FILOSOFIJA. SOCIOLOGIJA. 2007. Nr.1. P. 30–33 © Lietuvos mokslų akademija, 2007 30 Andrzej Kapusta © Lietuvos mokslų akademijos leidykla, 2007

Life circle, and the self in Antoni Kępiński’s conception of

Andrzej Kapusta The term ‘information metabolism’ is one of the key concepts put forward by the great Polish psychiatrist Antoni Kępiński. In this biological-philosophical Philosophy and Sociology Faculty, approach, the fundamental feature of is the exchange of and in- Marie Curie-Sklodowska University, formation with the environment. The exchange of information, or information Lublin, Poland, metabolism, is exceptionally well developed in a human being. Thanks to it, e-mail: [email protected] man is able to maintain contact, in the broad sense, with the external envi- ronment, and to experience the sense of the self. This concept of metabolism basically allows Kępiński to account for many psychopathological disorders like schizophrenia and depression. Some problems with schizophrenic and manic-depressive subject’s experience pertaining to temporal experiences are presented. Kępiński’s concept of “the rhythm of life” is explained in the context of contemporary philosophy of and the phenomenological tra- dition of psychopathology.

Key words: informational metabolism, life circle, self

Antoni Kępiński (1918–1972) was a famous Polish thin- vironment. Living creatures cannot exist without the en- ker, one of the most outstanding figures in the Polish vironment and both are bond together in behaviour. A cultural history during the second half of the 20th cen- biological system is able to maintain its characteristic tury. His name was linked with the tradition of the Po- organization for a relatively long period of time. Thus, lish school of philosophy of and humanistic each is an autonomous system. Living beings psychiatry. For Kępiński, the general philosophical ap- are half-open systems which keep their complex organi- proach to human being is based on biological and evo- zation far from equilibrium. They are self-organizing lutional assumptions and related to the original concept systems which Maturana and Varela called an autopoi- of energetic-informational metabolism. In his work, Kę- etic system (Maturana & Varela 1980). piński connected the subjective and the social levels of The world and the organism determine each other; experience, human being-in-the-world, with biological, the organism–environment boundary must be permeable even thermodynamical aspects of our relations with the to some extent. Even language belongs to the utionary environment. The proposal of psychophysical unity, a history of the n being. It constitutionally depends, like kind of holism, is probably based on his clinical prac- all human activities, on the iological processes ofur bo- tice. As a psychiatrist, Kępiński made an effort to re- dy and sometimes on large-scale technological systems. concile medico-scientific objectivism with therapeutical But only through language human beings are able to involvement and empathic attitude. Complexity, diffe- explain their experience in living and assimilate them to rent rhythms and dimensions of human life were espe- the inter-subjective social world. cially visible in the light of psychopathology. Schizoph- The energetic part of metabolism consists of two laws renia, depression, or psychopathy raised the question of and concerns thermodynamical conditions of keeping the the full and healthy existence. This medical syndrome balance and harmony between the organism and the en- “labels” gave an opportunity to conceptualize the ways vironment. The first biological law deals with retaining of being in the world. For the Polish psychiatrist, the the life of . It focuses on the biological mecha- main task was to contribute to what some medical terms nisms responsible for protecting and preserving an indi- really meant in behavioural, experiential and existential vidual existence at all costs, even at the cost of others. terms. The second biological law is concerned with preserving The conception of energetic-informational metabolism the life of the species, it has a more pro-social attitude. occupies the central position in Kępiński’s work. It emp- The basis for these two biological laws is hidden in the hasizes human belonging to the animal world. Each li- genetic equipment of each individual organism. It gives ving organism is the result of interactions with the en- the capability of surviving as individuals and species and Life circle, time and the self in Antoni Kępiński’s conception of information metabolism 31 keeping their integrity in spite of permanent change of The author of Schizophrenia emphasizes that we are the surroundings. But the attempt to grasp the specificity not able to understand human life without its subjective of human living in the world in terms of biological struc- side – experience, which is influenced even by deep tures and functions is not enough. The world is basically energetic processes. The conscious and preconscious shared with other people; in order to achieve a particular have their own structure and temporality, with goal or restructure the environment, there is a need for the central part responsible for the normal experience external structures or resources (tools). However, for Kę- of voluntary or willed action – the self. We cannot piński some primordial symbols are present or deeply understand our own experiences and internal psychical rooted in the animal world. He makes an attempt to find order without the self: “For the complex life processes, the primary sources of human essential (“real”) values, especially informational metabolism processes, to beco- like egoism and love, in two biological laws of energetic me an experience, engaged self is needed” (Kępiński metabolism. 1981: 189). The self is a reference point for time and “Informational metabolism” is a different term for coordinates and even for value hierarchy. Howe- human psyche. It consists of two strictly dependent la- ver, conscious mind has no access to all the organism’s yers, or parts: unconscious and conscious. The first part activities, and most of them appear in non-reflective deals with the unconscious processes which are expres- and habitual forms. sed by moods and the emotional colouring. On this Kępiński’s epistemology does not present human cog- layer we deal, on the one hand, with a vague emotional nitive activity in terms of objective representation of mood and, on the other hand, with more definite fee- reality and is rather critical to the scientific (natural) lings. The unconscious area is not strictly integrated method of cognition. In his view, one of the basic aims with , but they are not, like in psychoana- of human activity is to impose man’s own internal or- lysis, the opposite forces which remain in the state of der upon external reality, to materialize his own mo- conflict. The former may be defined as a kind of pre- dels / projects. Social structures, in turn, impose const- consciousness or conditio sine qua non of conscious- rains and provide resources for the development of per- ness. sonality and everyday functioning. This form of interac- The second part of informational metabolism belongs tion, or engagement in the environment, serves as a to the conscious layer of our psyche. Its role is to condition for subject’s autonomy-achieving. Only by de- create pictures (representations) of reality. Representa- liberate action we are able to get an informational fe- tions are not just reflections of objects in the environ- edback necessary for working out an effective reality ment. The external world is not just imprinted on the models and a real contact with the world. “The sense subject. They are rather useful models for coping with of reality refers to activity” (Kępiński 1981: 204). reality and for the possibilities of acting. The notion of The biological basis of our action and thinking is informational metabolism does not implicate a kind of revealed in Kępiński’s considerations on the process of computationalism or representationism like in the clas- decision-making. He exposes a number of preconditions sical cognitive sciences. This is rather a concept of em- to be met even before the process of decision-making bodied and environmental mind where knowing is stric- can begin. Controversially, this process is presented in tly connected with action. Knowledge is not a kind of terms of unconscious choice which only later meets more belief but an effect of practical experiential engagement conscious elaboration. At the level of energetic metabo- in reality. On the biological level, some constitutive in- lism, our organism presupposes a specific attitude to- terdependence between the organism and the environ- ward the external world. It may be primarily an “open” ment is always present. The organism takes up ordered attitude – “into-the-world” activity, or negative, withdra- energy and utilizes it to produce order by transforming wal attitude – an “against-the-world” activity. Conscious the order energy into kinetic energy (movement), che- processes are constitutionally dependent on our bodily mical substances and heat released to the natural world capacities, they are based on primordial emotional atti- (entropy). For Kępiński, the boundary between the or- tude to the world. A strong emotional colouring may ganism and the environment is always vague, and he change the image of the world and even create its un- prefers talking on the exchange of energy between the- real, delusional form. Our feeling that we are free to se elements to describing it in the input–output terms. choose or to control an exercise is compatible with the On the psychological level, the organism brings order deep processes taking place in our brain, following pro- into the chaotic mass of sensations only by exercising cesses that select amongst available options, in accor- its own active powers. The organism, which continually dance with our current needs and goals. In the above finds gratification without breaks, frustration or set-back, description of human behaviour, it is possible to find moves ahead without sufficient registering of experien- some similarities between the Polish psychiatrist’s theo- ce. This is why, in the case of some delusions, ego ry and the conception of the Russian psychologist Di- grows excessively. It does not meet enough obstacles mitry Uznadze who claimed that the subject was invol- (because of the deficiency in some cognitive mecha- ved in the practice of conscious cognition when the nism) and does not test its powers by endless solution smooth process of habitual forms of behaviour, which of painful set-backs. do not require the participation of the consciousness, 32 Andrzej Kapusta ran into problems and encountered an obstacle (Uzna- effort only to a limited degree. This made his concep- dze 1966). tion similar to the psychodynamic vision of man. Ho- Like G. H. Mead in the first part of the 20th cen- wever, contrary to Freud, he did not want to confront tury, Kępiński understood human physiological capaci- the conscious and the unconscious parts of human psy- ties for the development of intelligence and reflective che. We need to abandon the very idea of separating consciousness as partly the product of biological evolu- consciousness and unconsciousness, and struggle to pre- tion. They both insisted that many psychological attri- sent human being’s manifestations in different actions butions are also the products of social – pro- and dimensions. Because even energetic elements of hu- cesses of social experience and behaviour. man metabolism have experiential aspects, Kępiński ai- Kępiński presented an interesting and original con- med to order the diversity of psychic life in a more cept of conscience. He claimed that the real basis for systematic way. Focusing his research on schizophrenia our conscience could be found in biology; it consists of and depression he, like the French psychiatrist Eugene energetic and vital elements which are effects of mil- Minkowski, showed how differently time may be expe- lions of years of evolution. The core of human morality rienced by different people. For him, human temporality is rooted in human biology. Conscience is formed on had a periodical and linear character. In the strictly bio- the level of the first biological law as an expression of logical model, the human organism is involved in the vital values like health and power. The second biologi- oscillations of biological rhythms: building and destruc- cal law is linked to the higher (spiritual) values like tion, pleasure and annoyance, dream and awaking, and love, goodness and beauty. This real, or natural, hierar- hunger and satiation, sadness and joy, love and hate. chy of values meets with a social sphere and sometimes From the linear time development, the organism is figh- grows into an incoherent shape divided into the real ting for its own biological / energetic and psychologi- and the ideal images of the self. Kępiński emphasized cal / informational integrity. It is tied with an inescapab- that requirements of adaptation to the contemporary so- le perspective of senility and death. cial life increasingly determine the nature of conscious- Human temporality was analyzed by Kępiński in ness. Submission of the mind to life requirements con- terms of a phenomenological analysis. It could not be tributes to the realization of instrumental and pragmatic grasped without a form of conscious experience, wit- values. This weakens ties with the lively emotional ex- hout the self as the central point of our psychological perience which, for Kępiński, was a deep source of structure. “The self is a controlling centre of human moral values. experience” (Kępiński 1981: 198). (Round the self, psy- An important part of Kępiński’s work was research chic life revolves in accordance with the time and spa- into the capabilities of person’s knowledge. It is possib- ce coordinates. The present self is the place where the le to distinguish here two theoretical approaches: the lessons from the past are transformed into positive ac- oblique relation, based on the scientific model of cog- tion for the future. Kępiński describes how people may nition, and the horizontal relation with reference to the feel time collapsing, or stagnating. In the case of pa- humanistic (“animistic”) model of knowledge. Following tients with depression there is no sense of open future, the phenomenological perspective, Kępiński considered a person has no future. In these cases we may realize that the understanding of subjective phenomena has to how fragile and dynamic the human agency is. It is be arrived at through empathy. It may be grasped by based on the elementary feeling of the self (proto self), transferring oneself into the other individual’s psyche. which finds an expression in “I can”, “I feel” and I However, only very primordial presented in think” statements.1 nonverbal, extralingual elements of behaviour can be Elżbieta Stawnicka supports Kępiński’s theory of four approached by empathy. Such direct cognition is trigge- subjective functions of the self (Antoni Kępiński’s Hu- red by the primitive biological mechanisms that we and man Philosophy 1999: 122): other species have in common. 1. Controlling and adaptive, in which the self, like The author of Schizophrenia made an attempt to re- the Freudian ego, coordinates and delivers the informa- concile various exploratory frameworks especially refer- tion proceeding from the body and environments. ring to understanding versus explanation distinction. He 2. Arranging and selective, expressed in the acts of would like the therapist to be involved in a particular free will and in the effort of the choice of a suitable condition of living, to understand exactly how his pa- behaviour. tient experiences the world. At the same time he celeb- 3. The condition of personal identity: in spite chan- rated objective and scientific endeavour in psychothera- ges in the dynamics of the psyche and in the environ- py, which requires the therapist to be very steady and ment itself. sure-footed, able to make consistent self-observation in 4. The protective function of the self: the natural a disciplined manner. This attitude was defined as an border between me and the world. “ideal observer”. Kępiński claimed that man is basically a biological 1 The neural representation of the moment-to-moment state of being subordinated to a variety of different biological the organism with respect to homeostasis is the foundation of rhythms. These rhythms may be controlled by conscious what A. Damasio calls Proto-self. Life circle, time and the self in Antoni Kępiński’s conception of information metabolism 33

Kępiński speaks also about the self as an object of References recognition, as the effect of the introspection and self- reflection, what he calls “self-portrait”. Self-portrait is 1.Kępiński, A. 1981. Schizofrenia. Warszawa: PZWL. in general a distorted and partial image of the self. It 2.Maturana H., Varela, F. 1980. Autopoiesis and Cognition: is an effect of interaction with other people, social ima- The realization of the living. Dordecht: D. Reidel Publis- ge and a kind of metaphysical projection of the ideal hing Co. self into the world. Self-portrait disintegration might be 3.Stawnicka, S. 1999. Antoni Kępiński’s Human Philosop- a symptom of the illness development and sometimes a hy. Zielona Góra: WSP. sign of an intensive personal or spiritual growth. 4.Uznadze, D. N. 1966. The of Set. New York: For Kępiński, the body itself, with its evolutionary Plenum Press. acquired structure, is the source of conscience and mo- ral laws. Paradoxically, his view is compatible in some Andrzej Kapusta dimensions with the Thomistic image of the human being as based on natural laws (in spite of the lack of theo- GYVENIMO RATAS, LAIKAS IR „AŠ“ ANTONIO logical and religious references). His holistic and huma- KĘPIŃSKIO INFORMACIJOS METABOLIZMO nistic approach was strengthened by his very genuine, KONCEPCIJOJE caring and sincere attitude to his patients. After his de- ath he became an unattainable paragon and authority Santrauka for many generations of Polish psychiatrists and psy- Straipsnyje pristatomos garsaus lenkų psichiatro A. Kępińskio chologists. pažiūros. Sąvoka „informacijos metabolizmas“ – vienas iš rak- The concept of energetic-informational metabolism tinių A. Kępińskio terminų. Jo biologiniu-filosofiniu požiūriu, includes a positive model of human nature. In reference pamatinė gyvenimo savybė yra energijos ir informacijos mainai to psychology and psychiatry, Kępiński was making an su aplinka. Geba keistis informacija arba informacijos metabo- attempt to overcome the reductionist and physicalist ap- lizmas ypač gerai išplėtotas žmoguje. Jo dėka žmogus geba pa- proach and, in spite of the biological-evolutional per- laikyti ryšį su išorine aplinka plačiąja prasme ir patirti savo spective, he was working on the phenomenological desc- jausmus. Metabolizmo koncepcija leidžia Kępińskiui paaiškin- ription of schizophrenic and depressive disorders. ti tokius psichopatologinius sutrikimus, kaip šizofrenija ir dep- resija. Kępińskio sąvoka „gyvenimo ritmas“ aiškinama šiuolai- Received 6 November 2006 kinės sąmonės filosofijos ir psichopatologijos fenomenologinia- Accepted 8 January 2007 me kontekste. Raktažodžiai: informacinis metabolizmas, gyvenimo ratas, patybė