Harald Viersen
@haraldviersen.bsky.social
Assistant professor in Islamic Studies @ Radboud, Nijmegen. Raised as a philosopher, now mostly working on contemporary Arab thought and intellectual and conceptual histories in Islam. Check out my book, it's free! https://shorturl.at/e0GFj
In response to and in support of an article recently published by Elizabeth Suzanne Kassab about the need to study the intellectual developments in the Arab worlds since 2011, I wrote an article in which I discuss two considerations regarding this project.
www.resetdoc.org/story/shifti...
www.resetdoc.org/story/shifti...
On the Shifting Arab Intellectual Scene: A Response to Elizabeth Suzanne Kassab
It is hard to make sense of the past, but even harder to make sense of the present. This does not mean, however, that we should not try to make sense of our present, regardless of the missteps that we...
www.resetdoc.org
November 21, 2025 at 3:33 PM
In response to and in support of an article recently published by Elizabeth Suzanne Kassab about the need to study the intellectual developments in the Arab worlds since 2011, I wrote an article in which I discuss two considerations regarding this project.
www.resetdoc.org/story/shifti...
www.resetdoc.org/story/shifti...
I'm honored to have been interviewed by Youssef Madrari recently for the Arabic journal Awaser. In the interview we discuss my work on (contemporary) Arab intellectual history, as well as the state of Islamic studies in The Netherlands. You can find the entire issue at awaser.org, or pm me for a pdf
مجلة أواصر
مجلة فصلية تنشر دراسات سياسية وفكرية وثقافية لنخبة من الباحثين والأكاديميين.
awaser.org
October 29, 2025 at 6:26 PM
I'm honored to have been interviewed by Youssef Madrari recently for the Arabic journal Awaser. In the interview we discuss my work on (contemporary) Arab intellectual history, as well as the state of Islamic studies in The Netherlands. You can find the entire issue at awaser.org, or pm me for a pdf
"In een door Wagensveld aangespannen kort geding oordeelde de rechtbank dat de verbranding onder strikte voorwaarden toch mocht doorgaan.
Zo moest het boek in het zand liggen en moesten er een brandblusser en branddeken aanwezig zijn om direct te kunnen ingrijpen."
nos.nl/artikel/2583...
Zo moest het boek in het zand liggen en moesten er een brandblusser en branddeken aanwezig zijn om direct te kunnen ingrijpen."
nos.nl/artikel/2583...
ME ingezet na koranverbranding bij azc Hoofddorp: tegenstanders gooien stenen en vuurwerk
De mobiele eenheid heeft charges uitgevoerd met honden.
nos.nl
September 25, 2025 at 1:53 PM
"In een door Wagensveld aangespannen kort geding oordeelde de rechtbank dat de verbranding onder strikte voorwaarden toch mocht doorgaan.
Zo moest het boek in het zand liggen en moesten er een brandblusser en branddeken aanwezig zijn om direct te kunnen ingrijpen."
nos.nl/artikel/2583...
Zo moest het boek in het zand liggen en moesten er een brandblusser en branddeken aanwezig zijn om direct te kunnen ingrijpen."
nos.nl/artikel/2583...
I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked!
September 9, 2025 at 8:10 AM
I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked!
Misschien wat cru, zeker vanuit het perspectief van de wolf in kwestie, maar het zou interessant zijn om op den duur de evolutionaire gevolgen van een mogelijke afschietvergunning voor dit soort hoogspringende wolven na te gaan.
nos.nl/artikel/2580...
nos.nl/artikel/2580...
Wolf springt twintig keer over wolfwerend hek en doodt tientallen schapen
De provincie wil het dier laten doden. Het hek voldeed aan de richtlijnen die daarvoor zijn opgesteld.
nos.nl
August 28, 2025 at 9:53 AM
Misschien wat cru, zeker vanuit het perspectief van de wolf in kwestie, maar het zou interessant zijn om op den duur de evolutionaire gevolgen van een mogelijke afschietvergunning voor dit soort hoogspringende wolven na te gaan.
nos.nl/artikel/2580...
nos.nl/artikel/2580...
In the words of Alisdair Macintyre: "Facts, like telescopes and wigs for gentlemen, were a seventeenth-century invention."
Perhaps, like wigs for gentleman, facts will also turn out to be a passing fancy. The question then would be what takes their place.
Perhaps, like wigs for gentleman, facts will also turn out to be a passing fancy. The question then would be what takes their place.
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
July 3, 2025 at 5:08 AM
In the words of Alisdair Macintyre: "Facts, like telescopes and wigs for gentlemen, were a seventeenth-century invention."
Perhaps, like wigs for gentleman, facts will also turn out to be a passing fancy. The question then would be what takes their place.
Perhaps, like wigs for gentleman, facts will also turn out to be a passing fancy. The question then would be what takes their place.
Reposted by Harald Viersen
‼️WORLD CLIMATIC HISTORY REWRITTEN
ALL NIGHT >40 DEGREES IN OMAN & EMIRATES
Dawn at 40C at Fujairah and Dhudna
Min 35.8 Rustaq,35.5 Sohar Majis:Hottest night ever
INSANITY IN PAKISTAN🇵🇰
MINIMUMS 34C 1200m and 30.6C at 1500m (Bunji)
WORLD RECORD HOT NIGHT AT THAT ELEVATION
ALL NIGHT >40 DEGREES IN OMAN & EMIRATES
Dawn at 40C at Fujairah and Dhudna
Min 35.8 Rustaq,35.5 Sohar Majis:Hottest night ever
INSANITY IN PAKISTAN🇵🇰
MINIMUMS 34C 1200m and 30.6C at 1500m (Bunji)
WORLD RECORD HOT NIGHT AT THAT ELEVATION
June 22, 2025 at 11:09 AM
‼️WORLD CLIMATIC HISTORY REWRITTEN
ALL NIGHT >40 DEGREES IN OMAN & EMIRATES
Dawn at 40C at Fujairah and Dhudna
Min 35.8 Rustaq,35.5 Sohar Majis:Hottest night ever
INSANITY IN PAKISTAN🇵🇰
MINIMUMS 34C 1200m and 30.6C at 1500m (Bunji)
WORLD RECORD HOT NIGHT AT THAT ELEVATION
ALL NIGHT >40 DEGREES IN OMAN & EMIRATES
Dawn at 40C at Fujairah and Dhudna
Min 35.8 Rustaq,35.5 Sohar Majis:Hottest night ever
INSANITY IN PAKISTAN🇵🇰
MINIMUMS 34C 1200m and 30.6C at 1500m (Bunji)
WORLD RECORD HOT NIGHT AT THAT ELEVATION
Reposted by Harald Viersen
The political dimensions of the US-Iran war in the US, the region and the world will also play a role in shaping how the conflict plays out.
I'll start with the US, where the political aspects present a far greater risk than the military aspects.
🧵
I'll start with the US, where the political aspects present a far greater risk than the military aspects.
🧵
The political aspects of the US-Iran conflict are less straightforward and more determinative.
Iran's military response to the US attack will give a hint of the regime's intentions, but will also shape the military components through both intended and, as always in war, unintended consequences.
🧵
Iran's military response to the US attack will give a hint of the regime's intentions, but will also shape the military components through both intended and, as always in war, unintended consequences.
🧵
Some thoughts on the military & political aspects of the US entry into the Israel-Iran war. I'll start with military, as they're more straightforward, then nest another thread for political.
Above all it's early days with a lot of uncertainty, so this is more broad strokes than predictive.
🧵
Above all it's early days with a lot of uncertainty, so this is more broad strokes than predictive.
🧵
June 22, 2025 at 11:57 AM
The political dimensions of the US-Iran war in the US, the region and the world will also play a role in shaping how the conflict plays out.
I'll start with the US, where the political aspects present a far greater risk than the military aspects.
🧵
I'll start with the US, where the political aspects present a far greater risk than the military aspects.
🧵
Reposted by Harald Viersen
Please join us for another Philomena lecture tomorrow, 23 June, at 6 pm Berlin time.
In this guest lecture, Prof. Dr. Kaya will introduce the current situation of Studies of Islamic Philosophy in Turkey in its historical context.
philosophy-in-the-modern-islamic-world.net/en/online-gu...
In this guest lecture, Prof. Dr. Kaya will introduce the current situation of Studies of Islamic Philosophy in Turkey in its historical context.
philosophy-in-the-modern-islamic-world.net/en/online-gu...
Guest lecture: Studies of Islamic Philosophy in Turkey – Philosophy in the Modern Islamic World
The colloquium for Philosophy in the MENA region (PhiloMENA) invites to the guest lecture of Prof. Dr. Cüneyt Kaya to be held online on 23.06.2025, 6-8 pm (Berlin time)
philosophy-in-the-modern-islamic-world.net
June 22, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Please join us for another Philomena lecture tomorrow, 23 June, at 6 pm Berlin time.
In this guest lecture, Prof. Dr. Kaya will introduce the current situation of Studies of Islamic Philosophy in Turkey in its historical context.
philosophy-in-the-modern-islamic-world.net/en/online-gu...
In this guest lecture, Prof. Dr. Kaya will introduce the current situation of Studies of Islamic Philosophy in Turkey in its historical context.
philosophy-in-the-modern-islamic-world.net/en/online-gu...
Reposted by Harald Viersen
A very important caveat: “As a practical matter, it could take weeks following the bombing of the facility to assess whether the highly enriched nuclear material there was destroyed or already moved away by Iranian personnel who anticipated the strike – and even then, uncertainty may remain.”
NEW STATEMENT | How Trump and Tehran Can Find an Exit from an Escalating War
As Israel pummels Iran, the U.S. is weighing direct involvement. Washington should look to diplomacy, while Tehran should offer meaningful incentives for it to do so.
www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-...
As Israel pummels Iran, the U.S. is weighing direct involvement. Washington should look to diplomacy, while Tehran should offer meaningful incentives for it to do so.
www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-...
June 22, 2025 at 2:14 AM
A very important caveat: “As a practical matter, it could take weeks following the bombing of the facility to assess whether the highly enriched nuclear material there was destroyed or already moved away by Iranian personnel who anticipated the strike – and even then, uncertainty may remain.”
Reposted by Harald Viersen
Ik snap niet dat hier niet meer ophef over is:
Het binnenhalen van Amerikaanse wetenschappers wordt betaalt door Nederlandse academici geen inflatiecorrectie op hun salaris te geven.
1/2
Het binnenhalen van Amerikaanse wetenschappers wordt betaalt door Nederlandse academici geen inflatiecorrectie op hun salaris te geven.
1/2
June 13, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Ik snap niet dat hier niet meer ophef over is:
Het binnenhalen van Amerikaanse wetenschappers wordt betaalt door Nederlandse academici geen inflatiecorrectie op hun salaris te geven.
1/2
Het binnenhalen van Amerikaanse wetenschappers wordt betaalt door Nederlandse academici geen inflatiecorrectie op hun salaris te geven.
1/2
إلى أتباعي الناطقين بالعربية: قمت بترجمة قصيدة هولندية بقلم الشاعرة المعاصرة البارعةLieke Marsman إلى العربية. أتمنى أنكم تستمتعون بهذه المحاولة الأولى في الترجمة شعرية ولا تتردد في أن ترسلوني نصائحكم اللغاوية!
www.linkedin.com/posts/harald...
www.linkedin.com/posts/harald...
في سلتي | Harald Viersen
إلى أتباعي الناطقين بالعربية: قمت بترجمة قصيدة هولندية بقلم الشاعرة المعاصرة البارعةLieke Marsman إلى العربية. أتمنى أنكم تستمتعون بهذه المحاولة الأولى في الترجمة شعرية ولا تتردد في أن ترسلوني نصائحكم...
www.linkedin.com
May 20, 2025 at 1:47 PM
إلى أتباعي الناطقين بالعربية: قمت بترجمة قصيدة هولندية بقلم الشاعرة المعاصرة البارعةLieke Marsman إلى العربية. أتمنى أنكم تستمتعون بهذه المحاولة الأولى في الترجمة شعرية ولا تتردد في أن ترسلوني نصائحكم اللغاوية!
www.linkedin.com/posts/harald...
www.linkedin.com/posts/harald...
Reposted by Harald Viersen
I'm rather new to fatherhood, about 3 weeks now. Over this period, one question has continued to perplex me, so maybe a more experienced parent can help out here: Why does newborn clothing have pockets? What are infants supposed to put in them? Their wallets? Car keys? A a spare pacifier?
April 28, 2025 at 1:01 PM
I'm rather new to fatherhood, about 3 weeks now. Over this period, one question has continued to perplex me, so maybe a more experienced parent can help out here: Why does newborn clothing have pockets? What are infants supposed to put in them? Their wallets? Car keys? A a spare pacifier?
Recently I had the honor of being interviewed on Saudi TV together with the marvelous @desicusters.bsky.social. In t "Book and Turning Point" the presenter Saad Albazei discusses different aspects of "Orientalism" and we were on to cover the Dutch orientalist discussion. youtu.be/hSy2GbrV5WY?...
كتاب ومنعطف | الاستشراق الهولندي
YouTube video by الثقافية
youtu.be
April 16, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Recently I had the honor of being interviewed on Saudi TV together with the marvelous @desicusters.bsky.social. In t "Book and Turning Point" the presenter Saad Albazei discusses different aspects of "Orientalism" and we were on to cover the Dutch orientalist discussion. youtu.be/hSy2GbrV5WY?...
This is one is for speakers of Turkish: I was asked to write an introduction to the Moroccan philosopher ِAbd al-Rahman Taha for the Turkish magazine Sabah Ülkesi. They did an excellent translating it into Turkish and you can check it out on their website:
www.sabahulkesi.com/2025/04/01/t...
www.sabahulkesi.com/2025/04/01/t...
TAHA ABDURRAHMAN KİMDİR? KISA BİR GİRİŞ - Sabah Ülkesi | Kültür-Sanat ve Felsefe Dergisi
Harald Viersen* Çağdaş Arap düşüncesi üzerine yaptığım tez çalışmamın üzerinden birkaç yıl geçmişti ki, yaptığım aramalarda Türkçe yayınlar karşıma çıkmaya başladı.[1] Bu makaleler, özellikle, o dönem...
www.sabahulkesi.com
April 3, 2025 at 1:09 PM
This is one is for speakers of Turkish: I was asked to write an introduction to the Moroccan philosopher ِAbd al-Rahman Taha for the Turkish magazine Sabah Ülkesi. They did an excellent translating it into Turkish and you can check it out on their website:
www.sabahulkesi.com/2025/04/01/t...
www.sabahulkesi.com/2025/04/01/t...
Reposted by Harald Viersen
Als universiteiten het politieke tij willen keren, dan moeten ze een ander verhaal over zichzelf gaan vertellen - dat niet primair gaat over 'innovatie' en 'groei' maar over het democratische en emancipatoire belang van universiteiten, zo schrijf ik deze week op Voxweb.
www.voxweb.nl/nieuws/de-be...
www.voxweb.nl/nieuws/de-be...
‘De bezuinigingen nopen universiteiten een nieuw verhaal over zichzelf te vertellen’ - Vox magazine
OPINIE - In plaats van te proberen de regering naar de mond te praten met verhalen over innovatie en economische waarde, moeten academici uitleggen waar de universiteit écht voor staat. Dat stelt poli...
www.voxweb.nl
March 21, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Als universiteiten het politieke tij willen keren, dan moeten ze een ander verhaal over zichzelf gaan vertellen - dat niet primair gaat over 'innovatie' en 'groei' maar over het democratische en emancipatoire belang van universiteiten, zo schrijf ik deze week op Voxweb.
www.voxweb.nl/nieuws/de-be...
www.voxweb.nl/nieuws/de-be...
A question for speakers of English and/or Dutch: In Dutch we have the verb "africhten," which refers to the type of training that is given to, say, dogs to teach them obedience. In English, the closest equivalent I've found is "to break [a horse]." But that's too particular. Any alternative?
March 16, 2025 at 12:35 PM
A question for speakers of English and/or Dutch: In Dutch we have the verb "africhten," which refers to the type of training that is given to, say, dogs to teach them obedience. In English, the closest equivalent I've found is "to break [a horse]." But that's too particular. Any alternative?
Is it just me/my area of study, or has Google Scholar become practically unusable due to its capture by decidedly mediocre publications from Indonesia and Malaysia? For context: fulcrum.sg/hidden-costs...
fulcrum.sg
March 14, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Is it just me/my area of study, or has Google Scholar become practically unusable due to its capture by decidedly mediocre publications from Indonesia and Malaysia? For context: fulcrum.sg/hidden-costs...
Reposted by Harald Viersen
One of our network members recently wrote a reflection on ways to incorporate contemporary Arabic philosophy in teaching. You can check it out here: philosophy-in-the-modern-islamic-world.net/en/reflectio...
Reflections on incorporating contemporary Arab philosophy in teaching – Philosophy in the Modern Islamic World
Last week the German blog "Lehrgut" published a post in which on of our network members reflects on the ways in which teachers could incorporate contemporary Arab philosophy into their lessons.
philosophy-in-the-modern-islamic-world.net
February 27, 2025 at 5:01 PM
One of our network members recently wrote a reflection on ways to incorporate contemporary Arabic philosophy in teaching. You can check it out here: philosophy-in-the-modern-islamic-world.net/en/reflectio...
Some good news coming out of Dutch academia for once. A new position has opened up at our faculty for historians of philosophy. The add specifically mentions acquaintance with Arabic as an important criterion!
www.ru.nl/en/working-a...
www.ru.nl/en/working-a...
Assistant Professor: History of Philosophy | Radboud University
Do you want to work as a Assistant Professor: History of Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies? Check our vacancy!
www.ru.nl
February 27, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Some good news coming out of Dutch academia for once. A new position has opened up at our faculty for historians of philosophy. The add specifically mentions acquaintance with Arabic as an important criterion!
www.ru.nl/en/working-a...
www.ru.nl/en/working-a...
Reposted by Harald Viersen
Hi Bluesky, we're the Philosophy in the Modern Islamic World research network! Please follow us as we'll be posting about our activities in the field of philosophy and intellectual history of the modern Islamic world!
February 26, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Hi Bluesky, we're the Philosophy in the Modern Islamic World research network! Please follow us as we'll be posting about our activities in the field of philosophy and intellectual history of the modern Islamic world!
Reposted by Harald Viersen
What is even more mad about this is that, a couple of years ago, Dutch universities were hiring really aggressively
'Multiple Dutch universities have announced reorganisations that are likely to involve layoffs, in the wake of drastic government budget cuts that will amount to about €500 million (£414 million) a year across higher education and research.' 1/2
Layoffs begin at Dutch universities as deep budget cuts bite
Institutions caught in a ‘perfect storm’ owing to reductions in government spending and international student restrictions
www.timeshighereducation.com
February 24, 2025 at 7:23 AM
What is even more mad about this is that, a couple of years ago, Dutch universities were hiring really aggressively
NIce, that would really tie our room together
Three-Color Mamluk Carpet with Central Octagonal Medallion https://www.slam.org/collection/objects/33033/
February 18, 2025 at 2:05 PM
NIce, that would really tie our room together