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Immediacy of Knowledge: Politics and Aesthetics
Unmittelbarkeit des Wissens: Politik und Ästhetik
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:07:12
Abstract
The course aims at studying discourses of immediacy in modernity. It conveys central positions of science studies and aesthetics which thematise immediacy affirmatively and critically and situates them historically.
Objective
Conveying basic concepts of science studies, aesthetics, and cultural studies by focusing on the discourse of immediacy in modernity Situating historically the differentiation of natural sciences vs. humanities Reflecting and historicising the question of the epistemic status of literature and the es-theticization of knowledge Reflecting and historicising the question of the relevance of literature and the arts for the humanities and natural sciences Reflection of knowledge production and methods
Content
Modern discourses on immediacy are as varied as life itself. They thematise scientific intuition, religious certainty and the experience of nature, they negotiate love at first sight, the sensation of belonging to a "Volk" and the hate of one's fellow human. Discourses on immediacy tend to systematically hide the medium, be it reason, a book, a film or social media. At the same time, the alleged immediacy turns out to be an impossi-ble belief, witness the discourse on intuitions, mystical enlightenment, reason or 'that gut feeling'. At the same time, the alleged immediacy can be proven to be a baseless belief: the 'groundless' hate may have been incited, the "Volk" might not exist and one's love could have been engineered by an algorithm. All the while, people tend to stick to their belief: immediacy keeps its lustre and bears a promise one abides by. This divergent and contradictory constellation which oscillates between affirmation and negation is typical of discourses of immediacy. Since the 19th century it has given rise to productivity in theory (science and technology studies as well as aesthetics) and artistic productivity. In the realm of science studies the function of the immediate has been central for Wil-helm Diltheys concept of "Erlebnis" (loosely translated as experience) and his distinction of the humanities and aesthetics vs. the natural sciences. For Dilthey, 'Erlebnis' is always strictly what one has experienced oneself. It is immediate, contrary to everything that has not been proven by one's own experience (as per by Hans-Georg Gadamer). Also the scientific disciplines which are devised in the 19th century thematise the con-cept of immediacy. Witness psychology (Wilhelm Wundt), sociology, anthropology and the science of religion, but also biology and medicine - sciences that produce knowledge on Nature. In discourses on immediacy, literature plays a changing and multi-faceted role: While for Dilthey, literature refers 'immediatly' to the "life" of those described, modernisms un-derstands literature as locus where precisely this immediacy is reflected and where the act of mediation is accentuated. We can see this in big city novels such as James Joyce's Ulys-ses (1922), where Joyce "[devises] the narrative technique of the stream of consciousness to represent with unprecedented immediacy the haphazard and fleeting passage of its pro-tagonists’ thoughts, feelings, and sensations". While within the novel genre of 21st Nature Writing, this ostentative reflexivity seems to have been reduced, the discursive proximity to writings of the genre's pioneers – Linnaeus or Darwin, for example – infers a systematis-ing point of view and therefore points to the mediation of an otherwise immediate Nature. In the course we will get to know the central positions of science and technology studies and aesthetics which develop in the wake of the differentiation of the humanities vs. the natural sciences and in which immediacy is discussed affirmatively or critically – and we will situate them in their historic context. We will study epistemological, mathematical, anthropological, psychological as well as media theoretical and literary aesthetical dis-courses of immediacy and will discuss examples from literature and the arts which negoti-ate the question of immediacy. The course will emphasize the role played by the systematic distinction of the natural sciences and the humanities in the formation of these discourses.
General Information
- Language
- German
- Levels
- DS , MSC
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture | Unmittelbarkeit des Wissens: Politik und Ästhetik |
|
2 h weekly |
Offered In
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Science in Perspective (In “Science in Perspective”-courses students learn to reflect on ETH’s STEM subjects from the perspective of humanities, political and social sciences. Only the courses listed below will be recognized as "Science in Perspective" courses.)
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Type A: Enhancement of Reflection Competence (SiP courses are recommended for bachelor students after their first-year examination and for all master- or doctoral students. All SiP courses are listed in Type A. Courses listed under Type B are only recommendations for enrollment for specific departments.)
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