Philosophy of life:
“Creativity saves the world”
Professor Gothóni’s philosophy of life is grounded in his personal experiences, which he elucidates within the frame of references of the philosophical hermeneutics. Creative writing and composing music has taught him that creativity is a divine act, a reflection of the energy by which God created the world and us humans in His image and likeness. Creativity is a continuation of God’s creative act and love for beauty. Consequently, we all have inherent the potential capability of being creative.
For Gothóni this world view is not a belief, but a truth of which he has a personal experience. To experience one’s inherent potential, the life-giving movement and the aspiration to blossom for the joy of fellow humans, is for him a sacred act, where the divine energies are present in the very act of creativity. Creativity is a continuing movement that has no end, but always finds new ways to express itself towards its potential perfection. In this sense, creativity will eventually save the world.
Creativity is central in the continental philosophy and especially in the philosophical hermeneutics. It anchors thought in language and in the interpretations of being in the world. What we experience as truth is conditioned by our culture and our historical conditions. From our hermeneutical experience, we know that a cultivated person, a person with Bildung, is one who is open to new experiences precisely because from previous experiences he/she knows that experiences open new views and increase knowledge.
Creativity has a value for our survival. The attitude that the other might be right in his/her interpretations and conceptions is essential in philosophical hermeneutics. When we learn to tone down our own ego and give our fellow human a chance to explain his/her standpoints and interpretations of our being in the world, new horizons open, viewpoints that before we could only dream of.