The striking similarities between Adorno’s ideal of philosophical writing — the so-called constellation — and his ideal of musical structure makes Adorno prone to the allegation that his...Show moreThe striking similarities between Adorno’s ideal of philosophical writing — the so-called constellation — and his ideal of musical structure makes Adorno prone to the allegation that his philosophical writing is an illegal trespassing from the domain of philosophy to that of art. This thesis researches whether this allegation is founded or not. It therefore presents Adorno’s philosophy of negative dialectics and his theory of constellation in order to look at their interconnection and refutes the arguments for the beforementioned allegation. The thesis claims that Adorno’s constellation is not aesthetically, but philosophically motivated, more specifically ethically, because Adorno’s philosophy in its entirety is an ethically motivated theory of concepts. It further claims, that his constellation is grounded in the old philosophical tradition of performativity and the young tradition of performative writing; and that his philosophy as a whole, as a ethically motivated theory of concepts, as well the ethical motivation of the performativity of his writing, is grounded in what Brandom calls Kant’s ‘normative turn’.Show less
Moral enhancement is the improvement of our motivation to do the morally right thing. This paper tries to give a clearer view on moral enhancement and its possible connection to duties. This is...Show moreMoral enhancement is the improvement of our motivation to do the morally right thing. This paper tries to give a clearer view on moral enhancement and its possible connection to duties. This is done by researching the claim of Persson and Savulescu who say that moral enhancement should be a duty. Three important aspects will be analyzed to understand, criticize and expand on their argument. The first important aspect that will be covered is the justification that Persson and Savulescu give for moral enhancement to be a duty. It will be argued that this connection is weak and underdeveloped. I shall try to connect their argument to the Kantian duties of a duty to others and a duty to oneself to make this connection stronger and more clear. The second aspect is the defensibility of moral enhancement. Arguments from freedom of choice and mental freedom will be applied to the definition of moral enhancement of Persson and Savulescu. It will become clear that the main argument of the authors is less defendable against the arguments from mental freedom. The third aspect that will be analyzed is the content of moral enhancement. The moral attitudes of altruism and a sense of justice that the authors determine will be criticized. A possible alternative Kantian attitude will be proposed and criticized. This paper concludes that main argument of Persson and Savulescu can successfully be connected to Kantian duties. This connection is, however, not without problems.Show less
Nepnieuws vormt een groeiend probleem. Op het internet en via social media worden nepnieuwsberichten op grote schaal en met enorme snelheid verspreid. Zulke berichten leiden ertoe dat burgers...Show moreNepnieuws vormt een groeiend probleem. Op het internet en via social media worden nepnieuwsberichten op grote schaal en met enorme snelheid verspreid. Zulke berichten leiden ertoe dat burgers verkeerd worden geïnformeerd. Het huidige tijdperk wordt ook wel aangeduid met de term ‘post-waarheid’, om te benadrukken dat gevoelens prevaleren boven feiten. Nepnieuws speelt veelal in op gevoelens; of de achterliggende beweegreden nu politiek of financieel is, het mechanisme van nepnieuws is vaak hetzelfde: een zo groot mogelijk bereik bewerkstelligen. Nepnieuws leidt ertoe dat publiek en ook volksvertegenwoordigers slechter geïnformeerd zijn. Wanneer nepnieuws, dat op gevoelens inspeelt en feiten verdraait of volledig ontkent, op grote schaal invloed heeft, gaat de kwaliteit van het publieke debat achteruit, terwijl een kwalitatief hoogwaardig publiek debat onontbeerlijk is voor een goed functionerende democratie. De democratie komt door de verspreiding van nepnieuws daarom uiteindelijk zelf in gevaar. Factchecken is een belangrijke methode om nepnieuws tegenwicht te bieden en het publiek beter te informeren. De stelling die in deze scriptie wordt ingenomen, is dat factchecken van groot belang is om de democratie te beschermen in een post-waarheidtijdperk, waarin nepnieuws alomtegenwoordig is. Het publieke debat kan niet zonder feiten en een correct geïnformeerd publiek.Show less
This thesis addresses the main question: why do we value the experience of engaging with fiction, through the sub-question: how can we avoid functionalism in answering the main question? First, the...Show moreThis thesis addresses the main question: why do we value the experience of engaging with fiction, through the sub-question: how can we avoid functionalism in answering the main question? First, the thesis introduces the distinction between functionalist and non-functionalist accounts. Secondly, it discusses an account – that of John Gibson’s – that comes very close to providing a non-functionalist account. Thirdly, it is argued that Gibson’s account still falls short of being non-functionalist. Lastly, the thesis proposes a positive view that relies on interpretation in explaining the value of our experience of fiction in non-functionalist terms.Show less
In deze scriptie wordt de conventionele conceptualisatie van eenzaamheid onder de loep gelegd. Vanuit een analyse van o.a. het Zelf en de Ander en het Jungiaanse onbewuste wordt een nieuwe,...Show moreIn deze scriptie wordt de conventionele conceptualisatie van eenzaamheid onder de loep gelegd. Vanuit een analyse van o.a. het Zelf en de Ander en het Jungiaanse onbewuste wordt een nieuwe, positievere, definitie van eenzaamheid gevormd waarbij eenzaamheid een kans tot zelfactualisatie kan bieden.Show less
This thesis entails a dialogue between Foucauldian- and Confucian philosophy. Although at first sight rather different, these two thinkers both share a concern for human conduct and its origins. By...Show moreThis thesis entails a dialogue between Foucauldian- and Confucian philosophy. Although at first sight rather different, these two thinkers both share a concern for human conduct and its origins. By means of discipline and etiquette, human behavior is sculpted and influenced; this thesis argues for a world in which we pay attention to Confucian etiquette and Foucauldian discipline to better understand our own social behavior, and that of others. This thesis aims at providing a place for both these phenomena and its advocates to interlock.Show less
This thesis offers a systematic analysis of Nietzsche's critique of pity by demonstrating that for Nietzsche, pity leads to life-negation understood as the illegitimate and forcible interruption of...Show moreThis thesis offers a systematic analysis of Nietzsche's critique of pity by demonstrating that for Nietzsche, pity leads to life-negation understood as the illegitimate and forcible interruption of becoming.Show less
