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A History of Perfection Through a Philosophical Lens

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A History of Perfection Through a Philosophical Lens Michael J. Hyde. Perfection: Coming to Terms with Being Human. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2010. 322 pp. 29.95, cloth, ISBN 978-1-60258-244-6. Reviewed by Kristina Peel Published on H-Disability (July, 2010) Commissioned by Iain C. Hutchison (University of Glasgow) The concept of perfection is one that perme‐ tent that Hyde reminds us of the phrase “rotten ates our understanding of disability history, and with imperfection” in which some event is so far often this notion of perfection is used as an expla‐ beyond our natural understanding and desires nation for wider debates on eugenics, normalcy, that it becomes pathetic, cynical, and impossible. bioethics, and biotechnology, as well as on deaf‐ Alternatively “rotten with perfection” can be used ness and disability. Perfection undoubtedly runs as an explanation for medical disorders such as through our understandings of culture, society, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and anorex‐ politics, and religion, and using a philosophical ia nervosa where the desire for perfection be‐ lens Hyde explores how society views perfection comes a controlling feature in one’s life. and how this alters our understanding of life ex‐ Greek and Roman gods are often portrayed as periences. perfect or unbreakable; however in reality perfec‐ In his initial chapter, “Coming to Terms with tion is most frequently fawed, unpredictable, and Perfection,” Hyde charts how philosophers such flexible. Stemming from the notion of god-like as David Hume and Edmund Burke have identi‐ qualities is the term “goodness” or “arête,” which fied perfection and, through our understanding of connotes excellence, virtue, or living up to one’s terms such as “proper,” “beauty,” and “eloquent,” full potential. Hyde uses this notion of goodness to we can see how perfection in itself is a require‐ explain how the study of, or belief in, goodness al‐ ment of life’s desires, wishes, hopes, and dreams. ters one’s perception and may lead to a life spent The requirements to speak a language perfectly, continually searching for one’s own goodness, to raise children properly, or to have a perfect without ever fulfilling one’s desires. Similarly, night’s sleep are all related to our understanding Greek sophists have taught rhetoric and philoso‐ of perfection, and of perfection in itself and with‐ phy using the principles of arête and this in itself in our ambitions, hopes, and fear. It is to this ex‐ H-Net Reviews places the notions of self-importance, truth, and logic and reason to come to a suitable answer. It is power onto its students. reason that leads us to predict, deduce, and diag‐ Hyde addresses how beauty has often been nose, and human beings form arguments, princi‐ seen as synonymous with perfection and, drawing ples, and relationships based upon these reason‐ on the work of Henry Petroski, Immanuel Kant, ings. This is all expressed through preaching, and Plato, Hyde explores the relationship be‐ teaching, newspapers, TV, and in everyday society, tween aesthetic mechanical beauty and mathe‐ and Hyde leads us to conclude that, through the matical and scientific beauty. Kant made clear the art of oratory, society forms its beliefs with regard difference between natural beauty and aesthetic to the human body and mental state. beauty, the latter being a presentation of a thing Throughout history, reasoning has been pre‐ and revealing its most perfect and appreciated sented to aid the support of laws, governing bod‐ form. Aesthetically, something can be at its best ies, principles, etc., and Hyde draws on the work when its function and outer appearance match its of Kant to explain how lay people are frequently requirements and, drawing on the work of Petros‐ highly influential, or adopt beliefs depending on ki, Hyde explains how often our favorite posses‐ oratory reasoning. Kant wrote, “examples are the sions lose shape, color, and beauty with age, but go-cart of judgment, and those who are lacking in often gain in value--whether sentimental or mon‐ the natural talent can never dispense with them” etary. Often, pieces showcased in a museum have (quoted, p. 90). Hyde explains that Kant believed lost their original beauty, but display with age a society was weakened by those following ideals story about their function. An “new” toy train rather than adopting or formulating their own. from the 1920s, still in its original packaging, The essence of Kant’s works as applied to modern- shows what could be produced in the 1920s and day society suggests that society needs to think for depicts the beauty of industrialization and manu‐ itself; however the educational systems in capital‐ facturing. But a train aged through use and de‐ ist societies tend to focus away from true peda‐ void of its original coloring, tells us far more gogical thinking and towards a banking-system about the traits and experiences of children in the style of education--or learning by rote.[1]. 1920s. The beauty of this item alters from the The way in which society has followed beliefs beauty of manufacturing to the beauty of child‐ regarding perfection has influenced immigration hood. Beauty becomes synonymous with truth and eugenic legislation as well as bioethics and and perfection, and in understanding human be‐ technology. Hyde confirms that reason suggests havior, experience, and the issue of disability, the truth and beauty, and as long as society remains phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” obsessed with this notion of perfection then peo‐ stands strong. For what is true, acceptable, and ple will continue to make decisions about right beautiful in one case or life story, is void from an‐ and wrong based upon the beauty of reasoning. other. How we analyze creates opinions with re‐ Hyde draws on Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) gard to genetics or genomics and is ultimately to describe how, despite embodying an attempt to linked to our innate understanding of perfection. create perfection and thus aid humanity, Franken‐ “Science is reason at its best” (p. 77) is a senti‐ stein’s monster turned out to be a physical mon‐ ment with which Hyde concurs, rationality and strosity and contradicted this ideology of perfec‐ reason lying at the core of medical, scientific, and tion. Hyde analyzes how the imperfection of the philosophical developments. Medicine, similar to creature brought out even deeper imperfections mathematics, consists of a set of problems in in the scientist, such that the scientist was unable which the physician or mathematician must use to accept the real beauty of truth and knowledge 2 H-Net Reviews as discovered in his experimentation. This can be of life. This raises questions related to prenatal ge‐ paralleled with the experiences of parents who netic testing, which have been debated and dis‐ give birth to children with disabilities, and J. B. El‐ cussed among disability studies scholars with re‐ lis describes how there is often a period of grief gard to abortion, body politics, and social models on behalf of the “non-perfect” disabled child, be‐ of disability.[3]. The right to life is a philosophical fore there is acceptance.[2] This perception and decision that is bounded by personal perceptions obsession with perfection as displayed by of disability and perfection and, as illustrated by Frankenstein is evident throughout debates on writers such as Ruth Hubbard, there is no simple biotechnology and genetics. The 1997 movie Gatti‐ answer regarding disability, life, or death [4]. ca illustrates how obsession with genetics and Whether it is the choice of abortion, euthanasia, perfection can lead to a society fraught with disil‐ or the right to die a natural death, Hyde raises lusionment, false identity, and fear. The pursuit of questions regarding perfection that, for the ma‐ perfection breeds discontent as true perfection is jority, remain unanswerable and unthinkable. Ge‐ beyond the realm of human attainment. netics poses another model or lens through which Ultimately, the desire for human perfection to view and alter the world, but if one begins to can lead to medical conditions such as obsessive alter the human genome for one’s own desires or compulsive disorder or anorexia nervosa, which beliefs, then the world is succumbing to a false further alter our own understandings of what it idea of perfection, beauty, and truth. means to be human and what signifies a perfect Notes or happy life. Raising the question of how perfec‐ [1]. Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, tion alters our perception of life and death, Hyde 30th anniversary ed. (New York: Continuum Inter‐ draws on the case of Terri Schiavo who, in 1990, national Publishing, 2008); and Peter McLaren, sustained severe brain damage and was diag‐ Life in Schools: An Introduction to Critical Peda‐ nosed as being in a “persistent vegetative state” gogy in the Foundations of Education, 5th edition (PVS). Prior to collapse, Schiavo had bulimia, (Princeton: Merrill, 2005). which in itself is a disease related to our own un‐ [2]. J. B. Ellis, “Grieving for the Loss of the Per‐ derstanding of perfection. Her continued bulimia fect Child: Parents of Children with Handicaps,” led to potassium imbalance which led to her PVS. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal 6, no. 4 Hyde, while raising the question of correct treat‐ (December 1989): 259-270. ment for people in a PVS, simultaneously de‐ scribes the conflict that occurred between Schia‐ [3]. Lennard J. Davis, ed., The Disability Stud‐ vo’s parents and her husband Michael, who all ies Reader, 2nd ed. (New York: Routledge, 2006). claimed to be representing Schiavo’s best inter‐ [4]. Ruth Hubbard, “Abortion and Disability: ests. The case of Terri Schiavo raises numerous Who Should and Who Should Not Inhabit the questions with regard to the right to life, dignity, World?” in The Disability Studies Reader, 93-104.
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