French Philosopher Research Articles

Kamel Daoud's Meursault, contre-enquête (2013) and Camus's L’Étranger (1942): from Postcolonial Remake to De-Narration

In his debut novel, Kamel Daoud retells the story of French novelist and philosopher Albert Camus’s 1942 novel L’Étranger. Told from the vantage point of Harun, the brother of the nameless Arab killed in L’Étranger, Daoud’s Meursault, contre-enquête (2013) is a complex tribute to the Nobel prize-winning author. This essay argues that Daoud’s creative reworking of Albert Camus’s classic lies in the way it reframes the question of postcolonial rewriting in terms of literary affiliation – a question of choice – rather than of filiation – a question of lineage and hierarchy. It then offers to reread the ‘postcolonial remake’ as an act of ‘de-narration’ – a creative act of revision – that enables Kamel Daoud to evade the stereotypical postcolonial readings of his novel. What is most ingenious in the narration of Meursault, contre-enquête is its constant reference to the performance of rewriting Camus’s text not as a form of cultural reappropriation but as a metanarrative exposing its own story to the same critical scrutiny as he does Camus’s. Even when literary and political problematics converge in Daoud’s novel, they do not suggest the postcolonial tale of retribution. Rather, they elicit a new model of literary and social bond.

The Inconceivable God in Lagerkvist’s The Sibyl

The essay aims to explore the coexistence of “matter” and “consciousness” within the character of Sibyl’s son in Pär Lagerkvist’s novel, _The Sibyl_. It draws on the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre’s theory, which suggests that this fusion lies at the heart of humanity’s concept of God. Nevertheless, Sartre also argues that such a combination is fundamentally unattainable. That leads us to the conclusion that Sibyl’s son represents the unimaginable God that Sartre imagined.

Ideological Crisis, Compliance, and Self-Censorship: Identifying the Symptoms of Sinhala-Speaking Theatre Through Its Responses to the Civil War

Abstract: Although many Sinhala-speaking plays created in Sri Lanka after the 1960s focused on contemporary political and social issues, there were surprisingly few theatre productions that addressed the civil war, a significant political crisis in Sri Lanka. Additionally, those few plays that addressed the Civil War failed to provide an opposing thought to the racist ideology that led to the Civil War. Therefore, the purpose of this report is to discuss the issues that caused Sinhala-speaking theatre to pay less attention to the civil war. French philosopher Louis Althusser claimed that “The Ideological State Apparatuses function massively and predominantly by ideology, but they also function secondarily by repression” (Althusser 1971: 145). Along with the argument by Althusser, I will also explore how ideology and repression weaken the significance of the war for the Sinhala-speaking theatre during wartime .

A conceptual history of entropies

In this article I will try to suggest a transdisciplinary framework in order to analyse the contemporary ecological polycrisis which is usually described as the Entropocene era. According to French philosopher Barnard Stiegler, the Anthropocence can be understoodas an Entropocene, because the current ecological crisis consists in a process of massive increase of entropy in all its forms : thermodynamic entropy (that is, dissipation of physical or chemical energy), biological entropy (as the destruction of biodiversity), and psycho-social entropy (as the reduction of knowledge to data and calculations, through digital disruptive technologies). In order to analyze this situation, we need a transversal conception of entropy : from Bergson’s philosophy of life to Stiegler’s philosophy of technics, going through Schrodinger’s physics, Wiener’s cybernetics, Lotka’s biology and Levi-Strauss’s anthropology, I will try to build a conceptual history of entropies and to explore its economic and political consequences, in order to open new paths beyond the Entropocene era.

프랑스 이론과 사이버네틱스

This paper aims to identify the relationship between cybernetics and the post-war French philosophies or theories known and embraced as structuralism, poststructuralism, and postmodernism. Recent research has shown that cybernetics was closely associated with Lévi-Strauss’s structuralism, which was the cool of the new French theory, and that poststructuralism or postmodernism was a response to the technologies of control represented by cybernetics. From this perspective, the misconceptions and prejudices surrounding French theory must be confronted with an understanding of the historical context that gave rise to the phenomenon of postmodernism. This paper looks at French theory as an intellectual movement that emerged out of the reflection on cybernetic technologies in the post-war period centred on the Maginot Line and revisits its theoretical context through the keyword cybernetics. This new examination will allow us to rewrite the genealogy of French theories that emerged after 1950 as a response to cybernetics, whether postmodernism is interpreted as a cultural logic of late capitalism, as an extension of modernism, or as a new epistemology inevitably resulting from the decline of modernity. From this perspective, this paper argues that French theory and its effect, postmodernism, should not be buried in the annals of history as relics of a bygone era but should be recognized as a historical legacy shaping our present reality and should be re-examined.

Прикладні функції архіву: епістемологічна, політична та освітня

The article explores and formulates the applied functions of the archive. In addition to its function as a resource for understanding the past, the archive has important applied functions in the present. The task of defining the functions of the archive also requires defining the concept of the archive. For this aim, the concept of “archive” in the works of philosophers Alyda Assman, Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida, as well as Ukrainian researchers – Vitaly Turenko, Volodymyr Prykhodko, Serhii Rudenko, Maryna Palienko, was considered and studied. These philosophers have found a methodological connection with regard to the etymology of the ancient Greek term “Αρχη”. Detailed studies of the semantics of the concept of Αρχη allow to investigate the understanding of the origin of the functions of the archive. The French philosopher Michel Foucault considered the concept of the archive as a component of his ontological system, “Archaeology of Knowledge”, which explains the functioning of human knowledge, memory and power. So, Foucault explained the epistemological function of the archive. Another French philosopher, Jacques Derrida, focuses on the human desire to take hold of the past, which he calls “archive fever,” and develops this concept in his famous work “Archive Fever: A Freudian Impression”. Among the general concepts of the archive, Derrida focuses on the main and important political function of the archive, the embodiment of the archive in the body. The way the archive functioning is an important factor in the political regime, but at the same time it ensures the successful operation of the education system. In its various forms, the archive transmits to posterity information that appears as a warning and instruction based on the experience of the past. Based on these conditions, the archive acquires an important educational function in the modern world and forms the key ideological conditions for the functioning of society.

The Development and Manifestations of Fallibilism in the Epistemology of Descartes and Hume

The landscape of the modern Western philosophy, particularly within the domain of epistemological inquiry, has been profoundly influenced by the seminal contributions of the encyclopedic thinkers: the French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650) and the Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711-1776). Their perspectives have redefined numerous epistemological challenges inherent to both philosophy and science, laying the groundwork for the advancement of novel conceptual and methodological frameworks to address these challenges. Despite the marked differences between their epistemological frameworks, the philosophies of Descartes and Hume share several significant points of convergence that are particularly relevant to general fallibilism. For Descartes, the path to effective knowledge and the apprehension of truth is primarily forged through reason, emphasizing the understanding and application of its most fundamental principles and laws. Conversely, Hume posits that the foundation of epistemology rests upon experience and direct observation.

The Inconceivable God in Lagerkvist’s The Sibyl

The brief essay aims to explore the coexistence of “matter” and “consciousness” within the character of Sibyl’s son in Pär Lagerkvist’s novel, _The Sibyl_. It draws on the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre’s theory, which suggests that this fusion lies at the heart of humanity’s concept of God. Nevertheless, Sartre also argues that such a combination is fundamentally unattainable. That leads us to the conclusion that Sibyl’s son represents the unimaginable God that Sartre imagined.

THE SILENT LETTER IN H. MELVILLE’S MOBY DICK, OR THE WHALE

The article analyzes the role of the unpronounceable (silent) consonant ‘h’ and the image of the mute letter in Herman Melville’s poetics, especially in Moby-Dick, or The Whale. The paper discusses the indistinction of textual objects (the word ‘whale’, the title of the novel The Whale) and images (white sperm whale Moby Dick, pale characters in Melville’s short stories), which is key for characterizing Melville’s works as autometatexts. The common characteristics that unite both layers - the graphic, auditory existence of the text and the fictional world of the novel - are ‘silence’ and ‘visibility’. The article examines the structure-forming role of these concepts for the system of the images and motifs and their conceptualization within the framework of Melville’s philosophy of creativity and the paradox of the genius who is able to tell the Truth in fiction. The act of creating and reading a text is identified with the process of drawing and seeing a silent letter; the novel then is a transformation field for both the writer and the reader into an architect and a stonemason on the way to comprehending the secret knowledge through the matter of language. The article takes into account the interpretations of the role of the letter ‘h’ in the novel that are classical in Anglophone Melville studies; the methodology of the French philosophers, who wrote about Melville’s work; and modern interpretations from Russian literary criticism.

Friedrich Hölderlin or Emanuele Severino? The Sacral Dimension of Nature in the Context of Modern Technology

The main purpose of inquiries undertaken in this study is to present a synthesis of the views of the German poet Friedrich Hölderlin and the Italian thinker Emanuel Severino on nature and technology, and to analyze the contemporary manifestations of the re-sacralization of nature in many ecological currents, as discussed in her studies by the French philosopher Chantal Delsol. For Hölderlin, nature is never limited to being an empirical object of scientific investigation. It is a divine reality that does not undergo change. It is a space inhabited by the sacred. Nature constitutes the sacred All, beyond which nothing else exists. Severino, in turn, analyzes the impact of modern technology on nature, man and the entire existing world. He believes science and modern technology have become an extremely effective tool of man’s dominion over the natural world. The Italian philosopher says that today the human will to power applied to nature leads to its objectification and desacralization. Delsol, on the other hand, points out that throughout Western culture we are now witnessing the birth of a new religion of nature, which is a modern form of ancient paganism. The analyses performed demonstrate that, on the one hand, nature is currently being subjected to profound changes due to science and technology, while on the other – its former sacral character is being restored, forming the foundation of a new form of religiosity.

Affect and philosophical inquiry with children

Matthew Lipman’s Thinking in Education develops an approach to philosophical inquiry with children (PwC) that claims to develop critical, creative and caring thinking. With Lipman, these kinds of thinking are primarily tied to analytic-logical commitments, and as such, his approach concerns only one way to conceptualize thinking. To address this issue and create space for another understanding, I introduce the concept of affect based on the work of the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze. From a theoretical perspective, affect helps to deepen the relationship between thinking, the body and experience in PwC; in addition, from a practical standpoint, it expands and enriches facilitation practices and curriculum design. To explore affect, I first show why PwC would benefit from such a theoretical expansion while also looking at connections already present within the literature on PwC. After a brief overview of affect theory and some of its initial applications to education, I propose a reading of Deleuzian affect augmented by thinkers like Claire Colebrook and Brian Massumi. Finally, I explore philosophical inquiry through affect and suggest how facilitation practices and curriculum design can respond in lieu of this conceptualization. This response examines several areas: inquiry, concepts, the community and ethical-political engagement.

Batlló and Bataille: Four Photographs

‘Eroticism’, says French philosopher Georges Bataille, ‘is assenting to life up to the point of death.’ The word denotes a quality of the sexual that is beyond the pleasure principle: it is self-loss approximated at the height of life. Communication, of which eroticism is one, entails a provisional imperilling of selfhood, a moment of ‘risk taking’ that, in Bataille’s description, places the being ‘at the limit of death and nothingness.’ A sexual communication, which Bataille likens to a religious festival, ‘provokes an outward movement in the first place.’ Unable to accomplish self-loss, this movement inevitably calls for a ‘retraction and a renunciation.’ But it is the rule with eroticism that this initial recoil ‘organises the merry-go-round’ and, as Bataille concludes in Eroticism (1957), ensures the ‘return of the forward movement.’

Tics, Slips of the Tongue and Habit between Maine de Biran and Victor Egger

Abstract This article compares the phenomena of “tic” and “slip of the tongue” [lapsus] as they have been described by Maine de Biran and Victor Egger, including a possible reception of Biran’s thought by Egger. In the twentieth century these phenomena will be analysed by psychoanalysts, but their first description appears in nineteenth-century French philosophy. Emerging from the analysis of Biran’s “tics” and Egger’s “slips” in the nineteenth century, the concept of habit becomes linked to a reflection on the unconscious. Tic and slip of the tongue constitute, each in its own way, the place where habit exhibits its most peculiar characteristic, that of being always suspended in the dual dialectic of the voluntary and the involuntary, of the conscious and the unconscious. Maine de Biran’s “habit tics” underline the tendency set by habit for which voluntary and conscious actions become involuntary and unconscious, whereas Egger defines slip of the tongue as an involuntary and unconscious event that allows the birth of new habits.

Making Sense of Schizoposting: A Schizoanalysis of Alt-Right Internet Platforms.

Online radicalization has gained considerable attention in the media and in academia. Much attention has shifted to so-called "homegrown terrorists." Mental health concerns of those who display signs of online radicalization are identified as a potential contributing factor to this process. Although it seems both tempting to attribute mental health concerns, attempts to "make sense" of schizoposting (a bizarre and often violent form of online engagement) via conventional "clinical" analysis prove insufficient. This article offers a critical analysis of an extremely disturbing (online) phenomenon through the radical poststructuralist scholarship of late French philosophers, Deleuze and Guattari. Given that schizoposting and those individuals who engage in this behavior have yet to receive any attention in the nursing and health-related literature, it is critical that future research aims to better understand this population, such that appropriate interventions may be proposed.

Rediscovering Guy Gilles, pioneer of queer

ABSTRACT This article positions Guy Gilles (1938–1996), an overlooked filmmaker at the periphery of the French New Wave, as an important pioneer of queer cinema. Situating Gilles in the context of the French gay liberation movement and the militant gay cinema of the 1970s, it brings the director in dialogue with the French philosopher, writer and activist Guy Hocquenghem, whose advocacy of a polyvocal sexual desire resonates with Gilles’s interrogation of traditional sexual taxonomies. Gilles’s fluid vision of sexuality is analysed in two seminal films, Absences répétées/Repeated Absences (1972) and Le Crime d’amour/For Love (1981), which crystallise the director’s exploration of non-normative desires and queer aesthetic. Reclaiming Gilles’s place in the wider genealogy of French queer cinema, the article seeks to contribute to the long-overdue rediscovery of this highly original director, who remains largely unknown in Film and Visual Studies.

Learning to Think [Together

The article demonstrates how thinking works according to German philosopher G.W.F. Hegel and shows what can go wrong if the reality Hegel relied on is compromised by images we encounter in the global world of media images, a critique made by French philosopher Jean Baudrillard. While people may connect with images on their devices rather than on television, Baudrillard’s analysis of images also applies to digital content. This article examines the human task of learning to think for oneself in the company of other people. Its central question focuses on the path thoughtfulness takes if thinking is authentically personal and socially sound. The article offers a model for thinking, abduction, that allows us to keep in touch with reality as we learn to think together about our opinions, knowledge, and beliefs. The article suggests a hopeful way forward for learning to think based on Western philosopher Immanuel Kant’s approach to the growth of the intellect.

Simone Weil et les dimensions mystiques de la nourriture

This article aims to examine the mystical meanings of food in the texts Gravity and Grace, Waiting for God, and First and Last Notebooks by the French philosopher Simone Weil (1909-1943). The main questions posed over the course of this study are as follows: How does Weil interpret food in her mystical texts? What relationship do her ideas have with her context of the Second World War, with Judaism, with her body? Are biomedical understandings of behavior, such as anorexia nervosa, applicable to Weil? The methodology will involve an in-depth reading of the three texts mentioned above, sketching the key theories of decreation and affliction. The main thesis of the paper is that food has an irremediably ambiguous status in Weil, marking both the degrading subjection of the human being to the earthly laws of necessity and gravity, and paradoxically, a path to salvation, where, through the spiritual transformation of decreation, the human being eats and is eaten by God. The author argues that this quasi-Christian mysticism must first be understood in Weil’s context of the Second World War, and that it also involves a problematic relationship with Judaism. Moreover, this study contends that interpretations utilizing primarily medical frameworks to understand Weil's food deprivation, such as anorexia nervosa, are insufficient. Such pathologization, as will be demonstrated, neglects the complex and often ambiguous mystical, ethical, and ontological meanings that Weil locates in hunger.

The Silent Animals. Loving and Staging Animals in Jean Baudrillard’s Thought


 
 
 In this paper, George P. Pefanis discusses the presence of animals on stage from the perspective of French philosopher Jean Baudrillard. Baudrillard examines animality in relation to reason and the division between humans and non-humans. He presents four broad categories based on their relationship to humans. This article analyses the Baudrillardian concept of ‘somatisation’, which includes both the corporeality and physical vulnerability of animals, as well as certain psychic traits. The article explores the sentimentality projected onto animals and the implied superiority of humans in such sentimentality. Additionally, it enquires how the principles of ‘love for animals’ can be integrated into a performance featuring animals on stage from an ethical and ontological perspective. To support this discussion, the paper examines two examples of performances: ‘Embracing Animal’ by American artist Kathy High and ‘The Other’ by American artist Rachel Rosenthal.
 
 

Hadot's later Wittgenstein: A critique

AbstractPierre Hadot is best known as a historian of ancient philosophy and for advocating the relevance of ancient thinking for contemporary lives. What is less well known is that he was one of the first French philosophers to take a serious interest in the work of Wittgenstein, publishing between 1959 and 1962 two essays on the Tractatus and two on the Philosophical Investigations, since republished as Wittgenstein et les limites de langage (Paris: J. Vrin, 2010). Only two of these essays are available (and not widely) in English translation. Part of my goal is to argue that they deserve the attention of anglophone readers. My focus here is on Hadot's remarks about the Philosophical Investigations. Hadot argues that this work produces a self‐defeating paradox because it claims that we can speak intelligibly only within a language‐game, but Wittgenstein, like the philosophers he criticises, tries to transcend language‐games in the presentation of his views. Despite this criticism, Hadot is inspired by Wittgenstein's discussion of the multiplicity of language‐games to argue that the texts of ancient philosophy are not part of the same language‐game as those of modern philosophy and must be approached as ‘spiritual exercises’, rather than as bodies of doctrine or theory. Wittgenstein is thus a key inspiration for Hadot's historiographical method. I argue that Hadot is too impressed by a faulty analogy between the Tractatus and the Investigations and that he gives a problematically reductive interpretation of Wittgenstein's talk of language‐games and implausibly attributes to Wittgenstein a reverence for ‘the ordinary’ that supposedly takes the place of his earlier wonder at the existence of the world. Many commentators since Hadot have made similar errors, so his case remains instructive. I conclude by suggesting, nonetheless, that something like Hadot's proposals about historiographical method may be justified by a better reading of the Investigations.

Educated folk intuitions about free will and determinism: a case study in experimental public philosophy

ABSTRACT Experimental philosophers have been investigating folk intuitions about free will and moral responsibility, wondering whether our intuitive understanding of free will and moral responsibility make them compatible or incompatible with determinism. However, methodological worries have been raised concerning such studies: some have claimed that participants in such studies are simply unable to understand the materials they are presented with. To bypass such methodological worries, we investigated “educated” folk intuitions, that is: intuitions of people who are not philosophers but have enough personal interest in philosophy to have a good grasp of philosophical concepts, and to which the vignettes and their context have been explained before they answer. To this end, we took the opportunity of a video and online survey (N = 4385) released by a popular French philosophy youtuber. The results suggest that, even in this context, the results of previous surveys replicate, suggesting that participants’ inclination toward compatibilism is not the mere product of a comprehension error.