{"id":8352,"date":"2014-10-31T12:58:09","date_gmt":"2014-10-31T12:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wordpress72\/?p=26309"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:27","slug":"why-the-world-does-not-exist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2014\/10\/31\/why-the-world-does-not-exist\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the world does not exist"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Monday, October 27th, students had an opportunity to get a taste of contemporary philosophy. In the Erasmus Paviljoen, a leading German philosopher, Markus Gabriel, tried to explain why the world and does not exist. <\/p>\n

Ten minutes before the start and the crowd has already lined up. Not only students but also professors themselves were drawn by the intriguing title \u2018Why the world and the man do not exist?\u2019 and the charismatic personality of the popular philosopher. For some Philosophy students, the lecture was part of the curriculum, so the moderator warned the audience right away: we will get technical. And so they did. <\/p>\n

No unified totality<\/strong><\/p>\n

The youngest professor of Philosophy in Germany at the time, Markus Gabriel started by running through the main argument. He went on to explain what \u2018the world\u2019, \u2018the man\u2019 and \u2018existence\u2019 mean in his view to prove that these terms are irrelevant. He argued that there is no unified totality, but a variety of discrete fields created through human senses. Daring statements, constant engagement with the audience and sprinkles of brilliant humor left the public mesmerized. <\/p>\n

Interviduals<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then, it was the turn of\u00a0 Henk Oosterling to share his idea of a man in the contemporary world. However, he chose a more traditional lecture-like format, using striking visuals to\u00a0 establish his position. In contrast to Markus Gabriel, he contended that everything is connected to everything\u2019 and we exist as \u2018interviduals\u2019 get feedback from the global network through the media of technology.<\/p>\n

Too abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n

While some left the event in a sheer confusion, others were fairly enthusiastic. Psychology students, for example, thought that they lacked the proper background. Britt Schuthof admits: \u201cIt was hard to follow without prior knowledge, but it is still interesting to know.\u201d Meanwhile her friend, Stephany Stuart, adds: \u201cI could understand it, but I don\u2019t know what to do with it, it is all too abstract.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

The way you look at the world<\/strong><\/p>\n

A slightly more prepared Philosophy student, Bob Holle, agrees: \u201cI am interested in Philosophy, but I don\u2019t see any added value in discussing particular questions.\u201d In contrast, philosophy students shared their excitement, saying the lecture was \u2018fascinating, triggered reflection and stimulated thinking\u2019. Unlike others, Philosophy master student Manon Dillen emphasized the relevance of such topic to daily life: \u201cEven if you don\u2019t fully understand it changes the way you look at the world.\u201d KS\/photo: Oliver Hohmann<\/p>\n\n\t

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