Mimesis: Philosophy of Meaning and Making Sense (7 - 10 juli 2025)
This course focuses on mimesis as a meaning constructing relationship. Meaning is taken here as a connective relationship between something meaning-demanding and something meaning-giving.
Date: 7 Jul. - 10 Jul. 2025
Course Level: Advanced Bachelor, 2 ECTS
Course fee: €495
Course location: University of Humanistic Studies, Kromme Nieuwegracht 29, Utrecht
Course director: Prof. dr. Joachim Duyndam
Course code: C75
Registration deadline: 15 June 2025
Contact: academie@uvh.nl
Description
Mimesis is a central concept in western culture. Stemming from the world of arts, this originally ancient Greek concept means, among other things, imitation and following, but also translating, reproducing, depicting, reciting, representing, impersonating, counterfeiting, performing. This course focuses on mimesis as a meaning constructing relationship. Meaning is taken here as a connective relationship between something meaning-demanding and something meaning-giving.
Humans are creatures of meaning. We constantly give and receive meaning; we live in meanings. Seeing this thing as a computer screen, feeling my dryness as thirst, enjoying a meal, falling in love with someone, using a lie as an argument, condemning this case as theft, forgiving someone a wrongdoing, considering that political party as a threat – just a few random examples of meaning relations. These examples alone show that meaning arises (is found or made) through interpreting-as, through judgments. These can be descriptive judgments (or facts): in front of me is a glass of water; that football player is offside – or normative judgments: that act is despicable; this music is beautiful; my situation is unpleasant; here is someone in need. Both descriptive and normative judgments can be more or less debatable: was it offside or not; is what I did transgressive; when is war justified?
In every interpretation or judgment, something meaning-demanding is connected to a meaning-giving. Meaning-demanding is usually something particular, for example an object, an action, a practice, a situation, an event, a phenomenon, a feeling, an opinion, a work of art. That particular matter is connected to a meaning-giving: something more general, for example a concept, a rule, a law, a norm, a value, an ideal, a tradition. Meaning-demanding and meaning-giving are not separate entities in themselves: meaning is constructed as the connection between them.
In this course, meaning relationships are investigated in six themes: exemplars, empathy, resilience, forgiveness, humanism, and philosophy.
Lecturers
Prof. dr. Joachim Duyndam, University of Humanistic Studies
Audience
People with affinity with theory and philosophy
Aim of the course
Mastery of meaning; control over making sense [betekenisregie]. That is, finding a balance, through study and (self)understanding, between dependency and independence; between meaning claims that come from cultural-, societal-, family-, company-, group-pressure, on the one hand, and a responsive, relatively autonomous, authentic mode of making sense of situations, circumstances, actions, etc., on the other.
Study load
Apart from class attendance participants are expected to pre-read literature and complete a preparatory assignment as well as an assignment upon completion.
Costs
Course fee: €495
Included: Course + course materials + lunch
Housing fee: €200
Housing provider: Utrecht Summer School
Additional information
The housing costs do not include a Utrecht Summer School sleeping bag. This is a separate product on the invoice. If you wish to bring your own bedding, please deselect or remove the sleeping bag from your order once you apply for the course.
Contact
academie@uvh.nlThis course focuses on mimesis as a meaning constructing relationship. Meaning is taken here as a connective relationship between something meaning-demanding and something meaning-giving.