PhD defence
Philosophy and The World
- Z.X. Chua
- Date
- Thursday 2 July 2026
- Time
- Address
-
Academy Building
Rapenburg 73
2311 GJ Leiden
Supervisor(s)
Summary
This thesis investigates the relationship between philosophy and the world. Acts of thinking provide knowledge about the world and transform it in the process. However, most of them are naïve towards the transformation they enact.
My thesis defines philosophy as a style of thinking that incorporates its knowledge and transformation of the world into a coherent whole. In other words, philosophy is understood as a unity of theory and practice. With this definition of philosophy, it is necessary to understand how the world is both transforming and transformed.
I show that the world must be understood in the following ways: (1) it involves a variety of dimensions, such as its perceptual, intersubjective, and philosophical dimensions, and (2) it is the intersection of these dimensions. This means the following: (1) philosophy thinks about the world and transforms it, yet (2) philosophy is implicated by the non-philosophical dimensions and is transformed by them. The interaction between (1) and (2) means that philosophy transforms and is transformed by the world. I call this interaction a dialectical relation.
I conclude that the relationship between philosophy and the world is a dialectical one. This dialectical relation has ethical and political consequences on our activities. Every activity has ethical and political dimensions. The ethical dimension of an act lies in the way it transforms our way of life, the political dimension in the way it transforms the organisation of society.
PhD dissertations
Approximately one week after the defence, PhD dissertations by Leiden PhD students are available digitally through the Leiden Repository, that offers free access to these PhD dissertations. Please note that in some cases a dissertation may be under embargo temporarily and access to its full-text version will only be granted later.
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