Cette recherche est centrée sur la pensée du philosophe français Gilbert Simondon. Nous explorons la possibilité ouverte par Simondon d’articuler un monisme ontogénétique avec un pluralisme ontologique, c'est-à-dire l'idée qu’il est possible d'apprécier une continuité entre les différentes dimensions du réel -physique, biologique, psycho-collective- sans nier leur pluralité intrinsèque. Dans la première partie, nous étudions la relation entre la matière inerte et les êtres vivants à travers de la rencontre entre la philosophie simondonienne de l'individuation et la thermodynamique du non-équilibre d’Ilya Prigogine. La conception de Simondon est présentée comme un moyen approprié pour surmonter la division ontologique entre la matière et la vie. Toutefois, l'accent mis sur la cristallisation comme l'exemple paradigmatique de l'individuation physique révèle certaines limites pour mener à bien ce projet qui peuvent être surmontées par le concept d'une auto-organisation de la matière que l'on trouve dans la thermodynamique du non-équilibre. Dans la deuxième partie, nous proposons une interprétation des principaux points de la métaphysique de Simondon. Nous suivons la lecture de Deleuze où la philosophie de Simondon apparaît comme une transformation du concept kantien du transcendantal. Ensuite, nous défendons une interprétation selon laquelle la pensée de Simondon est une forme de réalisme processuel et relationnel. Enfin, la philosophie simondonienne est confrontée au tournant spéculatif de la philosophie actuelle, en particulier au matérialisme spéculatif de Quentin Meillassoux et à la philosophie orientée aux objets de Graham Harman. / This research is focused on the thought of the French philosopher Gilbert Simondon. We explore the possibility opened by Simondon to articulate an ontogenetic monism with an ontological pluralism, that is, the idea that it is possible to appreciate a continuity between the different dimensions of the real -physical, biological, psycho-collective-without denying their intrinsic plurality. In the first part, we study the relation between inert matter and living beings through the encounter between Simondon’s philosophy of individuation and Ilya Prigogine’s non-equilibrium thermodynamics. Simondon’s conception is shown as a suitable way to overcome the ontological division between matter and life. However, his focus on crystallization as the paradigmatic example of physical individuation reveal certain limitations to carry out this project which can be overcome through the concept of self-organization of matter that we find in non-equilibrium thermodynamics. In the second part, we offer an interpretation of the main points of Simondon’s metaphysics. We follow Deleuze's reading in which Simondon's philosophy appears as a transformation of Kant's concept of the transcendental. Then, we defend an interpretation according to which Simondon’s thought is a form of process-relational realism. Finally, we confront Simondonian philosophy with the speculative turn of contemporary philosophy, especially with Quentin Meillassoux’s speculative materialism and Graham Harman’s object-oriented philosophy. / La presente investigación gira en torno al pensamiento del filósofo francés Gilbert Simondon. Exploramos la posibilidad que abre Simondon para articular un monismo ontogenético con un pluralismo ontológico, esto es, la idea según la cual es posible apreciar una continuidad entre las diferentes dimensiones de lo real -física, biológica, psíquico-colectiva- sin negar por ello su pluralidad intrínseca. En la primera parte, realizamos un estudio de la relación entre materia inerte y seres vivos por medio del encuentro entre la filosofía simondoniana de la individuación y la termodinámica del no-equilibrio desarrollada por Ilya Prigogine. La concepción de Simondon se muestra como una vía apropiada para superar la división ontológica entre materia y vida. Sin embargo, su focalización en la cristalización como ejemplo paradigmático de individuación física revela ciertas limitaciones para llevar a cabo este proyecto, las cuales pueden ser superadas por medio del concepto de una auto-organización de la materia presente en la termodinámica del no-equilibrio. En la segunda parte, realizamos una interpretación de los principales puntos de la metafísica de Simondon. Seguimos la lectura deleuziana en la cual la filosofía de Simondon aparece como una transformación del concepto kantiano de lo trascendental. A continuación, defendemos una interpretación según la cual el pensamiento de Simondon constituye una forma de realismo procesual-relacional. Finalmente, realizamos una confrontación de la filosofía simondoniana con el giro especulativo de la filosofía actual, especialmente con el materialismo especulativo de Quentin Meillassoux y la filosofía orientada a los objetos de Graham Harman.

This thesis "Anything is thing enough to party" seeks to explore the knowledge base of Jane Bennett's vital materialism and analyzes the connections between advanced capitalism, mobility and unpredictable movement of goods and things from the perspective of object oriented ontology. The thesis also focuses on the new perspective of ready-made object and perspective of installation. In order to research the topic and implement the practical part of the project, this study took place in Mexico as a self-initiated art residency in order to explore flows of found objects under the gaze of a foreigner.

Václav Drozd Object oriented political theory? A contribution of object oriented philosophy for political theory Abstract (in English): This diploma thesis is concerned with the turn to materiality and object in contemporary philosophy and explores its impact on political theory. It focuses on conceptions trying to reformulate the relation between subject and object, culture and nature or human and inhuman entities - symetrical ontology of Bruno Latour, speculative realism and object-oriented ontology. The aim of the study is to identify the benefits of these aproaches for political theory. The first frame topic important for investigated theories is the relation of human and state towards complex technologies. The second general topic is the existence under conditions of anthropocene and climate change. Keywords: anthropocene, speculative realism, object, corelationism, actor, vibrant matter, technologies, symmetry, actor-network-theory, Latour

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There are approximately 1300 completely or partially preserved medieval churches in Sweden. Many of these have remains of kalkmåleri (mural paintings at least partially created in lime) from the 12th throughout the 17th century. This dissertation discusses the enactments that formed the revival of this kalkmåleri between 1850 and 1980, with a focus on restoration and conservation. The decorative and monumental paintings that were created at the same time are also discussed. The study is divided into two sections: one concentrates on the mural paintings and the networks that made their (re-)enactment possible, and the second is a case study that examines kalkmåleri in four medieval churches; Vendel and Ed north of Stockholm, and Floda and Vadsbro south of Stockholm. To come close to the paintings, an eclectic methodology with analysis of written and depicted sources, interviews, and studies in situ of the paintings through mapping and analysis of taken samples was designed. The objectives were to investigate the formation of kalkmåleri as phenomena, significant concepts, and conservation practices throughout time and space. Theoretical inspiration was taken from Actor-Network-Theory, critical discourse analysis, and speculative realism. Throughout the study the kalkmåleri is thus seen to have agency. The weave of enactments stemming from different professions and thought collectives that formed the paintings was made visible by following the actors. Some of these enactments were analyzed: i.e. the aesthetic shaping of the room, as religious and iconographic images, historical documents, art, style, technical, or hybrid objects. The latter refers to conservation that did not entirely rely on science, humanist scholarship, craftsmanship, or artistic creativity. Thus conservation is seen as a hybrid activity. Three periods of conservation principles were explored: stylistic restoration, original conservation, and precautionary conservation, which were related to what was perceived as the authentic original. Furthermore some Swedish "traditions" are discussed: that no institute for technical studies of art was formed, the use of "Curman’s principles", restricted retouching from the 1960s onward, and the use of gomma pane for cleaning. Finally appendices are included containing terminology, an index of conservators, and a DVD with mapping, chemical analysis, and photographs. / <p>Forskningsfinansiärer: FoU-medel: Riksantikvarieämbetet, Brandförsäkringsverkets stiftelse för bebyggelsehistorisk forskning, Elna Bengtsssons fond och Tyréns stiftelse.</p><p>Ett läsår på Columbia University kunde genomföras med stöd av Fulbright Commission. Erik &amp; Lily Philipsons minnesfond och Axelson Johnsons stiftelse.</p>

The dissertation Alternative Ontology, subtitled Topological Imagination and Topological Materialism, focuses on the analysis of spatial phenomena and space in the intentions of the mathematical discipline of topology, which is interested in spaces from the point of view of set theory. My goal is to present topology as a tool not only for contemporary philosophy, but also for artistic creation. For the purpose of the dissertation, I formulate two concepts: Topological imagination and Topological materialism. Topological imagination is a tool and method for creating and thinking with the consciousness of space as a dynamic structure, which is not bound only by fixed laws of geometry. This method originated as the name of my long-term artistic practice, which is largely based on the study of space, topology, knot theory and the search for ways of their application in artistic and theoretical work. I propose Topological materialism as a concept that combines the thinking of networks and multi-dimensional spaces with the philosophical currents of the materialist tradition, especially the New Materialism. My basic thesis is that these cannot be perceived separately. Materialism cannot be thought without its spatial dimension, and topology without anchoring in the material world becomes a mere abstraction. The second part of the dissertation is devoted to the analysis of specific spaces: the space we inhabit, which I call phenomenological, infrastructure, logistics space, information space and the space of capital. In addition to individual analyzes, I also focus on their intersections, connections and joint operation.

This study investigates “dark ecology” – an ecological theory formulated by Timothy Morton, based on an object-oriented ontology and claimed to offer a new perspective on how humans can and should coexist with other “objects” in the world in a better, less hostile way. Dark ecology is a critique of both an anthropocentric and a biocentric worldview, aiming to erase the dichotomy between human/nature and subject/object.  This essay performs an internal critique of dark ecology, analyzing and interpreting Morton’s books Dark Ecology (2016) and Being Ecological (2018) through the lens of two central concepts – “responsibility” and “agency” in order to extract the premises of importance to the theory. These premises are then presented in Aristotelian syllogisms, based on which the validity of dark ecology is evaluated. The aim of the essay is to find an answer to the question as to whether dark ecology is logically coherent and consistent – and thus can really be seen as a fruitful perspective on how humankind should act in relation to the environment or not. The result from this investigation is that dark ecology is an invalid theory since it suffers from both incoherence and inconsistency. Based on this, it is concluded that dark ecology fails to achieve what it is presented to do. The answer to the research question of this essay, “Is dark ecology a theory that, if applied, leads to a change in humans’ relationship with the biosphere for the better?” is therefore “no”.

How might ‘the digital’ be conceived of in an ‘expanded field’ of art practice, where ontology is flattened such that it is not defined by a particular media? This text, together with an installation of art work at the Exhibition Research Lab, Liverpool John Moores University (13-24 March), constitutes the thesis submission as a whole, such that in the practice of ‘reading’ the thesis, each element remains differentiated from the other and makes no attempt to ‘represent’ the other. In negating representation, such practices present a ‘radical’ rethinking of the digital as a differentiated in-itself, one that is not defined solely by entrenched computational narratives derived from set theory. Rather, following Nelson Goodman’s nominalistic rejection of class constructs, ‘the digital’ is thus understood in onto-epistemic terms as being syntactically and semantically differentiated (Languages of Art 161). In the context of New Zealand Post-object Art practices of the late 1960s, as read through Jack Burnham’s systems thinking, such a digitally differentiated ontology is conceived of in terms of the how of practice, rather than what of objects (“Systems Aesthetics”). After Heidegger, such a practice is seen as an event of becoming realised by the method of formal indication, such that what is concealed is brought forth as a thing-in-itself (The Event; Phenomenological Interpretations 26). As articulated through the researcher’s own sculptural practice – itself indebted to Post-object Art – indication is developed as an intersubjective method applicable to both artists and audience. However, the constraints imposed on the thing-in-itself by the Husserlian phenomenological tradition are also taken as imposing correlational limitations on the ‘digital’, such that it is inherently an in-itself for-us and thus not differentiated in-itself. To resolve such Kantian dialectics, the thesis draws on metaphysical arguments put forward by contemporary speculative ontologies – in particular the work of Quentin Meillassoux and Tristan Garcia (After Finitude; Form and Object). Where these contemporary continental philosophies provide a means of releasing events from the contingency of human ‘reason’, the thesis argues for a practice of ‘un-reason’ in which indication is recognized as being contingent on speculation. Practice, it is argued, was never reason’s alone to determine. Instead, through the ‘radical’ method of speculative indication, practice is asserted as the event through which the differentiated digital is revealed as a thing-in-itself of itself and not for us.

Tomáš Pivoda, The Multiplicity of Being: The Ontology of Alain Badiou PhD thesis Abstract The thesis introduces for the first time in the Czech philosophical context the ontology of the French philosopher Alain Badiou, as he set it out in his fundamental work Being and Event (L'être et l'événement, 1988). It first presents the starting point of Badiou's philosophy as well as the reasons of his identification of ontology with the set theory, and it points out Badiou's importance for contemporary philosophy, especially for the so called speculative realism around Quentin Meillassoux. The main axis of the exposition is then built around Badiou's four fundamental "Ideas": the multiplicity, the event, the truths and the subject, in connection with which it is shown how Badiou constructs his conceptual apparatus out of individual axioms of the set theory, whereby he follows the basic formal definition of multiplicity based on the operator . In connection with∈ the first Idea of multiplicity, the thesis exposes - with references to Martin Heidegger and Plato - Badiou's conceptual transposition of the couple one/multiple on the couple existence/being and defines the fundamental concepts of his ontology - the situation, the presentation, the representation and the void, with the help of which Badiou interprets...