Ontological Humility: Lord Voldemort and the PhilosophersNeither self-effacing modesty nor religious meekness, ontological humility is a moral and philosophical attitude toward transcendence the unknown and unknowable background of existence and a recognition and awareness of the contingency and chance that influence the course of our lives. It is a concept that Nancy J. Holland finds both throughout the history of philosophy and across the volumes of J. K. Rowling s Harry Potter series. Tracing it through the philosophical thought of figures ranging from Descartes, Hume, and Kant to Heidegger, Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty, and Derrida, Holland uses the Harry Potter saga as a guide to illustrate the concept, revealing a whole set of ethical imperatives. Connecting the concept to contemporary gender and race theory, she demonstrates its implications both for our understanding of the philosophical tradition and for the way we live our own lives. |
Contents
Defining Ontological Humility | 1 |
Epistemological Humility and Its Other | 23 |
Ontological Humility in Heidegger | 45 |
Existential Humility and Its Other | 67 |
Postmodern Humility and Its Other | 89 |
Feminist Humility | 111 |
Conclusion | 131 |
Notes | 135 |
145 | |
151 | |
Other editions - View all
Ontological Humility: Lord Voldemort and the Philosophers Nancy Jean Holland No preview available - 2013 |
Ontological Humility: Lord Voldemort and the Philosophers Nancy J. Holland No preview available - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
analytic philosophy ancient Greeks argues argument Aristotle Aristotle’s Beauvoir believes biopower Black body causal claim concept consciousness created Dasein death Deathly Hallows defined definition Derrida Descartes Descartes’s différance discourse discussion dualisms emphasis epistemological humility epistemologies of ignorance Ethical existence existentialism experience feminist field final finds first freedom Frye’s gender Harry Potter Heidegger’s hereafter cited hierarchical dualisms Hogwarts human Hume Hume’s I. K. Rowling Iacques Derrida identified infinite Kant Kant’s Kierkegaard knight of faith knowledge language lives Lord Voldemort magic Martin Heidegger McWhorter means Merleau-Ponty metaphysics Michel Foucault Ministry of Magic modern moral notes object one’s ontological humility oppression perception philosophical Plato political present-at-hand PWD-I question race racism reason reference reflects relationship Rowling’s sacrifice Sartre Sartre’s says scientific sense sexuality significations Sirius Black specific things thinking thought tradition trans truth Tuana understanding University Press Voldemort women word York