the suspension of law, the sovereign transgresses the limits of the juridical order, with the aim of sustaining the legal order, hence the paradox. This thesis will focus on The 120 Days of Sodom as a philosophical novel about the possibility of absolute sovereignty. In the ‘real world’, the suspension of law sustains the juridical order, the transgression ultimately serving a practical purpose which is to uphold juridical normalcy. In Sade’s fictive space, however, he details no such bounds. The 120 Days is a wildly destructive exercise; it imitates the justification of sovereign power found in the decision to create a situation of infinite transgression of boundaries and limits. Sade forms an impossible universe wherein the exception becomes a normative principle. Sade accelerates the principle of sovereign power – the decisionistic aspect of the law – portraying seemingly endless attempts to sustain the “miracle” moment.Show less
This thesis attempts to investigate the reasons for going to war and committing warlike actions from a human perspective. It endeavours to answer the question why atrocities are possible even by...Show moreThis thesis attempts to investigate the reasons for going to war and committing warlike actions from a human perspective. It endeavours to answer the question why atrocities are possible even by individuals with little or no exposure to violence. The French philosopher Gabriel Marcel wrote on a theory named 'the spirit of abstraction' in which he elaborated upon the manner in which abstraction causes killing to be justified in the mind of the individual. This theory is applied to the Napoleonic war diary 'The Recollections of Rifleman Harris' and investigates the notion's application to the Napoleonic Wars from a more general perspective. It follows the story of Rifleman Harris and attempts to explain how he set out as a farm boy and returned a man that had waged war with an utterly different perspective of the world. It also aims to raise suggestions about whether Marcel's theory can be applied to "modern" times and that abstraction is responsible for so much of the cruelty and malice present in society.Show less
The present thesis analyzes two works: Les Hommes centre l'human from Gabriel Marcel (1951) and Maus II from Art Spiegelmann (1991). The first one is a philosophical essay, very representative of...Show moreThe present thesis analyzes two works: Les Hommes centre l'human from Gabriel Marcel (1951) and Maus II from Art Spiegelmann (1991). The first one is a philosophical essay, very representative of the post-war French existentialist thoughts. The second one is a graphic novel about the Holocaust. Gabriel Marcel's philosophy is used in order to elucidate and get a better understanding of Spiegelman's interpretation of the Nazi crimes against the Jewish people. This thesis can also be situated in the larger framework of linking visual arts and philosophical texts, which is a developing but still not common process.Show less
This paper deals with the phenomenon of circumcision and how Freud and Derrida, respectively, viewed this rite. Freud viewed it quite negatively, while Derrida, on the other hand, viewed it in a...Show moreThis paper deals with the phenomenon of circumcision and how Freud and Derrida, respectively, viewed this rite. Freud viewed it quite negatively, while Derrida, on the other hand, viewed it in a much more positive way. Based on a number of primary and secondary sources, we will argue in favor of Derrida’s approach to circumcision, and thus, we will argue against Freud. This is not to say that we reject Freud. Rather, we acknowledge the immense and ongoing influence of the genius of Freud. Yet, we amend his views on circumcision, using Derrida, who, himself, was greatly inspired by Freud. Ultimately, we will argue that Freud’s (somewhat Hegelian) view on circumcision is too rigid. As we will see below, Derrida’s dynamic approach is much more useful in contemporary philosophical debate.Show less
De Duitse filosoof Hans-Georg Gadamer en de Franse filosoof Jacques Derrida hebben beiden een filosofische lezing gegeven van de poëzie van Paul Celan. In deze scriptie wordt onderzocht hoe beide...Show moreDe Duitse filosoof Hans-Georg Gadamer en de Franse filosoof Jacques Derrida hebben beiden een filosofische lezing gegeven van de poëzie van Paul Celan. In deze scriptie wordt onderzocht hoe beide lezingen (Gadamers hermeneutische lezing en Derrida's lezing overeenkomstig de leeswijze van deconstructie) zich tot elkaar verhouden. Dit onderzoek werpt tevens licht op de vraag wat een filosofische benadering van 20e-eeuwse poëzie in kan houden.Show less
