Prof. dr. Jan Slaby is professor of philosophy at Free UniversityOpens external Berlin, Germany.

About the lecture
I explore two central segments of the meaning of “political affect”. In the first part of the talk, I discuss the ontological proximity between affect and the political by drawing on Spinoza, who sketches a vision of a radically democratic polity in which individuals realize their potential by forming affective alliances that jointly strive for insights into what enables or hinders their thriving. However, such affects of allegiance present only one possible way to flesh out the philosophical meaning of political affect. In the second part, I explore some of the ways in which affective phenomena get mobilized and regimented in order to support and sustain political rule. Taken together, both parts present key elements of what I call a critical theory of affect that is adequate to present-day conditions.

Haven't met the new ESPhil dean yet? On the 27th of March Hub Zwart will be speaking about the creation of artificial life in both a scientific as well as a philosophical context. The usual Proeflokaal Faas (Zwaanshals 248) will form the decor for this interesting lecture. You are welcome to join us for drinks starting at 20:00, the lecture will start a bit later.

We hope to see you all there!

https://www.facebook.com/events/2343808485850269/

Beste Reisgeren,

Over iets meer dan een maand is het eindelijk zover en zullen we beginnen aan onze reis naar Thessaloniki. Daarom organiseert de Reiscommissie van ERA alvast een opwarmavond! Van deze gelegenheid willen we gebruik maken om elkaar te leren kennen én foto's te maken voor het smoelenboek van deze reis. Voor dit evenement zal de Reiscommissie zorgen voor Griekse sferen en verrassingen! Houd deze avond dus vrij in je agenda!

Jullie zijn welkom op woensdag 3 april vanaf 20.30 uur in Proeflokaal Faas!

https://www.facebook.com/events/411226996090058/

Nadere informatie volgt/More information will be provided

Paul Schuurman is associate professor in the history of philosophy at Erasmus School of Philosophy.

He writes on:
* the influence of game-theoretical concepts on the grand strategy of the Dutch Republic (Pieter de la Court);
* the influence of theological concepts on the philosophy of war (François Fénelon);
* the importance of positive and negative feedback cycles for the explanation of the rise and fall of empires (Montesquieu);
* the concepts of ‘absolute war’ and ‘limited war’ versus ‘real war’ (Carl von Clausewitz);
* the role of historical counterfactuals in the analysis and evaluation of military decisions (Carl von Clausewitz);
* the delimma between realism and playability in Napoleonic wargames as models of military reality;
* the evaluation of the functionality of warfare in the work of Immanuel Kant, Herbert Spencer and Ian Morris.

Paul Schuurman studied History, Business Administration and Philosophy. He obtained his doctorate at Keele University (United Kingdom) with a text edition of John Locke's “Of the Conduct of the Understanding”. He has also published on the epistemology, philosophy of science and logic of John Locke and René Descartes

More infomation:
https://www.eur.nl/esphil/evenementen/faculty-colloquium-ix-paul-schuurman-2019-04-17