Nikolas Kompridis
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| + | '''Nikolas Kompridis''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ɒ|m|ˈ|p|r|iː|d|ɪ|s}}; born 1953) is a Canadian philosopher and [[political theory|political theorist]]. His major published work addresses the direction and orientation of [[Frankfurt School]] [[critical theory]]; the legacy of philosophical [[romanticism]]; and the aesthetic dimension(s) of politics. His writing touches on a variety of issues in social and political thought, aesthetics, and the philosophy of culture, often in terms of re-worked concepts of [[receptivity]] and [[world disclosure]]—a paradigm he calls "[[reflective disclosure]]". | ||
| - | An '''appeal to nature''' is an [[argument]] or [[rhetoric]]al tactic in which it is proposed that "a thing is good ''because'' it is 'natural', or bad ''because'' it is '[[unnatural]]'". | ||
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| - | == History == | ||
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| - | The meaning and importance of various understandings and concepts of "nature" has been a persistent topic of discussion historically in both science and philosophy. In [[Ancient Greece]], “the laws of nature were regarded not [simply] as generalized descriptions of what actually happens in the natural world… but rather as norms that people ought to follow… Thus the appeal to nature tended to mean an appeal to the [[human nature|''nature of man'']] treated as a source for norms of conduct. To Greeks this… represented a conscious probing and exploration into an area wherein, according to their whole tradition of thought, lay the true source for norms of conduct.” (1995, Encyclopaedia Britannica) | ||
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| - | In modern times, philosophers have challenged the notion that human beings' status as natural beings should determine or dictate their [[normative]] being. For example, [[Rousseau]] famously suggested that "We do not know what our nature permits us to be." More recently, [[Nikolas Kompridis]] has applied Rousseau's axiom to debates about [[genetic engineering|genetic intervention]] (or other kinds of intervention) into the biological basis of human life, writing: | ||
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| - | <blockquote>[T]here is a domain of human freedom not dictated by our biological nature, but [this] is somewhat unnerving because it leaves uncomfortably open what kind of beings human beings could become… Put another way: What are we prepared to permit our nature to be? And on what basis should we give our permission?</blockquote> | ||
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| - | Kompridis writes that the [[Naturalism (philosophy)|naturalistic]] view of living things, articulated by one scientist as that of "machines whose components are biochemicals" ([[Rodney Brooks]]), threatens to make a single normative understanding of human being the only possible understanding. He writes, "When we regard ourselves as 'machines whose components are biochemicals,' we not only presume to know what our nature permits us to be, but also that this knowledge permits us to answer the question of what is to become of us… This is not a question we were meant to answer, but, rather, a question to which we must remain answerable." (Nikolas Kompridis) | ||
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| - | Philosophers such as [[Jacques Derrida]], [[Bruno Latour]] and others have also questioned inherited understandings of nature in their work. | ||
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| - | == Examples == | ||
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| - | Some popular examples of the appeal to nature can be found on labels and advertisements for food, clothing, and [[alternative medicine|alternative]] [[herbalism|herbal remedies]]. Labels may use the phrase "all-natural", to imply that products are [[environmentally friendly]] and/or safe. However, many toxic substances are found in nature, including in common plant sources and herbs such as [[Conium|hemlock]], [[nightshade]], [[Atropa belladonna|belladonna]], and [[poisonous mushroom]]s, and these may have serious side effects. | ||
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| - | It has therefore been suggested that whether or not a product is "natural" is irrelevant, in itself, in determining its safety or effectiveness. | ||
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| - | ==See also== | ||
| - | *[[Chemophobia]] | ||
| - | *[[Environmentalism]] | ||
| - | *[[Ethical naturalism]] | ||
| - | *[[Greenwashing]] | ||
| - | *[[Green brands]] | ||
| - | *[[Green marketing]] | ||
| - | *[[Human nature]] | ||
| - | *[[Naturalistic fallacy]] – a fallacy often assumed to mean the same thing. | ||
| - | *[[Natural kind]] | ||
| - | *[[Natural justice]] | ||
| - | *[[Natural law]] | ||
| - | *[[Natural selection]] | ||
| - | *[[Norm (philosophy)]] | ||
| - | *[[Technophobia]] | ||
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Nikolas Kompridis (Template:IPAc-en; born 1953) is a Canadian philosopher and political theorist. His major published work addresses the direction and orientation of Frankfurt School critical theory; the legacy of philosophical romanticism; and the aesthetic dimension(s) of politics. His writing touches on a variety of issues in social and political thought, aesthetics, and the philosophy of culture, often in terms of re-worked concepts of receptivity and world disclosure—a paradigm he calls "reflective disclosure".
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Nikolas Kompridis" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
