Projects / Programmes
Reconfigurations of Ontology
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.10.00 |
Humanities |
Philosophy |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H001 |
Humanities |
Philosophy |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.03 |
Humanities |
Philosophy, Ethics and Religion |
Ontology, Being, Inconsistency, Surplus, Subject, Psychoanalysis, Art
Researchers (9)
Organisations (2)
Abstract
The project is intended to intervene in the rather dramatic shift that contemporary philosophy seems to be making. This shift could be described as a return to ontology, i.e. as the rapid emergence of new ontologies, in which philosophers mostly turn to something outside philosophy that might serve as its ontological/material basis (mathematics, the natural sciences, computer science, etc.). This re-emerging ontological questioning urges philosophy to reopen some of its most fundamental questions, and it is at this point that our project is intended to develop an original contribution.
The starting-point of our research consists in perceiving the multiplicity of different new ontologies as something that tends to divert our attention from a possible problem that persists at the very core of the notion of ontology, defined as the thought of being qua being. Instead of proposing (another) new ontology, the basic objective of the project is thus a reconfiguration of the notion of ontology itself. An essential part of this reconfiguration is an analysis of the problematic relation between thought and being. Instead of conceiving thought as an agency placed opposite being, we propose to understand it as a point of objectified (and necessarily dislocated) contradiction of being, that is, as the very form of existence of being’s fundamental paradox. This also determines the basic wager of our project: one does not arrive at being qua being by trying to separate it from thought, but quite the contrary, by radicalising the understanding of philosophy as the “thought of thought”, in all its registers – both within philosophy and in other fields of thinking, “dislocated” as they are from philosophy.
In our research we will proceed by way of 1) studying some of the key ontological breaks in the history of philosophy; 2) engaging in a critical dialogue with the representatives of the “new ontologies”; 3) examining the ontological relevance of Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis; and 4) developing a special procedure of interaction between philosophy and the fields outside philosophy (particularly in the case of art). We name the entire procedure of reconfiguring ontology disontology. The research will be broadened by investigating the possible immediate consequences of this perspective for several crucial philosophical concepts, such as the concepts of cause, act, subject, necessity, contingency, universality, difference, identity, temporality, etc. We believe that through such research it will be possible to make an important contribution to ontological questioning, while avoiding the double trap of philosophy either renouncing ontological reflection or transferring it to other fields.
Significance for science
The research project, conceived as an attempt to overcome the insufficiency of the recent debates surrounding the notion of ontology, successfully took up one of the most important problems in philosophy. It significantly intervened into the philosophical interoperation of some of the classical texts, as well as into contemporary and topical philosophical debates related to the question of ontology. It contributed important new concepts and insights, as testified to by the international publication of numerous individual results of the research. Researchers participating in the project have also been invited to present the results of their research at international conferences and as guest lecturers all around the world. The project contributed to a critical review of philosophy itself, both on the immanent level as well as in relation to some other disciplines. By developing clearer and more distinct fundamental philosophical concepts and suitable analytic tools and procedures, the project significantly contributed to the strengthening of philosophy as a scientific field, as well as to the reinforcement of its relevance for several other fields of scientific research.
Significance for the country
Well-developed critical and self-critical philosophical thought is an integral part of the broader culture of a particular society and, together with other fields of knowledge, contributes to its high-quality sustainable development. The project dealt with a topic that is crucial for philosophy today and touches on the fundamental question of human existence in the world. As such, the project developed several positive synergetic effects on all spheres of broader social development. It contributed to the strengthening of autonomous, free, and ethically responsible scientific work and critical thought, all of which are of crucial importance for the development of Slovenia. The project also contributed significantly to education for a sustainable future in the spirit of creativity, innovation, awareness of the importance of one’s own knowledge, and its expansion and establishment in an international framework. The significant impact of this project on the international recognition of Slovene philosophy and science should also be noted.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2014,
2015,
final report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2014,
2015,
final report
