The Metaphysics and Theology of Music

This article aims to analyze music from a philosophical and theological perspective, using the principles of multi- and transdisciplinary methodology. After a brief introduction, which presents the main moments in the history of the musical phenomenon, a first chapter addresses the metaphysical dimension of music in classical composers. The second chapter shows the position of philosophers towards music, starting with Pythagoras and ending with Schopenhauer. The third chapter focuses on music theology in general, but also on the theology and metaphysics of music to the French philosopher of Romanian origin, Emil Cioran, who, after Augustin and Schopenhauer, wrote probably the deepest pages on the ontology of music. The last chapter refers to to the archetypal character of music.

The apophatic knowledge in philosophy and theology. Emil Cioran Versus Dumitru Staniloae

Two of the most enlightened minds of the Romanian people cross their feather quills in a subject of immeasurable depth. Both driven by the longing for God, they relate to Him from different perspectives, perspectives from which different conclusions result. One is a convinced nihilist, who cannot help but think of God, and the other an accomplished theologian, who transforms the knowledge of God into authentic living by His will. The parallel between Emil Cioran and Dumitru Staniloae on the topic of apophatic knowledge can only impress any knowledge-loving reason.

The enlightened minds of the pastoral land of Mărginimea Sibiului

This project aims to configure a map of the most important personalities in the Mărginimea Sibiului. The present research presents practically the methodology of all the stages completed. Starting with the selection of information, its organization in tables and up to the geographical representation of the information gathered about intellectuals. The career path of each one is not a complex one, but the idea started from the fact that we wanted to demonstrate how a rural, agrarian area, restricted from a geographical point of view, offered to the national culture several paramount intellectuals such as Ioan Lupaș, Octavian Goga, Emil Cioran, Samuel Micu. Keywords: digital humanities, Airtable, Qgis, database, maps, Google Maps, Transylvania

The Benefits of Being a Suicidal Curmudgeon

Emil Cioran offers novel arguments against suicide. He assumes a meaningless world. But in such a world, he argues, suicide and death would be equally as meaningless as life or anything else. Suicide and death are as cumbersome and useless as meaning and life. Yet Cioran also argues that we should contemplate suicide to live better lives. By contemplating suicide, we confront the deep suffering inherent in existence. This humbles us enough to allow us to change even the deepest aspects of ourselves. Yet it also reminds us that our peculiar human ability—being able to contemplate suicide—sets us above anything else in nature or in the heavens. This paper assembles and defends a view of suicide written about in Cioran’s aphorisms and essays.

Blaga Și Cioran - Tragedia Culturilor Mici

This paper aims to explain the affinities and differences of vision between Lucian Blaga and Emil Cioran on the phenomenon of Romanian historical evolution and national conscience. The two main works analyzed, The Mioritic Space and The Transfiguration of Romania, are in a passionate dialog, complementing each other in a conceptual and philosophical manner. The influence of Spengler’s philosophy is fervent in the works of the two authors, but it is subject to a strong resemantization process in terms of the dynamics between large and small cultures. The place of Romanian culture and history will be presented empathically pozitive by Lucian Blaga, who will use will use it as a foundation for the picturesque theory of the stylistic array. On the other hand, Emil Cioran will condemn the psychological deficiencies of Romanian culture, incapable of creating history.

The Courage To Be Anxious. Paul Tillich’s Existential Interpretation of Anxiety

The similitude between anxiety and death is the starting point of Paul Tillich's analysis from The Courage To Be, his famous theological and philosophical reply to Martin Heidegger's Being And Time. Not only Tillich and Heidegger are concerned with the connection between anxiety and death but also other proponents of both existentialism and nihilism like Friedrich Nietzsche, Emil Cioran and Lev Shestov. Tillich observes that "anxiety puts frightening masks" over things and perhaps this definition is its finest contribution to the spectacular phenomenology of anxiety. Moreover, Tillich has some illuminating insights about the anxiety of emptiness and meaninglessness, which are important for the history of the existential philosophy. It is interesting how the protestant theologian tries to answer to Heidegger: while the German philosopher asserted that we must avoid fear and we have to embrace anxiety as a route to personal authenticity, Tillich notes that we should transform anxiety into fear, because courage is more likely to "abolish" fear.

Emil Cioran – with Marin Sorescu

Marin Sorescu”s trips to Paris meant, each time, meeting Emil Cioran. The spiritual closeness between the two so different personalities develops over the years, as prooved by the numerous notes in the diaries of the Romanian poet. Despite the political restrictions of the regime, Marin Sorescu promotes Emil Cioran’s work in Romania, in the magazines of the time and in volumes. About his appreciation is written also in the correspondence between the two of them, we publish here some unique texts kept in the archive of Sorescu family.

Du Moi comme apophatisme: Maurice Barrès, Emil Cioran, Philippe Muray.

In the theological field, the term apophatism refers to a negative approach of defining God by what he is not rather than by what he is. This way of thinking can be applied to the definition of the writer’s Me as it appears in the literary works, since the Me, although being a factual obviousness, can only be defined by being opposed to anything it is not. Maurice Barrès, Emil Cioran and Philippe Muray approached, through this oppositional way, the question of the writer’s Litterary Me; this comparative study will attempt to confront their respective approaches to the Me and to its inscription in the historical time. En théologie, l’apophatisme désigne une approche négative consistant à définir Dieu par ce qu’il n’est pas plutôt que par ce qu’il est. Par analogie, cette méthode de pensée peut s’appliquer à la définition du Moi de l’écrivain tel qu’il apparaît dans l’œuvre littéraire, puisque le Moi, quoiqu’étant une évidence factuelle, ne se laisse définir que négativement, par opposition à tout ce qui est autre que lui-même. Maurice Barrès, Emil Cioran et Philippe Muray ont en commun de s’être penchés, à travers cette approche négative, sur la question du Moi littéraire de l’écrivain; cette étude comparatiste tentera de confronter leurs écritures respectives du Moi et de son inscription dans le temps historique.