NEW WAYS TO UNDERSTAND OUR HISTORY, MORTALITY and the TERRORISM
DEATH and HISTORY by Istvan Kiraly V., Lambert Academic Publishing, Saarbrucken, 2015, 180 p.
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/3659802379?ref_=cm_sw_ic_dp_r#_swftext_Swf ;
-http://www.amazon.de/Death-History-Istv%C3%A1n-Kir%C3%A1ly-V/dp/3659802379/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450088599&sr=8-1&keywords=9783659802379 ;
The analyses in the book investigate the possibilities and foundations of a completely new philosophy of history, although outlined in dialogue with M. Heidegger. The fundamental questions the author asks are: Why, wherefrom is there history? Why are we humans historical? Why is there historiography? Primarily and ultimately, the response to each of these questions is: because we are MORTAL.
Accordingly, the first chapter tackles the possibilities and lays the foundations of an ontology of history. Built upon these, the second chapter analyses the being of the PAST and its existential characteristics — as NOT-BEING-ANY-MORE, as HAD-BEEN-NESS. Chapter three turns towards the FUTURE and analyses its existential characteristics as NOT-YET-BEING. Chapter four is an explicit return to the dialogue with Heidegger, which surfaces the main aspects of the essential belonging together of the fundaments and origins of philosophy and history. The Appendix is an applied philosophical research related to the previous subjects which examines the interlacements of DEATH and SECRET in the phenomenon of TERRORISM.
The book is illustrated by the romanian artist: Teodora COSMAN.
We reproduce here the analytic CONTENTS:
CHAPTER I.
Human Finitude and History — Prolegomena to the Possibility of a “Philosophy of History” and Ontology of History
- Heidegger’s phenomenological interpretations of Aristotle
- Leviathan and the “human things”
- Being and Time — death and history
Excursus: The Human life on Earth
- History — Freedom — Death
CHAPTER II.
“HAD-BEEN-NESS” AND PAST – History and memory.
An Essay in applied philosophical dialogue with Martin Heidegger
Excursus nr.1: “The Nothing”
Excursus nr.2: On the “NEVER”
- A.) The temporality of the “phenomenon of guilt” in Heidegger’s work
- B.) The analysis of the “NEVER”
CHAPTER III.
The Future, Or, Questioningly Dwells the Mortal Man…
Question-Points to Time
- The future and its coming
CHAPTER IV.
HISTORIALITY — MORTALITY — FACTICITY. The Foundation of Philosophy and Atheism in Heidegger’s Early Works — Prolegomena to an Existential-Ontological Perspective
APPENDIX
Life — Death — Secret — Terrorism
Illustrations: Teodora COSMAN, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Faculté de Philosophie et Lettres, Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles
About the book Alison Faria (@alisonfaria323) write:
“History: the word itself usually evokes concrete associations such as facts, events, people, or places. However, the study of history can also be approached from a philosophical perspective, which Dr. Kiraly V. Istvan demonstrates in his book, Death and History.
Dr. Kiraly mentions Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan, wherein it is posited that the fear of death acts as a catalyst for, through self-preservation, events that then become integral parts of historical studies themselves, such as wars, institutions, and laws. There are many references to various philosophical works within this book, which I appreciate, but I would really have liked to see some of the discussions applied in greater detail to actual historical events, rather than hypothetical situations.
This book is a highly detailed treatise on not just the concepts of death and history, but also elements of time itself. The mention of time as a form of nihilism reminded me of something someone once told me: when atheists say they believe in nothing, they actually do believe in something, because nothingness in itself warrants no discussion. I’m partial to the idea that time is a construct, since it’s easy enough to, by keeping busy, while away considerable amounts of time without much thought. Conversely, if one’s actions are of a mundane nature, time goes by much more slowly, lending itself to periods of analytical thought. Then again, if time is actually a construct, why do we visibly age? These are questions that, of course, could be additional books in themselves! However, this book itself is well-written, and I applaud Dr. Kiraly for his work!”
About the author:
Dr. István Király V. is Professor Associate at the Hungarian Department of Philosophy of the Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj, Romania. Between 1995 and June 2015 he was Chief editor of the journal Philobiblon — Transylvanian Journal of Multidisciplinary Research in Humanities. His main fields of philosophical interest are the subjects of the Secret and the Death. (For details see: ResearcherID:B-6100–2012 ; OrcidID:orcid.org/0000–0002–1255–3230 ; https://ubbcluj.academia.edu/IstvanKiralyV ; https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Istvan_Kiraly_V2 )
