The new series of Ideen&Argumente subscribes to the ideal of a pluralist and open culture of argument and debate and presents well-produced volumes on topics and questions which make substantive or methodologically important contributions to contemporary philosophy. The publications are designed to effect a productive synergy between the Anglo-Saxon and Continental European philosophical traditions. Ideen&Argumente provides a platform for outstanding systematically oriented original editions and German first editions from all areas of Theoretical and Practical Philosophy. A welcome is extended to (...) programmatic monographs from whatever philosophical direction. The aim is to highlight anew the thematic and methodological richness of contemporary philosophy. (shrink)

Every student of the twentieth century has heard both of the great Viennese economist Friedrich von Hayek and of the equally great philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. But what isn't well known is that the two were distant cousins and that, shortly after Wittgenstein's death in 1951, Hayek set out to write a biography of his cousin. The project was derailed by Wittgenstein family members, who felt it was to soon to publish such a work - especially one like Hayek's, so (...) candid about his cousin's difficulties and depressions. But Hayek's draft acquired an underground readership, and Wittgensteins biographers have used it extensively. Here finally, is the text of that work itself - a true goldmine in being one great thinker's view of another, whom he knew personally, even if not well. Hayek's account has the great merit of being close to its subject; the draft, moreover sheds light, not only on Wittgenstein but on Hayek as well. (shrink)

Usually, humor is not theorized specifically, but identified with the comic and laughter. This paper deals with the internal logic of humorous operations in the context of Freud's writings on humor, in order to make them productive for medial anthropology. Unlike conventional anthropologies, medial anthropology is interested in the ontologizing effects of operations that can be understood in a technical way. Correspondingly, humoresque operations are to be studied anew as techniques of the Dionysian connection of pleasure and reality principle. German (...) Humor wird gemeinhin nicht eigens theoretisiert, sondern umstandslos mit dem Komischen und dem Lachen identifiziert. In diesem Aufsatz geht es darum, die Eigenlogik von humoresken Operationen vor dem Hintergrund von Freuds Auslassungen zum Humor herauszuarbeiten und für eine mediale Anthropologie produktiv zu machen. Im Unterschied zu herkömmlichen Anthropologien interessiert sich eine mediale Anthropologie für die ontologisierenden und wirklichkeitskonstituierenden Effekte technisch zu fassender Operationen. Humoreske Operationen sind entsprechend als Techniken der dionysischen Verschaltung von Lust- und Realitätsprinzip neu zu beleuchten. (shrink)

Traditionell wird Einfühlung anthropozentrisch und figurenbezogen behandelt. Demgegenüber arbeitet dieser Text, anknüpfend an die ästhetische Einfühlungstheorie von Theodor Lipps und neuere Bild- und Filmtheorien, eine ästhetische Form dingbezogener Einfühlung heraus. Mit Bezug auf die dramaturgische Funktionsweise sogenannter McGuffins, wie Alfred Hitchcock sie für den Film eingeführt hat, rückt ein ganzes Genre filmischer Dinge exemplarisch ins Zentrum, die die Aufgabe übernehmen, eigenständig filmische Spannung und damit Immersion zu erzeugen. McGuffins treten meist in Form von konkreten Gegenständen wie Koffern oder Behältern auf, (...) die physischen Ortswechseln unterzogen werden und Faszination auf sich ziehen, ohne dafür auf psychologische und personenbezogene Register Bezug nehmen zu müssen. Die Spannung und Zeit antreibende Kraft von McGuffins, welche sich stets als bedeutungsleere Motive am Ende einer Geschichte erweisen, ist eine Funktion ihrer geradezu kontaktmagischen und kausalen Übertragungsmöglichkeiten. McGuffins organisieren narrative Bewegungen diesseits von Sinn und Bedeutung. Der Bezug auf dingbezogene Einfühlung weist in philosophischer Hinsicht auf die Notwendigkeit hin, nicht-semiotische und materielle Formen dramaturgischer Bewegung in ästhetischen und narrativen Theorien begrifflich stärker zu berücksichtigen. Empathy is traditionally treated anthropocentrically and figure-related. In contrast, this text, based on Theodor Lipp’s aesthetic theory of empathy and more recent image and film theories, works out an aesthetic form of thing-related empathy. With reference to the dramaturgical functioning of so-called McGuffins, as Alfred Hitchcock introduced them for film, an entire genre of cinematic things, which take on the task of independently creating cinematic suspense and thus immersion, takes centre stage. McGuffins usually appear in the form of concrete objects such as suitcases or containers which undergo physical changes of location and attract fascination without having to refer to psychological and personal registers. The suspense-and time-driving force of McGuffins, which always prove to be meaningless motifs at the end of a story, is a function of their almost contact-magic and causal transmission possibilities. McGuffins organize narrative movements instead of meaning and significance. In philosophical terms, the reference to material empathy points to the need to take greater account of non-semiotic and material forms of dramaturgical movement in aesthetic and narrative theories. (shrink)

Die Ablehnung der Mimesis, verstanden als ein Anspruch von Darstellungen auf Naturnachahmung, ist ein charakteristischer Grundzug moderner Ästhetik und Erkenntnistheorie seit dem Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts. Parallel dazu existieren zeitgleich im Raum wissensbildender Institutionen wie den Naturkundemuseen Dispositive, etwa die Habitat-Dioramen, die das traditionell mimetische Ideal auf kreative Weise aufrechterhalten. Diese vermeintlich anachronistischen Dispositive werden hinsichtlich ihrer mimesisproduktiven Dimensionen medienphilosophisch reflektiert und zu Adornos Mimesisverständnis ins Verhältnis gesetzt.

In diesem Beitrag wird für eine Theorie der ästhetischen Erfahrung des Films argumentiert, in der die spezifisch aisthetischen und phänomenologischen Dimensionen einen auch normativen Status für das Filmästhetische zugeschrieben bekommen. Der Begriff des ‚Leihkörpers‘ wird zu diesem Zweck eingeführt und hinsichtlich seines epistemischen Charakters als eine Form von implizitem Wissen ausgewiesen.

The paper sees itself as a plea for an irreducibly relationalistic approach to anthropomedial relations in which man and media are always already dynamically linked. Based on the characteristics of the man-cinemarelation, the mode of affection comes to the fore that regulates both the form of existence and the accessibility of anthropomedial relations. In contrast to the common negligence of affects in media studies and philosophy, the investigation of practices and logics of affective meta-mediality could open a new field of (...) study for media philosophy. (shrink)

This text is about Martin Seel’s philosophical experiment on »not wanting to be right« in the light of concepts of the neutral, as found in French philosophy (Nancy, Blanchot). In the »neither-nor« and »both-as-well« positionings neutralize themselves undialectically. In relation to this, the relationship between art and philosophy can be systematically redefined. According to the thesis of this essay, both fields gain their comparability, difference, and specific contour through their complementary relationship to the neutral.

The paper sees itself as a plea for an irreducibly relationalistic approach to anthropomedial relations in which man and media are always already dynamically linked. Based on the characteristics of the man-cinemarelation, the mode of affection comes to the fore that regulates both the form of existence and the accessibility of anthropomedial relations. In contrast to the common negligence of affects in media studies and philosophy, the investigation of practices and logics of affective meta-mediality could open a new field of (...) study for media philosophy. (shrink)

Humor wird gemeinhin nicht eigens theoretisiert, sondern umstandslos mit dem Komischen und dem Lachen identifiziert. In diesem Aufsatz geht es darum, die Eigenlogik von humoresken Operationen vor dem Hintergrund von Freuds Auslassungen zum Humor herauszuarbeiten und für eine mediale Anthropologie produktiv zu machen. Im Unterschied zu herkömmlichen Anthropologien interessiert sich eine mediale Anthropologie für die ontologisierenden und wirklichkeitskonstituierenden Effekte technisch zu fassender Operationen. Humoreske Operationen sind entsprechend als Techniken der dionysischen Verschaltung von Lust- und Realitätsprinzip neu zu beleuchten. Usually, humor (...) is not theorized specifically, but identified with the comic and laughter. This paper deals with the internal logic of humorous operations in the context of Freud's writings on humor, in order to make them productive for medial anthropology. Unlike conventional anthropologies, medial anthropology is interested in the ontologizing effects of operations that can be understood in a technical way. Correspondingly, humoresque operations are to be studied anew as techniques of the Dionysian connection of pleasure and reality principle. (shrink)

"Die Ablehnung der Mimesis, verstanden als ein Anspruch von Darstellungen auf Naturnachahmung, ist ein charakteristischer Grundzug moderner Ästhetik und Erkenntnistheorie seit dem Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts. Parallel dazu existieren zeitgleich im Raum wissensbildender Institutionen wie den Naturkundemuseen Dispositive, etwa die Habitat-Dioramen, die das traditionell mimetische Ideal auf kreative Weise aufrechterhalten. Diese vermeintlich anachronistischen Dispositive werden hinsichtlich ihrer mimesisproduktiven Dimensionen medienphilosophisch reflektiert und zu Adornos Mimesisverständnis ins Verhältnis gesetzt. The rejection of mimesis, understood as a depiction’s claim on imitation of nature, (...) has been a characteristic feature of modern aesthetics and epistemology since the end of the 19th century. At the same time, there are also dispositives, such as habitat dioramas, which creatively maintain the traditionally mimetic ideal in the space of knowledge-building institutions such as museums of natural science. These supposedly anachronistic dispositions are reflected in media-philosophical terms with regard to their dimensions of mimesis production and are related to Adorno’s understanding of mimesis. ". (shrink)

Urban agriculture in Cuba has played an important role for citizens’ food supply since the collapse of the Eastern Block. Through the land reform of 2008 and the Lineamientos of 2011, the Cuban government has aimed to support agriculture in order to increase national food production and reduce imports. However, the implementation of the designed measures faced obstacles. Therefore, the research objective was to display how the government’s measures aiming to support domestic food production influenced urban agriculture. The qualitative research (...) comprised semi-structured interviews with 15 urban farmers in Havana and revealed the respondents’ experiences with the land reform and the Lineamientos and the potential of the reforms to implement food sovereignty. Findings show that the land reform has facilitated access to land for newcomer and existing farmers. However, availability of agricultural inputs has been limited and they were often expensive. Thus, urban farmers frequently produced farm inputs at their plots and applied sustainable farming practices to minimize their dependence on external inputs. The reforms have generated private marketing opportunities and have stimulated urban farmers to increase production. At the same time, subsidies have been reduced and consumers have faced increasing food prices. In conclusion, the land reform and the Lineamientos have created framework conditions for food sovereignty. However, the challenge is to increase the coherence of the theoretic aim and the practical implementation of the reforms. (shrink)

Logical reconstruction is a fundamental philosophical method for achieving clarity concerning the prerequisites, presuppositions and the logical structure of natural language arguments. The scope and limits of this method have become visible not least through its intense application to Anselm of Canterbury’s notorious proofs for the existence of God. This volume collects, on the one hand, reconstructions of Anselmian arguments that take account of the problems of reconstruction and, on the other hand, theoretical reflections on reconstruction with a view to (...) Anselm. We hope that this will allow the reader to critically assess the merits of the theoretical accounts in the light of the reconstructions and the merits of the reconstructions in the light of the theoretical accounts. In general, by considering the example of an outstanding thinker in one or the other way, this volume aims at advancing the methodology and the practice of logical reconstruction. The following remarks explain and motivate this undertaking: What purposes does logical reconstruction serve? What purposes does the reflection on logical reconstruction serve? In which ways can the practice and theory of reconstruction profit particularly from studying Anselm’s reasoning? How can the resulting problems be addressed? – Finally, a short overview over the contributions to this volume is offered. (shrink)