The second section I chose came from Blumenberg’s section entitled “Fundamental Differences”. In this portion of the book Blumenberg attempts to describe the role of the human conscious within a world of independently acting variables. In other words, he describes a world in which intricate mechanisms work together to provide everyday necessities that for the most part go unnoticed. One specific example of these ideas is his explanation of standing upright. The simplicity perceived by the human mind of such a task is inherently unbelievable as the act itself requires so much detail and so much synchrony.
The principle behind Blumenberg’s thoughts is something that has long been described in those who meditate and practice yoga. However, in meditation the focus falls on the individual’s breath. It is said that if you can block all thoughts from your mind and concentrate completely on the act of breathing, you will promote better health as well as, self reflect immensely. Nonetheless, this is a hard task. Breathing has become so mindless that it is almost impossible to breakdown the complexities of it. It is not uncommon for an individual to go several days without truly focusing on the actual act of breathing. How can it be possible that something so vital to survival can go completely overlooked? This is the real question Blumenberg wishes to address. He explains that the human conscious takes an interesting perspective on the world, choosing to ignore many important details.
This mental detachment plays a role in literature. Authors choose to use words to touch upon these intricacies. By doing so, the reader is forced to examine ideas and actions not often analyzed. Metaphorically speaking, a body of words, works much like meditation’s focus on breathing. The words tend to illicit emotional responses, opening up a thought process for notions often overlooked due to their commonness. Ultimately, literature, in a Blumenberg-ian world is a tool to break down the everyday simplicities and expose their importance to the human conscious.
Great post! I really enjoyed reading about your analysis on the mental detachment in literature and how you were able to connect that to yoga and simple life tasks that we are constantly unaware about. I agree that authors, such as Blumenburg, purposely use words to bring about a certain point that the author wants. I also liked that you said, "Literature is a tool to break down the everyday simplicities and expose their importance..." Once again, good job!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, great ideas. I had never thought of this before, but literature being used to break down simplicities is an ingenious idea. Truely great writing makes you think about what normally goes unnoticed. If you look at great magazine or newspaper articles, they are always a breakdown of something you forgot about, took for granted, or didn't know about. Because they take advantage of simplicities they make you reflect and think about things you would not otherwise have thought of.
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