This thesis is an investigation into the ontological basis of pessimism. I develop a Nietzschean interpretive framework of pessimism, based on a distinction Nietzsche makes between two types of...Show moreThis thesis is an investigation into the ontological basis of pessimism. I develop a Nietzschean interpretive framework of pessimism, based on a distinction Nietzsche makes between two types of pessimism in The Gay Science 370: romantic and Dionysian pessimism. According to Nietzsche, this distinction is based on a dynamic articulated using the language of physiology. This dynamic is either expanding or degenerating. The thesis relates this distinction to Schopenhauer's and Nietzsche's notions of a 'world of appearance' to test if their ontology testifies to a romantic or Dionysian pessimism. Their ontologies are interpreted as either a transfiguration of romantic or Dionysian pessimism. I then develop a reading of Schopenhauer’s pessimistic philosophy. I argue that Schopenhauer’s notion of representation or appearance is central to his metaphysics. I then interpret his punctum pruriens of philosophy as a priori pessimism permeating the whole of Schopenhauer’s philosophy resulting in an ethics of renunciation. I then lay out Nietzsche’s critique of Schopenhauer in the Genealogy, based on the aforementioned physiological dynamic. In the last chapter, I investigate Nietzsche’s world of appearance, characterized as semblance or ‘Schein’. I relate this to Nietzsche’s aesthetics and art as a transfiguration of Dionysian pessimism. However, the question is whether Nietzsche’s philosophy itself is the transfiguration of Dionysian pessimism. I then explain how Nietzsche does this by means of a project of life affirmation through the notions of perspectivism and the will to power.Show less
The central thesis of this paper is that something exists if and only if it is causally connected to me. Using this as a means to find an answer to the question of what it means to exist, the...Show moreThe central thesis of this paper is that something exists if and only if it is causally connected to me. Using this as a means to find an answer to the question of what it means to exist, the thesis is treated as a principle, which sets up a specific, unorthodox kind of defense. Following a Kantian line of thinking, this principle is first interpreted, then and compared to alternatives, upon which finally the specific, concrete implications of its truth are explained. This leads not only to a clear understanding of existence as defined by a causal connection to us, but also a specific understanding of the nature of principles and their proper philosophical application.Show less
The main issue that this thesis aims to address is the marginalised position of the affective dimension in theoretical texts or the academic form. By means of an exploration into Severo Sarduy’s...Show moreThe main issue that this thesis aims to address is the marginalised position of the affective dimension in theoretical texts or the academic form. By means of an exploration into Severo Sarduy’s essay “Simulation” (La Simulacíon, 1982), this thesis aims to demonstrate the potential that lies in the employment of the affective dimension in theoretical writing- and reading processes. The analysis focuses on affective strategies in Sarduy’s essay or, in other words, the means in which the reader is incorporated into the text to fulfill an important role in the making of meaning of the text. This thesis aims to emphasise the ways in which the affective dimension is utilised to communicate the ontological perspective of Sarduy’s text as well as it aspires to show how these affective strategies have the ability to criticise and to mobilise change by providing a different kind of knowledge in academic discourses.Show less
The main focus of this thesis will lie on answering the question of how illness and health are linguistically expressed in the language of the Wayana, in order to acquire a more culturally...Show moreThe main focus of this thesis will lie on answering the question of how illness and health are linguistically expressed in the language of the Wayana, in order to acquire a more culturally appropriate understanding of the Wayana conceptualization of illness and health, which might result into an improvement of the health care system for the Wayana communities.Show less
