This article aims at presenting the argument for the modification of Dennis Earl’s “four-sentence... more This article aims at presenting the argument for the modification of Dennis Earl’s “four-sentence paper” template into the “six-line essay” writing intervention. The underlying reason for this research is a relative paucity of literature covering the topic of philosophy writing interventions at a beginner’s level. In order to fill this gap, the article takes the following course. For general background, it presents the general views on teaching essay writing and the relative unavailability of philosophy-directed methods and techniques. It then describes Earl’s template in relative detail. Further, it refers to my experience teaching philosophical writing to University of Zululand students. Next, it describes the specific group of students with whom I first tried the method in 2019 and whose needs prompted the modifications. I then explain the “six-line essay” model step by step, commenting on the rationale behind each step and the way in which it is presented to students. True to fo...
This paper addresses the conditions that need to be met for a human being to feel or, conversely,... more This paper addresses the conditions that need to be met for a human being to feel or, conversely, not to feel guilty of a wrongdoing against another human being. It does this in the light of Jaspers' understanding of metaphysical guilt as arising from inter-human solidarity. My claim is twofold. First, I claim that, while metaphysical guilt is not impossible, Jaspers does not offer an explanation of how it arises either in the Question of German guilt (Jaspers 2000) or in his other work on guilt in general. Secondly, despite metaphysical guilt's existence, it is, nevertheless, common for humans not to experience it, a phenomenon which Jaspers implicitly acknowledges but does not explain explicitly. I apply Axel Honneth's concept of recognition in order to supply the social component and the theory of dehumanisation to explain why, under some circumstances, metaphysical guilt does not arise.
The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 and the various measures taken subsequently, either by ind... more The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 and the various measures taken subsequently, either by individual countries or by government and non-government bodies with a global reach, have had a profound effect on human lives on a number of levels, be it social, economic, legal, or political. The scramble to respond to the threat posed by the rapid spread of the virus has, in many cases, led to a suspension of ordinary politics whilst at the same time throwing into sharp relief the profoundly political nature of the pandemic. In addition to the new issues that have arisen regarding detection and treatment of the COVID-19 virus, perennial political issues regarding the limits of political authority, racial and gender justice, and populism and demagoguery have thrust themselves to the forefront of mainstream political discourse.
The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 and the various measures taken subsequently, either by ind... more The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 and the various measures taken subsequently, either by individual countries or by government and nongovernment bodies with a global reach, have had a profound effect on human lives on a number of levels, be it social, economic, legal, or political. The scramble to respond to the threat posed by the rapid spread of the virus has, in many cases, led to a suspension of ordinary politics whilst at the same time throwing into sharp relief the profoundly political nature of the pandemic. In addition to the new issues that have arisen regarding detection and treatment of the COVID-19 virus, perennial political issues regarding the limits of political authority, racial and gender justice, and populism and demagoguery have thrust themselves to the forefront of mainstream political discourse.
The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 and the various measures taken subsequently, either by ind... more The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 and the various measures taken subsequently, either by individual countries or by government and nongovernment bodies with a global reach, have had a profound effect on human lives on a number of levels, be it social, economic, legal, or political. The scramble to respond to the threat posed by the rapid spread of the virus has, in many cases, led to a suspension of ordinary politics whilst at the same time throwing into sharp relief the profoundly political nature of the pandemic. In addition to the new issues that have arisen regarding detection and treatment of the COVID-19 virus, perennial political issues regarding the limits of political authority, racial and gender justice, and populism and demagoguery have thrust themselves to the forefront of mainstream political discourse. This special issue, titled simply Pandemic politics, is a collection of papers that casts a critical perspective upon the political dimensions of the current pandemic. We have invited papers covering a broad spectrum of pandemic-related topics, especially with the focus on aspects of the pandemic in relation to the Southern hemisphere. The eight papers that made it to this volume are reflective of this broad approach and fall, roughly, into three categories, namely power and mistrust, disaster capitalism, and COVID-19: crisis or opportunity.
Critical Theory, insofar as it seeks to “liberate human
beings from the circumstances that enslav... more Critical Theory, insofar as it seeks to “liberate human beings from the circumstances that enslave them” (Horkheimer 1982: 244), continually engages with a critical conceptualisation of the subject of its enquiry – humanity – and the societies it inhabits. The third South African Society for Critical Theory annual conference took place on 22 and 23 November 2019 at the Howard College Campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal on the theme “Contested Identities: Critical Conceptualisations of the Human”. The conference served to re-affirm the continuing relevance of critical theory for enquiring not just into contemporary society, but also for asking questions of our conceptualisations of the human and human identity. To this end papers were invited which addressed the vexed notion of the ‘human’ in the contemporary age and considered the potential and pitfalls of identity theory in relation to Critical Theory. The conference also called for papers that explore the concept of ‘the human’ and ‘human nature’ from a critical perspective. What, for instance, might we construe as ‘essential’ human characteristics? Or is it the case that the question of the ‘human’ is no longer meaningful in such a sense? Has the technological mediation of existence altered our understanding of humanity? Would we perhaps be better served by attempting to define the ‘human’ contextually, in its present historico-social conditions? And would doing so enable us to extrapolate its future trajectory? Is it the case that attempting to formulate such a definition may facilitate liberation, or would it merely serve a repressive ideological function? For if it is the case that the ‘human’ or ‘human nature’ are no longer meaningful categories, then what is it that Critical Theory aims to liberate?
This paper addresses the conditions that need to be met
for a human being to feel or, conversely,... more This paper addresses the conditions that need to be met for a human being to feel or, conversely, not to feel guilty of a wrongdoing against another human being. It does this in the light of Jaspers’ understanding of metaphysical guilt as arising from inter-human solidarity. My claim is twofold. First, I claim that, while metaphysical guilt is not impossible, Jaspers does not offer an explanation of how it arises either in the Question of German guilt (Jaspers 2000) or in his other work on guilt in general. Secondly, despite metaphysical guilt’s existence, it is, nevertheless, common for humans not to experience it, a phenomenon which Jaspers implicitly acknowledges but does not explain explicitly. I apply Axel Honneth’s concept of recognition in order to supply the social component and the theory of dehumanisation to explain why, under some circumstances, metaphysical guilt does not arise.
This article aims at presenting the argument for the modification of Dennis Earl’s
“four-sentence... more This article aims at presenting the argument for the modification of Dennis Earl’s “four-sentence paper” template into the “six-line essay” writing intervention. The underlying reason for this research is a relative paucity of literature covering the topic of philosophy writing interventions at a beginner’s level. In order to fill this gap, the article takes the following course. For general background, it presents the general views on teaching essay writing and the relative unavailability of philosophydirected methods and techniques. It then describes Earl’s template in relative detail. Further, it refers to my experience teaching philosophical writing to University of Zululand students. Next, it describes the specific group of students with whom I first tried the method in 2019 and whose needs prompted the modifications. I then explain the “six-line essay” model step by step, commenting on the rationale behind each step and the way in which it is presented to students. True to form, the article also presents objections and the relevant counterarguments. Finally, the article points to the possibility of further, more structured research, with formal questionnaires/ structured interviews and their subsequent analysis.
This paper is the second of a series of papers introducing the psychological concept of ego state... more This paper is the second of a series of papers introducing the psychological concept of ego states into language studies, and presenting both against the philosophical background of existential phenomenology. The series, when complete, will have covered introducing language ego states, discussing the perception of speech and its production, and, finally, seeking explanation for language acquisition within the same philosophical frame of reference.
This article aims at presenting the argument for the modification of Dennis Earl’s “four-sentence... more This article aims at presenting the argument for the modification of Dennis Earl’s “four-sentence paper” template into the “six-line essay” writing intervention. The underlying reason for this research is a relative paucity of literature covering the topic of philosophy writing interventions at a beginner’s level. In order to fill this gap, the article takes the following course. For general background, it presents the general views on teaching essay writing and the relative unavailability of philosophy-directed methods and techniques. It then describes Earl’s template in relative detail. Further, it refers to my experience teaching philosophical writing to University of Zululand students. Next, it describes the specific group of students with whom I first tried the method in 2019 and whose needs prompted the modifications. I then explain the “six-line essay” model step by step, commenting on the rationale behind each step and the way in which it is presented to students. True to fo...
This paper addresses the conditions that need to be met for a human being to feel or, conversely,... more This paper addresses the conditions that need to be met for a human being to feel or, conversely, not to feel guilty of a wrongdoing against another human being. It does this in the light of Jaspers' understanding of metaphysical guilt as arising from inter-human solidarity. My claim is twofold. First, I claim that, while metaphysical guilt is not impossible, Jaspers does not offer an explanation of how it arises either in the Question of German guilt (Jaspers 2000) or in his other work on guilt in general. Secondly, despite metaphysical guilt's existence, it is, nevertheless, common for humans not to experience it, a phenomenon which Jaspers implicitly acknowledges but does not explain explicitly. I apply Axel Honneth's concept of recognition in order to supply the social component and the theory of dehumanisation to explain why, under some circumstances, metaphysical guilt does not arise.
The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 and the various measures taken subsequently, either by ind... more The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 and the various measures taken subsequently, either by individual countries or by government and non-government bodies with a global reach, have had a profound effect on human lives on a number of levels, be it social, economic, legal, or political. The scramble to respond to the threat posed by the rapid spread of the virus has, in many cases, led to a suspension of ordinary politics whilst at the same time throwing into sharp relief the profoundly political nature of the pandemic. In addition to the new issues that have arisen regarding detection and treatment of the COVID-19 virus, perennial political issues regarding the limits of political authority, racial and gender justice, and populism and demagoguery have thrust themselves to the forefront of mainstream political discourse.
The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 and the various measures taken subsequently, either by ind... more The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 and the various measures taken subsequently, either by individual countries or by government and nongovernment bodies with a global reach, have had a profound effect on human lives on a number of levels, be it social, economic, legal, or political. The scramble to respond to the threat posed by the rapid spread of the virus has, in many cases, led to a suspension of ordinary politics whilst at the same time throwing into sharp relief the profoundly political nature of the pandemic. In addition to the new issues that have arisen regarding detection and treatment of the COVID-19 virus, perennial political issues regarding the limits of political authority, racial and gender justice, and populism and demagoguery have thrust themselves to the forefront of mainstream political discourse.
The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 and the various measures taken subsequently, either by ind... more The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 and the various measures taken subsequently, either by individual countries or by government and nongovernment bodies with a global reach, have had a profound effect on human lives on a number of levels, be it social, economic, legal, or political. The scramble to respond to the threat posed by the rapid spread of the virus has, in many cases, led to a suspension of ordinary politics whilst at the same time throwing into sharp relief the profoundly political nature of the pandemic. In addition to the new issues that have arisen regarding detection and treatment of the COVID-19 virus, perennial political issues regarding the limits of political authority, racial and gender justice, and populism and demagoguery have thrust themselves to the forefront of mainstream political discourse. This special issue, titled simply Pandemic politics, is a collection of papers that casts a critical perspective upon the political dimensions of the current pandemic. We have invited papers covering a broad spectrum of pandemic-related topics, especially with the focus on aspects of the pandemic in relation to the Southern hemisphere. The eight papers that made it to this volume are reflective of this broad approach and fall, roughly, into three categories, namely power and mistrust, disaster capitalism, and COVID-19: crisis or opportunity.
Critical Theory, insofar as it seeks to “liberate human
beings from the circumstances that enslav... more Critical Theory, insofar as it seeks to “liberate human beings from the circumstances that enslave them” (Horkheimer 1982: 244), continually engages with a critical conceptualisation of the subject of its enquiry – humanity – and the societies it inhabits. The third South African Society for Critical Theory annual conference took place on 22 and 23 November 2019 at the Howard College Campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal on the theme “Contested Identities: Critical Conceptualisations of the Human”. The conference served to re-affirm the continuing relevance of critical theory for enquiring not just into contemporary society, but also for asking questions of our conceptualisations of the human and human identity. To this end papers were invited which addressed the vexed notion of the ‘human’ in the contemporary age and considered the potential and pitfalls of identity theory in relation to Critical Theory. The conference also called for papers that explore the concept of ‘the human’ and ‘human nature’ from a critical perspective. What, for instance, might we construe as ‘essential’ human characteristics? Or is it the case that the question of the ‘human’ is no longer meaningful in such a sense? Has the technological mediation of existence altered our understanding of humanity? Would we perhaps be better served by attempting to define the ‘human’ contextually, in its present historico-social conditions? And would doing so enable us to extrapolate its future trajectory? Is it the case that attempting to formulate such a definition may facilitate liberation, or would it merely serve a repressive ideological function? For if it is the case that the ‘human’ or ‘human nature’ are no longer meaningful categories, then what is it that Critical Theory aims to liberate?
This paper addresses the conditions that need to be met
for a human being to feel or, conversely,... more This paper addresses the conditions that need to be met for a human being to feel or, conversely, not to feel guilty of a wrongdoing against another human being. It does this in the light of Jaspers’ understanding of metaphysical guilt as arising from inter-human solidarity. My claim is twofold. First, I claim that, while metaphysical guilt is not impossible, Jaspers does not offer an explanation of how it arises either in the Question of German guilt (Jaspers 2000) or in his other work on guilt in general. Secondly, despite metaphysical guilt’s existence, it is, nevertheless, common for humans not to experience it, a phenomenon which Jaspers implicitly acknowledges but does not explain explicitly. I apply Axel Honneth’s concept of recognition in order to supply the social component and the theory of dehumanisation to explain why, under some circumstances, metaphysical guilt does not arise.
This article aims at presenting the argument for the modification of Dennis Earl’s
“four-sentence... more This article aims at presenting the argument for the modification of Dennis Earl’s “four-sentence paper” template into the “six-line essay” writing intervention. The underlying reason for this research is a relative paucity of literature covering the topic of philosophy writing interventions at a beginner’s level. In order to fill this gap, the article takes the following course. For general background, it presents the general views on teaching essay writing and the relative unavailability of philosophydirected methods and techniques. It then describes Earl’s template in relative detail. Further, it refers to my experience teaching philosophical writing to University of Zululand students. Next, it describes the specific group of students with whom I first tried the method in 2019 and whose needs prompted the modifications. I then explain the “six-line essay” model step by step, commenting on the rationale behind each step and the way in which it is presented to students. True to form, the article also presents objections and the relevant counterarguments. Finally, the article points to the possibility of further, more structured research, with formal questionnaires/ structured interviews and their subsequent analysis.
This paper is the second of a series of papers introducing the psychological concept of ego state... more This paper is the second of a series of papers introducing the psychological concept of ego states into language studies, and presenting both against the philosophical background of existential phenomenology. The series, when complete, will have covered introducing language ego states, discussing the perception of speech and its production, and, finally, seeking explanation for language acquisition within the same philosophical frame of reference.
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arisen regarding detection and treatment of the COVID-19 virus, perennial political issues regarding the limits of political authority, racial and gender justice, and populism and demagoguery have thrust themselves to the forefront of mainstream political discourse.
themselves to the forefront of mainstream political discourse.
This special issue, titled simply Pandemic politics, is a collection of papers that casts a critical perspective upon the political dimensions of the current pandemic. We have invited papers covering a broad spectrum of pandemic-related topics, especially with the focus on aspects of the pandemic in relation to the Southern hemisphere. The eight papers that made it to this volume are reflective of this broad approach and fall, roughly, into three categories, namely power and mistrust, disaster capitalism, and COVID-19: crisis or opportunity.
beings from the circumstances that enslave them”
(Horkheimer 1982: 244), continually engages
with a critical conceptualisation of the subject
of its enquiry – humanity – and the societies it
inhabits. The third South African Society for Critical
Theory annual conference took place on 22 and
23 November 2019 at the Howard College Campus
of the University of KwaZulu-Natal on the theme
“Contested Identities: Critical Conceptualisations of
the Human”. The conference served to re-affirm the
continuing relevance of critical theory for enquiring
not just into contemporary society, but also for
asking questions of our conceptualisations of the
human and human identity.
To this end papers were invited which addressed
the vexed notion of the ‘human’ in the contemporary
age and considered the potential and pitfalls of
identity theory in relation to Critical Theory. The
conference also called for papers that explore the
concept of ‘the human’ and ‘human nature’ from
a critical perspective. What, for instance, might we
construe as ‘essential’ human characteristics? Or is it
the case that the question of the ‘human’ is no longer
meaningful in such a sense? Has the technological
mediation of existence altered our understanding of
humanity? Would we perhaps be better served by
attempting to define the ‘human’ contextually, in its
present historico-social conditions? And would doing
so enable us to extrapolate its future trajectory? Is
it the case that attempting to formulate such a
definition may facilitate liberation, or would it merely
serve a repressive ideological function? For if it is the case that the ‘human’ or ‘human nature’ are no longer meaningful categories,
then what is it that Critical Theory aims to liberate?
for a human being to feel or, conversely, not to feel guilty
of a wrongdoing against another human being. It does
this in the light of Jaspers’ understanding of metaphysical
guilt as arising from inter-human solidarity. My claim is
twofold. First, I claim that, while metaphysical guilt is
not impossible, Jaspers does not offer an explanation
of how it arises either in the Question of German guilt
(Jaspers 2000) or in his other work on guilt in general.
Secondly, despite metaphysical guilt’s existence, it is,
nevertheless, common for humans not to experience it,
a phenomenon which Jaspers implicitly acknowledges
but does not explain explicitly. I apply Axel Honneth’s
concept of recognition in order to supply the social
component and the theory of dehumanisation to
explain why, under some circumstances, metaphysical
guilt does not arise.
“four-sentence paper” template into the “six-line essay” writing intervention. The
underlying reason for this research is a relative paucity of literature covering the
topic of philosophy writing interventions at a beginner’s level. In order to fill this
gap, the article takes the following course. For general background, it presents the
general views on teaching essay writing and the relative unavailability of philosophydirected methods and techniques. It then describes Earl’s template in relative detail.
Further, it refers to my experience teaching philosophical writing to University of
Zululand students. Next, it describes the specific group of students with whom I
first tried the method in 2019 and whose needs prompted the modifications. I then
explain the “six-line essay” model step by step, commenting on the rationale behind
each step and the way in which it is presented to students. True to form, the article
also presents objections and the relevant counterarguments. Finally, the article points
to the possibility of further, more structured research, with formal questionnaires/
structured interviews and their subsequent analysis.
arisen regarding detection and treatment of the COVID-19 virus, perennial political issues regarding the limits of political authority, racial and gender justice, and populism and demagoguery have thrust themselves to the forefront of mainstream political discourse.
themselves to the forefront of mainstream political discourse.
This special issue, titled simply Pandemic politics, is a collection of papers that casts a critical perspective upon the political dimensions of the current pandemic. We have invited papers covering a broad spectrum of pandemic-related topics, especially with the focus on aspects of the pandemic in relation to the Southern hemisphere. The eight papers that made it to this volume are reflective of this broad approach and fall, roughly, into three categories, namely power and mistrust, disaster capitalism, and COVID-19: crisis or opportunity.
beings from the circumstances that enslave them”
(Horkheimer 1982: 244), continually engages
with a critical conceptualisation of the subject
of its enquiry – humanity – and the societies it
inhabits. The third South African Society for Critical
Theory annual conference took place on 22 and
23 November 2019 at the Howard College Campus
of the University of KwaZulu-Natal on the theme
“Contested Identities: Critical Conceptualisations of
the Human”. The conference served to re-affirm the
continuing relevance of critical theory for enquiring
not just into contemporary society, but also for
asking questions of our conceptualisations of the
human and human identity.
To this end papers were invited which addressed
the vexed notion of the ‘human’ in the contemporary
age and considered the potential and pitfalls of
identity theory in relation to Critical Theory. The
conference also called for papers that explore the
concept of ‘the human’ and ‘human nature’ from
a critical perspective. What, for instance, might we
construe as ‘essential’ human characteristics? Or is it
the case that the question of the ‘human’ is no longer
meaningful in such a sense? Has the technological
mediation of existence altered our understanding of
humanity? Would we perhaps be better served by
attempting to define the ‘human’ contextually, in its
present historico-social conditions? And would doing
so enable us to extrapolate its future trajectory? Is
it the case that attempting to formulate such a
definition may facilitate liberation, or would it merely
serve a repressive ideological function? For if it is the case that the ‘human’ or ‘human nature’ are no longer meaningful categories,
then what is it that Critical Theory aims to liberate?
for a human being to feel or, conversely, not to feel guilty
of a wrongdoing against another human being. It does
this in the light of Jaspers’ understanding of metaphysical
guilt as arising from inter-human solidarity. My claim is
twofold. First, I claim that, while metaphysical guilt is
not impossible, Jaspers does not offer an explanation
of how it arises either in the Question of German guilt
(Jaspers 2000) or in his other work on guilt in general.
Secondly, despite metaphysical guilt’s existence, it is,
nevertheless, common for humans not to experience it,
a phenomenon which Jaspers implicitly acknowledges
but does not explain explicitly. I apply Axel Honneth’s
concept of recognition in order to supply the social
component and the theory of dehumanisation to
explain why, under some circumstances, metaphysical
guilt does not arise.
“four-sentence paper” template into the “six-line essay” writing intervention. The
underlying reason for this research is a relative paucity of literature covering the
topic of philosophy writing interventions at a beginner’s level. In order to fill this
gap, the article takes the following course. For general background, it presents the
general views on teaching essay writing and the relative unavailability of philosophydirected methods and techniques. It then describes Earl’s template in relative detail.
Further, it refers to my experience teaching philosophical writing to University of
Zululand students. Next, it describes the specific group of students with whom I
first tried the method in 2019 and whose needs prompted the modifications. I then
explain the “six-line essay” model step by step, commenting on the rationale behind
each step and the way in which it is presented to students. True to form, the article
also presents objections and the relevant counterarguments. Finally, the article points
to the possibility of further, more structured research, with formal questionnaires/
structured interviews and their subsequent analysis.