Plop!

Book excerpt: If thinking for Descartes is proof of Being (I think, therefore I am), writing, to many of us, is an act of intense suffering. In fact, suffering is integral to thinking as well. Bertrand Russell’s sarcastic comment, “most people would rather die than think and many of them do,” perhaps reflects his disdain for the ‘lowly’ existence of such non thinkers. Thinking and writing are interrelated. Writing is a natural corollary of the act of thinking. While thinking involves sincerity, open mindedness, flexibility and curiosity, writing entails discipline, focused and uninterrupted attention, not easily available in today’s world. That would explain why there are very few good writers amidst us. However, the crux of the matter is this: without doubting and questioning there can be no new knowledge, and for Descartes, the founder of the Rationalist School of philosophical thought, therefore, doubting and questioning are absolutely important virtues. These two acts are constant reminders and indicators of human existence. Plop! Notes on Heidegger is an outcome of the aforementioned virtues – an artistic expression that is creative and critical at once. Life is all about trying to make sense of the seemingly nonsensical. Meanings are to be made of our everyday life – joys, sorrows, friends, enemies and every relationship that we form in this temporal world. What is that unifying factor that binds all these, the ‘is-ness’ that was crucial to Heidegger? It’s interesting to learn that this work is born out of such a curiosity – a curiosity to understand and make meanings out of certain phenomena, perhaps even the most common ones, which yet may have gone unnoticed or conveniently ignored all the while. As the book is a critique of Heidegger’s philosophy and in their objective to be faithful to his huge breadth of works, the authors have discussed a vast gamut of topics ranging from everyday commonplace phenomena to art and culture, from freedom to media and technology, politics, philosophy and education. Philosophy is both inclusive and eclectic and this book too reflects that. It is also quite heartening to know that our faculty and students have such critical insights and more importantly they are brought to the fore through such creative initiatives. I take this opportunity to congratulate the team, and also appreciate their efforts. A great work indeed from a small team! All the essays have been well conceived, well researched and written in a way any one can not only understand the philosophical underpinnings of Heidegger’s thoughts but also appreciate the relevance of Philosophy as a discipline itself. Dr Abilash Chandran is from the Department of English, Ms Neha Aggarwal is from Department of Psychology, and Mr Ayush is a student of Science. So here is an instance of Humanities, Social Science and Science bonding to create a new paradigm and for CHRIST which is focused on inter- and multi-disciplinary approaches to learning this connection is extremely significant. As illustrated through the work, the possibilities of one’s ‘being’ are limitless, and my best wishes to the team to continue to exploring the possibilities by doubting, questioning, introspecting, and reflecting. In all this, have the courage to be self-critical of your own work, ideas, and practices – and that is yet another explicit sign of one’s ‘being’. Best Wishes! Dr John J Kennedy Professor and Dean, Humanities and Social Sciences