Communication has become an increasingly discussed concept in postmodernity. While commentators a... more Communication has become an increasingly discussed concept in postmodernity. While commentators agree on the value of the concept, there is a wide range of views on the consequences of the concept: Vattimo sees communication as heralding a new type of society based on transparency, I while Habermas sees communication as a form of action with the potential for emancipation. In this paper, I will be questioning the possibility of the latter: to do this I will first examine Nietzsche's views on communication; then I will examine Nietzsche's use of communication as a critique of consciousness; finally offer a critical analysis of Habermas's project of communicative action in the light of the Nietzschean critique of communication. The early writings of Nietzsche on language are chiefly concerned with rejecting the correspondence theory of truth and knowledge. On this account, the formation of the concept involves a process of eliminating differences and retaining what is common. This process is applicable both to things and to abstract ideas. 2 'We obtain the concept as we do the form, by overlooking what is individual and actual; whereas nature is acquainted with no forms and no concepts, and likewise no species, but only with an X which remains inaccessible and undefinable for us' (Nietzsche 1873: 83). In effect, the concept is mistakenly said to represent the essences of things. However, accompanying this negative judgement of language is a positive thesis I. Vaffimo, (3. 1992. The Transparent Society,Cambridge: Polity Press. 2. The application of Nietzsche's theory oflanguage to moral concepts is clearly shown in this passage from 'On Truth and Lying in an Extra Moral Sense': 'we call a person "honest." We ask, "Why did he act so honestly today?" Our answer usually goes: "Because of his honesty." Honesty! That means once more: the "leaf' is the cause of the leaves. For we know nothing of an essential quality called honesty: what we know are numerous. individualised. hence dissimilar, actions which we eQuate IIY omitrin!! the dissimilar and then referring to them as honest action. Last of all, we formulate out of them a gualitas occuita with the name "honesty" (249).
The status of myth and the possibilities that it contributes to the revival of culture is one tha... more The status of myth and the possibilities that it contributes to the revival of culture is one that occupied Nietzsche's attention throughout his intellectual career. Although there has been a renewal of interest in myth in the last century, a renewal generated by the work of anthropologists, mythical thinking had been dismissed as 'fantasy' or equated with an earlier from of social evolution. Against the current of his time, with its emphasis on Enlightenment values, Nietzsche understands the power of myth as a unifying force within society. As a counterweight to the fragmentation of society, Nietzsche suggested that new myths were needed. In this respect, this paper makes the claim that the so-called doctrines of the eternal recurrence of the Ubermensch should be read as examples of mythical thinking. Within the framework of Nietzsche's thought, myth functioned as the standard for measuring the 'health' of society, so that while myths could be described as illusions, these myths, as opposed to religious and positivistic views, served the purpose of generating life-affirming attitudes.
Empedocles: European Journal for the Philosophy of Communication
Augustine’s Confessions has been traditionally considered one of the founding texts in the genre ... more Augustine’s Confessions has been traditionally considered one of the founding texts in the genre of autobiographical writings. It belongs, in particular, to those specific autobiographical writings that their authors feel the need to write so as to defend their reputation, in the face of their critics. As part of their defence, what becomes important for these texts is that they communicate the truths of their authors. The problem in the case of the Confessions is that a number of scholars challenge Augustine’s truth claims by portraying him in a less sympathetic light. Given these challenges, an alternative way of reading the text is to displace the focus of the reading from that of its author to the effects the text is intended to have upon its readers. In this way, the Confessions is read as a narrative that aims to convert its readers towards the Christian vision of salvation which Augustine, as a rhetorician, crafts using a number of episodes that his readers can identify with....
Communication has become an increasingly discussed concept in postmodernity. While commentators a... more Communication has become an increasingly discussed concept in postmodernity. While commentators agree on the value of the concept, there is a wide range of views on the consequences of the concept: Vattimo sees communication as heralding a new type of society based on transparency, I while Habermas sees communication as a form of action with the potential for emancipation. In this paper, I will be questioning the possibility of the latter: to do this I will first examine Nietzsche's views on communication; then I will examine Nietzsche's use of communication as a critique of consciousness; finally offer a critical analysis of Habermas's project of communicative action in the light of the Nietzschean critique of communication. The early writings of Nietzsche on language are chiefly concerned with rejecting the correspondence theory of truth and knowledge. On this account, the formation of the concept involves a process of eliminating differences and retaining what is common. This process is applicable both to things and to abstract ideas. 2 'We obtain the concept as we do the form, by overlooking what is individual and actual; whereas nature is acquainted with no forms and no concepts, and likewise no species, but only with an X which remains inaccessible and undefinable for us' (Nietzsche 1873: 83). In effect, the concept is mistakenly said to represent the essences of things. However, accompanying this negative judgement of language is a positive thesis I. Vaffimo, (3. 1992. The Transparent Society,Cambridge: Polity Press. 2. The application of Nietzsche's theory oflanguage to moral concepts is clearly shown in this passage from 'On Truth and Lying in an Extra Moral Sense': 'we call a person "honest." We ask, "Why did he act so honestly today?" Our answer usually goes: "Because of his honesty." Honesty! That means once more: the "leaf' is the cause of the leaves. For we know nothing of an essential quality called honesty: what we know are numerous. individualised. hence dissimilar, actions which we eQuate IIY omitrin!! the dissimilar and then referring to them as honest action. Last of all, we formulate out of them a gualitas occuita with the name "honesty" (249).
The status of myth and the possibilities that it contributes to the revival of culture is one tha... more The status of myth and the possibilities that it contributes to the revival of culture is one that occupied Nietzsche's attention throughout his intellectual career. Although there has been a renewal of interest in myth in the last century, a renewal generated by the work of anthropologists, mythical thinking had been dismissed as 'fantasy' or equated with an earlier from of social evolution. Against the current of his time, with its emphasis on Enlightenment values, Nietzsche understands the power of myth as a unifying force within society. As a counterweight to the fragmentation of society, Nietzsche suggested that new myths were needed. In this respect, this paper makes the claim that the so-called doctrines of the eternal recurrence of the Ubermensch should be read as examples of mythical thinking. Within the framework of Nietzsche's thought, myth functioned as the standard for measuring the 'health' of society, so that while myths could be described as illusions, these myths, as opposed to religious and positivistic views, served the purpose of generating life-affirming attitudes.
Empedocles: European Journal for the Philosophy of Communication
Augustine’s Confessions has been traditionally considered one of the founding texts in the genre ... more Augustine’s Confessions has been traditionally considered one of the founding texts in the genre of autobiographical writings. It belongs, in particular, to those specific autobiographical writings that their authors feel the need to write so as to defend their reputation, in the face of their critics. As part of their defence, what becomes important for these texts is that they communicate the truths of their authors. The problem in the case of the Confessions is that a number of scholars challenge Augustine’s truth claims by portraying him in a less sympathetic light. Given these challenges, an alternative way of reading the text is to displace the focus of the reading from that of its author to the effects the text is intended to have upon its readers. In this way, the Confessions is read as a narrative that aims to convert its readers towards the Christian vision of salvation which Augustine, as a rhetorician, crafts using a number of episodes that his readers can identify with....
In this current contribute it is investigated how Ricoeur addresses the problem of evil through n... more In this current contribute it is investigated how Ricoeur addresses the problem of evil through narrations: in the dialectic between the origin of evil and the possibility of forgiveness, it is discussed in particular the philosophical value of his religious perspective. Referring to these two aspects in particular, it is questioned if a real foundation of an ethical “religious hermeneutics” is possible.
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Papers by Claude Mangion