Fiction as Therapy

The Unnamable (1953) shows the breakdown of the Cartesian Cogito in a post-war soulless world in which its inhabitants suffer from disconnectedness. When the speaker’s consciousness breaks down and is no longer able to attribute the projections of its own consciousness to the self, he becomes incapable of ascertaining his own agency, authority and existence; hence the dissolution of the Cartesian Cogito. The condition is further exacerbated when the speaker who hears unattributable, disembodied authoritative voices finds himself in a universe where there is no one else to ascertain one’s existence. The sense of agency is therefore lost. Yet, the speaker, as in the fashion of AVATAR therapy for people with schizophrenia, attempts in writing, turning the voices into characters and stories and entering a dialogue with them to overcome his ontological insecurity in a universe that is generated out of his head and yet achieves an uncanny kind of independence. In other words, it is a therapeutic attempt to put the dismantled elements back into place in order to overcome the consequent ontological insecurity that this dissolution generates. This is done through a kind of quasi-corporeality that Steven Connor calls ‘the vocalic body.’ Nevertheless, as this paper argues, although being able to substantialise the voices, the Unnamable is still wavering between mediumship (being the medium of others’ voices) and agency.

The concept of subject and subjectivation in the philosophy of Spinoza: interpretation of G. Deleuze

This article explores the concept of subject in the works of Baruch Spinoza. The peculiarity of this research lies in the juxtaposition of the Cartesian concept of subject and the concept of subjectivation, which was developed in M. Foucault’s works of later period The goal is to disclose the specificity of the concept of subject in the works of Spinoza, formulate the key definitions used for revealing this topic, and to conduct a comparative analysis with the concept of subject of R. Descartes. The author examines such aspects of Spinozism as the interrelation between the higher subject and the mode of being, the concept of individuality and affects in interpretation of G. Deleuze, etc. The novelty of this research consists in providing a comprehensive analysis of some provisions of Spinoza's doctrine concerning the basic aspects of the concept of subject, as well as in determination of the crucial elements of the concept of subjectivation. The author concludes that Spinozism has shifted significantly from the Cartesian tradition. The first difference from Descartes lies in the ontological attitude of the Dutch philosopher, according to which a human can be viewed as a subject, not as a substance, but as a mode only. The second difference lies in introduction of the principle of dynamism, according to which the individual mode can have greater or lesser perfection, which could not comply with the permanence of Cartesian cogito.

O PAPEL DO CORPO EM DUAS CONCEPÇÕES DE SUJEITO: O COGITO CARTESIANO E O EXPERIENCIALISMO / The role of the body in two conceptions of subject: the cartesian cogito and the experientialism

Este artigo de natureza qualitativa tem como objetivo delinear a concepção de sujeito proposta pela Linguística Cognitiva, tendo em vista que a noção de subjetividade, para o constructo teórico em questão, nem sempre é explícita. Para levar a cabo tal empreitada, este estudo fundamenta-se no pressuposto de que, para se estudar a mente humana, não se deve excluir o corpo do processo analítico (LAKOFF; JOHNSON, 1980; LAKOFF, 1987; JOHNSON, 1987). Assim sendo, acredita-se que a inserção da encarnação física humana no quadro teórico da razão, isto é, a teorização da promoção do corpo ao mesmo patamar ocupado pela mente, sem a possibilidade de dissociação entre eles, seja o fator crucial para se alcançar uma definição possível do que se trata o sujeito para a Linguística Cognitiva. Com o intuito de suscitar tal discussão, resgatam-se, inicialmente, as questões relacionadas ao sujeito engendrado no século XVII, influenciado por René Descartes com a intuição intelectual do cogito, no advento da Filosofia Moderna: o sujeito gerido pela substancialidade, universalidade e consciência. Como contraponto ao sujeito cartesiano, discute-se o paradigma filosófico da Hipótese da Corporificação, tornando possível o debate sobre o inconsciente cognitivo, a mente corporificada e o pensamento metafórico. Desse modo, pretende-se lançar mão do conceito de consciência, bem como os dualismos sobre mente/corpo, interioridade/exterioridade, racionalismo/empirismo e universalismo/relativismo.

The Lure of the New and the Hold of the Dogmatic

In this article, St.Pierre argues that the dualist Cartesian ontology of the human, social, empirical sciences, along with that ontology’s Cartesian cogito and its research methodologies, has produced a dogmatic image of thought it is difficult to escape. To produce the new that is not recognizable in that onto-epistemological arrangement, she suggests reading philosophy and studying philosophical concepts that cannot be applied to the world but can re-orient thought and force thinking in thought.

As forças saturninas nas Fotomontagens do poeta Jorge de Lima / The Saturnine Forces in the Photomontages of Jorge de Lima

Resumo: A partir de uma análise seletiva de oito fotomontagens do livro “Pintura em pânico” (1943) de Jorge de Lima traçamos correspondências entre as imagens do poeta alagoano, a iconografia barroca e alegórica estudada por Walter Benjamin, e as tópicas privilegiadas pelos artistas surrealistas europeus. Veremos como a praxis e os procedimentos criativos de Lima bebem das fontes dos artistas da vanguarda francesa do início do século XX, ecoando as investigações empreendidas pelo movimento encabeçado por André Breton e Georges Bataille – que, por sua vez, se configurou, nas palavras do crítico Ronaldo Brito, como: “uma tentativa heróica de atacar o cogito cartesiano” e “denunciar a falência do projeto moderno”. Para tal nos apoiaremos nas preposições, escritos e obras destes escritores supracitados, bem como nas trocas epistolares entre os poetas, Murilo Mendes e Jorge de Lima, bem como a relação de ambos com o pintor Ismael Nery.Palavras chave: Surrealismo no Brasil; artes visuais; vanguardas modernas; fotografia.Abstract: From a selective analysis approach of eight photomontages of Jorge de Lima’s book “Pintura em Pânico” (1943), we point to several correspondences between the photo-collage images of the Alagoan poet, and the baroque and allegorical iconography studied by Walter Benjamin, as well as the themes favored by surrealist’s french artists. We will regard how Lima’s creative praxis and procedures had nourished from the early-20th-century French avant-garde surrealist artists, echoing the investigations undertaken by the movement headed by André Breton and Georges Bataille – described by art critic Ronaldo Ronaldo Brito as: “a heroic attempt to attack the Cartesian Cogito” and “denounce the bankruptcy of the modern project”. For such can we will base our analysis on the writings and works of Surrealism movement members, as well as in the epistolary exchanges between poet Murilo Mendes, Jorge de Lima and the painter Ismael Nery.Keywords: Surrealism in Brazil; visual arts; modern avant-garde; photography.

Can philosophy do away with transcendence? A dialogue with Milan Brdar

The paper examines the interpretation of three major philosophical figures - Descartes, Kant and Heidegger - proposed in the latest monographs by Milan Brdar. I argue that these valuable books can be best understood as parts of his unique program of criticism of the Enlightenment. In particular, they converge in trying to establish a single point - the one of futility of all attempts to found philosophy which dispenses with the transcendence of God. Brdar highlights the limits of the Cartesian Cogito, which is unable to prove anything more than the existence of the self as a thinking being, as well as the necessity of a transcendent God as a warrant for our clear and distinct perceptions. On the other hand, Kant is the very type of philosopher of whom Brdar approves - the one who managed to combine knowledge and faith. As far as Heidegger is concerned, Brdar?s survey of his philosophical evolution, especially of his conception of Being as transcendence and his late turn towards a ?new religion?, is an additional argument for Brdar?s thesis. However, I argue that Hegelian philosophy represents a challenge for Brdar?s intent. On this point I depart from the conclusions on Hegel expounded in the two chapters of his monograph on Kant. In particular, I disagree with his view of Hegel, substantiated by some assertions from his writings, as a philosopher whose panlogism verges on theocentrism. In the final part of the paper I propose instead of several elements of a radically secular reading of Hegel?s logic, phenomenology and philosophy of religion. I also argue that Hegel?s philosophy sharply diverges from the foundationalist pattern of the Cartesian type.