During an intervention involving engaging in dialogue with participants, I encountered feedback highlighting the difficulty of conjuring up personal images within a limited timeframe. This led me to question whether the issue was rooted in a lack of concentration or perhaps a deficiency in imagination itself rather than an aspect of visual thinking or other cognitive streams. Some participants expressed uncertainty about how to handle the information that becomes lost in the process of translating images into words, further underscoring the challenge of envisioning personal imagery. This feedback prompted me to reflect on alternative research subjects, recognizing the complexity of the relationship between imagination and communication.
When asked to imagine what they want to achieve and to envision themselves having accomplished it, many people question whether this is so obvious that it even requires imagination. Personally, I didn’t believe in affirmations of the ‘miracle’ kind.
However, I consider this sort of visualisation a valuable exercise in understanding how our thoughts are formed and where the ingredients for those thoughts come from. Contrary to expectations, responses were delayed. I reached out to some participants to ask what made this exercise challenging for them. They shared that closing their eyes and visualising something was difficult; distractions made 3 minutes feel like an eternity, and they were unsure of how to answer since they hadn’t given such thoughts much consideration in their daily lives.
I thought this project would bridge the gap between modern media consumption and our emotional and cognitive responses. Also providing them with moments of pause and reflection in their daily lives.
However, following feedback, I decided to modify the intervention to allow participants to engage more easily through visuals and streamlined responses guided by videos. This process made me aware of the challenges we face in balancing the digital and the physical world.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty argues that if we can eradicate the tendency to think of objects as existing independently and the inclination to think abstractly in a way that distorts the real world, the world as we truly experience it, then we can begin to see and express the world and truth more as they actually are.
In essence, we must return to the primary experience of the world. The world exists prior to all analysis; it is already there. Perception must take precedence at this primary level. What is given in perception is the natural environment in which all reasoning or experience takes place. This world surrounds humans, and it’s within this world that they live and dwell. Therefore, humans don’t face the world but always comprehend themselves as being within the world. When perceiving an object, our consciousness is not, strictly speaking, knowing the object but rather knowing our consciousness of that object. Therefore, the true meaning of things is found within ourselves. He believed that the body is the origin of human existence. He viewed consciousness as a sensation spread across the body, which forms the basis of existence.
In our modern era, characterized by technology, disconnection, and often a sense of alienation from our environment, Merleau-Ponty’s ideas are more relevant than ever. They remind us that we are not mere spectators but active participants in the world. We should not try to dominate or control it but rather engage with it with awareness, respect, and empathy.
His ideas challenge us to see the environment not merely as a resource to be used but as a living space we share with other beings. The environmental crises we face today can be seen as a manifestation of our failure to recognize this essential interconnectedness.
In an age of ever-advancing digital media, the intersection of Jean Baudrillard’s theory of simulacra and Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology offers a provocative lens through which to understand our contemporary situation.
Baudrillard’s concept of simulacra refers to the substitution of reality with its representation. In his seminal work “Simulacra and Simulation,” he argues that in a hyperreal society, the distinction between reality and representation dissolves, leaving us with only the signs and symbols that mimic reality. This process manipulates our perception, making us question what is real and what is an illusion.
Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology, on the other hand, emphasizes the importance of perception and our lived experience within the world. He posits that perception is a primary form of understanding, arguing that our body is not an object but an expressive space intimately tied to the world. Unlike Baudrillard’s disillusion with reality, Merleau-Ponty sees the potential for genuine engagement with the world through our bodies.
The interplay of these two philosophical positions illuminates the complexity of modern digital media. On the one hand, the virtual realities and online landscapes we inhabit might be seen as perfect exemplars of Baudrillard’s simulacra – detached from physical reality yet determining our perceptions and behaviours. These virtual realms can be so convincing that we risk losing touch with the tangible world, becoming entrapped in a cycle of artificiality where symbols replace substance.
References
Merleau-Ponty, M., Landes, D.A. (trans.) (2012) Phenomenology of Perception London: Routledge.
Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulacra and Simulation. Translated by S. F. Glaser. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press