Foucault thinks language according to a movement, which appears repeatedly in his writings, of simultaneous constituting and undoing,...
The Roots of Existentialism: Socrates
Between existentialism and the thinking-philosophizing of Socrates, there is a relatedness; that is, there are similarities, continuities, and...
Sartre: Committed Writing and Changing the World
For Sartre, committed writing aims at changing the world by disclosing it and by asking and investigating the...
Plato on Self-Knowledge: How Could One Know Oneself?
The thinking-philosophizing of Plato is held together by a demand for self-knowledge, by a demand for knowing oneself,...
Derrida on Hospitality as Welcoming the Unwelcomable
Derrida deconstructs hospitality and all acts of welcoming by exposing them to their own impossibilities, that is, by...
Sartre’s Denial of Human Nature
The existentialism of Sartre arises from the conviction that there is no human nature. “Existence precedes essence” conveys...
Explaining Foucault’s Archeology
Foucault’s archeology is, according to Foucault, an archeology of knowledge. Knowledge is that toward which the archeological activity...
Derrida on the Event: Singular/Iterable
For Derrida, an event truly worthy of the name must be irruptive, unforeseeable, and incalculable, bordering on incomprehension...
Plato on Happiness and the Happy Life
Happiness, for us, is a feeling; short-lived or abiding. Happiness, for Plato and in ancient Greek thought, refers...
Heidegger on Authenticity: Realizing Finitude
Heidegger thinks the authenticity and inauthenticity of Dasein from out of a specific relatedness into which he places...
Sartre on Authenticity: Acknowledging Freedom
In the ethical-existential thinking-philosophizing of Sartre, authenticity is offered not as a mere value, but rather as a...
Derrida on Supplement and Supplementarity
The supplement and its processes appear frequently in the writings of Derrida, but Of Grammatology is where this...
Explaining What Foucault Means by Discourse
Discourse is a concept to which Foucault refers repeatedly; a concept that Foucault repeatedly re-visits; a concept whose...
Plato on Justice in the City and the Soul
For Plato, the theme of justice is question-worthy. In the Republic, justice is extensively discussed, questioned, and investigated.
Derrida on Decision and Undecidability
For Derrida, a decision that is truly worthy of its name takes place only by passing through the...
Simone de Beauvoir on Freedom and the Situation
The situation of children is where Simone de Beauvoir begins her discussion and analysis of freedom and the...
Explaining Heidegger’s “Standing Reserve”
Standing reserve is one of the terms that appear repeatedly in Heidegger’s critique of modern technology and of...
Plato on Philosophy, Philosophizing, and Philosophers
Plato did not invent the word “philosophy”, but he rendered its meaning and scope radically other; he totally...
Sartre on God: Impossible and a Dream
The assumption that there exists a God, a conscious God that preceded and created the universe is something...
Camus on Art, Absurd Artists, and the Absurd
In The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus says that there exists between art and the absurd a contradictory relation,...