Foucault's Aesthetics of Existence

Author: Gao Xuanhang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-15
Features: The highest value of life, the true essence of human existence, lies in its aestheticity. In the world, only aesthetic activity transforms the monotonous process of daily survival and limited linguistic symbols into poetic charm and creative magical artistic power. It leads us to endlessly pursue, transcend, appreciate, and savor the aesthetic implications of life and history, liberating history from the cage of the past and instantly transforming it into a colorful rainbow, bridging the gap between reality and the future. It weaves through the world of life, guiding us to soar in the free realm where human culture and nature intersect. In the chaotic zone where life and death meet, it enables back-and-forth journeys and spiritual renewal, repeatedly granting rebirth, overlapping the fleeting span of life into a multidimensional and flexible temporal and spatial framework. It opens new horizons for dialogue and encounter with various possibilities.
Foucault's fundamental concerns throughout his life have always been about our own life and destiny: he sought to explore our current state and its historical roots while also seeking a path to achieve aesthetic survival for ourselves. This book is a comprehensive and detailed exposition of Foucault's thought. The author attempts to clarify the various views on Foucault's ideas that have become popular in academia in recent years. The book does not merely discuss Foucault's views on "power" and "sexuality" but also combines Foucault's own life and intellectual journey. Based on Foucault's self-interpretations of his thought over the years, as well as his intellectual and writing styles, the book follows the thread of "existential aesthetics" to integrate Foucault's "archaeology of knowledge," "genealogy of power and morality," "episteme of truth," "biopolitics," "technologies of the self," "ontology of historical existence," and more with "existential aesthetics." It highlights Foucault's core idea of "caring for oneself" and provides an in-depth analysis of specific content in existential aesthetics, such as "the aesthetic art of language games," "the aesthetics of body, sex, and love," "the art of living," and "the aesthetics of old age and death." It elucidates the practical wisdom of existential aesthetics and its exemplary significance in completely reconstructing Western thought.
In terms of references, the book cites the most recent published dialogues, collections, and French manuscripts of Foucault's lectures at the Collège de France since 1994, thereby exploring the continuity and summative significance of Foucault's late existential aesthetic research for his entire academic career. The book is systematic and complete, with creative viewpoints and ideas, rigorous and meticulous arguments, and clear and accessible writing. It is an invaluable Chinese work that comprehensively studies Foucault's thought.