Date: Wed, 15 Feb 1995 14:31:43 -0500
From: ArielS72-AT-aol.com
Subject: Re: Nietzsche/Foucault/Geneal...


on 2/14 ben wrote,

"I don't think freedom entails transcending power structures.  Rather, I
think the freedom of self creation is the freedom to engage in the active
valuation of a particular set of power stuctures fo oneself, over others.
 This is a two part process, first of emancipating oneself from power
stuctues heretofore unseen AS power stuctures, second as affirming a set of
power structures as one's own."

thank you for expanding the understanding of what is meant by freedom.  no,
we will never be completely free of structures, but we diminish its power by
being aware of its presense.  this will at least give us the power to
question.  but this power to question is uncomfortably and tragically confing
with the understanding the same tools we use to free ourselves the power
structure, are the same tools the structure itself is made up of, the
structure creates or dictates the context and we do not havethe ability to
superceed the structure becasue we are "responding" to the structure which
indicates its success in dictating the context from which ALL understanding
will arise. i like the idea of having some free will by chosing what i deem
worthy yet, i am admittedly pessimistic, i agree something can be achieved,
but not by the many, and not so often.   i am torn by the last statement,
"Thus "reduc[ing] its hegeminizing effect" ends up being a task for
sensibilty.  This is something I think is at the heart of an aesthetic of
existense."  i sadly say that our "sensibilty" is itslef the product of the
structure and therefore limited to the context of the structure(s). but (and
here is where i am torn becasue i see some hope that fears and excites me) i
am very happy at the notion of the "aesthetic of existense".  i like the
term, is it your own?  i have called thus far called this aesthetic
spiritual, yet i am attracted to this aesthtic of existense because it does
not have all the implications of "the soul, spiritualty" etc.  what frightens
me about this however, is that the aesthetic itself can not escape
limitation, stagnation and abuse.  but, in the face of the postmoderns, we
should perhaps start somewhere, (i think)  the most important question i feel
is just this, how to have a new aesthetic, how to create it, how to achive
it, individually or societally. what do i know, i wash dishes to pay the
rent.  someone tell me if it is inapropriate to post such lengthy responses.

thanks, ariel


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