J. Duyndam

Veerkracht, een bijdrage aan de theorievorming

SamenvattingVeerkracht lijkt het nieuwe toverwoord. Opeens duikt veerkracht overal op: in de zorg, in de hulpverlening, op de opiniepagina’s van de kranten, en zelfs prominent in de Nationale Wetenschapsagenda – al dan niet in combinatie met politiekactuele zaken als zelfredzaamheid en de participatiesamenleving. Daarbij is het opmerkelijk dat veerkracht nauwelijks wordt omschreven of gedefinieerd, zelfs niet in de Nationale Wetenschapsagenda. Is de betekenis van deze mooie metafoor dan zo vanzelfsprekend?

Care ethics: An ethics of empathy?:

Background: Empathy is a contested concept in the field of care ethics. According to its proponents, empathy is a unique way to connect with others, to understand what is at stake for them, and to help guide moral deliberation. According to its critics, empathy is biased, inaccurate or a form of projection that does not truly grasp and respect the otherness of the other, and that may be distorted by prejudices. Objectives: We aim to contribute to a better understanding of the significance of empathy in care ethics by reviewing both the functions and limitations of empathy in this field. Research design: Drawing on literature from care ethics and closely related fields, we identify the relevant functions and limitations of empathy from the relational, epistemic, normative, and political perspectives. These perspectives are drawn from four main characteristics of care ethics, which serve as a concise framework for understanding the significance of empathy. Participants and research context: This article is written as part of an empirical and theoretical research project that aims to better understand the functions and limitations of empathy in care practices, from the perspective of care ethics. Ethical considerations: We try to do justice to both the appraisal and critique of empathy in the care ethics literature. Findings: Our findings stress that the relationship between care ethics and empathy is complicated and rife with opposing views. Therefore, we conclude that care ethics is not an ethics of empathy. Discussion and conclusion: Based on our findings, we formulate pathways that may guide the further analysis of empathy in care practices and care ethics.

Resilience Beyond Mimesis. Humanism, Autonomy, and Exemplary Persons

Contesting relogious Identities. Organized by the Research Institute for Theology and Religion (INTEGON) of the Department of Religious Studies and Theology of Utrecht University., 13 oktober 2010

Girard and Heidegger: Mimesis, Mitsein, Addiction

Abstract In his essay “Peter’s Denial,” René Girard draws a parallel between mimesis and Martin Heidegger’s concept of being-with (Mitsein). In this essay I explore this parallel through a third, intermediate term—addiction—on the assumption that living in a world governed by mimesis, according to Girard, and living in the modus of Mitsein, according to Heidegger, can both be characterized as a kind of addiction. The clarification of the parallel between mimesis and Mitsein through this intermediate term may contribute to a better understanding of a central concept of Heidegger’s philosophy and, at the same time, bring into view the philosophical dimension of Girard’s mimetic theory. In my conclusion I propose Levinas’s ethical approach as a possible cure to the addiction to mimesis and being-with.

Credible Fatherhood and Unique Identity: Toward an Existential Concept of Adoption

In this article, I argue for the need of a credible concept of fatherhood in present-day Western culture. This claim is based on the belief that fathers and father figures play an important role in constructing unique identities, both in the context of childrearing and in a more general cultural sense. An existential concept of adoption is developed to clarify the notion of credible fatherhood, which is supported, on the one hand, by Dorothee Sölles analysis of the shift from a religious construction of identity to a post-religious self-construction of identity and, on the other, by Charles Taylors concept of authenticity.