Author: Splijtstof
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Philosopher on the Job: An Interview with Lisa Doeland on Careers in Academic Philosophy
It is that time of year again when many students are graduating and thinking about their next steps into the world of employment, taxes, and other aspects of life after university. By now, I ought to be used to the jokes I hear about philosophers struggling to find their place in the world after their…
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Het applaus en de schilder
Geïnspireerd op de filosofie van het applaus van Cornelis Verhoeven. Welk dier is de mens toch, dat het zijn voorste poten tegen elkaar slaat, wanneer het iets mooi vindt? (Verhoeven 1969, 139-154) Wat achterblijft als het applaus uitblijft is leegte. Stukgeslagen verlossing. Een aangapende ruimte die aarzelt. De stilte moeten verduren. Het slot als open…
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Philosopher Abroad: Philosophies of Life
In Luang Prabang, Laos, I first learned that the word philosophy does not have a universal meaning. I was in Luang Prabang for an internship for about five weeks in 2019. During this time I regularly visited a center where travelers, expats and English-speakers went to speak with young locals. The purpose of the center…
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Telling Non-Human Stories
Writing and reading narratives show us what other possible ways of encountering the world are possible, thereby potentially transfiguring our own ways of engaging with the world around us. Implicated in narrative, therefore, we find a transformative potential. Few problems faced by humanity require such a drastic change in engaging with the world as climate…
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The Privatization of the Future and Human Essence
Introduction In his work Neuromancer (1984, 17), William Gibson explains that the economy of the future is experienced as “a constant subliminal hum, and death the accepted punishment for laziness, carelessness, lack of grace, the failure to heed the demands of an intricate protocol.” This approach to capitalism seems to be a staple when it…
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Symposium 2023: Bodies and Embodiment
Splijtstof is proud to present the annual philosophical Symposium, which this year will take part on the 27th of September! The theme of this year’s Symposium will be: Bodies and Embodiment. Feel welcome and be submerged in an afternoon of philosophical activity, ending with a drink at the CultuurCafé. The speakers which will be attending…
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Off the Record: FTR Coffee Corner’s Bert
From the moment I enter the 15th floor’s coffee corner, I am welcomed by the ever-warm and comforting smell of coffee. On the table lies a crossword puzzle, glasses and an empty cup. “Can I get you something?” Bert asks, holding a small stick of liquorice in the left corner of his mouth. “Coffee, please,”…
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Philosopher Abroad: Culturicide in the Shadows of the USSR
Please be aware of a trigger warning for cultural genocide and war. The war in Ukraine is entering its 16th month, and the terrifyingly destructive battles show no sign of relenting. With the Russian army launching a slaughter in their ‘fraternal’ nation, other peoples of the former Soviet Union find themselves at odds with each…
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Reviewing Owen Jones’ Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class
While discussing unfortunate misrepresentations within British society, Owen Jones’ Chavs: Dehumanization of the Working Class (2011) is highly applicable to the media coverage of working-class people in many Western societies. Jones uses the term “chav” (2011) as symbolic of the most common portrayal of the working class – comparable to the derogatory Dutch epithet, “tokkie”.…