氣氛、力量、呼吸：氣學與美學的跨文化探索/Aesthetics of Atmosphere, Force and Breath: Transcultural Explorations
This course explores the interdisciplinary and cross-cultural potential of breath and atmosphere in aesthetic theory and practice. Both breath and atmosphere have become central themes in contemporary continental philosophy. The course seeks to link these concepts to the meaning of qi in Chinese literature and philosophy, thereby fostering a cross-cultural philosophical dialogue. Human beings engage with the world—and are themselves engaged by it—through breathing; indeed, one could argue that breathing is even more fundamental than gazing.
In contemporary philosophy, figures such as Martin Heidegger, Hermann Schmitz, Gernot Böhme, and Luce Irigaray have initiated dialogues with Eastern philosophy and culture, challenging the traditional European understanding of human life and the world. This course, featuring international speakers including Lenart Škof, Francesca Raimondi, Selusi Ambrogio, and Hisayama Yuho, aims to critically analyze traditional philosophical concepts such as qi in order to develop an aesthetics of pneuma grounded in breath, atmosphere, and force.
This is an intensive course, rather than a regular semester-long program of 18 sessions. Students will also be expected to present reflections on the course during a related conference at Academia Sinica on October 1.
