On the quadrants of the thing-world relations: a critical revision of Hartmut Rosa’s resonance theory in terms of thing-world
Bibliography
Cheng, Tsuo-Yu. 2023. “On the Quadrants of the Thing-World Relations: A Critical Revision of Hartmut Rosa’s Resonance Theory in Terms of Thing-World.” The Journal of Chinese Sociology 10 (1): 11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40711-023-00191-8.
Abstract
The most valuable contribution of Hartmut Rosa’s social theory is the extension of the scope of Critical Theory from the individual world and the social world to the thing-world. However, Rosa’s analysis of the thing-world is somewhat insufficient. The present article provides an attempt to apply new materialism to the thing-world to compensate for the missing elements of Rosa’s resonance theory. An examination and integration of two of the most representative theories of new materialism, namely agential realism and object-oriented ontology, yield four types (or quadrants) of thing-world relations based on intra-action or inter-action and on inclusion or exclusion: namely resonance, alienation, appropriation, and catastrophe. This quadrant can provide a clearer criterion for resonance in Rosa’s Critical Theory, and manifest that the problem in contemporary society we have to concern might exclusion instead of alienation.
Notes
Reading Takeaways
Rosa’s contribution/work of resonance is critical theory expanded and applied to human-thing-relation, whereas critical theory is outline in this text as traditionally concentrating on self-relations and social relations. The text wants to draw from agential realism and ooo to clarify human-thing-relations, a thing that hasn’t been very clear in Rosa’s own work.
Cheng redefines Rosa’s simple resonance/alienation arc into four quadrants. Intra-action is based on Barad’s agential realism (both parties shape each other), and interaction on Harman’s OOO (the two parties oppose each other). The second order is in- or exclusion, which signifies if the induced change in one parties is of it’s own will/agency.
Go to annotation
(Cheng, 2023, p. 15)
Cheng argues that some of Rosa’s arguments are not working very well.
Go to annotation “Rosa argues that we can resonate with mountains even if we cannot specify whether they actually listen and respond to us (ibid: 49), but we cannot resonate with robot cats even if they can listen and respond to us through artificial intelligence technology with machine learning capabilities that we cannot grasp (ibid: 46). It is unclear why the relationship between humans and robot cats, which is more consistent with Rosa’s definition of resonance, cannot be resonant, whereas the relationship between humans and mountains, which cannot be explained, can be resonant.” (Cheng, 2023, p. 6)
Hence, Cheng draws on agential realism and ooo to better outline the possible relations and where critique can/should be made. I wasn’t quite sure, if drawing on two opposing neomaterialistic theories isn’t a bit random after all.
New Materialism
I found Barad’s example of ultrasonology very insightful of her approach and also of value for my dissertation
Go to annotation “the reality and performance of things are constituted by the onto-epistemology and practice of human beings. However, the mattering of things in human practice also defines human beings and determines human reality. Intra-action is essentially the idea that human beings and things are dialectically constituted by each other.” (Cheng, 2023, p. 9) 🔥 this is gold for my dissertation
Ludemes
The following bit on Rosa’s axes of resonance could be important when thinking through ludemes.
Go to annotation “Rosa refers to the categories of resonance in world relations as axes of resonance and divides them into several ideal types: existential or vertical axes that relate to the sublime (e.g., the universe, religion, or art), material or diagonal axes that relate to the thing-world (in addition to matter and material objects, contexts of learning how to be in the thing-world [e.g., education] are also included), and social or horizontal axes that relate to interpersonal and social relationships.” (Cheng, 2023, p. 4) Typologie der Resonanzachsen
Another interesting aspect that came up, was uncertainty (Hurel), a necessity when being open to change.
Go to annotation “Only when we are situated in the world in a noncontrolling, semipassive (or semiactive) manner can we develop resonant world relations (Rosa 2019c).” (Cheng, 2023, p. 4) Hurel’s application of uncertainty comes to mind regarding noncontrolling/semiactive
Go to annotation “The relationship between human beings and things is not either resonant or alienating; instead, it is considerably more varied. Relationships that are not resonant should not necessarily be criticized. Furthermore, this quadrant can provide a clearer criterion for resonance in Rosa’s Critical Theory; that is, we can examine whether the intra-action between human beings and things can increase, extend, or transform the subjectivity of human beings and the performativity of things. If human beings and things produce exclusion in intra-action, namely reduction, contraction, or impairment of the reality of both parties, then this is an alienated relationship to the thing-world that deserves criticism. In addition, this criterion can be employed to examine empirically whether appropriation and catastrophes also produce excluding situations that engender an unfortunate or unsuccessful life.” (Cheng, 2023, p. 17) again, uncertainty comes to mind, in that ludemes can fall into different quadrants
Questions
- What about Ludemes as boundary objects?
- Do we focus on the player-game relation, or the one of player-ludeme?