Abdolhamid Ziaei's Lecture Series: 'The Image of Despair in the Frame of Philosophy'

Did philosophy begin with the experience of despair or wonder? Setting aside the theological perspective, is hope the sole remedy and counsel philosophy offers to human beings? Is despair always and everywhere negative and detestable? Is not the only unavoidable remedy for escaping despair to plunge into the depths of hopelessness? Should humanity's encirclement by myths of conquest in the fields of artificial intelligence, robots, reproduction outside the womb, genetic manipulation, and cosmetic surgeries be interpreted as human boundlessness and infinity? In Vattimo's terms, our era can be called the "era of broken metaphysics" or the "era of the failure of ontology." That is, with none of the religious and philosophical systems can a satisfying understanding of being and the world be achieved. In the age of the dominance of nihilism, what becomes of human hope? If at the end of the nineteenth century Nietzsche declared that nihilism was standing at the door, today that uninvited guest has become the landlord and has made our world its own. What differences exist between political and religious despair and active and passive nihilism?

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Audio file of Dr. Abdolhamid Ziaei's lecture titled "The Image of Despair in the Frame of Philosophy"

First Session - 13 Azar 95

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To be continued...

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Lecture Series Title: The Image of Despair in the Frame of Philosophy

Speaker: Abdolhamid Ziaei

Delivered at the Center for Education and Cultural Development, University of Tehran, 13 Azar 1395

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