Research Herbert De Vriese

Abstract

This project picks up on an important intuition at the center of the global moral revolt over the Russian invasion in Ukraine: the intuition of objective right and wrong. It starts from the observation that the philosophical reflection on value has fostered a strong sense of suspicion regarding this intuition, as most ethicists remain highly skeptical of the metaphysical status of such judgments. In developing the idea of "interpretive metaethics," it is shown how the hermeneutics of value makes a significant contribution to this debate, first, by understanding ethics hermeneutically, that is, to see moral judgments as interpretations of meaning rather than (non)descriptive statements, and second, by reflecting on morality from the perspective of the philosophy of culture, that is, to reflect on the historical constitution of moral experience in a disenchanted world. In so arguing, it builds on the views of Charles Taylor, using his distinctive moral realism and philosophy of culture to foreground an often-neglected topic in metaethics: the issue of moral self- understanding. In this way, this project aims to develop a new ethical theory on strictly interpretive grounds, while also showing how such a view helps to bridge the gap between normative ethics and metaethics. At stake is the possibility of a more comprehensive ethics – yielding a theory of contemporary moral identity with relevant implications for metaethics, normative ethics, and the philosophy of culture.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: De Vriese Herbert

Research team(s)

• Center for European Philosophy

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

In what way should we conceive of the material world as the source of normativity, interconnectivity, and value? How does the recognition that non-human entities have agency enable ethical motivation? How should we conceive of the human agent when her exceptional status has done so much damage? These questions take centre stage in new materialist theory, but are paradoxically accommodated for in relation to an implicit and weak anthropological framework. The paradox resides in (1) an ethical dimension implicated in an ontological revaluation of reality wherein the human agent is simultaneously deprived from its superior agential capacity, yet manifestly addressed as the very being who has to take up a specific stance towards the material world; (2) in the way this human agent is ultimately addressed in order to respond more adequately to issues in the ethico-political realm: through a limited set of capacities at odds with the normative appeal of the very ethico-political issues new materialists pursue. This project addresses and overcomes this double paradox by developing a strong anthropological framework that is both more consistent with new materialism's own theoretical commitments and thereby potentially reinforces its normative pursuit. This framework is outlined as a new materialist anthropology.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: De Vriese Herbert
• Co-promoter: Meijer Michiel
• Fellow: de Nijs Bik Oscar

Research team(s)

• Center for European Philosophy

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Rewilding has recently gained rapid popularity, becoming a buzzword in nature conservation, environmental philosophy and activism, as well as in subculture and new alternative circles aiming for a rewilding of human life. This type of rewilding seeks to reconnect humans with nature, and often manifests itself openly as a counter-culture of modernity. While rewilding has mostly drawn attention by scholars as an ecological practice and ideology, it has not been thoroughly studied as a (counter-)cultural movement and vision for modern life. This research proposal aims to fill that gap by assessing rewilding as a modern counter-culture. By means of a genealogical investigation, it seeks to uncover a common dynamic of modernity critique underneath the diverse manifestations of rewilding. Two traditions in particular are crucial in exposing this cultural-critical dynamic: views on the Dionysian in romantic literature and Nietzsche's philosophy, and the discourse of enchantment that developed in reaction to Weber's disenchantment theory. Detecting these critical legacies behind the emergence of rewilding allows for a profound assessment of the philosophical irations and implications of the rewilding vision in modernity. This assessment will not only consider the theoretical relevance of rewilding as a modern counter-culture, but also its practical potential for cultural transformation.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: De Vriese Herbert
• Co-promoter: Van Eekert Geert
• Fellow: De Vroey Linde

Research team(s)

• Center for European Philosophy

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

In what way should we conceive of the material world as the locus of normativity, interconnectivity, and value? How enables the recognition that nonhuman entities have agency ethical motivation? How should we conceive of the human agent when her exceptional status is being overthrown for causing so much havoc? These questions take centre stage in new materialist ethics, but are paradoxically accommodated for in relation to a disavowed and implicit anthropological framework. The paradox resides in (1) an ethical dimension implicated in an ontological revaluation of reality wherein the human agent is simultaneously banned from its superior agential capacity, yet manifestly addressed as the very being who has to take up a specific stance towards the material world; (2) in the way this ethical dimension is ultimately accounted for, namely, via a counterintuitively subjectivist understanding of ethics. Taking both points together, a double paradox in new materialist ethics can be discerned. Although the refutation of exclusively human agency is the underlying motif of new materialist thinking, this project addresses this double paradox by shifting focus towards an object-oriented-anthropology as a hermeneutical framework to combat these theoretical difficulties and reinforce the normative force akin to new materialist ontological narratives.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: De Vriese Herbert
• Co-promoter: Meijer Michiel
• Fellow: de Nijs Bik Oscar

Research team(s)

• Center for European Philosophy

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The aim of this project is to examine the political significance of pride. In recent years, political philosophy has shown increasing interest in the role of emotions in politics. Whereas strong emotions like anger, fear, resentment, indignation, love and compassion have all received a great deal of attention in recent debates, comparatively little work has been done on investigating pride as a political emotion. The current project seeks to make up for this lack of attention. It will describe the distinctive political potential of the emotion of pride and argue why it is important to take pride seriously in politics.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: De Vriese Herbert
• Co-promoter: Vanheeswijck Guy
• Fellow: Bergman Harriet

Research team(s)

• Center for European Philosophy

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung. Monatsschrift (ALZ) was a short-lived monthly edited by Bruno Bauer and published between December 1843 and October 1844. Featuring philosophical essays and articles, in-depth reviews, correspondence, and short stories, the journal was mainly launched to cover the new developments in German philosophy. More particularly, with Bruno Bauer being one of the leading thinkers of the Young Hegelian movement at that time, it was established as vehicle for a specific current of Young Hegelian philosophy. In spite of its crucial role in the transformation of German philosophy during the Vormärz (1830-1848), the ALZ has remained relatively unexplored. The project's main intention is to change this situation by bringing support to a new scientific edition of the ALZ. The ALZ includes 31 anonymous articles. This means that the authentic authorship of almost half of the ALZ's articles was not revealed in the original publication. With respect to the new ALZ edition, the project's first objective is to provide extensive annotations to each of these articles, either supporting a precise authorship attribution or a lack thereof. The specific challenge is to strenghten new and existing stylistic, thematic and contextual analyses with natural language processing results. The project's second objective is to develop a novel and well-researched interpretation of the philosophical role and meaning of the ALZ, focusing on the journal's major themes and describing its proper part in the transformation of Young Hegelian philosophy.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: De Vriese Herbert

Research team(s)

• Center for European Philosophy

Project type(s)

• Research Project