Some Initial Remarks on Jung's Shadow Archetype. A Clew to a new project?

I have just been watching a biographical documentary by BBC about Carl Gustav Jung.  I am only now beginning to address my continued and (as-of-yet) unquenched interest in Jung's work.  The structure of his Analytical Psychology are quite agreeable to the conclusions I arrived at during my recent Cassirer project (my M.A. Thesis: "The Epistemological Foundations for Ernst Cassirer's Methodology for the Humanities: Towards a Critical Phenomenology of Culture").  One such conclusion arrived at is that the "basis phenomenon" (Urphänomen) of Goethe, Hegel, and Cassirer will necessarily take the centre stage for the structure of a Cassirerian Phenomenology of Culture.

Looking over the basic structures of Jung's Analytic Psychology, I am quite intrigued by Jung's three basic archetypes: the animus/anima archetype, the persona archetype, and the shadow archetype.

For the time being, however, I am particularily interested in the shadow archetype.  Here is something I wrote in my notes when I first heard Dr. Marie-Louise von Franz discussing personal and collective shadows and the actions of millions of Germans during the hegemony of the National Socialists.  Her words (which can be viewed here) led me to this first response, which will perhaps lend to the shape of my new project involving Jung.

"The dark dogs that often lead us along on this walk of life are our personal and our collective shadows.  They are revealed in critical moments of personal and collective neuroses.  We discover our shadow during those moments when our personal and/or collective drives overpower our (for lack of a more precise terminology) rational decision-making processes and lead to actions beyond our power of rational restraint.  In these moments of "passion", the shape of our acts reveal to us our "dark side", our shadow.  But there is also a radiance revealed in our actions.  It is up to us to explore both and decide which will be given free reign, and which will be actively restrained for some particular 'rationale' or 'value' to be observed and upheld." (from my personal, unpublished notes).

I look forward for exploring Jung's ideas more deeply, as I have always had a feeling his thoughts would reveal to us something truly primordial about the human spirit and the phenomona of culture.  As with Cassirer's work, it seems that Jung's Analytic Psychology is as much (or more) a theory of meaning than a theory of knowledge or of consciousness.  It is a current conviction of mine that any honest examination of consciousness must tied closely to the formation of a theory of meaning. Indeed, such an examination must be directed by the structures of this theory of meaning in order to achieve any kind of phenomenological clarity.

If any readers have suggestions for futher reading regarding Jung and his analytic psychology, please let me know!

The Symbolic Forms... of Culinary Arts (and the Science of Food!)

As a quick note, it is interesting to consider the application of the philosophy of symbolic forms to the art (and science) of food preparation.  Just as all symbolic forms take shape based on the structure of human perception and thought, the culinary forms take shape from the structure of our perceptions of taste, appearance, odor and texture.  This intuitive, non-rational side is enhanced by a rational analysis of the food preparation itself.  The rational element of the culinary forms is scientific in terms of its consideration of chemistry, technique, and empirical/experimental evidence.  Indeed, there are schools in Paris where strictly rigorous scientific studies are being carried out for the sake of better understanding the possibilities various foods and techniques can offer the world of culinary arts.  There are studies which aim toward general principles, and there are still other approaches that concern themselves with the most particular event of the final dish, and all that leads up to it.  Rules and principles regarding technique (methodology) in the culinary arts/sciences are instances of a generalizing approach to knowledge, as are the principles of taste theory.  However, the essence of being a true artist in the kitchen is to have the confidence and trust in oneself to be spontaneous.  To create something entirely unique, to be enjoyed only once.  In the very impermanence of this art lays its true perfection of form.

Web 2.0: The New History

   Many people who read this blog probably use Facebook, Twitter, or some other online network that uses the "web 2.0" model of user action and interaction.  Consider Facebook as a map to the willing actions of each user.  This is, in the end, the most intimate documentation of history ever used.  Now our history is not only offered to us through the examination of artifacts, records and accounts often controlled by the ruling few, but instead it is offered to us through digital artifacts, accounts of the momentary thoughts, interests, and actions of individual human beings.  Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter go about collecting, saving, and sharing data, effectively creating a library of the lives of every one of its members. 
    So now our future actions will be directed by a historical record not chosen by a ruling interest, but by each individual member who is willing to take part in the account.  We have a record that shows the specific interests and activities of millions of individual users.  Herein lays the greatest potential of such a technology: like no other historical medium, it gives each person the chance to write his or her self into the history books.  Not to mention the possibilities that data trend analysis yields to policy makers, marketing interests, and so on.
    When used properly, to its fullest potential, it provides the conduit for a person to effectively change history, as well.  Because it is an interactive system, one can influence the actions of others, as well as form social groups and push specific interests.  Organizations are now formed between people of all walks of life, and according to the interests of the individuals.  Dog lovers unite, as do supporters of a specific political or religious group.  So not only is Facebook a medium for the historical record, it is also a medium for influence and power.
   On a civic level, it is a  more democratic medium for finding out what citizens want than pre-Web 2.0 forms of data collection.  It could effectively give us the shape of democracy to come.  Not only is the Facebook model a good way of finding out the real opinions of the user-citizens, it is also a grounds for building social groups and a sense of community.  Already policy makers have begun to grasp the potential of Web 2.0: we see political leaders giving speeches online and even taking video-response interviews, we see facebook pages and twitters from the heads of state. Politicians are writing their own blogs, parties are building membership.

    Watch as this new form of interaction gradually permeates all of our activities.  We will move from Web 2.0 to Life 2.0.  What we do, think and say will be shared with the world more than ever.