Performance Philosophy -- Definition

[Robert Perinbanayagam]

The title of this organization is "Performance Philosophy" that is, two nouns joined together.Or is "performance" being performed here as an adjective?Then again, I am wondering, seriously though, is the organization promoting the Philosophy OF Performances or Philosophy AS Performance?That is,as discursive performances to given audiences...

[Laura Cull]

Dear Robert, Performance Philosophy as an organisation does not propose any single definition of performance philosophy; indeed it supports the questioning of its own definition and of the two terms that compose it. Within the group there are certainly those of us concerned with the idea of philosophy as performance and as performative, but there are also many interested in the idea of a philosophy of the performing arts. But PP can also be understood in many ways beyond this and it is the job of scholars and practitioners in the field like yourself to explore these understandings.

[Rüdiger H. Rimpler]

also wondering... as far as I am concerned I would say that:

a) Philosophical thinking is always escorted by performative aspects as its reflections normally come out of the reflected reality and lead back to where they started. This is the standard 'position' of any theory regarding the reflected reality. Moreover philosophical thinking had always been a kind of performance: remind the situative context of any philosophical dialogue - more or less there are accidental aspects which are important for the ongoing perfoming thinking within the dialogue (see Plato). This aspects could be also seen as simple place holders for reality (see Flauberts éléments superflues) - but I don't think so.

b) Getting aware of this aspect (a) means to get aware that there could be another kind of presentation that could be even relevant for the use and practise of philosophical thinking (or even thinking on itself) - I call this the quest for a new kind of presentation in philosophy.

c) Realizing that we are at the very beginning of this awarnes a "short look" on the existing theories about performing arts and perfomances itselfs can be even relevant for the theoretical justification of a non-theoretical approach in contemporary philosophy.

d) Far away from this theoretical justification the practical attempt to "perform" such a kind of philosophy and its non-theoretical approach to reality has an intrinsic value. It creates a new reality of philosophical thinking and being. It shifts the representation of reality to a presentation of reality THROUGH reality.

So this is what I call "Perfomance Philosophy". And therefore I wonder what kind of practical impacts could there be.

[Laura Cull]

Yes!!