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"For me intellectual work is related to what you
could call aestheticism, meaning transforming yourself...that knowledge can
transform us...And maybe I will be saved...This transformation of one's
self by one's own knowledge is, I think, something rather close to the
aesthetic experience. Why should a painter work if he is not transformed by
his own painting?" |
| The inspiration of this web
page is taken from Michel Foucault's concern with the art of living, where
intellectual engagement, knowledge, and aesthetics are all integral parts
in the self-elaboration and self-transformation in the process of becoming
who one is.
Through the inseparability of theory and practice we must put ideas into practice, to become their embodiment, a practice which Foucault refers to as the techniques of the care of the self. While there is no one way to live and no experts who can claim the right answer to what this care of the self should entail, we must work at discovering what we can be done with the freedom at our disposal, not only in terms of the self, but in our relations to others and ultimately to society. Although often falling short, higher education offers a space for such discovery. This web page, while still in its initial stages, contains fragments of my own pursuit of this project. I hope visitors will find this useful in stimulating their own efforts in this undertaking. About Black Hawk Hancock:
I am an assistant professor of sociology at DePaul University. I earned my
bachelor's degrees in English and Philosophy at the University of
California at Berkeley and my M.S. and Ph.D. in Sociology at the University
of Wisconsin at Madison. |
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Black Hawk Hancock |
