The aesthetics of existence: Nietzsche and Merleau-Ponty on the body
Kevin Allen Beasley
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Nietzsche's and Merleau-Ponty's critiques of metaphysical dualism support an embodied account of human existence grounded aesthetically rather than morally, and that rejecting traditional notions of human existence does not deny meaning and ethics but opens new ways of realizing them through embodied consciousness. |
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to appropriate Nietzsche and Merleau-Ponty's criticisms of metaphysical dualism to argue for an embodied account of human existence that is grounded aesthetically rather than morally. I begin with Nietzsche's criticism of metaphysical dualism as it relates to rationality and Christianity and demonstrate the limitation of these frameworks to account for human existence. I then buttress Nietzsche's criticism with Merleau-Ponty's embodied notion of consciousness to argue for a position that incorporates the existence of others in the notion of the self and argue that the rejection of traditional notions of human existence does not imply a denial of meaning and ethics but opens new paths in which these instances may be realized through embodied consciousness.