What is Western philosophy? The established narrative of 'our' intellectual tradition begins with classical Greek reason: championed by Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, revived and perfected in...Show moreWhat is Western philosophy? The established narrative of 'our' intellectual tradition begins with classical Greek reason: championed by Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, revived and perfected in Enlightenment rationalism and empiricism, to culminate in the modern European canon of Kant, Frege or Nietzsche. Conspicuously absent are any 'Middle Eastern' sources, notably Arabic and Persian philosophy. 'Islamic golden age' Aristotelians are often seen as babysitting rationality during a supposed mediaeval 'Christian dark age'. But the original impact on contemporary thought by the likes of al-Ghazali (d.1111) or Suhrawardi (d.1191) is ignored. Analysing this conspicuous absence reveals a deep binary structure in the narrative. Our canon is in fact made universally valid by excluding everything deemed mystical and arbitrary: Eastern religious thought. All religious traditions — especially Islam — represent this non-Western un-philosophy, simultaneously 'foreign' and 'archaic'. To recover our proper intellectual history, beyond this colonialist binary, we can employ a provocative redefinition: North-Atlantic (modern European) philosophy as "Far Western", and all broadly Mediterranean (Greco-Judaic and Islamo-Christian) philosophy as "Middle Western". This foregrounds the relations within the West, further suggesting its interdependence with all philosophies, including Sino-Indic ones.Show less
This thesis explores the early modern coffeehouse and its bourgeois clientele in Europe in the form of a case study on Dutch coffeehouses in Amsterdam in the 17th and 18th centuries. The chosen...Show moreThis thesis explores the early modern coffeehouse and its bourgeois clientele in Europe in the form of a case study on Dutch coffeehouses in Amsterdam in the 17th and 18th centuries. The chosen inquiry seeks to elucidate how a new social category – the bourgeoisie – developed over altered drinking habits, materials and the corresponding aesthetical codes within the social institution of the coffeehouse. Rather newly, the coffeehouse as an institution of publicness and consumption in the Enlightenment is researched from the angle of visual and material history. On the whole, this thesis contributes to the cultural historical field of early modern consumption. One result is that the consumer goods coffee and porcelain created a balance between rational forms of conduct and individual attitudes within the public sphere of coffeehouses. A multifarious historical approach by the means of visual and textual sources towards the early modern consumption of both coffee and porcelain considers the correspondent material qualities and suggests that porcelain from China has been remarkably suitable for the coffee ritual which entered Europe from the Middle and Near East. The thereby evolved tastes were groundbreaking for the rise of the bourgeoisie. This is demonstrated by the analysis of the design and arrangement of the vessels required for the individual and collective display of the tastes around coffee-drinking, on the basis of inventories and images. From a postcolonial perspective, the present thesis outlines which associations around the historical concept of luxury accompanied the adoption of Asian coffee and porcelain coffee ware into European consumption habits, while the world of coffee has always been represented as an oriental theme in travelogues, recipe books, medicinal treatises and fashion plates. Furthermore, the thesis describes how these ideas and values associated with coffee-drinking enabled the consolidation of the social construct of a specific regional group of the urban middleclass bourgeoisie, while locating the coffeehouse in the unique historical environment of early modern Amsterdam.Show less
Thesis that researches the nineteenth-century cultural memory of the French Enlightenment through artworks that depict Enlightenment scenes and thinkers.
The Confucian claim that we are not born as persons but that we must become persons highlights the importance of individual human experiences in relation to a larger global and collective network....Show moreThe Confucian claim that we are not born as persons but that we must become persons highlights the importance of individual human experiences in relation to a larger global and collective network. The way we perceive and act as persons in a society is shaped by the relationships we develop with others. This implies that the individual can never abstract himself entirely from his socio-historical context. However, the dominant interpretation of personhood seems to draw heavily on Kantian ideas, which are supposed to be in opposition with the Confucian social self. Namely, the Kantian ideal model is a free, autonomous and rational individual for whom self-legislation is the essential human achievement. In my thesis, I attempt to offer a comprehensive analysis and reconceptualization of personhood by borrowing from the Confucian notion of a relational person. Firstly, I will highlight the dominant Kantian conception of what it means to be an individual person within society. In doing so, I will depict certain characteristics of the rational individual and how they are reproduced in the process of grounding universal moral laws. Secondly, I will demonstrate that this view of personhood is to some extent problematic because it advocates an disembodied moral agent by undermining the importance of empirical and socio-historical influences. Thus, I will attempt to reconnect the individual within the social realm through the Confucian perspective on personhood. Namely, the concept of person implies the self in relation to others rather than a radical separation between them. The exemplary person (junzi) cultivates his heart-mind (xin) by developing filial piety (xiao) and benevolence (ren) which are expressed through the practice of rituals(li). These interrelated concepts depict a relational person who occupies certain roles in society based on the multiplicity and diversity of his relationships with other human beings. Finally, the important question is: To what extent is the Confucian relational self relevant in reconceptualizing the Kantian notion of personhood? I will argue that it is necessary to offer an all-encompassing view on personhood by opening up a dialogue between these two traditions. In order to do so, I will reject the presupposed fundamental dichotomy between the Kantian Western perspective and Confucianism. Comparing and connecting their main concepts allows me to expand the meaning of personhood and illustrate its complexities without completely refuting the Kantian individual or adapting the Confucian model in its totality. On one hand, Kant invites us to critically challenge past traditions and social norms by cultivating our abilities to think and reason for ourselves, while this capacity might be limited in Confucian thought. On the other hand, from the Confucian person we can learn how to understand ourselves and our connections with others in a growing social networkShow less
Richard Brothers was a notable early believer and advocate for English-Israelism. He antagonized the government with prophecies of the king of England yielding his throne to him. Prophesying that...Show moreRichard Brothers was a notable early believer and advocate for English-Israelism. He antagonized the government with prophecies of the king of England yielding his throne to him. Prophesying that the hidden Jews of England would return to Israel under his guidance. He was the most prominent late 18thcentury prophet and remains a controversial and misunderstood figure. Despite decade long interest from scholars, Brothers’ role as part of the broader radical culture remains a matter of debate. While his story can be interpreted as that of a lunatic who stumbled into fame, we will discuss what allowed Brothers to blossom into a national phenomenon. The aim is to explore Brothers’ role and impact in the context of the larger radical movement. We will explore why Brothers was prosecuted in a government effort aimed at silencing these radical groups in England, and why his political and religious message were deemed too dangerous to be left unchecked. We will view Brothers through the lens that most of Britain would have seen him through in 1795, the newspapers. A deeply divisive figure, he sparked discourse in all layers of English society. His fame reached even outside Britain. While the exact number of followers and sympathetic individuals has been the subject of some debate, the aim is to find out if there was significant support for the prophet. With material documenting Brothers’ impact on London now readily available in online newspaper archives, the goal of this research is to answer the question: What impact did Richard Brothers have on society and how was he perceived by the government and the public?Show less
In order to add to the academic and societal debate on Salafism, this thesis will approach the topic of Salafism in the Netherlands from both a philosophical and a political perspective through the...Show moreIn order to add to the academic and societal debate on Salafism, this thesis will approach the topic of Salafism in the Netherlands from both a philosophical and a political perspective through the question “To what extent are Salafi’s rejecting Dutch Enlightenment ideals and does this weaken these ideals in society?”. Instead of focusing on the possible jihadi/terrorist threat Salafism might pose, like most previous research on European Salafism, the stances of Salafi’s on Dutch society will be analysed, and what effect this has on society. This will be done through researching the representation of Enlightenment values in Dutch political manifesto’s before and after the rise of Salafism in the Netherlands.. The thesis concludes that Salafism is a largely diverse group which rejects Enlightenment values to various degrees. Furthermore it concludes that Salafism has strengthened these Enlightenment ideals in the Netherlands, as the political manifesto’s represent Enlightenment values in a much stronger manner after the rise of Dutch Salafism.Show less
Between 1750 and 1773 the three Catholic kingdoms of Portugal, Spain and France expelled the Order of Jesuits from their respective realms. The motives for this expulsion were by and large the same...Show moreBetween 1750 and 1773 the three Catholic kingdoms of Portugal, Spain and France expelled the Order of Jesuits from their respective realms. The motives for this expulsion were by and large the same, as were the procedures taken to expel the Jesuits. Altogether, these three national expulsions can be seen as part of a trilateral diplomatic effort to convince the pope, the unequivocal leader of the Jesuits, to do the same. This article discusses the 'stages of expulsion' and the transnationality of the suppression of the Jesuits.Show less
