On literature and philosophy. Eros finds work for idle hands
Ledigheid is Eros’ oorkussen
Negation, limit and night, conceived on the basis of Bataille
What might eroticism have to do with the complex philosophy of Hegel? The French writer and philosopher Georges Bataille (1897-1962) gained special access to Hegel’s conceptual framework. In this RE:THINK TALK, Laurens ten Kate demonstrates how.
Bataille asks Hegel whether his dialectic structure of human life and history really does justice to negation – which it is very eager to talk about. In eroticism, this negation touches on the pointless and the aimless. On limit and night. Ten Kate indirectly makes the link with the thinking of Jean-Luc Nancy, who recently also appeared in the RE:THINK programme.
• Laurens ten Kate (1958) is a philosopher and theologian. He works at the University of Humanistics in Utrecht as head lecturer in Philosophy, Religion and Globalisation Studies and as professor of Liberal Religiosity and Humanism. His obtained his PhD with The empty place. Revolts against the instrumental life in Bataille’s atheology.
