Yes, intra-objectivity does imply intra-action rather than inter-action, and the distinction is critical in understanding the conceptual shift it represents.
Intra-action vs. Inter-action
• Interaction:
• Implies that entities (subjects or objects) are pre-existing and separate.
• These entities come together and influence one another in a relational dynamic.
• Example: Two people conversing, each with their established identity and boundaries.
• Intra-action (term popularized by Karen Barad in her agential realism framework):
• Suggests that entities do not exist independently but emerge through their relational dynamics.
• The focus is on the co-constitution of entities within a system or process.
• Example: A wave and particle emerging simultaneously in quantum physics due to the apparatus of measurement.
Intra-objectivity as Intra-action
In the context of intra-objectivity, the focus is on the internal relational dynamics or processes within a single entity or system. These relations are not interactions between pre-existing components but intra-actions that constitute the very nature of the entity itself.
Key Implications:
1. Ontological Shift:
• Intra-objectivity dissolves the notion of “independent components.”
• Instead, the components emerge through their relational constitution.
2. Relational Ontology:
• The entity is viewed as a network of relations rather than a collection of parts.
• For example, in a living organism, the identity of a cell is inseparable from its role in the whole system.
3. Emergence:
• New properties or identities arise from intra-actions.
• Intra-objectivity captures the self-organizing or self-generative dynamics of systems.
Examples of Intra-objectivity as Intra-action:
• Quantum Physics:
• The identity of a particle (wave-particle duality) depends on the intra-actions with the measuring device.
• Biology:
• A cell’s organelles function not as separate parts but through intra-active processes like metabolism and genetic expression.
• Personal Identity:
• Intra-actions between thoughts, emotions, and memories continually reconstitute the self.
By emphasizing intra-action, intra-objectivity challenges traditional dualistic and separative frameworks, offering a relational, process-oriented perspective. Would you like to explore how this applies to a particular domain or theory?
