(The following are some very raw thoughts from my philosophical journal.)
The Rorschach Test
Formless blots of ink. No intrinsic structure, only the tensions of differance between colors and white. They are “without form and void”. No meaning.
When we view these blots, we project. The act of perception is projective, and through it we impose meanings on the blots. (Cf. Word Vomit) Our minds shape the blots, giving them a definite topology.
This seems to bear out the hypothesis of “Word Vomit”, which is that being is nothing, formless, void. Humans are able to shape it into meaningful objects.
Thus, Rorschach is evidence in favor of a semiological—or, perhaps better, creative—nihilism.
Hey all.
This is a repost of a paper I wrote last fall for an advanced studies course I took on the Theological/Philosophical Psychology of Soren Kierkegaard. If you actually read it, enjoy (caveat: it’s a bit long)!
Hello everyone!
My name is Garrett Saint-George Kelly Olson, and Zachary (Ø) has graciously invited me to start blogging with him here at l’infini et le neant. I share a lot of the same interests as Zakk, most prominently in Continental philosophy and semiotics. Right now, I’m finishing up my B.A. in Philosophy at Biola University, and I hope to eventually continue in graduate studies in philosophy.
My “life project” in philosophy is to work toward a “unified theory of meaning”, drawing off of both Continental semiotics and Anglo-American analytic philosophy of language, as well as *gasp!* Orthodox Christology (yeah, I’m also one of those Eastern Orthodox folks). I also maintain a healthy interest in metaphysics, phenomenology, existentialism, and Orthodox spirituality and mysticism. Individual authors who have most influenced me include St. Athanasius, Plato, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean Baudrillard, and Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Though I am a notoriously bad blogger, I look forward to posting here (though most of it will have to wait until the end of this semester), and I imagine that most of my posting will conform to the aforementioned subjects and authors.
Until next time, may the Peace of Christ be with you.
Georgios
