Introduction Carl Schmitt’s concept of politische Form—translated as “political form”—is a cornerstone of his political thought. Developed most prominently in Römischer Katholizismus und politische Form (1923) and elaborated further in Verfassungslehre (1928), the idea of political form ties together some of Schmitt’s most crucial concerns: sovereignty, authority, representation, and the structural order of political life. …
Introduction to Transhumanism Transhumanism is not a complete philosophical system that stands as an autonomous school of thought, but rather a collection of loosely connected ideas centered around one core principle: improving the human condition through technological advancement. Teleologically, this loose confederation of thinkers, scientists, and entrepreneurial enthusiasts believes that thoughts, feelings, experiences, and activities …
Philosophical discourse has traditionally framed knowledge through a masculinized logic—often at the expense of recognizing feminine subjectivity or difference. Luce Irigaray confronts this tradition by rethinking the conditions under which knowledge is produced and meaning constructed. Through her engagement with psychoanalysis, ontology, and language, she reveals how the structures of Western thought—particularly rationalism and the …
Few figures in political thought have generated as much debate, admiration, and condemnation as Niccolò Machiavelli. Reflecting that May 3rd was his birthday, I thought it a rather useful thing to offer a reflection on why he remains a very central thinker for our times, especially given his role in inaugurating a distinctively modern understanding …
On the Ashes of a Yugoslavian Dream Thinking about the Balkans, even for those of us who live here and call it “home,” reminds one of feeding ravens. One cannot escape an eerie feeling around us: simply put, we are here, but we seem to be ravenous for that which leads to conflict. Some …
Section 4. Was Spencer a Social Darwinist? There has been some serious confusion regarding Spencer’s views on the poor and the less fortunate in society. As mentioned earlier, Spencer’s concept of evolution was not based on Darwinism. Although Spencer often cited Darwin’s findings, he did not necessarily come to the same conclusions. The second bit …
In recent years, commentators and scholars have increasingly turned to the work of Carl Schmitt to make sense of Donald Trump’s brand of populist politics. Schmitt, a controversial German legal theorist and critic of liberal democracy, is best known for his assertion that “the political” is founded on the distinction between friend and enemy, and …
Introduction Nationalism and patriotism are two terms that are frequently invoked in political discourse, often to distinguish between what is seen as a negative, aggressive form of national pride (nationalism) and a positive, virtuous form of the same sentiment (patriotism). Nationalism is typically associated with a strong attachment to one’s ethnic or cultural identity, often …
Introduction The question of subjectivity has always been central to philosophy, but with the advent of digital technologies, new frameworks for understanding the self have emerged. One particularly intriguing challenge comes from gaming perspectives: can a second-person perspective exist within a video game? This is not merely a technical or artistic question; it is a …
‘Impressionistic Fuss’ The rejection of Impressionism, which the Italian painters were keen to emphasise, held little weight for Lewis: he maintained that Futurism, with its naïve enthusiasm for machinery and the 'modern', merely parodied Wilde and Gissing, being a “sensational and sentimental mixture of the aesthete of 1890 and the realist of 1870”. Giacomo …
