Re: [xmca] Death and dying

[Larry Purss <lpscholar2@gmail.com>]

Hi Anthony

The topic of death and the social formation of mind seems to be the
ultimate form of "gap & gap filling" which gives meaning to life. I'm
reading an article by Corey Anton titled "Beyond Theoretical Ethics:
Bakhtinian Anti-Theoreticism" [in Human Studies volume 24, pages 211-225;
2001] This is what Corey has to say about death and our unique
once-occurant dwelling in the world.

"The position that I am trying to make clear is that the human 'in general'
does not factually exist and that ethical considerations commonly posit a
general human: they posit a 'someone' who is ACTUALLY no one.  In this
regard, their universality implicitly suggets that people are basically
interchangeable or not non-replaceable - not uniquely held by their place
in existence.  The 'theoretical world is obtained through an essential and
fundamental abstraction from the factor of my unique being and from the
moral sense of that fact - AS IF I did not exist' (Bahktin).  This
theoretical world can deeply mislead, for I never do not exist in my life;
I am never unnecessary or irrelevant, and it is only theoretical positing
that can make this seem to be so. (Leder) suggests that one's lived body '
is never just an object in the world but that very medium whereby our world
comes into being.'  Thus, I may, in one sense, be simply one person among
other persons in the world that will go on without me AFTER MY DEATH.  And
yet, I am, for me, that person who is never not there, that person who
somehow is ALWAYS co-given along with the world, and that person whose
world falls out of existence WITH MY DEATH. [page 215]

Anthony, Corey is pointing to death as the ulimate "gap" and our humanness
as the process of gap-filling within our once-occurent unique cultural
historical existence.  The social formation of mind develops through
differentiation and distanciation [gaps] AND the integrating [gap-filling]
ACTS (including theoretical acts)  of our humanness.

Larry



On Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 5:45 AM, ANTHONY M BARRA <tub80742@temple.edu> wrote:

> Thanks for the resources, Huw and Andy.
>
>
> On Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 8:12 AM, Nektarios Alexi
> <NEKTARIOS.ALEXI@cdu.edu.au>wrote:
>
> > Thats an excellent book Huw!
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu on behalf of Huw Lloyd
> > Sent: Wed 2/1/2012 9:43 PM
> > To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> > Subject: Re: [xmca] Death and dying
> >
> > Bakhtin's "Dostoevsky's Poetics" has a few indexed references.
> >
> > Huw
> >
> > On 31 January 2012 16:46, ANTHONY M BARRA <tub80742@temple.edu> wrote:
> >
> > > I'm looking for Vygostky's, or Vygotskian, words on death and dying,
> > > especially terms of (but not limited to) "the social formation of
> mind,"
> > > and "mind extending beyond the skin."
> > >
> > > Thanks for any direction or help...
> > >
> > > Anthony
> > > __________________________________________
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