I really found this entry to be interesting to reflect on, and I wanted to share it with everyone!
3/4/16
Looking over my notes for Vibrant Matter, I took special interest in what I found interesting in Chapter 2. Within the first couple of pages, Spinoza makes the says that “the power of a body to affect other bodies includes a corresponding and inseparable capacity to be affected. (Bennet 23)”. I found this to be directly related to what my final paper encompasses. In an attempt to dissolve the binary between both subject and object, I am attempting to define the current dichotomy between perceived objects and subjects and how current human perception on this is abusing the planet which which we require sustenance from. Currently, we humans often subconsciously identify ourselves as active subjects in the world, viewing almost everything that encompasses our surroundings as objects which act as passive beings what we manipulate to our own gain.
What I’m trying accomplish involves establishing the purposes of both subjects and objects, understanding why humans have a tendency to compare things as such, and the effects of such a mindset. Off of my own basic understanding, I draw that with humans treating the surroundings (specifically the environment) poorly could stem from our own views that we are the most controlling species on the planet and thus the most important. And I believe that this can be attributed to the fact that whenever we see something for the first time, we humanize or associate it to the point where it becomes an object in our eyes. One of the major ideas discussed in Vibrant Matter involves a concept known as thingpower which in my eyes argues that what humans view to be objects are in fact active in the world and do serve a purpose as well as have varying levels of influence on their surroundings.
The next step that I want to take with this train of thought is questioning alternatives to my current thinking. When I say that “objects” have varying levels of influence, what relationships are formed with different entities as a result and how does that relate to the Anthropocene. And when humans manipulate the world around them, are they the only ones that are the beneficiary or are there others in certain cases?
I think that so far, my thought process is on the right track. The only thing that i need to make sure of is always tying that same thinking back to the Anthropocene. I think that if I do this, then I’ll have a fluid, coherent essay.
Thanks for Reading!
Yusuf Ali-Halane