Abstract
This chapter examines three writers: Thomas Mann, Albert Camus, and Michel Houellebecq. In Mann’s novel The Magic Mountain, we encounter the character Hans. Hans represents the traumatic figure immediately before the moment of pleasurable death. From there I go on to Camus and to Meursault, hero of The Stranger, who signifies humanity’s shift from the traumatic age to the posttraumatic age after World War II. Clamence, (anti)hero of Camus’ novel The Fall, represents the posttraumatic individual trapped in passivity and an obsessive self-consciousness that lead to infinite regression. Through an analysis of works by Houellebecq, I show that today we have reached the end of the human era and are on the brink of the post-human era.
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- 1.
Altered states of consciousness are marked by the collapse of the system of logic, and therefore the relations between subject and object cease to be stable and the sense of self is undermined. In my view, what happens in altered states of consciousness is that due to various constraints (linked to cognitive load) the subject is unable to create a sense of time. This requires effort and this in turn generates an additional burden on the system. When this happens the entire architectural structure of consciousness crumbles. Indeed, in altered states of consciousness transparency crumbles and the subject is exposed to the structure of consciousness as productive consciousness in the sense that Bergson discussed. Exposure to the structure of consciousness brings up the gap between the individual as subject and the individual as object. That same gap manifests itself in that time as an objective dimension is exposed as the creation of the subject. This is why the dimension of time plays such an important role in altered states of consciousness. At this stage the subject understands the extent to which it, as subject, generates the illusion of objectivity. The subject understands the extent to which it is a creature of the world as a whole. The subject produces the content and thus transforms the world into what it is—a meaningful world. In altered states of consciousness, the process of spontaneous creation changes completely because the basis for our understanding of the world crumbles.
- 2.
The fact that consciousness is rooted in the body means that the rational basis of thinking is the body. According to this approach, consciousness is not disconnected from the world. It is not merely a “presentation” of changing images, but rather part of the body and it exists in the world by means of the body. Perception is not simply the representation of a particular object in the world. Perception takes place via the body and ultimately what we perceive is absolutely influenced by the body. In effect, a very specific body is required in order to perceive the world as we perceive it (Merleau-Ponty 2002; Noë 2004; Varela et al. 1991).
- 3.
Try to imagine what kind of night Abraham must be having. God has told him that tomorrow he must set out to sacrifice his son. He spends the entire night tossing and turning in bed beside Sarah. What thoughts went through his head? What went through her head? Why did she remain silent?
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Ataria, Y. (2017). Toward Post-Humanity: A Literary Consideration. In: The Structural Trauma of Western Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53228-8_2
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