Ecstasy (philosophy)
Encyclopedia
Ecstasy, from the Ancient Greek
, έκ-στασις (ek-stasis), "to be or stand outside oneself, a removal to elsewhere (from ek-: out, and stasis: a stand, or a standoff of forces)."
usually to mean outside-of-itself." One's consciousness, for example, is not self-enclosed, one can be conscious of an Other
person, who falls well outside of one's own self. In a sense, consciousness is usually, "outside of itself," in that its object (what it thinks about, or perceives) is not itself. This is in contrast to the term enstasis which means from standing-within-oneself which relates to contemplation
from the perspective of a speculator.
(The previous paragraph seems garbled or incomprehensible. The third sentence says consciousness does not think about or perceive itself, yet I'm conscious of my confusion about this. The fourth sentence contrasts this viewpoint with that of a "speculator", which I'm guessing is a typo. I'm putting this on the article page instead of the talk page, since the topic has few readers, and I'd like to catch the attention of a specialist to fix this.)
This understanding of enstasis giving way to the example of the use of the "ecstasy" as that one can be "outside of oneself" with time; In temporalizing, each of the following: the past (the 'having-been'), the future (the 'not-yet') and the present (the 'making-present') are the "outside of itself" of each other. In fact, our being-in-the-world (see existence
or existenz
) is usually focused toward some person, task, or the past. Telling someone to "remain in the present" could then be self-contradictory, if the present only emerged as the "outside itself" of future projections (possibilities) and past facts (our thrownness
).
and Jean-Paul Sartre
.
It has also been used by both Emmanuel Levinas
and Jean Luc Nancy in relation to the exposure of one person to another. Something that they consider more fundamental to the independent subject of the cogito
of western philosophy.
It is used concomitantly by philosophers to refer to a heightened state of pleasure or area of consciousness that may have been ignored by other theorists; to sexual experiences with another person, or as a general state of intense emotional rapture
. These may include epiphany
, intense consciousness toward another, or extraordinary physical connections to others.
There is also a form of ecstasy described as the vision of, or union with, some otherworldly entity (see religious ecstasy
), of which Plotinus
spoke, this pertains to an individual trancelike experience of the sacred or of God. Current philosophic usage would point instead to an original ecstasy that was dionysian or carnivalesque
and involved with others in this world.
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
, έκ-στασις (ek-stasis), "to be or stand outside oneself, a removal to elsewhere (from ek-: out, and stasis: a stand, or a standoff of forces)."
Hellenic philosophy
It is used in philosophyPhilosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
usually to mean outside-of-itself." One's consciousness, for example, is not self-enclosed, one can be conscious of an Other
Other
The Other or Constitutive Other is a key concept in continental philosophy; it opposes the Same. The Other refers, or attempts to refer, to that which is Other than the initial concept being considered...
person, who falls well outside of one's own self. In a sense, consciousness is usually, "outside of itself," in that its object (what it thinks about, or perceives) is not itself. This is in contrast to the term enstasis which means from standing-within-oneself which relates to contemplation
Theoria
For other uses of the term "contemplation", see Contemplation Theoria is Greek for contemplation. It corresponds to the Latin word contemplatio, "looking at", "gazing at", "being aware of".- Introduction :...
from the perspective of a speculator.
(The previous paragraph seems garbled or incomprehensible. The third sentence says consciousness does not think about or perceive itself, yet I'm conscious of my confusion about this. The fourth sentence contrasts this viewpoint with that of a "speculator", which I'm guessing is a typo. I'm putting this on the article page instead of the talk page, since the topic has few readers, and I'd like to catch the attention of a specialist to fix this.)
This understanding of enstasis giving way to the example of the use of the "ecstasy" as that one can be "outside of oneself" with time; In temporalizing, each of the following: the past (the 'having-been'), the future (the 'not-yet') and the present (the 'making-present') are the "outside of itself" of each other. In fact, our being-in-the-world (see existence
Existence
In common usage, existence is the world we are aware of through our senses, and that persists independently without them. In academic philosophy the word has a more specialized meaning, being contrasted with essence, which specifies different forms of existence as well as different identity...
or existenz
Dasein
Dasein is a German word famously used by Martin Heidegger in his magnum opus Being and Time, which generally translates to being in its ontological and philosophical sense Dasein is a German word famously used by Martin Heidegger in his magnum opus Being and Time, which generally translates to...
) is usually focused toward some person, task, or the past. Telling someone to "remain in the present" could then be self-contradictory, if the present only emerged as the "outside itself" of future projections (possibilities) and past facts (our thrownness
Facticity
Facticity has a multiplicity of meanings from "factuality" and "contingency" to the intractable conditions of human existence.The term is first used by Fichte and has a variety of meanings...
).
Continental philosophy
The term has been used in this sense by Martin HeideggerMartin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher known for his existential and phenomenological explorations of the "question of Being."...
and Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
.
It has also been used by both Emmanuel Levinas
Emmanuel Lévinas
Emmanuel Levinas was a Lithuanian-born French Jewish philosopher and Talmudic commentator.-Life:Emanuelis Levinas received a traditional Jewish education in Lithuania...
and Jean Luc Nancy in relation to the exposure of one person to another. Something that they consider more fundamental to the independent subject of the cogito
Cogito ergo sum
is a philosophical Latin statement proposed by . The simple meaning of the phrase is that someone wondering whether or not they exist is, in and of itself, proof that something, an "I", exists to do the thinking — However this "I" is not the more or less permanent person we call "I"...
of western philosophy.
It is used concomitantly by philosophers to refer to a heightened state of pleasure or area of consciousness that may have been ignored by other theorists; to sexual experiences with another person, or as a general state of intense emotional rapture
Ecstasy (emotion)
Ecstasy is a subjective experience of total involvement of the subject, with an object of his or her awareness. Because total involvement with an object of our interest is not our ordinary experience since we are ordinarily aware also of other objects, the ecstasy is an example of altered state of...
. These may include epiphany
Epiphany (feeling)
An epiphany is the sudden realization or comprehension of the essence or meaning of something...
, intense consciousness toward another, or extraordinary physical connections to others.
There is also a form of ecstasy described as the vision of, or union with, some otherworldly entity (see religious ecstasy
Religious ecstasy
Religious ecstasy is an altered state of consciousness characterized by greatly reduced external awareness and expanded interior mental and spiritual awareness which is frequently accompanied by visions and emotional/intuitive euphoria...
), of which Plotinus
Plotinus
Plotinus was a major philosopher of the ancient world. In his system of theory there are the three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition...
spoke, this pertains to an individual trancelike experience of the sacred or of God. Current philosophic usage would point instead to an original ecstasy that was dionysian or carnivalesque
Carnivalesque
Carnivalesque is an traces the origins of the carnivalesque to the concept of carnival, itself related to the Feast of Fools, a medieval festival originally of the sub-deacons of the cathedral, held about the time of the Feast of the Circumcision , in which the humbler cathedral officials...
and involved with others in this world.
Addition commentary
As scholar Alphonso Lingis writes:-
- Existential philosophy defined the new concepts of ecstasy or of transcendence to fix a distinct kind of being that is by casting itself out of its own given place and time, without dissipating, because at each moment it projects itself – or, more exactly, a variant of itself – into another place and time. Such a being is not ideality, defined as intuitable or reconstitutable anywhere and at any moment. Ex-istence," understood etymologically, is not so much a state or a stance as a movement, which is by conceiving a divergence from itself or a potentiality of itself and casting itself into that divergence with all that it is
See also
- Phenomenology
- NoumenonNoumenonThe noumenon is a posited object or event that is known without the use of the senses.The term is generally used in contrast with, or in relation to "phenomenon", which refers to anything that appears to, or is an object of, the senses...
- Hypostasis
- OusiaOusiaOusia is the Ancient Greek noun formed on the feminine present participle of ; it is analogous to the English participle being, and the modern philosophy adjectival ontic...
- BeingBeingBeing , is an English word used for conceptualizing subjective and objective aspects of reality, including those fundamental to the self —related to and somewhat interchangeable with terms like "existence" and "living".In its objective usage —as in "a being," or "[a] human being" —it...
- OntologyOntologyOntology is the philosophical study of the nature of being, existence or reality as such, as well as the basic categories of being and their relations...