Lichtgedanken 04

Rubrik 59 04 | LICHT GEDANKEN Projekte sing to think efficiently: »Luxury cannot be defended ration- ally. Luxury is waste, luxury is irrational—and its importance for humans lies precisely in this deep-lying experience of re- fusing efficiency«, says the philosopher. »We can use luxury to escape the drive towards expediency. And that is what makes it something so fundamentally human; only humans can take a stand for something that is considered to be reasonable and decide whether to realize it or not.« Wiesing says that recently he has often heard the phrase: »We don't really need it«. »It may be true, but the question is: What conception of man are we defending when we reduce ourselves to what we need? Should we talk about people in the same way as we talk about machines—where we can say what they need and consume?« In the tradition of Schiller—the freedom of play and the free- dom of irrationally expensive possessions With his research, the philosopher is not just providing a definition of the term luxury; he is also extending the range of possibilities through which we can have aesthetic experiences. »According to Kant, only the indifferent, sensory perception of an object can cause aesthetic experiences, for example, looking at a picture. But simply owning something can have a similar aesthetic effect«, explains Wiesing, who dedicates his work to picture theory, alongside phenomenology. Furthermore, with his observations on the »personal experience of humans«, the philosopher is following the tradition of a famous prede- cessor. »Friedrich Schiller claimed that humans can fall into a bad way in two different manners: they can either become a totally instinct-driven hedonist or an equally one-sided, ruth- lessly rational being. And it is the aesthetic experience of free- dom that prevents this«, explains Wiesing. »Schiller believed that play offered a way to provide the experience of freedom. Nowadays, it seems that for many people, this is found in the possession of irrationally expensive objects—this could be owed to the increasingly pervasive efficiency-based thinking. The University’s namesake provides a key reason as to why the Münster-born philosopher is so happy in Jena. »On the one hand, I am continually amazed when I discover the ex- cellent reputation that Jena has abroad—not least thanks to its history«, explains the 55-year-old, who is due to take on a guest professorship in the USA in the upcoming winter semester. »On the other hand, I consider the local Institute for Philosophy to be one of the most fascinating of its kind in Germany.« And there are few people who would know this better, as Wiesing has been at the University of Jena for over 20 years. After his degree in Münster, he studied for his doctorate in Chemnitz before becoming the Deputy Chair for various positions in Jena. In 2001 he became a professor and in 2009 became the Chair for Philosophy focused on Picture Theory and Phenomenology. Lambert Wiesing, who calls himself a »university lecturer« rather than a »philosopher«, lives with his family in the coun- try. He believes that this combination makes his work better. »When I am in Jena, I enjoy taking an active part in university life. And, when at home, I can relax and find the peace and quiet to read and think.« After all, that is really all he needs for his research. He also benefits from exchanging ideas with other people. The fact that the »luxury book« was so well-re- ceived is extremely helpful. »I regularly receive letters from readers, which provide me with new examples and perspec­ tives«, says the author. And perhaps one day, he will reveal his personal luxury to them in return. Luxury researcher Lambert Wiesing lives and works in relative modesty.