Name of the association (in Croatian): Estetički laboratorij Filozofskog fakulteta Osijek (EstLab)

Name of the association (in English): Aesthetic Laboratory of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek (aEstLab)

Registered office of the association: Osijek, Republic of Croatia

Date of the Founding Assembly: 23 March 2021

President of the association: Boško Pešić

Governing body of the association: Boško Pešić, Marijan Krivak, Boris Bosančić, Davorin Ćuti

The original idea of an aesthetic laboratory developed alongside a concept conceived at the University of Skopje in the mid-20th century by the Croatian philosopher Pavao Vuk-Pavlović (1894–1976). It represents a modern exploration of the possibilities arising from the multiple connections between philosophy and art. Among these, the educational role of art proves particularly fruitful from a theoretical perspective, a role which, it seems, has still not been sufficiently examined, let alone exhausted. According to Vuk-Pavlović, the meaning and justification of philosophy as a foundation for efforts concerned with the human condition lies not only “in the service of the development of individual cultural functions”, but primarily in determining that living essence of the world which reaches into the very core of the human need to create and, consequently, to express oneself creatively in a lasting manner. Such meaning, Vuk-Pavlović argues, encompasses both reality and value and “affirms, within the ‘meaningful’, the belonging of a particular essence to the being of beings”. Aesthetics, as a comprehensive philosophical discourse of art (and about art), in accordance with such an understanding of the meaning and justification of philosophy, communicates and reveals the versatility of artistic creation, which is nothing other than the setting-itself-to-work of truth (Heidegger). As a particular result, this is repeatedly manifested in culture through countless possibilities of understanding the human world as reason.

Yet, in the spiritual situation of the age in which we live, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish culture from ideologically prescribed patterns of behaviour, while exposing the connections and mechanisms of domination inherent in them belongs to the task of philosophy. Adorno and Horkheimer long ago rightly termed this comprehensive imposed relationship between ideology and culture the culture industry, which represents an unparalleled regression of the so-called enlightened self-consciousness. This is most evident in the commercialisation of aesthetic creations. It appears increasingly plausible that today technology alone governs the aesthetics of mass consumption which, as the reverse side of ubiquitous consumerism, inevitably concerns the global shaping of contemporary culture as well.

With all this in mind, the future aesthetic laboratory would, through its activities, partly encompass practical seminar-based teaching within philosophy courses such as aesthetics, philosophy of film, philosophy of literature, and methods of teaching philosophy, as well as a range of other academic disciplines closely connected with the themes of this field of the humanities. Equipped with appropriate multimedia resources, the aesthetic laboratory would, through carefully designed workshops and academic and professional gatherings, focus on the philosophical reflection of contemporary cultural and artistic phenomena, particularly those related to digital and information technology, whose overall effects on human beings clearly still require proper evaluation. To paraphrase Nietzsche, we “have” art so that we may, at least to some extent, endure the truth.

Assoc. Prof. Boško Pešić, PhD
Head of EstLab

EstLab Sections

Dija-Logos
philosophical readings
moderators: Boško Pešić and Marijan Krivak

Film Philosophy
reviews, screenings and discussions about films
moderators: Marijan Krivak and Davorin Ćuti

Literary Club
literary readings and discussions
moderators: Željko Senković, Boris Bosančić and Marijan Krivak

Music Section
reviews, listening sessions and concerts
moderators: Boško Pešić, Marijan Krivak and Boris Bosančić

Technosphere
reviews and discussions
moderators: Milijana Mičunović, Davorin Ćuti and Boris Bosančić

EstLab Radio
programmes and series
moderator: Boško Pešić