Seduction, Coercion, and an Exploration of Embodied Freedom
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SEDUCTION, COERCION, AND AN EXPLORATION OF EMBODIED FREEDOM Jeanne Marie Kusina A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2014 Committee: Donald M. Callen, Advisor Scott C. Martin Graduate Faculty Representative Marvin Belzer Michael P. Bradie © Copyright 2014 Jeanne Marie Kusina All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Donald Callen, Advisor This dissertation addresses how commodification as a seductive practice differs from commodification as a coercive practice, and why the distinction is ethically significant. Although commodification is often linked with technological progress, it has nonetheless been the focus of critiques which assert that many commodification practices can be considered coercive and, as such, are ethically suspect. Markedly less philosophical attention has been devoted to seductive practices which, despite their frequency of occurrence, are often overlooked or considered to be of little ethical concern. The thesis of this essay is that, in regard to commodification, the structural discrepancies between seduction and coercion are such that in widespread practice they yield different degrees of ethical ambiguity and without proper consideration this significant difference can remain undetected or ignored, thus establishing or perpetuating systems of unjust domination and oppression. I argue that a paradigm shift from coercion to seduction has occurred in widespread commodification practices, that seduction is just as worthy of serious ethical consideration as coercion, and that any ethical theory that fails to take seduction into account is lacking a critical element. Drawing on Theodor Adorno’s aesthetic methodology as an approach to working with coercion and seduction within the framework of commodification, I begin by clarifying the main concepts of the argument and what is meant by the use of the term “critical” in this context. Next I present evidence for a paradigm shift in the systemic structure of commodification and argue for the need to recognize the ethical significance of seductive practices. I then apply the main argument to issues of freedom in iv contemporary bioethics by examining narratives pertaining to pharmaceutical development and sales. The aim of this dissertation is to show that by distinguishing between seduction and coercion as distinct modes of commodification, ethicists will have a stronger grasp on how commodification functions, its connection to oppressive frameworks, and the ways in which problematic practices can be resisted or overcome. v For Don, with gratitude vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many people that I would like to thank for their contributions to this dissertation. First I wish to thank Donald Callen, my committee chair, whose knowledge, insight, and kindness are seemingly boundless. He commands my utmost respect and I am exceedingly grateful for the privilege of working with him. I also wish to thank the other members of my committee, Marvin Belzer and Michael Bradie. Their impact on me extends well beyond this dissertation, and has made me a markedly better scholar, teacher, and person. Scott C. Martin, my graduate faculty representative, is to be thanked for his unhesitating willingness and enthusiasm in seeing this project through to its completion. I am greatly indebted to the Bowling Green State University philosophy department, and Kathleen Dixon and Sara Worley in particular, for their continuous support. I would also like to acknowledge the influence of the late R.G. Frey. Lastly, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to my parents, Philip and Victoria Kusina, as well as to the numerous colleagues, friends, and family members who provided encouragement throughout the writing process, with special thanks to Tammy Kinsey. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................... 1 (i) The Problem Addressed and the Main Thesis of the Essay.................................... 1 (ii) Key Distinctions within the Essay and Their Bearing on the Problem Under Consideration……………………………………………………….. 3 a. Commodification…………………………………………………………. 3 b. Coercion…………………………………………………………………… 4 c. Seduction………………………………………………………………….. 4 (iii) Previous Attempts to Address this Issue and its Continued Current Relevance.. 5 (iv) Methodology……………………………………………………………………. 7 a. Adorno’s Robust Use of the Term “Critical” as Ethical Critique…………. 8 (v) What This Essay Aims to Accomplish: The Thesis, Revisited…………………… 12 (vi) Brief Summaries of the Individual Chapters ......................................................... 13 CHAPTER 1: SEDUCTION AND THE INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGE OF CRITIQUE.... 17 (i) Introduction………………………………………………………………………………… 17 (ii) Adorno’s Concept of Aesthetic Critique…………………………………………………... 18 a. Dialectical Tensions in Art and Life: an Illustration of Critical Reflection on Art…. 18 b. Adorno’s Robust Sense of “Critical” as Critical Reflection.……………………….. 21 c. Critical Reflection as a Method of Ethical Inquiry and Judgment.…………………. 23 d. Challenges Posed to Critical Reflection.……………………………………………. 29 (iii) Characterizing Coercion and Seduction………………………………………………….. 34 viii a. A Brief Overview of Ethical Views on Coercion and Seduction…………………. 34 b. Why Seduction Appears to Have Coercive Properties Yet Remains Distinct……. 38 (iv) Bringing Critique to Bear on the Ethical in Commodification ………………………… 42 a. Adorno’s Characterization of Commodification as a Coercive Force……………. 42 b. What Freedom Means in a Commodified Society………………………………… 47 (v) Conclusion: Critique, Art, Adorno, and Freedom………………………………………. 53 CHAPTER 2: RECONSIDERING THE SIRENS: THE SHIFT FROM COERCION TO SEDUCTION………………………………………………………………………………….. 58 (i) Introduction………………………………………………………………………………… 58 (ii) Why Examine Pop? Art, Commodification, and the Tension between the Desire for Authenticity and the Allure of the Ephemeral………………………………………………… 63 a. Pop Art is More Than a Commodity, it is Also Social Commentary..……………... 63 b. The Seduction of Consumption: What Lichtenstein Reveals About Commodification as a Seductive Practice…………………………………………….. 64 (iii) Commodification as a Seductive Practice has Ramifications for Human Embodiment and Freedom…………………………………………………………………………………… 72 a. Adorno and the Sirens: Aspects of Seduction That Were Overlooked……………… 74 (iv) Seduction Now Rivals Coercion as a Widespread Means of Influence and Control……... 79 a. The Passion of Fashion: The Intersection of Body and Commodification Represents a Paradigm Shift…………………………………………………………… 81 (v) Points of Divergence Between Lipovetsky and Adorno and Their Ethical Implications….. 86 a. The Case for Why It Matters That Seductive Practices Receive Serious Ethical Consideration………………………………………………………………………… 90 ix b. An Initial Response to Lipovetsky, Starting with Adorno………………………… 92 c. Reiterating the Potential Objection and Foregrounding a More Detailed Response……………………………………………………………………………… 93 (vi) Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………. 100 CHAPTER 3: AND THIS IS WHAT WE DO: LIFE IN SEDUCTIVE TIMES……………. 103 (i) Introduction………………………………………………………………………………. 103 (ii) Fashionable Ethics: Commodification and Ethics Intertwine in Ever-Increasing Ways… 107 a. Seductive Commodification is a Form of Manipulation…………………………... 112 b. The Pervasiveness of Commodification: Terror, Manipulation, and the Cinematic Mythology of the Motor City…………………………………………………………. 114 c. Manipulation is a Key Factor in Totalitarianism………………………………….. 118 d. Pervasive Commodification Can Function as a Totalitarian Force……………….. 121 e. Seductive Practices are as Worthy of Consideration as Coercive Practices………. 128 (iii) Totalitarianism is Not on the Decline, it Just Appears in Different Forms……………… 135 a. Challenges to Lipovetsky…………………………………………………………. 135 b. Although the Contexts May Change, the Mechanisms of Totalitarianism Remain Similar…………………………………………………………………………………. 139 c. Agamben’s Model of Totalitarianism as a Counterexample to Lipovetsky’s View…145 (iv) The Diminishing Role of Freedom in a Highly Commodified World…………………… 148 CHAPTER 4: BIOETHICS AND THE DRUGGABLE UNIVERSE………………………... 153 (i) Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….. 153 a. Applied Ethics and the Body……………………………………………………….. 154 x b. A Few Remarks on the Method Employed…………………………………………. 156 (ii) A Call to Ethicists to Reevaluate Their Discipline……………………………………….. 158 (iii) Commodification, Ethics, and the Pharmaceutical Industry…………………………….. 160 a. Why Ethicists Should Recognize Influences and Interdependence Across Disciplines……………………………………………………………………………. 160 b. Bioethical Interdisciplinarity Includes the Consideration of Commodification Practices………………………………………………………………………………. 163 c. Adorno’s Pharmacy: Commodification Intersects with Medical Research………… 165 (iv) The False Promise of Commodification as a Seductive Practice………………………… 170 a. Push Versus Pull Strategies: A Paradigm Shift from Coercion to Seduction……… 170 b. Emphasizing the Alleged Volition in Seduction Can Be Detrimental to One’s Health and the Wellbeing of Others…………………………………………………… 179 c. Seductive Practices Hold Out a False Promise of Freedom………………………… 183 (v) Embodied Freedom is not Simply the Ability to Make Choices………………………….. 194 (vi) Articulating the Demand: Sanctioning Seductive Practices Can Contribute to the Unjust Domination of One’s Self and Others………………………………………………… 198 a.