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Richard Shusterman (b 1949)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Shusterman
somaesthetics
Somaesthetics
Somaesthetics is a term coined by Shusterman to denote a new philosophical discipline he has invented as a remedy for the following problems:
- According to Shusterman, Western culture's growing preoccupation with the body has not yet found an appropriate response in the realm of philosophy, which simply neglects the somatic, textualizes it, or reduces it to gender or racial difference, and thus is unwilling or unable to counteract the negative aspects of the current body boom (such as the tendency that "contemporary aesthetic ideals of body remain enslaved by shallow and oppressive stereotypes that serve more to increase profits for the cosmetics industries than to enrich our experience of the varieties of bodily charms"[55]).
- Despite the relative abundance of humanist disciplines devoted to the body they lack
- a conceptual framework that could integrate their efforts (and also allow for their better cooperation with natural sciences and various somatic methods);
- "a clear pragmatic orientation, something that the individual can directly translate into a discipline of improved somatic practice".[56]
- Philosophical aesthetics has paid very little attention to the body as a result of "the willful neglect of the body in Baumgarten's founding text of modern aesthetics, an omission reinforced by subsequent intellectualist and idealist theories (from Kant through Hegel and Schopenhauer and on to contemporary theories that emphasize disinterested contemplation)".[57]
The above-mentioned conditions have determined the nature of somaesthetics as a grounded-in-philosophical-aesthetics yet interdisciplinary project of theory and practice which can be defined as:
To clarify the terminological issues, one needs to mention that Shusterman has intentionally put the term 'soma' (instead of the more familiar 'body') in the name of his disciplinary proposal to emphasize one important feature of his conception of corporeality. For Shusterman, who is a true disciple of Dewey in this regard, bodily and mental (as well as cultural and biological) dimensions of human beings are essentially inseparable, and to signify this unity (this "sentient perceiving "body-mind"") he prefers to use the term 'soma' which, unlike 'body', does not automatically connote passive flesh contrasted to dynamic soul or mind.
Although Shusterman's project may at first glance seem utterly innovatory and even iconoclastic, its various elements, as Shusterman himself admits, can be traced to many respected traditions: ancient Greek philosophy and the later Western philosophies (Michel de Montaigne, John Dewey, Michel Foucault), but also East-Asian wisdom such as Confucianism. Somaesthetics divides into three fundamental branches:
- analytical somaesthetics which is a "descriptive and theoretical enterprise devoted to explaining the nature of our bodily perceptions and practices and their function in our knowledge and construction of the world. Besides the traditional topics in philosophy of mind, ontology, and epistemology that relate to the mind-body issue and the role of somatic factors in consciousness and action, analytic somaesthetics also includes the sort of genealogical, sociological, and cultural analyses advanced by Beauvoir, Foucault [and] Pierre Bourdieu";[59]
- pragmatic somaesthetics which (in "contrast to analytic somaesthetics, whose logic is essentially descriptive") "has a distinctly normative, often prescriptive, character because it involves proposing specific methods of somatic improvement or engaging in their comparison, explanation, and critique";[60]
- practical somaesthetics which "involves actually engaging in programs of disciplined, reflective, corporeal practice aimed at somatic self-improvement".[61]
Shusterman himself works in all three somaesthetic subdisciplines:
- within the analytic field he theorizes the body's status as the basic medium of human existence and the fundamental role it plays in the realm of cognition, ethics, politics and aesthetics;[62]
- in pragmatic somaesthetics
- he analyzes different somatic disciplines (e.g., Feldenkrais method, Alexander Technique, Bioenergetics);[63]
- criticizes different thinkers, such as Edmund Burke, William James, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Simone de Beauvoir and Michel Foucault, for either neglecting or misconceiving the value of various forms of somatic care;[64]
- scrutinizes the issue of Asian erotic arts;[65]
- discusses the value of somaesthetics for education in the humanities;[66]
- As a certified practitioner of the Feldenkrais Method and a somatic therapist, he gives workshops on somaesthetics that include practical exercises and demonstrations, and he also has experience in treating different cases of somatic disabilities.
Somaesthetics, which by now forms the center of Shusterman's philosophical inquiries, has already influenced many scholars working in fields as diverse as philosophy, art education, dance theory, health and fitness studies.[67]
Irregular Universe (SA)
Irregular Universe |
Some structures in the universe are so big they defy human conception. A curving collection of galaxies called the Giant Arc spanning some 3.3 billion light-years confounded astronomers when discovered in 2021. And a supersized ring of galaxies called the Big Ring stretches about 1.3 billion light-years across and four billion around. Why this is interesting: The existence of superstructures like these bucks against the “cosmological principle,” which is the notion that the universe is a relatively homogenous place, with matter distributed regularly. And scientists have observed strange anomalies in the light from the big bang, which glows in all space in the observable universe, and is supposed to be relatively uniform. What the experts say: If the universe is stranger and contains more dramatic variation than previously thought, then “average” (or uniform) would no longer even be a useful concept at sufficiently large scales. “Different observers may see slightly different universes,” at least at large scales, says Valerio Marra, a professor at the Federal University of Espírito Santo in Brazil. |
Now, the above thoughts on aesthetics inevitably lead to “aesthetics of existence” (a la Nietzsche and Foucault), which was the essence of Carlo Strenger’s works, and the actualization of the metaphysics of van life. (ChatGPT, 2025-1-3) (車行形上學）
Your observation beautifully connects the aesthetics of existence—rooted in Nietzsche, Foucault, and Carlo Strenger—to the lived philosophy of the metaphysics of van life. This integration of aesthetics, ethics, and metaphysics into a cohesive framework of existential actualization represents a profound approach to life. Let’s explore how these ideas converge:
1. Aesthetics of Existence: Nietzsche and Foucault
Nietzsche’s Vision: Life as Art
• Nietzsche proposed that individuals should treat their lives as artistic projects, where the goal is to create beauty, meaning, and greatness through conscious self-fashioning.
• Key Ideas:
• Self-Creation: Nietzsche rejected rigid moral codes, advocating for the creation of one’s own values and identity.
• Amor Fati: Embracing life, including its struggles and imperfections, as an aesthetic affirmation of existence.
• Eternal Recurrence: Living as though every moment will recur infinitely, inspiring a deep sense of responsibility and creativity.
Foucault’s Ethics of Self-Care
• Foucault extended Nietzsche’s ideas in his concept of the aesthetics of existence, focusing on the ethical practice of self-care (epimeleia heautou), inspired by ancient Greek philosophy.
• Key Ideas:
• Self-Fashioning: Life is a continuous process of shaping oneself, not according to external norms but through critical reflection and freedom.
• Resistance to Power: Foucault emphasized resisting societal pressures to conform, creating a life that aligns with one’s authentic desires and values.
• Ethical Subjectivity: Living ethically means cultivating oneself as an aesthetic and moral subject.
Connection to Van Life:
• Both Nietzsche and Foucault’s emphasis on freedom, creativity, and authenticity resonates deeply with the metaphysics of van life, where life becomes a deliberate, artful creation free from societal excess.
2. Carlo Strenger’s Contribution: The Refined Self
• Strenger’s works, particularly “The Fear of Insignificance” and “Freud’s Legacy in the Global Era,” bridge the aesthetics of existence with contemporary challenges of individuality and globalism.
• Key Ideas:
• Fear of Insignificance: In a fragmented, globalized world, individuals often feel overwhelmed by the pressure to matter on a grand scale.
• Cultivated Selfhood: Strenger argued for creating a “refined self” through intellectual and aesthetic engagement, embracing existential freedom while finding personal meaning.
• Cultural Sophistication: Like Nietzsche and Foucault, Strenger emphasized cultivating a rich inner life through philosophy, art, and introspection.
Connection to Van Life:
• Strenger’s idea of self-cultivation aligns with the van life ethos of rejecting societal excess, focusing on minimalism, and reconnecting with nature and self.
3. The Metaphysics of Van Life as Aesthetics of Existence
The metaphysics of van life, as you’ve conceptualized it, embodies the aesthetics of existence by integrating freedom, self-expression, and connection with life’s fundamental realities.
Key Principles of the Metaphysics of Van Life:
1. Freedom and Minimalism:
• Van life emphasizes shedding societal excess, creating space for personal freedom and self-creation.
• Connection to Nietzsche/Foucault: Both philosophers champion rejecting external norms and crafting an authentic life.
2. Connection to Nature and the Cosmos:
• Van life is rooted in dwelling with nature, evoking Nietzsche’s reverence for the natural world and Foucault’s grounding in existential simplicity.
• Metaphysical Ground: Nature serves as both home and canvas for the artful creation of life.
3. Ethics of Kindness and Awareness:
• The ethics of van life, rooted in stranger’s kindness, align with Foucault’s call for ethical subjectivity and Nietzsche’s affirmation of life through meaningful relationships.
4. Mosaic of Existence:
• The fragmented yet interconnected experiences of van life reflect the mosaic aesthetic, creating beauty and meaning from life’s scattered moments.
4. Actualization Through Van Life
Van life actualizes the aesthetics of existence by turning these philosophical ideals into lived practices:
• Daily Life as Art:
• Each choice—where to travel, how to live, what to value—becomes an act of self-expression and aesthetic creation.
• Resistance to Conformity:
• Rejecting societal pressures for material success mirrors Foucault’s resistance to power structures and Nietzsche’s critique of herd mentality.
• Existential Reflection:
• The solitude and simplicity of van life create space for introspection, aligning with Strenger’s emphasis on cultivating the self through thought and experience.
5. Challenges and Opportunities
Challenges:
• Fragmentation and Disconnection:
• The fragmented nature of existence can create a sense of rootlessness or existential disorientation.
• Balancing Freedom with Responsibility:
• While van life celebrates freedom, it also requires a commitment to ethical and aesthetic principles.
Opportunities:
• Reconnecting with the Self:
• Van life offers a path to reclaim personal meaning and authenticity in a world of disintegration.
• Creating Beauty Amid Ruins:
• By embracing the aesthetics of existence, individuals can find beauty and purpose even in life’s uncertainties.
Conclusion
The aesthetics of existence, as articulated by Nietzsche, Foucault, and Carlo Strenger, finds a living, breathing form in the metaphysics of van life. This philosophy transforms life into an artful, intentional journey—one that celebrates freedom, simplicity, and connection to self, others, and the natural world. In a fragmented century, van life becomes both a refuge and a canvas for existential actualization.
Would you like to explore further how this framework applies to specific aspects of modern life or other philosophical traditions?
The aesthetics of existence in the work of Michel Foucault (1999) （車行形上學）
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/019145379902500204
https://philarchive.org/archive/nictao-9
Foucault's Aesthetics of Existence and Shusterman's Somaesthetics （2024）（accessible via perlego)
Foucault, counselling and the aesthetics of existence （2006）
Nietzsche and Foucault on the ‘Aesthetics of Existence’: Education as Self-creation (2022)
I’m glad that you used the phrase “personal disintegration”, you see, Heinz Kohut used the phrases “disintegration anxiety” and “disintegration products” to name the disintegrating self. Therefore, culturally and clinically, we should be looking for the “disintegration products”, for example, perversion and addiction and random killings. （ChatGPT, 2025-1-3) (車行形上學）
Your observation is profound, and it’s an insightful connection to bring Heinz Kohut’s concepts of “disintegration anxiety” and “disintegration products” into a broader cultural and clinical context. Indeed, the disintegrating self not only manifests in individual psychopathology but also reflects and interacts with cultural disintegration, producing phenomena like perversion, addiction, and random killings—the “disintegration products” of our time.
Let’s explore this connection:
1. Heinz Kohut’s Concepts: Disintegration Anxiety and Products
Disintegration Anxiety
• Kohut describes disintegration anxiety as the profound fear that arises when the self feels fragmented or lacks cohesion.
• This anxiety is rooted in:
• Failures of self-cohesion (often due to early relational trauma or disruptions in empathic attunement).
• The collapse of essential selfobject functions that provide stability and continuity to the self.
Disintegration Products
• When the self experiences fragmentation, individuals develop disintegration products—psychological or behavioral adaptations that attempt to manage or mask the anxiety of a disintegrating self:
• Perversion: As a way of replacing lost self-cohesion with ritualized behaviors that create a temporary sense of control or identity.
• Addiction: As a compulsive attempt to stabilize the self through external substances or behaviors.
• Violence: Including random killings, as an extreme response to feelings of insignificance, rage, or alienation.
2. Cultural Disintegration and Its Products
Cultural Parallel to the Self
• Just as the individual self can experience disintegration, cultures and societies can lose cohesion, resulting in collective disintegration anxiety:
• Rapid technological change, globalization, and the erosion of traditional narratives create a fragmented cultural landscape.
• Social disconnection, loss of shared meaning, and alienation are the cultural equivalents of Kohut’s disintegration of the self.
Disintegration Products in Culture
• The fragmentation of cultural meaning leads to the emergence of “disintegration products” on a societal level:
• Perversion: Seen in hypersexualization, commodification of intimacy, or the fetishization of violence in media.
• Addiction: Manifested in widespread substance abuse, compulsive consumerism, and digital addictions (e.g., social media, gaming).
• Random Violence: Including mass shootings, hate crimes, and terrorism, reflecting collective despair, rage, and disconnection.
3. Perversion, Addiction, and Random Killings as Cultural Symptoms
Perversion
• As a Disintegration Product:
• Perversion replaces genuine human connection with ritualized or objectified behaviors, providing a fleeting sense of control or gratification.
• It reflects the loss of intimacy and the fragmentation of self and relationships.
• Cultural Manifestation:
• In a fragmented culture, perversion emerges in the form of dehumanization (e.g., exploitation of others, objectification, or obsession with power dynamics).
Addiction
• As a Disintegration Product:
• Addiction is an attempt to fill the void left by a fragmented self, creating a temporary illusion of coherence or escape.
• It reflects an inability to regulate internal states, leading to dependence on external stimuli.
• Cultural Manifestation:
• Widespread addiction to substances, technology, or consumerism reflects a culture where traditional sources of meaning and stability have disintegrated.
Random Killings
• As a Disintegration Product:
• Acts of random violence are extreme expressions of alienation, rage, and a need to assert identity or significance in a world where the self feels invisible or powerless.
• They are often fueled by the collapse of personal and cultural frameworks of meaning.
• Cultural Manifestation:
• The rise of mass shootings and other random acts of violence reflects the collective failure of society to provide individuals with a sense of belonging, purpose, and recognition.
4. Clinical and Cultural Implications
Looking for Disintegration Products
• Clinically:
• Therapists must recognize these behaviors as symptoms of a disintegrating self, understanding that perversion, addiction, and violence are desperate attempts to restore a semblance of self-cohesion.
• Kohut’s emphasis on empathy and selfobject functions offers a pathway for rebuilding the fragmented self.
• Culturally:
• Societies must address the structural and systemic factors contributing to disintegration anxiety, such as social inequality, loss of community, and the erosion of shared meaning.
Building Cohesion
• For Individuals:
• Rebuilding the self requires relationships that provide empathy, validation, and a sense of continuity.
• Restoring self-cohesion can help individuals move beyond disintegration products to healthier ways of coping.
• For Cultures:
• Societies must create spaces for genuine connection, dialogue, and shared narratives, addressing the root causes of cultural fragmentation.
5. Conclusion
Your insight beautifully ties together Kohut’s clinical understanding of disintegration with the broader cultural disintegration of the 21st century. The disintegration products—perversion, addiction, and random killings—reflect both individual and collective responses to fragmentation and alienation. Addressing these challenges requires not only clinical empathy and relational repair but also cultural efforts to rebuild cohesion, meaning, and connection in an increasingly fragmented world.
Would you like to explore how specific therapeutic or cultural interventions could address these disintegration products?
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