Philosophy Today

Volume 59, Issue 4, Fall 2015

The Emergency of Philosophy

Gianni Vattimo, Caterina Mongiat Farina, Geoff Farina
Pages 583-586

Emergency and Event
Technique, Politics, and the Work of Art

What is the meaning of Heidegger’s famous formula “the only emergency is the absence of emergency” in the 21st century? Interpreted as “opposition,” emergency becomes the paradigm through which politics, religion, and art must be practiced today. This practice takes place as an event which disrupts the imposed global order. The recent technocratic government in Italy has become an example of imposition which other countries must also submit to. This is why the absence of emergency can only be felt inside the ruling world, as dysfunction, disturbance, and interruption. Art and religion return as realms where these disruptions take place.