Writing
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Beyond the prejudice of philosophy
Translation of published article on Zinweb. Having finished my master of philosophy at one of the Dutch universities, I often find myself confronted with prejudices against philosophy, both in the world and the job market. The discussion about closing one of the faculties of philosophy in the Netherlands (Earsmus University Rotterdam) has brought them all…
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Sometimes…
Only sometimes you realise everything is linked, comes together. It’s such a powerful feeling, to see how a poem you learned by heart when you were a mere thirteen years old, the epigraph of a master thesis, a quoted sentence on the first page of my final work in high school – all relates, comes…
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The paradox of writing about sustainability
While waiting for a flight out of Schiphol, Amsterdam, surrounded by people with flashy phones and hand luggage, and disposable cups emptied of over-priced coffee, I reread a piece I wrote (in Dutch) on the website for meaningfullness in the Netherlands (Zinweb.nl). I go against the statement made in the Dutch media, that sustainability is…
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Radicality of/in Writing
“Tout écrivain qui, par le fait même d’écrire, n’est pas conduit à penser: je suis la révolution, seule la liberté me fait écrire, en réalité n’écrit pas.” ~ Maurice Blanchot, La Part du Feu, Gallimard 1949, p.311.
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The Soundtrack of Writing
It’s dangerous to reflect once it’s finally going the way you hope. Writing seems like a delicate balance of happiness, frustration and a sense of urgency. Is it me, did something change, or I am I just (finally!) ready to write my PhD, after two-and-a-half years of reading and preparing? Building momentum, struggling through meters…
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Reviewing Culture in the Netherlands
Since a month or so, I started to review cultural events, mostly theatre, classical concerts and opera. It’s a nice experience, also to get to go to all kinds of performances. And to see them differently. The reviews are in Dutch only. (Ordered according to rating 1-5) ***** Theatre “Na de Repetitie / Persona” (Ingmar…
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The Act of Writing
Some days seem to revolve around a certain topic. Although many things might have come up, there is this one insistence that doesn’t escape even the most feeble mind. Today this concerned writing. Writing. Also known as vomiting, editing, pausing, spitting it out, a bridging of the void. It still seems weird to me that…
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Love Freedom Happiness
“Doing what you love is freedom. Loving what you do is happiness.” Today I loved what I was doing. Today I wrote a whole chapter on why philosophy needs to occupy itself with thinking the impossible. It feels good to finally have enough space in my life to just write down what needs to be…