The whirlwind pace of societal change has left many feeling powerless, unable to influence the course of events. This resignation has led people to accept the world as it is, without questioning or resisting, as if everything is perfectly fine and rejection is futile.
This state of passive acceptance is exactly what the status quo desires, perpetuating the notion that the existing world and its events are unchangeable givens. This mindset might explain why philosophers, who challenge and seek the truth, faced intense opposition from the church during the dark ages. The status quo understands that philosophy poses a threat to their comfort and stability.
Ironically, the philosophy of negation suggests that modernism has reignited this 'resigned' mentality. Moreover, modernism has steered people towards nihilism: if they can't or won't conform to the world's pace, their only option is to withdraw entirely (often metaphorically represented as death). This leads to a stagnant world, where scientific progress and understanding of the world no longer advance as they did before modernism. The author sees this stagnation as a primary critique of the philosophy of negation.
The philosophy of negation champions itself as a philosophy of innovation. Its proponents believe that by rejecting the current state of the world, newness can continuously emerge. This keeps philosophical inquiry alive, as humans constantly generate new questions, ensuring that the process of thinking never ends and understanding never reaches a final conclusion.
Negation, in this context, is not about destroying ideas but about perpetually evolving them, opening up new possibilities for life. Yet, if the world is always changing on its own, why should humans strive for change? The author argues that change occurs because humans will it, not due to the world's inherent rhythm. This critique targets Hegelian dialectics, which posits that negation is driven by history. Instead, the author believes negation is concrete and driven by humans, not abstract entities like history, spirit, or God.
This perspective is rooted in Husserl's existential philosophy, which states that human-world interactions are mediated by consciousness. Therefore, change and renewal only happen as long as consciousness is active. The author sees this as the core urgency of the philosophy of negation: to continuously remind humans that as rational beings, they have the power to instigate change, and that the world is still ripe for exploration and understanding.
While philosophy may not have a specific utilitarian purpose, its primary function, according to the author, is to present new possibilities for the development of the world and human civilization.
Negation loses its power in the presence of freedom. It cannot negate freedom because freedom cannot be nullified by unfreedom. For example, the idea that imprisoning a free person makes them truly free is a fallacy. Thus, in the face of true freedom, negation finds its limit.
When freedom is fully realized, in any form (whether it be liberation from all concepts to achieve pure consciousness, physical freedom, or any other type of freedom), negation falls silent.
