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Nikolas Kompridis (; born 1953) is a Canadian philosopher and
political theorist A political theorist is someone who engages in constructing or evaluating political theory, including political philosophy. Theorists may be academics or independent scholars. Here the most notable political theorists are categorized by their ...
. His major published work addresses the direction and orientation of
Frankfurt School The Frankfurt School (german: Frankfurter Schule) is a school of social theory and critical philosophy associated with the Institute for Social Research, at Goethe University Frankfurt in 1929. Founded in the Weimar Republic (1918–1933), duri ...
critical theory; the legacy of philosophical
romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...
; and the aesthetic dimension(s) of politics. His writing touches on a variety of issues in social and political thought,
aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed thr ...
, and the
philosophy of culture Philosophy of culture is a branch of philosophy that examines the essence and meaning of culture. Early modern discourses German Romanticism The German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) has formulated an individualist definition of "enl ...
, often in terms of re-worked concepts of
receptivity {{Multiple issues, {{refimprove, date=December 2014{{one source, date=December 2014 Receptivity, or receptive agency, is a practical capacity and source of normativity, discussed and developed in various ways by writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerso ...
and
world disclosure World disclosure (german: Erschlossenheit, literally "development, comprehension") refers to how things become intelligible and meaningfully relevant to human beings, by virtue of being part of an ontological ''world'' – i.e., a pre-interpreted an ...
—a paradigm he calls "
reflective disclosure Reflective disclosure is a model of social criticism proposed and developed by philosopher Nikolas Kompridis. It is partly based on Martin Heidegger's insights into the phenomenon of world disclosure, which Kompridis applies to the field of politi ...
".


Critical theory

After gaining his Ph.D. at Toronto's York University, Kompridis worked with the influential philosopher and Frankfurt School social theorist
Jürgen Habermas Jürgen Habermas (, ; ; born 18 June 1929) is a German social theorist in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism. His work addresses communicative rationality and the public sphere. Associated with the Frankfurt School, Habermas's wo ...
while a post-doctoral fellow at
Goethe University Goethe University (german: link=no, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main) is a university located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1914 as a citizens' university, which means it was founded and funded by the wealt ...
. Following his time with Habermas he wrote a book responding to what he saw as serious shortcomings and inconsistencies in his mentor's work. In ''Critique and Disclosure: Critical Theory between Past and Future'', Kompridis argues that Habermasian critical theory, which has in recent decades become the main paradigm of that tradition, has largely severed its own roots in German Idealism, while neglecting
modernity Modernity, a topic in the humanities and social sciences, is both a historical period (the modern era) and the ensemble of particular socio-cultural norms, attitudes and practices that arose in the wake of the Renaissancein the " Age of Reaso ...
's distinctive relationship to time and the
utopian A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia'', describing a fictional island societ ...
potential of critique. While drawing on many of Habermas' own insights (along with the philosophical traditions of German Idealism,
American Pragmatism Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition that considers words and thought as tools and instruments for prediction, problem solving, and action (philosophy), action, and rejects the idea that the function of thought is to describe, represent, ...
, and the work of many others), Kompridis proposes an alternative approach to social criticism and what he sees as its role in facilitating social change. This interpretation is guided by an engagement with Martin Heidegger's concept of
world disclosure World disclosure (german: Erschlossenheit, literally "development, comprehension") refers to how things become intelligible and meaningfully relevant to human beings, by virtue of being part of an ontological ''world'' – i.e., a pre-interpreted an ...
, as well as alternative conceptions of key philosophical categories, like
critique Critique is a method of disciplined, systematic study of a written or oral discourse. Although critique is commonly understood as fault finding and negative judgment, Rodolphe Gasché (2007''The honor of thinking: critique, theory, philosophy' ...
, agency,
reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, lang ...
, and normativity. Arguing against Habermas' procedural conception of reason and in favour of a new paradigm Kompridis calls
reflective disclosure Reflective disclosure is a model of social criticism proposed and developed by philosopher Nikolas Kompridis. It is partly based on Martin Heidegger's insights into the phenomenon of world disclosure, which Kompridis applies to the field of politi ...
, the book suggests that critical theory should become a "possibility-disclosing" practice of social criticism "if it is to have a future worthy of its past."


Critical reception and engagement

In a largely favourable review of the book, Fred R. Dallmayr writes:
This is an important and timely (or time-sensitive) book, both in philosophical and in practical-political terms. Today its plea for a recovery of trust in the future has gained unexpectedly broad resonance… the book in a way signals the end of a period marked by divergent, even opposite tendencies: on the one hand, the "postmodern" fascination with "extraordinary" rupture (or rapture), and on the other, the streamlining of critical theory in the mold of a rule-governed, rationalist normalcy.Fred Dallmayr, "''Critique and Disclosure: Critical Theory between Past and Future''"
''Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews'' (Feb. 6, 2009).
James Swindal suggests that Kompridis has not taken more recent work of Habermas' fully into account, but that nonetheless, "this is a book that needed to be written" because "Habermas’s critique of disclosure was at times narrow and short-sighted. But as Habermas is now rethinking some of these shortcomings, Kompridis gives him – and indeed all critical theorists – ample resources" for a better balance between disclosure and procedural thinking.James Swindal
"''Critique and Disclosure: Critical Theory between Past and Future''"
''International Journal of Philosophical Studies'', 17:5, 771-775 (December, 2009).
Similarly, Dana Villa writes that "Kompridis argues—persuasively, I think— that contemporary critical theory would do well to abandon its insistence that communicative rationality is the quasi-transcendental core of democratic legitimacy" and rethink its suspicion of world disclosure. In November 2011, the journal ''Philosophy and Social Criticism'' published a number of responses to the book from other critical theorists, along with a reply from Kompridis. Kompridis has also published a number of essays arguing for his own conceptions of cultural change, receptivity, critique, recognition and
reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, lang ...
, and has engaged in written debates about these and other issues with critical theorists including Amy Allen, Axel Honneth,
Nancy Fraser Nancy Fraser (; born May 20, 1947) is an American philosopher, critical theorist, feminist, and the Henry A. and Louise Loeb Professor of Political and Social Science and professor of philosophy at The New School in New York City.Jadžić, Milo ...
and
Seyla Benhabib Seyla Benhabib ( born September 9, 1950) is a Turkish- American philosopher. Seyla Benhabib is a senior research scholar and adjunct professor of law at Columbia Law School. She is also an affiliate faculty member in the Columbia University Depa ...
(see "Exchange with Seyla Benhabib", below).


Romanticism

Kompridis has written that he sees critical theory, and critique in general, as implicitly romantic in its self-understanding, and much of his scholarly work reflects this concern. His edited collection, ''Philosophical Romanticism'' (2006), includes essays on diverse themes in romanticism from philosophers such as
Albert Borgmann Albert Borgmann (born 1937) is a German-born American philosopher, specializing in the philosophy of technology. He was born in Freiburg, Germany, and is a professor of philosophy at the University of Montana. In 2013 Borgmann received the Golde ...
,
Stanley Cavell Stanley Louis Cavell (; September 1, 1926 – June 19, 2018) was an American philosopher. He was the Walter M. Cabot Professor of Aesthetics and the General Theory of Value at Harvard University. He worked in the fields of ethics, aesthetics, an ...
, Hubert Dreyfus, Richard Eldridge,
Robert Pippin Robert Buford Pippin (born September 14, 1948) is an American philosopher. He is the Evelyn Stefansson Nef Distinguished Service Professor in the John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought, the Department of Philosophy, and the College at the Univ ...
and others, as well as his own contributions. The topics addressed in the volume include: "Beginning anew"; "Self-determination and expression"; "Art and irony"; "The living force of things"; and "Returning the everyday". In 2009, Kompridis published a chapter on Romanticism in ''The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Literature'', articulating his view of the relationship between romanticism and social change, and particularly the work of the social critic. There, he connects the work of a number of poets, artists and philosophers – including Rainer Maria Rilke,
Walter Benjamin Walter Bendix Schönflies Benjamin (; ; 15 July 1892 – 26 September 1940) was a German Jewish philosopher, cultural critic and essayist. An eclectic thinker, combining elements of German idealism, Romanticism, Western Marxism, and Jewish my ...
, Jean-Luc Godard,
William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ' ...
and
Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...
– whom Kompridis sees sharing a deep concern with the possibility of individual and cooperative transformation. He writes that:
What is demanded of he romantic critic in spite of all the obstacles and constraints, in spite of the improbability and possible futility of it all, is to find and found new ways of looking at things, new ways of speaking and acting, new kinds of practices, and new kinds of institutions. Anyone who thinks such change is not only necessary but also (improbably) possible, whatever their view of 'romanticism,' is a hopeless romantic.


Politics, aesthetics and receptivity

''The Aesthetic Turn in Political Thought'' (2014) is a collection of essays, edited by Kompridis, which explores the connections between aesthetics and democratic politics. The book takes as its starting point a statement by Jacques Rancière (who is also a contributor), that "politics is aesthetic in principle." A musician by training, Kompridis has frequently married an interest in aesthetics with other philosophical concerns. Among others, he has authored papers on topics including the philosophy of music under conditions of cultural pluralism ("Amidst the Plurality of Voices: Philosophy of Music after Adorno"), on the relation between receptivity, recognition, and literature ("Recognition and Receptivity: Forms of Normative Response in the Lives of the Animals We Are"—which engages with prior debates about J. M. Coetzee's novel, '' The Lives of Animals'', as well as debates in critical theory on recognition); and on "The priority of receptivity to creativity," a paper that explores
Russell Hoban Russell Conwell Hoban (February 4, 1925 – December 13, 2011) was an American expatriate writer. His works span many genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mainstream fiction, magical realism, poetry, and children's books. He lived in ...
's novel, '' The Medusa Frequency''. Kompridis has lectured on film, on the relationship between cultural memory, diversity, and the arts, and has discussed music and philosophy with his former teacher, the composer
Martin Bresnick Martin Bresnick (born 1946) is a composer of contemporary classical music, film scores and experimental music. Education and early career Bresnick grew up in the Bronx, and is a graduate of New York City's specialized High School of Music and A ...
, in a discussion broadcast on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
's ''Big Ideas'' program. In 2011, Kompridis guest-edited and contributed to a special issue of the journal ''Ethics and Global Politics'' on "A Politics of Receptivity".


Technology and human being

In 2008, Kompridis spoke at a conference on "The Post/Human Condition" held in Auckland (a related essay was published in the online journal ''Parrhesia''). In the talk, Kompridis outlined the potential dangers he saw from the new, convergent "techno-sciences" of genetic engineering,
synthetic biology Synthetic biology (SynBio) is a multidisciplinary area of research that seeks to create new biological parts, devices, and systems, or to redesign systems that are already found in nature. It is a branch of science that encompasses a broad ran ...
,
robotics Robotics is an interdisciplinarity, interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist human ...
and nanotechnology, while criticizing what he considered to be the
transhumanist Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement which advocates the enhancement of the human condition by developing and making widely available sophisticated technologies that can greatly enhance longevity and cognition. Transhuma ...
aspirations of several major research programs in those fields. According to Kompridis, the post-human is now "a real, not a notional… possibility,"Nikolas Kompridis, "Technology's Challenge to Democracy: Re-opening (and preserving the openness of) the question of what it means to be a human being"
(Recorded lecture), University of Auckland, December 3, 2008. and therefore the question of what it means to be human "is all of a sudden a pressing question, a question absolutely pressed for time—since, evidently, the space in which it can still be meaningfully posed, and thus the space in which a meaningful response could be fashioned, is shrinking at an alarming rate." While acknowledging that in a culturally plural world, there can be no single or essentialist conception of what it means to be human, Kompridis nonetheless argues that "we have an obligation to deepen our understanding of what it is that is actually threatened" by the new technologies. Otherwise, the question of what it means to be human will be "permanently foreclosed" for human beings, because it will have been already "decided by scientific experts and market forces, and a certain tendency of our liberal culture to favour anything that increases the freedom of choice of individuals." Kompridis therefore proposes an
inter-disciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...
"counter science of the human" to provide alternatives to naturalistic assumptions about identity, which predominate in the natural sciences, and which work in concert with the wider culture of individualism to erode, and preclude, other understandings of what it means to be human. This counter science would take as its two main starting points: # The concept of the
person A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of propert ...
, underpinned not by
consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...
, but by a definition based on the things that human beings care about in peculiarly human ways; and # The phenomenon of intercorporeality, the way in which human beings develop the ability to learn, act and make sense of things under conditions of embodiment in a social context. This approach is intended to complement and build upon the work of other philosophers, including Harry Frankfurt, Charles Taylor and Maurice Merlau-Ponty.


Books


''Critique and Disclosure: Critical Theory between Past and Future''
2006. Cambridge: MIT Press, 337 pp. (, )
''Philosophical Romanticism''
(ed.) 2006. London: Routledge, 304 pp. (, )
''The Aesthetic Turn in Political Thought''
(ed.) 2014. New York, London: Bloomsbury, 320 pp. (, )


References


External links


"The Right to the Human Condition: Arendt, Normativity, and Utopian Politics" (video).
Pacific Centre for Technology and Culture. June 11, 2014.
"Secularism, Public Reason and the Limits of Translation" (video).
Ryerson University, Toronto. June 6, 2012.
"Music and Philosophy after Modernism"
Conversation with composer Martin Bresnick, with performances by pianist Lisa Moore. ABC Radio. June 1, 2012.
“Secular Criticism as Poetics and Politics”
Three lectures by Stathis Gourgouris, including responses by Kompridis. University of Western Sydney. May 21, 23 & 25, 2012.
"A Politics of Receptivity".
Special issue of ''Ethics and Global Politics'', Vol 4, No 4 (2011). Edited & with contributions by Kompridis.
Biodiversity and the Arts: "The memory of loss" (video).
Australian Museum, Sydney. Sept. 11, 2010.
"Technology's Challenge to Democracy: What of the human?" (PDF).
''Parrhesia'', No. 8, 2009.
"Reason, Reflective Disclosure and Democratic Politics" (audio).
Macquarie University. December 9, 2008.
"Romanticism and Reanimation" (audio).
University of Tasmania. December 8, 2008.
"Technology's Challenge to Democracy" (video).
"The Post/Human Condition" conference, Australasian Society for Continental Philosophy, University of Auckland. December 3, 2008.
"An Innovative Approach to Critical Theory".
York University ''Y-File''. March 20, 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kompridis, Nikolas 1953 births 20th-century Canadian philosophers 21st-century Canadian philosophers Canadian academics Canadian ethicists Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian people of Greek descent Canadian consciousness researchers and theorists Continental philosophers Critical theorists Criticism of transhumanism Cultural critics Epistemologists Film theorists Heidegger scholars Hyperreality theorists Living people Metaphilosophers Metaphysics writers Moral philosophers Ontologists Philosophers of art Philosophers of culture Philosophers of education Philosophers of ethics and morality Philosophers of history Philosophers of literature Philosophers of mind Philosophers of science Philosophers of technology Philosophy academics Philosophy writers Political philosophers Romanticism Canadian social commentators Social critics Social philosophers Writers about activism and social change York University alumni