Aesthetic self

Author: Zhang Yinghang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: "The Anxiety of the Self" is understood by existentialist thinkers as one of the modern maladies inevitably produced by commercial society. It is perhaps from this that we can understand why postmodernist theory arose and spread rapidly, as it offered a solution to the dilemmas of modern people in anxiety. It advocates resolving the "anxiety and confusion of the self" through paths such as deconstruction, pluralism, diffusion, and de-determination. However, the solution proposed by postmodernist theory—to resolve the issue by deconstructing the pursuit of certainty in truth, goodness, and beauty—has not succeeded, as many scholars have criticized. The simple fact is that it has instead led the self into new dilemmas of relativism or even nihilism. Therefore, the topic of "re-establishing the pursuit of certainty" has become a fashionable discourse in humanities and social thought in the 21st century. Against this backdrop, we will discuss the topic of "the self's pursuit of certainty in aesthetics" in this book. The author attempts to both explore conventional discussions from the perspective of the self's pursuit of aesthetic certainty and, based on academic discussions, address the numerous self-confusions arising in contemporary Chinese society, which are similarly caused by the negative impacts of the market economy.