Vision and Objectification

Abstract

Several years ago there appeared an essay which was the programmatic opening for a series of studies in the phenomenology of sound.¹ In setting the context for that investigation I made note of a ‘visualist’ tradition within the history of philosophy. From Heraclitus who declared that “eyes are more accurate witnesses than ears,” through Aristotle’s claim that “sight is the principal source of knowledge,” into the modern era opened with an enlightenment, the dominant metaphors for thought have remained visual ones. Often this “visualism” has been accompanied by a lack of attention to the other sensory dimensions with a resultant reductionism which may be called areduction to vision. Today I would maintain that the dominant strands of philosophical thought still continue the ‘visualist’ tradition where vision stands as the root metaphor for the clarity, rigor and distinctness desired by the philosopher.