This paper aims to investigate the question of community in Kierkegaard's thought, comparing it with Montaigne's concept of political friendships and Derrida’s policies of friendship. In order to highlight the possible connections between the concepts of friendship and of the political, I will discuss the way in which the three authors deal with two strictly interconnected themes: friendship and mourning. Following the Aristotelian-Ciceronian lesson on philia and the reading of his friend Etienne de la Boetie, Montaigne stresses the political dimension of friendship. He merges the classic criteria of similarity, equality and reciprocity with the grounding moment of a free and voluntary choice that constitutes individuals in confrérie. According to Montaigne, the decision is the political category of friendship, which in turn constitutes the microscopic level of society and the critical fault in the human tendency towards voluntary servitude. In Politics of Friendship, Derrida deconstructs the metaphysical tradition that had seen the basis of the political in friendship. Contrary to Montaigne, Derrida sees the typical characteristics of political friendship along with its possible degenerative outcomes. The political shifts towards a familiar configuration based on a naturalist assumption: family, state, nation, are intertwined with the myth of earth and blood. The political then is grounded on friendship that finds its condition of possibility in the dialectical suspension of enmity and therefore in the Schmittean couple Friend/Enemy. Montaigne’s saying, “O my friends, there is no friend”, becomes inseparable from the Nietzschean one: “Enemies, there are no enemies”. However, Derrida envisages the possibility of a friendship as unpolitical phenomenon and identifies it in the mourning-surviving relationship always present in friendship. Kierkegaard offers an alternative critical reading to the two previous interpretations: he describes friendship in Montaigne's terms and then shares it with love in their being preferential bonds. Since a friend is chosen because he corresponds to the classical criteria of friendship, his otherness is lost and the relationship is narrowed down to a narcissistic doubling of the ego. The more two egos become one by merging themselves, the greater the latter unified ego distances itself from the others outside the relationship. Since friendship as social cell is created in such an exclusive and excluding manner, Kierkegaard describes – ahead of his time – the whole political as intrinsically narcissistic. Enten-Eller's Symparanekromenoi, a congregation of the dead (such as the friendships between Lelio and Cicero, La Boetie and Montaigne) is the exemplum of isolation and camaraderie that characterize modern society. To these preferential bonds, Kierkegaard opposes neighbour-love and a model of Christian community as viable alternative to the paradigm of political theology. The category of neighbour suspends the difference between friend and enemy and thus proves to be absolutely unpolitical. At the same time, it opens up to a type of social bond, emblematically represented by loving the deceased, which replaces the construction of a common identity based on the resemblance (society), with the mutual openness to others that is at the same time a kenotic exposure and expropriation of one’s ego (community).

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7^th International Philosophical Symposium of Miklavž Ocepek
»Under the honorary patronage of President of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Borut Pahor«

In cooperation with Cankarjev dom and Development and information center Bela krajina (RIC)

Søren Kierkegaard 2019

7^th International conference and workshop

Primostek pri Metliki (Big Berry Resort), Ljubljana, 13. 5 – 17. 5. 2019

Organisation: KUD Apokalipsa Publishing House and Central European Research Institute Søren Kierkegaard Ljubljana

In collaboration with Cankarjev dom and others.

Primostek pri Metliki (Big Berry Resort), Slovenia – from 13th to 15th of May 2019

Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia – 16st and 17nd of May 2019

Theme: EXISTENTIALISM AND POSSIBILITY OF NEW POLICIES IN THE WORLD

In the world in which we live, more than ever, we need dialogue between the various thinkers and those who thinks differently, who will nourish the pluralism of ideas and beliefs in the direction of spiritual openness. At the 7th Symposium of the Miklavž Ocepek, we want to stimulate the dialogue between those who thinks differently in the world, which is why Rosa Luxemburg's move in existentialism and her thoughts of the spontaneity of the revolution, which is fundamentally existential, has shown Simone Weil in fact also philosophically with her own example. We are talking about the existential turn of The Single Individual. This existential revolution gives the dimension of existential communication and constant reinterpretation a new dimension, which is added by the thought of Karl Jaspers. In order to achieve this, however, we need a citizen's conciliation in order to greet wounds that are deep. The basis for the options for this dialogue is a conversation without condemnation!

This theme, inspired by Kierkegaard thinking, will be connected with:

KARL JASPERS (1883–1969), ROSA LUXEMBURG (1871–1919), SIMONE WEIL (1909–1943) and first independent journal in ex-Yugoslavia 2000 (1969)

Monday, 13. 5. 2019

13:00 BAZA 20 (INTRODUCTION BAZA 21)

Primostek pri Metliki (Big Berry Resort) https://www.bigberry.eu/en/destinations/kolpa-river-slovenia/about-resort/

16:30 Arrival and accomodation of participants

18:00Opening Ceremony

19:00 Dinner

20:00 Literary evening Ljubomir Djurković (MNE)

ACCOMPANYING EVENTS

CALL FOR PAPERS – KIERKEGAARD’S YEAR 2019

Organizer: Central European Research Institute Soeren Kierkegaard Ljubljana, Slovenia

Coorganizer: Publishing house KUD Apokalipsa, Slovenia

Coorganizer of the Conference: Cankarjev dom

Črnomelj, Slovenia - from 13^th  to 15^th of May 2019

Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia  - 16^th to 17^th of May 2019

Theme: EXISTENTIALISM AND POSSIBILITY OF NEW POLICIES IN THE WORLD

In the world in which we live, more than ever, we need dialogue between the various thinkers and those who thinks differently, who will nourish the pluralism of ideas and beliefs in the direction of spiritual openness. At the 7th Symposium of the Miklavž Ocepek, we want to stimulate the dialogue between those who thinks differently in the world, which is why Rose Luxemburg's move in existentialism and her thoughts of the spontaneity of the revolution, which is fundamentally existential, has shown Simone Weil in fact also philosophically with her own example. We are talking about the existential turn of The Single Individual. This existential revolution gives the dimension of existential communication and constant reinterpretation a new dimension, which is added by the thought of Karl Jaspers. In order to achieve this, however, we need a citizen's conciliation in order to greet wounds that are deep. The basis for the options for this dialogue is a conversation without condemnation!

This theme, inspired by Kierkegaard thinking, will be connected with:

KARL JASPERS (1883–1969), ROSA LUXEMBURG (1871–1919), SIMONE WEIL (1909–1943) and first independent journal in ex-Yugoslavia 2000 (1969)

One of the keynote speakers will write an opening address for the conference. The address – an open invitation to critically and creatively engage this timely topic – will follow after the Call for Papers.

Participants are expected to send their title of their contribution in English by November 15^th , 2018 to the e-mail address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The deadline for submitting full-text contributions is January 15^st, 2019. During the conference, each participant (except keynote speakers) will have 20 minutes to deliver their presentation and/or 15 minutes to lead a workshop. The length of the written paper should be between 20.000 – 25.000 characters.

Following a rigorous review process, the qualified contributions will be published in an anthology in Slovene and English languages in 2020.

Freedom only for the supporters of the government, only for the members of one party – however numerous they may be – is no freedom at all. Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the one who thinks differently. Not because of any fanatical concept of "justice" but because all that is instructive, wholesome and purifying in political freedom depends on this essential characteristic, and its effectiveness vanishes when "freedom" becomes a special privilege.(...)

ROSA LUXEMBURG

In order to encourage participants to comply with the set deadlines, a non-refundable “application fee” of 50 EUR,- will be required from all (except the keynote speakers) upon submitting their applications. For those complying with the deadlines, this fee will count towards the overall costs of the conference, including the review and publishing process of the forthcoming anthology. Upon arrival at the conference, they will pay the remaining amount (conference fee/accommodation of 300 EUR). Those participants who will not meet the set deadlines will pay the full conference fee of 350 EUR.

The conference organizers have adopted a “no-reimbursement” policy with regard to the “application fee” for those who have submitted their applications but either failed to come to the conference or have not met the set deadlines. 

Bank transfers for application fee of 50 EUR are to be made to the following account:

Account name: KUD Apokalipsa, Lili Novy 25, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija

IBAN: SI56 0201 0009 1759 056

SWIFT/BIC: LJBASI2X

Name of the Bank: Nova Ljubljanska banka

Bank Headquarters Address: Trg republike 2, 1520 Ljubljana, Slovenia

In cooperation with Cankarjev dom, Balassi Institute – Cultural Center of the Embassy of Hungaryand Slovenian National Committee of the Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme at (the Slovenian National Commission for) UNESCO; municipality of Črnomelj, Ljubljana Town Lilbrary.

Søren Kierkegaard 2018

International conference and workshop

Črnomelj, Ljubljana, 29. 5 – 2. 6. 2018

Pre-Event: Ljubljana, 23. 5. 2018

Organisation: KUD Apokalipsa Publishing House and Central European Research Institute Søren Kierkegaard Ljubljana

In collaboration with Cankarjev dom and others.

Ljubljana, Slovenia – 23th of May 2018

Črnomelj, Slovenia – from 29th to 31th of May 2018

Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia – 1st and 2nd of June 2018

Theme

CITIZEN-COSMOPOLITAN IN THE LIGHT OF APOKALYPSIS (celebrating the 25th anniversary of KUD Apokalipsa and the 5th anniversary of CERISK Ljubljana)

*

Socratic Symposium within Conference: Philosophical discourse NEW OICONOMY AND
EXISTENTIAL TURN (1st and 2nd of June at Cankarjev dom)

Kierkegaard reference text: Stages on Life's Way (In vino veritas)

The 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx

The 50th anniversary of the student revolution

*

In the Ancient Greek, apocalypse does not mean catastrophe, has no horrible or dark connotation, nor is it simply something hidden or secret. Quite the opposite, apokalypsis means revelation, an unveiling. We only gain insight into things when we rid ourselves of illusions. When we truly gaze through and are not crushed by fear, our consciousness opens and the world reveals itself.

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CALL FOR PAPERS – KIERKEGAARD’S YEAR 2018:
CITIZEN-COSMOPOLITAN IN THE LIGHT OF APOKALYPSIS

International conference and workshop, Črnomelj, Ljubljana, 29 May – 2 June 2018

The conference will take place at Cankarjev Dom in Ljubljana, June 1st and 2nd, 2018.Participants this year will be accommodated in Črnomelj, Slovenia where various workshops will also take place.
More on the location here: https://www.gostilna-samarin.si/

Abstract submissions are to be a maximum of 500 words. We have the intent of publishing selected conference contributions in a volume of conference proceedings.

The Expert Commission of the Central European Research Institute will select the best contributions for the presentation and publication in the Proceedings.

Participants will:

1) give a 20 minute presentation.

2) participate in the round table IN VINO VERITAS at the conference in Ljubljana (obligatory for all participants who will attend conference): We will soon communicate to selected participants the topics for three thematic sections; for each section the maximum time for a presentation is 3-5 minutes (determined by the number of participants). Those participants who wish to submit a paper for possible publication in the conference proceedings should submit a copy of their paper (maximum 20,000 characters) by May 1, 2018.

REGISTRATION FEE: 350 euros for 5 days, 70 euros for 1 day (deadline for registration 1 May)(All costs are included: accommodation, food, drink ect.)

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Kierkegaard in a Central European Context
Constantine the Philosopher University, Nitra, Slovakia
February 20-22, 2018

More information is available here.