Before “Possessing the One You Love”
The author (hereinafter referred to as “him” or “the author”) is the only “scholar” I personally know. . And this book is the only book I was involved in (a little bit), and it was given to me by him. I remember going to his room at the time and seeing a pile of books he had put out in front of him. He said, ``I got it in lieu of writing fees.'' I thought it would be difficult for academics to receive copyright fees in kind. Did you sort through that large amount of books?
It was already 30 years ago. When I received it, I tried to read it as hard as I could, but I couldn't understand it at all (lol). This time, “What it means to own someone you love'' and decided to reread it (I will share my thoughts on ``What it means to own someone you love'' later).
This book mentions several books (authors), but I have never read any of them. My knowledge has not quite caught up with what he had 30 years ago. I feel sad and wonder what I've been doing.
But I feel like I can understand the problems he was having at the time. There were probably various things going on, such as the impasse with Marxism (and its movement) and the incident at the Toyama Museum of Modern Art. I still feel it. Why don't people understand? However, there can be no movement without the people. I would like to think that I am campaigning for ``the people'' and not for myself. Is it really okay to say ``Vu Narod'' (for oneself, for the people)? why did they fail? What was the Russian Revolution? What was wrong with the Allied Red Army? Why did perestroika lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union? The list is endless.
Has the world changed?
These problems still remain unresolved and are becoming less of a topic of conversation. I wonder if all the hard work he and everyone else has done has been absorbed somewhere and lost.
Some may say that democracy has progressed despite this. Many people may think that the world has become better due to things like ``gender equality,'' ``accusations of 〇〇 harassment,'' and ``SDG's for the environment.'' The Nursing Care Insurance System was implemented in 2000. The Equal Employment Opportunity Act was enacted in 1972, and since then various harassment-related laws have been enacted. But has that made Japan (society) ``better''?
I don't think so. In fact, I feel like it has gotten worse. It's as simple as that: Words I had never heard of at the time, such as "gender," "harassment," and "SDGs," are being talked about a lot in the media, but I still don't really understand what they mean. . When I searched the internet, I found what appeared to be an explanation in a ``careful'' manner, but I didn't understand it even though I thought I understood it. On the other hand, I have come to understand what old people meant when they said, "Don't use horizontal characters." Do ministers and bureaucrats understand and use it? Words such as "Equality is good and inequality is bad," "Harassment (bullying) is bad and accusations are good," "Environmental destruction is bad, and economic development is good." appeals directly to emotion. And it becomes "flesh" in the body as "good and evil (pleasure and displeasure)", but recently it seems that there is no "foundation" (groundlessness) as the author says, and I can't help it. There isn't.
Do you know why "inequality is bad"? He would say, ``It's obvious that there's no need to explain that,'' but this feeling that ``I don't need to explain it, it's obvious'' was based on what he felt was ``unfounded'' in terms of history, tradition, or the authority of the imperial system. I think it's similar to "sexuality" (though I don't know if he feels that way).
What I've written in the past
I write articles on this blog, but I rarely review what I've written before. That's because what I wrote last time and what I'm thinking now are clearly different. Of course, since I wrote it myself, there are many similarities. But it's different. This is because the books I read during that time, my experiences, and my physical condition at the time are different. Especially if it was written five or ten years ago, it looks like it was written by someone else. I wrote it myself and published it on my blog, so no one is responsible for it but me, but I don't mind if someone takes away from it. What do you think of the ``authors'' and ``literatures'' (or ``scholars'') of the world? Even if you're not a writer, this is true even if you're working in general. It's nice to be praised for the work you've done in the past (and feel proud of it), but it's not nice to be criticized for it.
He may not really mean it when people say things about his book written 30 years ago. So, just in case he might read this, I'll try to write as much as possible about what I thought after reading this book.
Things I thought about in Chapter 1
Democracy
I am Sei Ito (1905- I don't think I've read any of his works (1969). Of course, I haven't read ``Forms of Modern Japanese Thought,'' so I don't know what he wants to write about.
Conversely, behind the scenes of "post-war democracy," there is no less destructive pressure on radical social critics than on the "personal novelists" of the past. Such illogical and unreasonable restraints and attacks are being applied. And the illogical and irrational restraints behind the scenes are nothing but the basis for domination that supports the existence of the false ``democracy'' that is played out on the front stage. (P.28-29)
When I was a university student, the flames of the student movement had died down, and there was still a little smoke left behind. I once had a friend from a certain ``sect.'' When I was with that friend, plainclothes public security guards were doing a poor job of monitoring us, but eventually I was also temporarily monitored by public security guards. At that time, when hiring students for employment, background checks were conducted on students in advance, and it was said that information about public safety was also passed on to employers.
I was able to get a job safely (?), so I don't know if it was just a rumor, if the employer was too selfish, or if the public security decided that I was insignificant. I don't know about that. However, it seems to be true that the employer hired the Koshinsho. It is true that this (rumor?) put pressure on student activities.
After I started working, I worked as a labor union official, but my boss told me, ``If you do that, you won't get promoted.'' There was nothing wrong with that, but there was a time when I was subjected to illogical threats from the union chairman at the time. "There's a lot of information out there about what you're doing (which has nothing to do with the union or the company). If you really want to do it..." In the end, I ended up living the life of an office worker, rejected by both the authorities and the union.
Material civilization
In addition, the behavior that makes industrialist values absolutely unchangeable is often criticized when confronting its critics. It is characterized by a clearly illogical conformism, in that it uses the ``logic'' that denying the industrial ``affluence'' desired by the majority of society is not worth realistic consideration. (P.40)
It wasn't that long ago that the Japanese media started talking about "SDGs" (Maybe I just didn't notice). Although not). This is definitely a word that didn't exist 30 years ago. At that time, high economic growth had come to an end, and pollution had gone from being a ``problem'' to ``something that has always existed.'' Convenience stores were popping up all over the country, and being "cheap and convenient" was the most important thing.
My mother repeatedly said, ``At the end of the war, we didn't have much.Nowadays, people have everything, are convenient, and are happy.'' Regardless of whether I am "happy" or not, I personally believe that "industrial affluence" means "having an abundance of things (products) is good," "cheap is good," and "convenience is good." It is true that we were pursuing this. ``Scientific (academic)'' and ``industrial'' were ``ostensibly'' two different things. I also thought that science and scholarship existed independently of industry (culture and era). And being ``scientific'' was ``a good thing'' even though it was ``baseless.''
Modern industrial society is supported by an advanced mass consumer culture, and the consumption behavior of people immersed in that culture is influenced by corporate marketing strategies. They have a certain tendency to conform. (P.40-41)
As you reach this age, your physical freedom gradually becomes less effective. ``Convenience'' and ``comfort'' are what older people desire. A society in which society as a whole seeks ``convenience'' and ``comfort'' may not be an aging society (the number of elderly people is increasing), but a society itself that is ``aging''. My parents' generation said, ``I envy young people,'' but there was a part of them that denied the convenience and ease of life itself. It wasn't that I couldn't keep up with younger people, but I think I felt guilty about things that were convenient and easy. In my grandparents' time, it was not a feeling of guilt, but rather it was directly connected to ``living'' (not convenience or comfort). Things that are not convenient, not easy, and troublesome in themselves are ``living (fulfilling)'' and may not be ``hard things'' but ``fun things'' in themselves. I don't know.
Manual
After the bubble burst, the rate of university admissions rose sharply. At the same time, part-time work for students (including high school students) has become the norm, and a situation has arisen in which people work to pay back their scholarships (or earn money to have fun or live the trend), and then become unable to pay back their scholarships. Masu. For me, working itself was ``painful''. I wanted (I had no choice but to find) something that was ``rewarding'' outside of work. I had no choice but to think of work as ``earning money''. Unless the work itself is interesting, it is difficult to find ``reward'' in it. I've been looking for it, and if I can't find it, I've been trying to create one. Today's part-time jobs that follow the manual may be ``easy'' in a sense, but there is no room for ``your own ingenuity.'' Whether you're smiling or showing off your face, you're required to use your body and mind according to the instructions, and in return you'll receive wages (money). You are not asked to think about the meaning of the work you are doing. Rather, all you need to do is "smile and bear it" without thinking about it. I have never used or eaten the products I sell, nor do I know what is in them. Just follow the manual and talk about the good things about the product. The manual describes what is "necessary and sufficient." Don't talk about anything other than the manual (even if it's the good parts of the product). It will get posted on social media right away, and if you're unlucky, you'll end up in a lawsuit. In some cases, the losses caused by this may be imposed on the part-time worker (there should be no such obligation under labor law, but if it is a proper company, it may be written in the labor contract. It is difficult to prove that it is an illegal contract.First of all, if someone asks you to ``write your name here,'' I don't think anyone will read the details.)
Also, this conformism in mass consumption is clearly illogical and irrational insofar as it is a tendency to seek things like ``on par with other people'' and ``trends.'' have. (P.41)
Accept (or criticize) “average,” “trend,” and “conformism” as characteristics (special) of “Japan (Japanese culture)” I think it is often done. Some people call this the "backwardness of Japanese culture (Japanese people)." "It's embarrassing," he said.
When I was young (and still am), I thought that "arranged marriages" were a relic of feudalism and were bad, and that "free love" was a good thing. However, since I'm not popular, I can't find a romantic partner. The person you fell in love with will never look back at you. I was so ashamed of my personality (shyness) that I couldn't say ``I love you'' to the people I liked. Although I felt that ``freedom is hard,'' I also thought that ``freedom is even more important than that.''
Rarity
For me, love, relationships, and family are all rarity (Ilyichi's H2O and water). They were important, hard to obtain, and if lost, could never be obtained again. The reason I used to think that dramas and movies that depict love and family love were boring was because of that. In these dramas and movies, love, humanity, and human relationships themselves are portrayed as both ``precious'' and ``unobtainable.'' I'm not a tearful person, so when I watch something like that, I end up crying (lol).
If it is rare, you must pursue it desperately. It's the same as water. Even though we believe that money is not the most important thing in this world, we still have to buy them. "Scarcity" forces us to live with products as a part of nature (an established social condition). I was “fleshing” it.
No, in fact, many people have enough common sense to understand social criticism, which is part of their ``national standard.'' However, this is only in the world of "understanding" where the purity of righteousness has meaning, and while people are satisfied with their own common sense that they were able to "understand" that pure justice, in the world of real life, Once again they are subject to the same illogical and irrational conformism. (P.43)
Translated words (kanji idioms) such as eco, nature conservation, SDGs, gender equality (recently called gender equality), freedom, etc. are as expected, and the horizontal characters are If it flies around, people will be happy. And the irrationality of ``even if I say such nice things'' and ``I can't change my heart for my back'' takes precedence. This becomes a ``commodity'' for commercialism, but this is not a paradox or a sign of Japan's backwardness. Ilyichi's concept of "scarcity" feels very fitting. Precisely because they are rare, people seek them out, make them, and pay for them, thinking that they are irreplaceable.
Aging
At the same time as spaces such as objects and nature are rare, time is also becoming rare. So instead of walking, I get in a car and take a plane. That means spending money. In other words, time has become a commodity and we are buying it. Life is finite. 100 years at most. If it's short... The average life expectancy for men in 2023 is 81 years. This is the average life expectancy (life expectancy) of someone born in 2023, so I have to look at the average life expectancy for the year of birth. The age limit for men is 65, which has already been surpassed (lol). By the way, the average life expectancy for a 65-year-old in 2023 is approximately 20 years. I don't have that much will to live. Don't believe this chart from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and take out a 20-year loan.
Even when I was young, I didn't know that I was getting old and that I would die someday. But I didn't seriously think about that. I think I will always be young. I was making fun of people who are retired and living on a pension. A masterpiece that looks at aging, Beauvoir's ``Aging'' because although it describes the phenomenon of why ``aging'' is hated in Japan and Western society, it does not explain the reason.
The tragedy of old age is the fundamental condemnation of the entire system of life that damages human beings. This system provides no reason for survival to the vast majority of its members. Work and fatigue mask this lack [of a reason for survival], and it becomes apparent at the moment of retirement. This is far more important than boredom. When a worker grows old, he no longer has a place on earth to occupy him, but this is because he has never been given such a place. He just didn't have time to notice it. When he realizes this, he falls into a sort of demented despair. (Translated by Miyoshi Asabuki, Jinbun Shoin, Volume 1, P.319-320)
The truth written here is shocking. ``Even when I was young, I wasn't given a place to stay.'' And the young people pass this on to the old people so that they don't look at their own circumstances.
Therefore, there is value in being young. “Youth” or “time” is a rarity. For both old and young people. Youth is not only valuable for idols. We use idols as scapegoats for time and forget about our own time.
If you have limited time, you must always be in a hurry. I was always anxious. And now that I can see the future, I'm even more anxious.
However, I don't think Beauvoir wrote about why she couldn't give people a "place to belong." If many, if not all, people are not given a place to live from birth to death, why do we not think that is strange? Is there a "place" for Beauvoir, apart from the feelings of the "people" who don't think it's strange? Even if we say it's the fault of politics, (capitalist) society, or (Western) culture, that doesn't give us a place to belong, does it?
What I thought about in Chapter 2
Culture of signatures
What painters think about in their works When did you sign it? Probably from the modern era (after the Renaissance). This has to do with the social position of "I" (self). Shuichi Kato is “History in the present says this in ``
Artists create things in order to add new shapes to already created shapes. In other words, the meaning of the shapes he creates is defined only in relation to the totality of the shapes that have already been created. In that case, whether or not to express oneself is not the artist's primary purpose. (Omitted) When something beyond art guarantees the meaning of the whole art, adding new elements to that whole (creation) becomes the artist's purpose, and his own self-expression becomes the means to that end. . (“History in the Present” Shinchosha, p.15)
When it comes to “self-expression first”,
The relationship between the artist's ends and means has here been almost reversed; the former means (self-expression) has become the end, and the former end (creation) has become the means. (Ibid., p. 16)
I think the first element to discover the phenomenon is the "signature." On the contrary, the signature itself can also be a form of self-expression. For example, Duchamp's ``Ready Made.'' The signature determines the value of the work. "Forgery" becomes rampant. There is no direct relationship between signature and "copyright". Copyright is not created for the author, but for the publisher who handles it (Eric de Grolier, History of books'')
A society in which self-expression, or ``the self'' has become the goal, is modern Western society itself. Let's call this "self itself" the "ego." Because the ego has itself as its goal, it has no choice but to create an ``other'' as a ``non-self.'' ``Others'' are not only ``other people,'' but also everything that is external to the self, such as animals, plants, and nature. When we recognize our self in others, our ``subject'' appears as a ``general (universal) self.''
I see, in a society dominated by technological rationality, issues of social legitimacy have been forgotten, and subjects are narcissistically stuck in behaviors that are positive for the current situation. It can be said that it is attractive to make individuals independent and estranged from the order of the real world through artistic illusions in order to escape from that evil infinity. (P.58)
In this relationship, art conceptually refreshes the subjects oppressed by technological rationality in the living world, allowing them to comfortably endure its domination. It could also become a dominating and stabilizing device that allows Japan to move forward. (P.59)
The paradox that the illusory liberation of desire supports domination and oppression in the real world is nothing less than the danger posed by the autonomy of art. (Same)
Dramas and movies depicting discrimination turn the existence of discrimination into a fait accompli and create a mindset that allows it to be tolerated. This is because the concept of equality itself is not questioned. This is because the question of why discrimination is wrong is not asked (groundlessness). The first (most important) rarity is "self." No, to put it another way, scarcity is ego itself. The ego will do anything to protect itself. Whether it's harassment or criminal activity. The ego has to fight (fight). The ego is destined for it. Winning is the only condition for the ego's existence. Even if it's war or economic competition. That is why what is sought in this struggle is ``freedom'' and ``equality.''
I don't really understand why the ego has to recognize the other person as a person (as an equal ego). Is it influenced by something like "chivalry"? My impression is that, unlike Japan's Bushido, chivalry involves women (heroines, princesses), but maybe I've watched too many movies. It seems like there is always a ``prize'' attached to the winner, not just women. Bushido doesn't seem to be like that (it's completely influenced by movies and historical dramas).
Eat the fittest
Some kind of struggle can be seen in every culture, but in many cases the side that has incurred the ``debt (negative)'' (for example, humiliation) , a struggle begins to cover that debt (Marcel Mauss, Gift theory', David Graeber, ''). Because we are equal, debts must be compensated. But isn't the struggle in (modern) Western culture different? The idea of “the fittest” has nothing to do with “debt”. Rather, it is a "struggle of unequal people."
It seems like a paradox, but it bears repeating. That's why "freedom" and "equality" are necessary. Isn't that why the West, which had colonial rule and slavery, is particularly picky about discrimination? I hate the word "volunteer". I can't help but feel a whiff of "hypocrisy" in this. It feels like a form of alms given by the strong to the weak. I feel something like ``ego superiority.'' It may be different for Westerners. "Volunteer" means "voluntary, voluntary, free action." There is a firm "historical self" there. I'm just a little stronger than most people, but my fragile ego won't accept that. Young people in Japan today probably feel differently than I do.
Young people's feelings about wanting to be famous (like idols, etc.) and being recognized may be similar to mine. Conversely, in the West, is it the same reason that is referred to as ``raison d'etre''? Is that a Japanese interpretation? In any case, thinking that all human beings are "the same" in any era or culture is "solipsism" (this book, p. 107. Yukito Karatani, "Question I", Kodansha Bunko edition, p. 12) ).
What we thought about in Chapter 3
Scarcity and excess
Anthropology The idea that primary needs correspond to the minimum living needs is a myth, and it is essentially impossible to draw a line between practicality and "play" when it comes to meaning and value in life. It is. Of course, it is possible to logically assume a lower limit to the satisfaction of the needs that support life, but since the creation of symbolic and creative culture is human nature, such minimum desires themselves may also be subject to certain "excesses." It is our destiny to be pursued and fulfilled as something imbued with cultural value. First of all, there is "excess". (P.95)
In the modern West, "scarcity" and "work (seriousness)" have become "excess" and "play" (Huizinga's Homo Ludens'') . I think that the same mechanism as ``First comes words'' has given rise to the ``myth'' that ``First comes ``scarcity'' and ``work''. The same is true of ``the fittest'', ``struggle for survival'', and ``natural selection''. Are lions really jackals? The footage of the hunt is intense. However, this does not mean that lions will infest the world and jackals will become extinct. In the animal world, in the plant world, and in the world of "ecosystems" that combine animals and plants, it is not the case that the strong survive and the weak become extinct. It is nothing more than a projection of the Western ego onto animals and plants.
One of the roots of "chosen people" is Judaism ("chosen people", Old Testament). And it was inherited by Christianity. It is ironic that Nazi Germany persecuted Jews, and it can also be said to be a natural outcome. What is there is a strong subject, the ego.
If "scarcity" is a myth, "excess" is also a myth. The reason why jackals have not become extinct is sometimes explained because their numbers are in excess of the lions' appetite. Is that a logical explanation? Why were the jackals "excessive"? The explanations will probably be endless (for example, there weren't many lions). What is introduced here is the concept (?) of ``coincidence'' (for example, ``mutation''), but it is unreasonable to call it a logical explanation. It is beyond logic or an abandonment of explanation. I think it is extremely rare to find a culture that hunts more than its own appetite. Because you can't eat it. It is sometimes said that agriculture created a surplus of produce, which led to the gap between rich and poor and the beginning of commerce. What so. I have doubts. I sometimes hear that people started stockpiling food in case of famine. I can smell the ``ego based on scarcity'' here. Because that's how I am. This is because I feel restless unless I have extra. Just having 100 (necessary and sufficient amount) is not enough. It's only when I have ("own") 110, 120, etc. that I feel at ease. When I get below 100 (80 or 90), I get very anxious and anxious (I don't think I have 20 left in my life).
100 yen shop
That is why the basic characterization of the postmodern situation is not only the existence of choice/alternative relativity, but also its manifestation. There is a need for a regulation to change the situation. In other words, the problem is that such relationships are recognized by actors in the lifeworld. (P.96)
However, another, more important cause is that capitals themselves have created a system that induces the consumer desire for differentiation. I can't afford it. (P.97)
“Consumption selection” and “differentiation” are now commonplace discussions (Kohei Saito “I think it should be called scarcity rather than "excess." That means we have no choice but to seek it. There is differentiation in products at 100 yen shops, but you still have to buy them. I'm not choosing between A and B. I have no choice but to buy A or A' (A'', A''') (B is not an option, but I bought ``C'' with the slogan ``Can be used for A and B''). (I often end up regretting it.) Choosing not to buy something gives you a sense of guilt. This is what the author calls ``the manifestation of the existence of choice/alternative relativity,'' and ``the triggering of the consumer desire for differentiation.''
Individuality
Similarly, even if cultural values can be pursued in various aspects as the "best choice" in each case (of course, they are largely conceptual). (This sense of choice can only be demonstrated in conversations with people. We cannot have a frame of reference for living values called ``lifestyle,'' nor do we want to.
In other words, this situation means that the true/false values surrounding life have become obsolete. (P.97)
The ego constitutes an overall "society" with others (other egos, that is, general subjects). The ego becomes an "individual" as a part (concrete, particular) that constitutes society (abstract, universal, whole). Individuals, as special subjects, have "individuality". In this case, a contradiction arises between "individuality" as "uniformity (sameness, equality)" as part of the universal (species) and "individuality (self-identity)." This, like Zeno's paradox, has plagued Western philosophy. I don't think Hegel's dialectic, which I learned as a student but never understood, will solve the problem. This is not a difficult problem; it is a problem that does not exist in the first place.
If you and I are the same, there is no "raison d'être" for either of us. Unless the doppelganger is "erased", self-identity or "self-approval" will not be established. This seems to be the root of ``differentiation.''
Rarity is the latest trend. “Romance partners” are also a rarity. The ``other'' within the community is not scarcity (the ``other'' as Wittgenstein calls it). Because they share the same "code". Fashions (trends) change all the time. In other words, it's a "fashion" because it changes all the time. Rather than passively accepting change, the ego actively seeks out differences. It is the ego that seeks to be different from others and creates that. The ego needs, seeks, and creates the Other.
This situation is serious because it leads to insecurity in individual identity. When heterogeneity becomes the norm, not only in our relationships with others, but also in the relationships between the values we choose, the self-understanding that ``my life's value is so-and-so'' will become a reality. This makes it difficult for people to realize their self-identity as meaningful beings. (P.98)
For individuals whose semantic self-identity in cultural values has become unstable, their sense of self-identical reality in the world of action has also become diluted. (P.99)
I remember that I first saw the term "identity" in a book by Keigo Okonogi. At the time, I was interested in psychology, but I didn't really understand what it meant. Why should I think of myself as myself? Nowadays, the word is used like Japanese, but I still can't really feel it. Keigo Okonogi discusses Ericsson's ``Ego-identity' was translated and published in 1973 (the original was published in 1959). "Where am I? Who am I?" was apparently popular around 1980 (Smiling Encyclopedia). That was 40 years ago (American dramas like ``Roots'' and ``Searching for Myself'' were also popular). I used to think of ``identity crisis'' as something like this kind of ego collapse and self-loss (in other words, a pathological state). That's why I didn't understand why "identity" was so important in the West.
Nowadays, this word is used like Japanese, so young people may be able to understand it (physically). Multiple personalities are often aired in dramas, so perhaps many people understand it in that sense. Modern society (capitalist society), which is constantly differentiated and relativized, demands that identity be destroyed. Don't be satisfied with who you are now. You must always be ``different'' and ``new'' yourself. It is even seen as the driving force of society.
The world of life is full of ``excess'' meanings and values that make people feel a little disgusted. (P.102)
Even though there is something (meaning/value), it is not possible to eat or obtain it, which is "excess". That's just the other side of rarity. Those who see the aspect of excess in this are those who acknowledge productivity and progress, and those who do not acknowledge productivity and progress see the aspect of scarcity.
When I say "I...", "I" is someone else to me. It exists as an object. Identity is an attempt to identify the self as a subject with the self as an object. Of course, ``I'' (or language) was not created by me. Like flowers and nature, it exists outside of the self and exists as an object. The self cannot see itself directly. One can only see oneself by throwing oneself into an object (alienation, projection). The self exists only by listening to what is said. This is what Derrida calls ``difference.''
Things before they become “words”
So what is “things before they are spoken”? Does it “exist”? Sapir says in ``Language'':
The potential content of all languages is the same. – that is, the intuitivescienceof experience. What is never the same again is the external form. (Iwanami Bunko version, P.377)
Sapir is something before words, in other words, ``what you want to express,'' ``feelings,'' ``emotions,'' and ``experiences.'' There is a language, and each language expresses it. For example, when you see a red flower, in Japanese you would say, "This flower is red," and in English, you would say, "This flower is red." Even though the expressions are different, the feeling is the same, because we are all human beings (?). But do people who speak English (their native language) and people whose native language is Japanese have the same experience? Do Japanese, Americans, and Cubans have the same experience when they see women's breasts? I don't think so. And I think the feelings (emotions) that arise from that are completely different. I think it's different for adults and children, and it's also different for today's Japanese and pre-war Japanese. Even so, it is ``solipsism'' to think that everyone else will feel the same way as you currently feel.
Karatani forbids himself from actively talking about what the ``other'' is. This is because as soon as something is described as a positive reality, one is sent back to the horizon of solipsistic subjectivity that presupposes a homogeneous language game. It can only be shown negatively as ``non-existence,'' that is, as something that philosophy and thought cannot communicate based on its rules. (P.109)
Can you and I, Japanese and Americans, modern people and Jomon people, or more specifically humans and plants, communicate? Normally, you would think that this can be done by ``the extent to which the same code is shared.'' Is it possible to communicate with plants? Although it is generally referred to as ``anthropomorphism,'' some people say they can talk to plants, and various experiments have been conducted. At the very least, giving water when the leaves start to wilt can be considered a form of communication. What about the Jomon people? I'm a bit biased, so I think the Jomon people have an "inferior" way of thinking and speak a "poor" language, so I guess they can only have "basic" conversations. , I imagine. It is not possible to look at Jomon pottery in the same way as Taro Okamoto and look at it in the same way as contemporary art. I look at Latin American culture in the same way. What about Europeans and Americans? When someone tells me that a painting was painted by a ``famous'' artist, I think it's ``amazing'' even if I don't know what's on it (lol).
I'll write about ``What is art?'' on another occasion, but recently, when I look at a picture, I tend to look at the ``title'' (and look for it). (put it away). Try to find the "subject" of the picture from the title. And then you have to look at who drew it. When I find out that someone I know (a famous person) drew the picture, I look at it again. The author and title are pieces of information that form (reconstruct) a code (convention) when looking at a picture. It's not the same as when looking at Jomon pottery. You can say that the code is already within me, and you can also say that it changes every time. The code created when you first look at it is different from the code you create after looking at the title and author. Although it is possible to say that it is based on existing code, the act of ``seeing'' is achieved by modifying it.
What about "you (other)" you have met? If you're meeting someone for the first time, you'll probably create some initial "codes" based on how you dress and how you speak. It's called "first impression." Even with people who have been together for a long time, there are many surprising things that happen. Every time I encounter something like that, the code gets fixed.
Objective
A code (value) is inherent in a work, person, or "product," and the subject (ego) only has to realize it. If so, it's easy. The basis of science is that codes and values objectively "exist" independently of the ego (subjectivity). The role of science is to find the ``code'' within the ``object.''
When we say that ``things before becoming words'' become ``words (logos)'' through a ``code (grammar),'' we are probably referring to the ideas of Plato and Aristotle. I think so, but I've never read Aristotle, so I'm writing from my imagination.
The reason why wood ``becomes'' a desk is that the ``substrate'' (ὐποκείμενον, what is placed under, what is presupposed, the first substance) of wood is the ``form'' of a desk. (εἶδος). In other words, Plato's ``Idea ἰδέα''.Plato says that ideas exist (world of ideas) apart from the actual ``wood that became a desk'', and Aristotle says that ``the wood that became a desk'' itself has eidos. It is interpreted as saying. Plato's ideas are separate from the visible objects, while Aristotle's forms are in the objects themselves. Later, Hypocheimenon was translated into the Latin word subiectum, which became subject, subject, etc. And the substrate that takes on form is ``ἀντικείμενον (that which is placed beyond, the object of sensation (external thing) for the senses, the thing that is thought of for thought), which is the Latin obiectum (that which is thrown before). It was inherited by the people who used it, and it became "object," but these words vary depending on the person who uses them, and seem to be quite confusing (the influence of Christianity, which came to Greece, is also large). Well, I think it can be said that Plato saw ideas as being within the self, while Aristotle tended to see eidos as being outside of the self. This probably has something to do with their personalities and their upbringing. For Aristotle, there is "eidos, value" in the desk itself, and the act of drawing it out (verbalizing, structuring, valuing) is "categoreo (κατηγορέω)," and what is drawn out is code, value, etc. It is language (logos). Plato probably didn't think so. Ideas are not in objects. It exists on the side of oneself (human being) and independently of existence (objects and one's own body). Even if there is no desk, the idea of the desk exists, and even if one's body is gone, one's self (the soul) continues to exist.
It is very easy to understand that there is an object outside of the self, and that all principles (causes), meanings, and values reside there. However, only you can find meaning and value in it. It is also the self that thinks others think the same way.
When "what is meant" holds true for such "others," there is a "context" and a "language game" only exists to that extent. do. In the end, we do not know why or how something ``means'' comes to be true. However, it was establishedAlsoYou can explain why and how - by rules, codes, systems of difference, etc. In other words, it is from this ``leap in the dark'' (Kripke) or ``death-risking leap'' (Marx) that philosophy, linguistics, economics, etc. all start from. It's just . The rules are found from later. (Previously mentioned ``Question I'', P.49-50)
Japanese people do not speak Japanese by knowing the rules (grammar) of the language. When I learned grammar at school, I thought to myself, ``Oh, that's how it was.'' I'm sure the teacher who taught me this was also the same. However, once you learn it, you end up thinking that you are speaking according to the grammar, and that there is "Japanese grammar" that is separate from your own words. I'm sure Aristotle felt the same way.
But it's tiring to have to make "death-threatening leaps" every time you talk or go shopping. Talking is tiring, and buying and selling products is also tiring. I think it costs more than making the product. However, we don't actually do that.
They don't know it, but they do it. (Otsuki Shoten “Das Kapital” Vol. 1, Part 1, P. 100, Original, S. 88) actions), which rarely occur in daily life. After scratching my head, I think, ``My head is itchy,'' and after I start taking off my clothes, I think, ``This room is hot.'' The only time you walk thinking, "Put your right foot out, then your left foot out," is when you can't walk properly without thinking that way. The only time I breathe is when I feel like I'm going to die if I don't breathe, and it's hard to breathe. These are done ``unconsciously'', but these actions become conscious only after the fact.
Just as when I say "I" I am "other," my body becomes conscious only when it takes on otherness. .
What I thought about in Chapter 4
Criticizing the unfoundedness
Last I've reached the chapter. It ended up being too long due to too many side streets.
The mind, which is bound by groundlessness, is of a nature that does not care about logical grounds; It is impossible to establish a common, logical communication platform in which to criticize and force a change in attitude. (P.169-170)
Where is the author trying to set the stage? Since the author considers ``academics'' to be his ``profession,'' he probably needs a ``common ground for logical communication.'' To deny science while remaining within it. To criticize the people while being among the people. This is "self-criticism" itself.
In a logic (culture), it is possible to criticize something that violates the logic (culture) norm (I don't know if there is such a word). But what is "logic"? Is there a "logic" (logos) in the Japanese language (Japanese culture)? There are many things that can be ``grounds'', including Christianity (monotheism), subject-predicate relationships, and the perspective of the sky (from above), and the ``grounds of these grounds'' are ``thoughts themselves.'' I believe that the background is ``existence itself'', that is, ``something that cannot be talked about'', ``something that can only be shown negatively'', and ``something that cannot be spoken of (becomes words)''.
Insofar as even the nation can be seen not as something that can be constituted by itself, but as an environment that has "always already" been constituted, it is a "given" condition for individuals. will exist as.
However, if something is a ``given'' determined regardless of one's will or judgment, it is impossible to question the basis for the individual. Therefore, it can be said that ethnicity, cultural environment, and nation exist as something for which individuals cannot question their basis. (P.127-128)
Nation, environment, individual, given, condition, existence, will, judgment, decision, basis, ethnicity...I am not interested in any of them. The premise of "subjectivity" becomes visible. Many of these are translated words created for translation or words that have been repurposed since the Meiji period. Since ancient times, Japan has had a culture of Chinese writing that expresses Buddhist terminology and Chinese thought. Even though it was a culture, very few people could read and write. After the Meiji period, a large amount of Western culture entered Japan, and the literacy rate soared. With the command to ``catch up with and overtake the West,'' Western thought was increasingly adopted as ``high-quality'' and ``superior'' thought, but the words and content (?) of these ideas were not the same. For example, when asked how the word "individualism" differs from "egoism," it is difficult to answer immediately. This is because Japan had neither "individuals" nor "society." Some people say this is due to Japan's backwardness, but I don't think we can answer the question (if that's the case) whether it's ``individualism'' or ``egoism.''
It seems that the word "criticism" originally meant "judgment."
As I wrote earlier about the words "subjective" and "objective," these words have been used in Europe for a long time, and their meanings have changed over time. When it was introduced to Japan by Nishi Amane, Fukuzawa Yukichi, and others, they interpreted the theories that were popular at the time they studied, and translated them into Japanese (Chinese). Thing. Translated words are born from their vast knowledge of foreign languages, Chinese literature, and classics.
These translated words were not immediately used in everyday conversation. There was a difference between ``written language'' and ``spoken language''. That is why artists (for example, novelists) create a ``language unity movement.'' But it wasn't just the words that were different. It's not just the writing style either. Something that didn't exist in Japan cannot be created by creating a new word. However, the people who introduced these ideas tried to create something that did not exist. School education was the driving force behind this. Ilyichi distinguishes between ``taught mother tongue'' and ``vernacular spoken language'' (Gender, Iwanami Gendai Sensho, p. 171), but written language after the Meiji period is a translation-like text based on Indo-European grammar. Japanese written texts began with Chinese characters and abbreviations of Chinese characters, and after the war, with the spread of television, they became popular explosively. At the same time, the standard language (common language) became the "correct Japanese". Rather than saying that translated languages became the mainstream, it may be better to say that vernacular spoken languages represented by dialects were eliminated. The loss of language means the loss of culture. The manual language spoken by part-time workers includes an excessive amount of honorific and polite language that is unique to Japanese (although I don't think it's how they should be used), but it is written in logical sentences (sentences that don't attract complaints). .
"Logic" is nothing but the grammar of Indo-European languages. Sentences are then recommended based on this, and school grammar is taught that incorporates it into Japanese. My children probably speak more "logical" language than I do (now they teach English from elementary school). There are people who think that they don't understand what their father says (lol). There is a ``historical view'' in which young people have long thought that what the elderly say is old-fashioned (inferior), and they rebel against it and try new things, which is what has led to the development of culture. (Due to the influence of TV dramas), this awareness has been growing in both Japan and the West for about 200 years.
Physicality
There are limits to criticizing logic with words (logos, logic). As soon as you utter the ``taught words'' like translated words, they become entangled in logic.
In this sense, the graphic representation of the Emperor and the imperial family must have a truly ambiguous image, stripped of the concrete presence of the human individual. No. (P.146)
It's the same as gurus like Christ and Buddha. Sex (menstrual activity) is excluded. You can read Foucault (The History of Sexuality) to learn about the history in which consideration for the self (others) became control over the self (others), and blood (kinship) and sex were separated. However, this is also a post-modern era. It was common for the king (ruler, powerful person) to adopt a child, and I think it was also institutionalized for an unrelated person to become the next ruler. I don't think there was anyone who believed in the myth of "one lineage for all ages." After all, it wasn't strange or unusual for an adopted child to take over the family home in the neighborhood.
The Eros of Criticism
The images of death, violence, and madness of war that haunt Hirohito, and not to inherit these as symbolic images of oneself, and to be normal. Giving Akihito a new symbolic image of a ``democratic emperor'' who seeks a peaceful and free world in order to protect his loving family, just like the ``common people'' of ``common people,'' will ensure his unified ruling function. It is absolutely necessary. (P.163)
Violence and Eros are talked about at the same time (as Masaaki Hiraoka says, ``Violence has a more direct impact than dialogue, and sex has a more direct impact than violence.'') I feel like there was something there. I looked for it, but I couldn't find it).
Both life and death are "irrational" to the ego. "Eros" and "Thanatos" of violence and destruction. Both are complementary. And I can't help but think that these are the products of a ``subject'' and an ``object''. I feel that the modern ``subject-object structure'' was not created by Plato, nor was it invented by Aristotle, nor is it inherent in Christianity.
However, that subject-object structure is dominating the world, or rather destroying it. Maybe we can explain the cause. However, "after the fact".
Then, through the awareness of the "physiological" discomfort and disgust that arises from this, he questions why the authority of symbols must be protected, and explains why the authority of symbols, which had been accepted without any basis until then, must be protected. It should be possible to create a ``place'' for communication that questions the value basis of symbols. (P.171)
Why is it difficult to counter illogicality with logic? Is it possible to counter unfoundedness with unfoundedness (illogicality, physiological discomfort/disgust), or against "objectified consciousness" with the "actual world" and "real life world"? I still don't understand. ``Don't say things you don't understand, think carefully.'' ``Don't keep thinking, move your body.'' ``Do your best, risking your life (not just your own, but also the lives of your wife and children).'' .... I can't do it.
If the ``other'' is someone who does not share a code, can a ``place'' of communication be established? If it were to be established, it would be ``after the fact,'' and it would probably require a ``death-risking leap.''
There is no God there, and you may not even exist.
An extreme example like this shows that the other, like the one on the right, is ultimately nothing but self-consciousness. The other person (God) is omniscient in the same way that I know what I am thinking. But do I know what I'm thinking? Or rather, do “internal processes” really exist? ("Question I", p. 52)
There is no such thing as something that cannot be seen (something that cannot be sensed with the five senses). What exists is only ``beings'' and ``phenomena,'' and we cannot talk about ``existence itself, nature φύση itself'' (Heidegger). “There is and there is not ἔστιν τε καὶ οὐκ ἔστι μὴῖεἰναι” (Parmenides, Fragment B2). This means that I cannot self-identify (have an identity). Therefore, the laws of identity, non-contradiction, and excluded middle that are required by logic collapse.
Karatani forbids himself from actively talking about what the ``other'' is. This is because as soon as something is described as a positive reality, one is sent back to the horizon of solipsistic subjectivity that presupposes a homogeneous language game. It can only be shown negatively as ``non-existence,'' that is, as something that philosophy and thought cannot communicate based on its rules. (P.109)
When trying to talk about "something that is not there (something that cannot be talked about)", for example, when Freud tried to talk about the unconscious, his discourse was conscious ( logic).
Furthermore, when we try to talk about the "unspeakable," its opposite becomes apparent. Peace and violence, life and death, sacred and profane, etc. It may be said that the opposite complements the other. This is what we mean when we say that logical discourse complements irrationality. This is a reversal of the Hegelian dialectic. “Correct” and “opposite” do not create “congruent”. When we speak of ``correctness'' from ``conjunction'', that is, ``non-existence'' that cannot be spoken of, ``opposition'' cannot help but arise. That's not development. If I had to call it that, it would be "degeneration."
Also, the Eros of "scientific" socialism is supported by a cultural desire that seeks the aura of science and the seduction of socialist utopia, and is based on historical existence. I wonder if they were able to acquire the following. This is not an attempt to settle the issue using Marx as a model. I just wanted to point out the fact that even in Marx, which is relied upon by those who question it, there is the power of cultural desire at the root of social criticism. (P.89)
In Foucauldian terms, when shepherd power becomes a power of control and domination, the physiological (acting) body is forced to be sexual. It will be done. I have no intention of denying the question of power, but perhaps it is the ``desire'' and ``eros'' that power creates that need to be questioned (Foucault, Ilyich).
So, I think it would be a good idea to talk about what it means to own someone you love. what will happen.