Containers 5: Subjectivity
I initially wrote this as a comment in response to C's comment, but then I figured, it would serve better up here. Enjoy.
This blog is a representation of truth. It is a dirty, sad, inspired, joyous, partial, incomplete, and murky truth. It is my truth. Relativism is here, it is there, it pervades everywhere. The advantage of the blog, in comparison to academic writing, is that there is no expectation that I represent anything but myself, as ephemeral as it may be.
I think that this kind of writing and the proliferation of blogging, in general, is an entree into a subjective dimension of reality that multiplies the layers of objective reality itself. The presence of subjectivity in our minds and therefore in our bodies, located in space, is an objective presence. Subjectivity is a quality of our bodily presence in the world. Subjectivity is objectively present in the world.
Now, this whole conversation depends on a strict subjective/objective split which I do not fully accept.
My point is to say that an individual's speech acts, her expression and social communication, contributes to the public sphere and becomes a common reality. That common reality, a thing in-itself, refers back to a subjective disposition that was expressed by an individual and yet somehow sings to another's sympathy.
This is why I love the humanities: because it is an attempt to understand the speech of others in their own times and in mine. It is both the cry of another subject and the echo of my own.
This blog is a representation of truth. It is a dirty, sad, inspired, joyous, partial, incomplete, and murky truth. It is my truth. Relativism is here, it is there, it pervades everywhere. The advantage of the blog, in comparison to academic writing, is that there is no expectation that I represent anything but myself, as ephemeral as it may be.
I think that this kind of writing and the proliferation of blogging, in general, is an entree into a subjective dimension of reality that multiplies the layers of objective reality itself. The presence of subjectivity in our minds and therefore in our bodies, located in space, is an objective presence. Subjectivity is a quality of our bodily presence in the world. Subjectivity is objectively present in the world.
Now, this whole conversation depends on a strict subjective/objective split which I do not fully accept.
My point is to say that an individual's speech acts, her expression and social communication, contributes to the public sphere and becomes a common reality. That common reality, a thing in-itself, refers back to a subjective disposition that was expressed by an individual and yet somehow sings to another's sympathy.
This is why I love the humanities: because it is an attempt to understand the speech of others in their own times and in mine. It is both the cry of another subject and the echo of my own.
posted by Breathing at 3:57 PM
3 Comments:
oh, well done! i was tangling this morning with some essay on "literature" and how it might (not) be defined; i spent a fair bit of time trying to come up with, more or less, precisely what you've said much more fluently than i could.
"This is why I love the humanities: because it is an attempt to understand the speech of others in their own times and in mine. It is both the cry of another subject and the echo of my own."
this reminds me - in a much-needed way - of WHY it is i've chosen to study literature.
This also reminds me of why humanism is important. It draws my attention to sympathy, agreement, and cooperation. The humanities assume our commonality or, at least, our attraction to mutual understanding that may one day found commonality.
2. Thing in-itself. This term has a long history and is slightly modified and dislocated from that history for use here. However, it still has that history and I used it intentionally.
3. kbryna, it appears that you have had a blogspot profile for a year that has been viewed nearly 500 times. And yet, no blog? Shall we write together? Will you start a blog so that I may read you as well?
I stand corrected on point 3. I give you: KBryna
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