The Aesthetics of the Posthuman Human: Reflections Following Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Posthuman aesthetics leads to a decentering of the human and shows aspects of existence that are no longer contained in the categories and dichotomies that define the essence of the human being. But because all aesthetic involves human experience, a posthuman conception also needs to develop its own idea of the human being. The essay shows that the posthuman human can emerge along the lines of three categorical distinctions to the traditional idea of the human. It can emerge in the animal, which is similar to, but also fundamentally different from the human being; in the angelic which transcends the ordinary human in a powerful and joyful way; and in the demonic which overcomes human experience in a transgressive and potentially terrifying way. The essay follows Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra in which these dimensions of existence are described as a new, alien and ecstatic way of being human.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)79-85
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Posthumanism
Volume2
Issue number1 Special issue
DOIs
StatePublished - 28 Feb 2022

Keywords

  • Angelic
  • Animal
  • Demonic
  • Essence
  • Human

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Aesthetics of the Posthuman Human: Reflections Following Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this