Betovering, betekenisgeving, levensverhaal : filosofische perspectieven op een hedendaagse betoveringservaring

Weber’s analysis of disenchantment in modern society, as an apparently unavoidable consequence of the increasing dominance of rationality in modern times, forms the theoretical framework of this thesis. The specific research theme is the loss of meaning that accompanies and characterises disenchantment. Unlike the sociological and cultural-historical analyses of Weber and many of those who followed in his footsteps, the main ambition of this thesis is to adopt the individual perspective and to explore more deeply the consequences of disenchantment and loss of meaning for the modern individual. Attention is also given to fruitful strategies for restoring this loss. Against the backdrop of the dual premise that personal life in modern times is threatened by a loss of meaning, and that the search for meaning is nothing less than an existential need, this thesis examines the importance of enchantment for the creation of new meaning. The research hypothesis is that disenchantment not only threatens the experience of meaning, but that it also allows for new experiences of enchantment for the modern individual in a more balanced and well-considered form. For the theoretical development, two crucial sub-analyses are conducted and aligned with one another. The first one examines the relationship between enchantment and the dynamic of ‘dispossession’, as a dynamic constitutive of the human condition. The second one investigates the place of enchantment within the life story and narrative identity of the modern individual, with particular attention to the anchoring in reality that arises with experiences of enchantment. The principal outcome of this research is that enchantment remains a necessary element of the human quest for meaning in modern times, and assumes a new, significant role in the integration of enchanting experiences into narrative identity.