1. Psychosis as a Transformation of the Flesh : Some Merleau-Pontian Musings on MadnessAdnan Sivić, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Psychosis is often understood in one of two ways: as a breakdown of cognitive circuitry, which has nothing to teach us as far as phenomenology is concerned and that can be treated only by focusing on the underlying causal processes that bring it about (reductionism and the ‘madness-as-nonsense’ view), or, alternatively, as a different interpretation of reality, one with nothing distinctly pathological about it (relativism). In this paper, I outline a different approach, drawing largely on Merleau-Ponty’s work, which aims to encompass both the properly unintelligible (pathological) and intelligible (expressive, phenomenologically informative) aspects of psychosis. By applying Merleau-Ponty’s analysis of expression to the problem of psychosis and psychotic language, the latter can be understood as an attempt at expression – a kind of speech without language that is most often incomplete, but that can under specific circumstances be made intelligible to others, often to significant therapeutic benefit. The present paper thus aims to complement and conceptually elucidate recent work in phenomenological psychiatry, which has demonstrated the clinical significance of enabling patients to express various aspects of their psychotic episodes.
Keywords: psychosis, phenomenology, philosophy of psychiatry, Merleau-Ponty, phenomenology of language
Published in RUP: 22.01.2026; Views: 144; Downloads: 1
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2. ‘A Complete Negation of theWill to Live’ : A Phenomenological Evaluation of Schopenhauer’s QuietismVadim Gershteyn, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: The author examines Arthur Schopenhauer’s concept of quietism: a philosophical stance that advocates detachment and negation of the will-to-live, as outlined in Schopenhauer’s The World as Will and Representation (1969). Schopenhauer, influenced by a Vedic philosophy that emphasizes ontological pessimism, perceives life as marked by suffering due to the will’s ceaseless striving. His ethical response to suffering, quietism, advocates withdrawal and stillness to transcend suffering. Employing a phenomenological approach, this author evaluates quietism in light of contemporary trauma research and psychological evidence, alongside Friedrich Nietzsche’s critique of Schopenhauer. Findings from mindfulness and exposure therapy studies suggest that complete withdrawal is unsustainable and detrimental to psychological well-being, which is contrasted with Schopenhauer’s radical negation of the will. Nietzsche’s philosophy of the will to power, though born from Schopenhauer’s Vedic-inspired ontology, emphasizes engagement with one’s suffering-filled life and transformation through it, thereby presenting a more dynamic, life-affirming alternative to Schopenhauer’s pessimistic withdrawal. The author concludes that while Schopenhauer’s insights into suffering are profound, his quietism is incomplete, thereby necessitating integration with active engagement and ethical responsibility to address human challenges effectively.
Keywords: Schopenhauer, quietism, phenomenology, will-to-live, Nietzsche, will to power, trauma, suffering
Published in RUP: 22.01.2026; Views: 222; Downloads: 4
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5. On biotechnology, philosophy and societyMelentie Pandilovski, 2012, review article Keywords: bio-politics, ontology, bio-technology, bio-arts, phenomenology, geopolitics, globalism, GMO, genetic engineering, bio-capitalism
Published in RUP: 10.07.2015; Views: 4422; Downloads: 18
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