Lode Lauwaert’s essay for the Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology, published online in advance of the paper edition.
Lode Lauwaert – ‘Violence as an Expression of Energy’ (Originally published online: 5 August 2019).
Abstract: The literary oeuvre of Marquis de Sade (1740–1814) has attracted a great deal of interest over the past 200 years, not only from writers, but also from numerous leading philosophers. Among them is Georges Bataille, who particularly emphasizes the apathetic character of the Sadean libertines, meaning that they feel nothing at all. More specifically, the French philosopher focuses on their apathetic enjoyment that goes hand in hand with the abuse of victims. The goal of this article is to clarify that peculiar pleasure by comparing it, among other things, with stoicism and mysticism. It will be shown that in the Sadean universe not moral transgression is central, but rather the transgression of a metaphysical boundary, i.e. the boundary between the human and non-human.
Full article: https://doi.org/10.1080/00071773.2019.1646504
Lode Lauwaert, Catholic University of Loeven, Leuven, Belgium
Accessing the JBSP Online: The online version of the Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology publishes articles in advance of the paper edition. Articles can be accessed via our publisher’s website: JBSP at Taylor & Francis Online. Access to the JBSP is free to all members of the society, who also receive the quarterly paper copy of the journal as part of their subscription. You can find out more about becoming a member and supporting the BSP on the membership webpage. If you are not a member of the BSP, you can purchase articles from the site, or log in using institutional or personal access via Shibboleth and OpenAthens.
Reminder: Registration is still open for the British Society for Phenomenology’s 2019 Annual Conference. The conference is to be held in Manchester, UK, from Thursday 5 – Saturday 7 September 2019. For the programme and more details see the BSP 2019 annual conference homepage.