Erwin Ott

10/10: Schattenontologie offers a framework for a non-totalizing science, embracing structural uncertainty as a productive dimension of knowledge. This work invites reflection on science’s boundaries and possibilities. #PhilosophyOfScience #ModernPhysics

9/10: The paper proposes interdisciplinary dialogues between physics, philosophy, and aesthetics to explore epistemic shadows, fostering new forms of understanding and representation. #Interdisciplinarity #ScienceAndPhilosophy

8/10: Quantum cosmology grapples with the universe’s totality, confronting Unverfügbarkeit as it models a system without an external observer, resonating with Ott’s ontology of withdrawal. #QuantumCosmology #Metaphysics

7/10: Effective field theories embody apophatic knowledge, acknowledging their contextual validity and inherent limits, aligning with Schattenontologie’s view of reality as partially accessible layers. #TheoreticalPhysics #Ontology

6/10: The paper advocates for epistemic humility, recognizing the limits of scientific models while leveraging their heuristic power. This approach views physics as a practice engaging with the non-representable. #ScienceStudies #EpistemicHumility

5/10: Dark matter, dark energy, and Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle illustrate Verdunkelung—not mere absence but a mode of being that oscillates between presence and withdrawal, challenging classical notions of measurability. #Cosmology #Philosophy

4/10: Renormierung in quantum field theory exemplifies Verdunkelung, managing divergent quantities to reveal a deeper ontological structure of withdrawal, where reality resists full accessibility. #QFT #Schattenontologie

3/10: The paper applies Ott’s concepts of Verdunkelung (obscuration), Nichtverfügbarkeit, and Transklusion to physical theories, highlighting how epistemic shadows are not deficits but constitutive elements of scientific inquiry. #QuantumPhysics #Ontology

2/10: Schattenontologie, as an apophatic metaphysics of Unverfügbarkeit (non-availability), reframes the boundaries of scientific knowledge, emphasizing what eludes complete representation in physics, such as dark matter and quantum phenomena. #Metaphysics #Epistemology

Jenseits der Messbarkeit Schattenontologie als epistemische Grenzreflexion moderner Physik

1/10: The paper by Erwin Ott explores the intersection of Schattenontologie and 21st-century physics, examining epistemic and ontological limits in accessing reality. #PhilosophyOfScience #Physics #PhilSky #ShadowOntology das.ubernerden.com/ott-physik-s...

10/10 The paper highlights apophatic thought’s enduring relevance across disciplines, from theology to science. It invites further research into its intercultural and interdisciplinary potential. #Apophatik #Philosophy

9/10 In the 20th century, Heidegger’s ontology of being as withdrawal and Derrida’s deconstruction of presence revive apophatic structures. Ott’s “shadow ontology” conceptualizes reality as inherently elusive, bridging ancient and modern thought. #Heidegger #Derrida

8/10 Romanticism and Idealism, via Schelling and others, reframe apophatic thought as an aesthetic and existential encounter with the ineffable. Poetry and art become vehicles for expressing the unsayable. #Romanticism #Aesthetics

7/10 The Enlightenment shifts apophatic focus to epistemology. Kant’s “thing-in-itself” underscores the limits of reason, aligning with apophatic principles of unknowability. This methodological negativity influences modern philosophy. #Kant #Epistemology

6/10 In the Middle Ages, apophatic thought intertwines with scholasticism. Thomas Aquinas integrates negation into his theology, balancing kataphatic and apophatic approaches, while Eckhart’s “Gelassenheit” emphasizes epistemic humility. #Scholasticism #Eckhart

5/10 Early Christian thinkers like Dionysius Areopagita systematize apophatic theology, describing God through negation to preserve divine transcendence. This approach shapes medieval mysticism, notably in Meister Eckhart. #ChristianTheology #Mysticism

4/10 Plotin radicalizes apophatic ontology, positing the One as beyond being and thought. His triadic structure (One, Nous, Soul) frames reality as an emanation from an ineffable source, influencing later negative theology. #Neoplatonism #Plotin

3/10 Plato’s philosophy marks a turning point, with the Idea of the Good as a transcendent principle beyond being and language. His cave allegory highlights the dialectic of presence and absence, a core apophatic motif. #Plato #Metaphysics

2/10 Apophatic thinking, rooted in negation, denies positive attributes to the divine or absolute, emphasizing its ineffability. Schulz begins with pre-Socratic philosophers like Xenophanes, who critique anthropomorphic gods, laying early foundations. #NegativeTheology

Genealogie apophatischen Denkens von der Antike bis heute Supplement

1/10 “Genealogie apophatischen Denkens” traces apophatic thought from antiquity to the present, exploring its evolution across philosophy, theology, and literature. This thread introduces its key themes and contributions. #ApophaticThought #Philosophy #PhilSky das.ubernerden.com/schulz-genea...

Kant introduces the idea of "legislating for oneself," which is as absurd as if in these days, when majority votes command great Ka respect, one were to call each reflective decision a man made a vote resulting in a majority, which as a matter of proportion is over-whelming, for it is always 1-0. The concept of legislation requires superior power in the legislator. His own rigoristic convictions on the subject of lying were so intense that it never occurred to him that a lie could be relevantly described as anything but just a lie (e.g. as "a lie in such-and-such circumstances"). His rule about universalizable maxims is useless without stipulations as to what shall count as a relevant description of an action with a view to constructing a maxim about it. - G.E.M. Anscombe, “Modern Moral Philosophy”

Oh go off, Anscombe.

I can’t endorse her rejection of all modern moral philosophy as absurd and useless, but I can’t deny that she does it precisely and with style. I won’t forget the idea of reflective endorsement as a 1-0 vote.

10/10: Ott’s Schattenontologie is a rigorous call for a philosophy that embraces non-availability, offering a counterpoint to totalizing epistemes. It invites rethinking ontology, ethics, and aesthetics in a world of pervasive control. #Philosophy

9/10: The aesthetic dimension of Schattenontologie views art as a mirror of darkening, embracing ambiguity and withdrawal. It posits art as a speculative practice that reveals the non-fully-present, enriching philosophical reflection. #Aesthetics #ArtPhilosophy

8/10: In media philosophy, Ott critiques digital transparency, proposing an apophatic media aesthetics that respects the non-representable. This approach highlights ethical implications of visibility and invisibility in modern systems. #MediaTheory #DigitalCulture

7/10: The text engages with apophatic traditions (e.g., Plotin, Dionysius, Eckhart) to ground its rejection of metaphysical determinism. It reinterprets darkness not as absence but as a condition of presence, challenging Enlightenment paradigms. #NegativeTheology #HistoryOfPhilosophy

6/10: Exosition is introduced as a reflexive stance, positioning thinking as an exposure to the non-available rather than a mastery of objects. This disposition underscores philosophy as a practice of self-limitation and openness. #PhilosophicalMethod #Reflexivity

5/10: Ott’s concept of Transklusion offers a novel ontological mode: a partial, permeable appearing that preserves ambiguity. It contrasts with representation, maintaining openness to the non-appropriable and redefining philosophical inquiry. #Ontology #Phenomenology

4/10: The monograph explores Nichtverfügbarkeit (non-availability) as a productive category, not a deficit. It critiques modern practices—science, technology, economics—that reduce reality to calculable resources, advocating for an ethic of restraint. #Ethics #Philosophy

3/10: Central to Ott’s framework is Verdunkelung (darkening), a mode of being that is present yet not fully accessible. This concept reframes reality as structurally porous, resisting totalization and fostering a philosophy of nuanced engagement. #Metaphysics #Apophatic

2/10: The work diagnoses a theoretical void in poststructuralism’s “negative Theory of Everything.” Ott introduces “shadow ontology” to address phenomena that resist full articulation, emphasizing non-availability as an ontological dignity rather than a deficit. #Poststructuralism