This thesis provides an exploration of Carl Jung’s concept of individuation and proves how this concept is fictionalised by Philip K. Dick in his novel 'Ubik'.
In society we seem to value authenticity over inauthenticity, whether it be in lifestyle, philosophical treatises or even artefacts which have to be certified of authenticity in order to attribute...Show moreIn society we seem to value authenticity over inauthenticity, whether it be in lifestyle, philosophical treatises or even artefacts which have to be certified of authenticity in order to attribute a certain validity to an object. Somehow it is significant to own a claim on the authorship or origin of something in the world, as a patent, to make our life just that bit more meaningful or outstanding. However, there is no such thing as the ‘content’ of authenticity, no fixed formula at least, as it is a concept that adapts to its context continuously; parallel to cultural changes and needs. This is why authenticity is often perceived as a quest, whether it is attained through commendable endeavours or returned to through thorough introspection; whether it is regarded as a state you arrive at or a moment that shines up. This paper will try to offer a philosophical reflection on this employment of a language of authenticity by focusing on and connecting two movements of philosophical thought, namely the thought of Martin Heidegger (1889 – 1976), specifically in Being and Time (1927) and the critical theory of the Frankfurt School by Max Horkheimer (1895 – 1973) and Theodor W. Adorno (1903 – 1969), specifically in Dialectic of Enlightenment (1947). Heidegger explicitly speaks of a notion of authenticity (eigentlichkeit) in his theory on Being. I will argue that, even though the word ‘authenticity’ is not particularly mentioned, a sense of that term is implicitly present in the work of Horkheimer and Adorno. To put it more precisely, I will try to investigate whether a sense of authenticity like that of Heidegger’s is to be found in their work. This means that Heidegger will serve as a point of departure. For such a comparison I believe Horkheimer and Adorno’s insights on ‘Culture Industry’ are most relevant to the issue.Show less
The research question of this master’s thesis is: 'to what extent does Žižek’s rethinking of ideology and ideology critique, as formulated in his The Sublime Object of Ideology, facilitate an...Show moreThe research question of this master’s thesis is: 'to what extent does Žižek’s rethinking of ideology and ideology critique, as formulated in his The Sublime Object of Ideology, facilitate an ideology critique of the liberal-capitalist society as it was envisaged by the Frankfurt School?' My thesis is that Žižek’s rethinking of ideology makes a new kind of ideology critique possible, one which is fundamentally different from the ideology critique of the Frankfurt School. It will be shown that Žižek differs from the Frankfurt school in that he excludes the possibility of freeing oneself fully from ideological delusions. However, Žižek’s ideology critique still provides a moment of resistance against ideology and hence a moment of freedom. This makes Žižek’s rethinking of ideology and ideology critique a critical theory of society, despite the differences with the Frankfurt School. An implication of this thesis seems to be that it establishes the urgency of thinking about a reaction to today’s ideology in order to establish a more just society.Show less
