Life as art from Nietzsche to Foucault: Life, aesthetics, and the task of thinking

"Life as Art from Nietzsche to Foucault" presents a constructive argument for how one may construct one's life through aesthetics. The study begins with an examination of dandyism, which gives a negative point of reference for framing the artful life. From there, Friedrich Nietzsche's exploration of a series of ideal types is examined, revealing the ideal life to be one which playfully blends the critical spirit of science with the illusory spirit of art to create a self which is liberated and affirmative. These lines of argument are pursued in the three parts which follow, beginning with an examination of the "negative" dimension of the artful life in Theodor Adorno and Herbert Marcuse which reveals the necessity of resistance and the possibility for an artful society/individual. This is placed in tension with the "positive" dimension of the artful life, articulated by Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Jean-Luc Marion. Each contributes to the development of "embodied poetic thinking," a concept which signifies the potential for affirming immanence through the various bodily modalities and forms of thought. The work of Marion also shows the possibility for revelation in the artful life. These two moments are concretized by the ethics of Albert Camus and Michel Foucault, who collectively show the ways in which one can deploy the aesthetic in everyday practices directed towards the production of self. Seen through these three loci, life as art provides a means for creating a life which is resistant and affirmative, forging a liberated space into which one may continually deploy the aesthetic to create new selves which give meaning to the world.