CEFRES Team

Dominik Kulcsár – Research & CV

“The Philosophical Concept of Rebellion: Albert Camus and the Spirit of Anarchy”

Contact: dominik.kulcsar[@]cefres.cz

Research area 2: Norms and Transgressions

The main focus of my dissertation is a historical analysis of the concept of rebellion. I work with the theories of the Russian anarchists, Mikhail Bakunin, Pyotr Kropotkin, and the French philosopher Albert Camus, all of whom consider rebellion as originating from the notion of freedom. Beyond this common thread, I have discovered a deeper, so far not-fully explored, historical and conceptual connection, between Camus’s philosophy of rebellion the anarchist writings of Bakunin, and also Kropotkin.

My dissertation is in the area of history of philosophy, and I am using the hermeneutical and comparative approach, in order to reconstruct coherent theories of rebellion in the thought Bakunin, Kropotkin, and Camus, respectively. All three conceptualize rebellion as an intuitive and instinctive reaction to a perceived sense of injustice or limitation on the individual’s freedom and sphere of autonomy. Their understanding of freedom is rooted in the notion of human nature, which denies absolute authority of any given system or figure of power. Another common thread that links their theories is that a legitimate rebellion works for the universal improvement of the human condition, and must therefore develop into revolution. In the final part of my thesis, I am looking for ideas in their theories, which could be critically translated into a philosophical concept of rational rebellion, one that could be of use today. My PhD thesis is motivated by a prevalent contemporary problem – a dangerously misconceived notion of individual freedom, which sees the individual’s sphere of autonomy as unlimited and impervious to outside interference. This leads to all kinds of irrational rebellions, most recently witnessed in the revolt against public health measures during the pandemic, where certain groups rebelled against these measures in the name of individual freedom.

It is my hope that this research will have something to contribute to the overall discussions about social and cultural criticism of our own times, where the very fabric of society and our institutions is under threat.

CV

Education

  • From 2022 till present: PhD Candidate, Institute of Philosophy of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava/Košice
  • 2017-2019: MA, Philosophy at Comenius University, Bratislava
  • 2013-2017: BA, Philosophy at Comenius University, Bratislava

Teaching Experience

  • 2022-2023: Teacher of text seminars at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Košice

Recent Academic Activities

  • June 2024: “Revisiting Bakunin: Reflections About the Pandemic,” paper presented as a part of the doctoral seminar, held for the winners of the competition for PhD students of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (recipient of honorable mention). Bratislava, Slovakia.
  • June 2024: “The Environmental Philosophy Summer School,” participant as a part of a Blended Intensive Programme, organized by University of Pardubice and Center for Environmental and Technology Ethics – Prague (CETE-P). Hejnice, Czech Republic.
  • January – April 2024: “Between Revolt and Revolution: Camus and the Russian Anarchists,” internship at the Krakow University of Economics, with the founder of the polish Albert Camus Society, dr. Maciej Kałuża, as a part of the Erasmus+ PhD mobility programme. Kraków, Poland.
  • December 2023: co-editor of the conference proceedings “Young Philosophy 2023” based on the conference Young Philosophy 2023 held in Bratislava in May 2023.
  • November 2023: “My research project from an intercultural perspective. Presentation and exchange“ paper presented at the EIFI, Network Young Researchers Meeting in Vienna. Austria.
  • November 2023: “Albert Camus and Peter Kropotkin: An Unexplored Connection“ paper presented at the Albert Camus Society UK/USA 2023 Conference, held at the Krakow University of Economics. Kraków, Poland.
  • November 2023: “Perpetual Tension: Rebellion and its Limits“ paper presented at the Re-Designing Peace/Re-Imagining the Political conference, held at the University of Jan Evangelista in Ústí nad Labem. Czech Republic.

Recent Publications

  • “The Poverty of Our Freedom,” book review. In: Filozofia, vol. 79 (6).
  • “Cesta k inteligencii: nadmerné zjednodušenie a samokontrola,” article translation. In: Filozofia, vol. 79 (5).
  • “Revisiting Bakunin: Reflections about the Pandemic,” research article. In: Filozofia, vol. 78 (9).