SHEETS JOHNSTONE -Existential Fit and Evolutionary Continuities

8/12/2019 SHEETS JOHNSTONE -Existential Fit and Evolutionary Continuities

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MAXINE SHEETS-JOHNSTONE

E X I S T E N T I A L F I T A N D E V O L U T I O N A R YC O N T I N U I T I E S

Man himselfcould onlyappear when a very high evel of organizationhad been attained.For hands and a big brain wouldnot have made a fishhuman; theywouldonlyhave madea fish impossible.1The reality of evolution is not only the connec tive tissue of the whole ofbiology; silently or not, it threads its way through all studies of animatebeing. Medeau-Ponty' s existential analyses are particularly rich in thisrespect. They answer to the question of human uniqueness and in sodoing engender a certain view of evolutionary continuities. Here wewill take up that answer and view in the form of both a critique and anelaboration of Medeau-Ponty's thought.

The essay is comprised of three sections. The first situates thequestion of human uniqueness in the context of scientific thought andpinpoints problems inherent in the Darwinian scientist's quest forhuman uniqueness. The second section is a critique of Merleau-Ponty'sclaims for human uniqueness. Those claims are implicitly and explicitlyspelled out in his first work, La S truc ture du Compor temen t and they arealso evident in his later writings, especially Phe nom enolog y o f Percept ionand 'Eye and Mind.' A rigorous review of these Claims dramatizes' theneed for acknowledging the evolutionary dimensions of existence andthe evolu tionary problems attaching to analyses of human being-in-the-world. In this sense the critique sets the stage for the concreteelaboration of the radically different view of human uniqueness pithilyif fleetingly suggested by Merleau-Ponty in 'Eye and Mind.' In quitegeneral terms, the critique shows that, failing a direct acknowledge-ment of evolutionary dimensions of existence, existential claimsregarding human uniqueness are left dangl ing : there is no viableframework in which to assess their truth. More importantly, the critiqueshows that existential accounts may themselves call out for complet ion:they may lack a coherent and developed evolutionary context ofmeaning. The third section attempts to provide this context but in sucha way as to continue rather than oppose Merleau-Ponty's thought.Existential fit is a concept presaged in The S truc ture o f Behavio r in theheavily emphasized notion of proprie ty and its concrete expression isSynthese 66 (1986) 219-248. 1986 by D Re idel Publishing Company


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220 M A X I N E S H E E T S - J O H N S T O N Eassumed in Eye and Mind in the passage where Merleau-Pontycapsulizes what it is to be a human body. In brief, on the evolutionaryside, an examina tion of existential fit shows clearly why human unique-ness is to be e labora ted at the level of sensory-kinetic worlds, not at thelevel of features, attributes, organs, accomplishments, and the like. Atthe same time, on the existential side, it shows why a correction is tobe made in the tradit ional existential understanding of the physical andlived bodies; namely, that in a foundational existential-evolutionarysense these bodies are not separate but all of a piece.

1 . T H E Q U E S T I O N O F H U M A N U N I Q U E N E S S I N V I E W O F A NE V O L U T I O N A R Y B I O L O G Y

The question of human uniqueness is as old as the concept of Darwinianevolution. It would never have arisen if Darwin had not upset ahuman-centered applecart. The question has recently become moreurgent. Th e discovery that nonhuman animals make and use tools was acritical factor: tool-making/tool-using was one of the four major factorsidentified by Darwin as being taxonomically distinctive of humanevolution. Along with intelligence, upright posture and reducedcanines, tool-making/tool -using was taken to be an ultimate definingmark of Homo sapiens Once tools proved inadequate to their tax-onomic task, language, presumably taken as the quintessential expres-sion of intelligence, was identified as the feature making humansunique. But controversy regarding this feature has been rife of late withsuch interdisciplinary leaders as Chomsky, Langer, Myers and Wash-burn tugging on the one side 2 and Griffin, E. S. and D. Rumbaugh,Fouts, Premack and their respective contingent of chimpanzees tuggingon the other. 3 As positive claims for uniqueness continue to run intocritical cross-fire, the tugging has become more tenacious. Griffin infact has noted,I t s e e m s t h a t t h e m o r e d i f fi c ul t t h e q u e s t i o n u n d e r c o n s i d e r a t i o n a n d t h e l e ss a d e q u a t e t h ea v a i l a b le e v i d e n c e t h e m o r e d e f i n it e b e c o m e t h e g e n e r a l l y a c c e p t e d a s s e r t i o n s a b o u t t h ed i f fe r e n c e s b e t w e e n h u m a n l a n g u a g e a n d a n i m a l c o m m u n i c a t i o n . 4Actually Griffin gives a most thorough account and review of thecontroversy in terms of mental experience 5 generally. A considerablybriefer quasi-historical account is given by Gould6 who discusses areasin which battles for uniqueness have been waged. The concern to


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E X I S T E N T I L F I T N D E V O L U T I O N R Y C O N T I N U I T I E S 221identify and spell out a human/nonhuman discontinuity, that is, topinpoint human uniqueness, has not been and is not negligible. Al-though not fully recognized as such the task is difficult preciselybecause an affirmation of human uniqueness entails theoretical con-tradictions. These are palpably evident in the fact that first, a vastamount of scientific research (which incidentally may have completelyother aims, e.g., NASA, medical science) is based upon the steadfastevolutionary assumption that insights into nonhuman physiology andbehavior bear directly upon human physiology and behavior. Second,studies in comparative anatomy have demonstrated unequivocal mor-phological continuities between human and nonhuman animals; andthird, genetic research has disclosed foundat ional ties between humansand nonhumans not only in molecular structures such as DNA but alsoby way of protein analyses which show startingly close kinships betweenhumans and nonhumans.

In face of such evidence and the steadfast evolutionary assumption,any affirmation of human uniqueness spelled out in terms of behavioral,morphological or genetic differences appears doomed. The hub of theproblem is of course that if the Darwinian evolutionary model ispreferred over a creationistic model, for example, then actual dis-continuities - absolute, brusque changes - are in some crucial, pivotalinstances impossible to conceive. For example, the idea that one fineevolutionary day, quite out of the blue, a creature began speaking. Thatcreature would be specified as human by definitionbut its parents wouldnot be. There is thus a filial problem which is more than semantic. Whenthe notion of actual discontinuity is brought down to the level ofpaleological reality, that is, to an actual scenario of the past, it appearsincredible precisely because of the sudden break it demands. Where, forfurther example, would the ide of speaking have come from? EvenLucretius 2000 years ago scoffed at the notion tha t speech was one dayinvented by a creature out of the blue]

The problem then in part is that if humans may be specified as uniquein some way today, that uniqueness has a certain lineage, which is to saythat it has made its way through an evolutionary time warp. Whateverthe unique feature, in the beginning, it would have to have grown out ofa broadly typical primate mode of living to the degree that earlyhominids were more closely related in their lifestyle to nonhumanprimates than to today s humans - at least a belief in Darwinianevolution would entail that scenario. At the same time it is apparent


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2 2 2 M A X I N E S H E E T S J O H N S T O N E

t h a t w h i l e fo s s il iz e d to o l s i n c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h o t h e r f o s s il iz e d e v i d e n c el e a d t o c e r t a i n p a l e o a n t h r o p o l o g i c a l r e c o n s t r u c t i o n s , p a r t i c u la rr e c r e a t i o n s o f a human p a s t , s t i c k s c h o s e n a n d m o d i f i e d f o r u s e inf e t c h i n g t e r m i t e s , f o r e x a m p l e , d o n o t f o s si li ze . T h u s w h a t m i g h t a t fi rs ta p p e a r u n i q u e t o h u m a n s m a y w e ll t u r n o u t t o b e a p r a c t i c e c o m m o n t o

n o n h u m a n s . F u r t h e r m o r e , o n e c a n n o t b e s u re t h a t th o s e o r o t h e rn o n h u m a n p r a c t i c e s d o n o t p r e d a t e h o m i n i d o n e s .

O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h e p r o b l e m is p a r t ly d u e t o o t o t h e f a c t th a ta f fi rm a t io n s o f h u m a n u n i q u e n e s s h a v e b e e n v i g o r o u s l y c h a l l e n g e d b yi n n o v a t i v e a n d i n g e n io u s l y d e v i s e d e x p e r i m e n t a l p r o g r a m s w h i c hc o u n t e r t h e p o s i t i v e c la im s b y g i v i n g e v i d e n c e o f , a n d t h u s u n d e r s c o r -i n g , e v o l u t i o n a r y c o n t i n u i ti e s . O n e m i g h t r e f e r h e r e i n f a c t to ab u r g e o n i n g i n d u s tr y r u n b y i n s u r g e n ts w i th a f o u r t h w o r l d p o p u l a t i o n .C e r t a i n l y i t is d if fi c ul t n o t t o c h a r a c t e r i z e t h e o n g o i n g r e s e a r c h w i t hc h i m p a n z e e s a l lu d e d to e a r l ie r a s l a n g u a g e h a b i l i t a ti o n p r o g r a m s .

I n s u m , a n y f e a t u r e o r a b i l it y d e s i g n a t e d a s b e i n g u n i q u e t o h u m a n sc a n n o t b e d i s c r e te l y lo c a t e d i n t h e e v o l u t i o n a r y p a st , t r a c e d b a c k t o ab e g i n n i n g p o i n t i n s t r ic t ly h o m i n i d s p a c e - t im e , a n y m o r e t h a n a h u m a nb e i n g i ts e lf c a n b e s o l o c a t e d . A t t h e s a m e t i m e , t h e f e a t u r e o r a b i li tyc a n n o t b e c o n c l u s i v e l y l o c a t e d i n th e p r e s e n t e i t h e r: a n E g y p t i a nv u l t u r e w h i c h is o b s e r v e d t o t h r o w s t o n e s a t o s t r i c h e g g s 8 o r ac h i m p a n z e e w h i c h l e a rn s A m e s l a n o r o t h e r s y m b o l ic m o d e s o f c o m -m u n i c a t io n , c o n f u t e t h e e r s tw h i l e e v i d e n c e f o r h u m a n u n i q u e n e s s.

2A H U M A N U N I Q U E N E S S I N T H E S T R U C T U R E O F B E H A V I O RA B R I EF EXPOSI TI ON AND C R I TI QUE

M e r l e a u - P o n t y d i d n o t s p e c if i c al ly a d d r e s s t h e t w i n q u e s t i o n s o f h u m a nu n i q u e n e s s a n d e v o l u t i o n a r y c o n t i n u i ti e s , y e t t h e q u e s t i o n s a r e c l e a r ly am a j o r u n d e r c u r r e n t o f c o n c e r n i n h is w ri ti ng s , m o s t n o t a b l y i n TheStructure of ehavior w h e r e h e w r i te s , f o r e x a m p l e , . . . o n e c a n n o ts p e a k o f t h e b o d y a n d o f li fe i n g e n e r a l , b u t o n l y o f th e a n i m a l b o d y a n da n i m a l li fe , o f t h e h u m a n b o d y a n d o f h u m a n l i fe , a n d g o e s o n t o sa yt h a t m a n c a n n e v e r b e a n a n i m a l . ' ' 9 B u t t h e c o n c e r n is a ls o in c i s iv e l y iff l e e t i n g l y a p p a r e n t t o o i n Phenomenology of Perception as we l l a s i n' E y e a n d M i n d . ' I f t h e c o n c e r n i s i n it ia l ly su r p r is i n g , i t c e a s e s t o b e s ot h e m o m e n t o n e r e a l iz e s th a t a n e x i s t e n t ia l i n q u i r y i n t o h u m a n b e i n g is ,w i t t i n g ly o r n o t , a o n e - s i d e d a c c o u n t o f h u m a n / n o n h u m a n d i f fe r e n c e s.T h a t i s , t o d e s c r i b e t h e n a t u r e o f h u m a n b e i n g - i n - t h e - w o r l d i s n e c e s -


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E X I ST E N T I L F I T N D E V O L U T I O N R Y C O N T I N U I T I E S 2 2 3s a r i ly t o s i tu a t e i t i n t h e r e a l i t y o f a n i m a t e b e i n g - i n - t h e - w o r l d : a c la i mf o r h u m a n u n i q u e n e s s is i m p l ic i tl y i f o n e - s i d e d l y s p e l l e d o u t a n d b y t h es a m e t o k e n , s o al so is an a n s w e r t o t h e l a r g e r q u e s t i o n o f e v o l u t i o n a r yc o n t i n u i t i e s .

I n T h e S t ru c t ur e o f B e h a v i o r , M e r l e a u - P o n t y a t t e m p t s t o s h o w t h a to r g a n i s m s h a v e p a r t i c u l a r b e h a v i o r a l a prio r is 1 w h i c h m a k e t h e md i st in c t i v e. F u r t h e r m o r e , b y a n e x a m i n a t i o n o f th e b e h a v i o r a l a pr ior i so f n o n h u m a n a n im a l s, e s p e ci a ll y n o n h u m a n p r i m a t es , 11 M e r l e a u - P o n t ya i m s t o s h o w t h a t h u m a n a pr ior i s a r e d i f f e r e n t i n k i n d . H u m a n s a r eu n i q u e in v i r t u e o f a s u p e r i o r m o d e o f s t r u c t u r a t i o n , a s u p e r i o r f o r mo f l iv i n g in t h e w o r l d . T h e e v i d e n c e o n w h i c h h is c la i m is b a s e d c o m e sf r o m e x p e r i m e n t a l s tu d ie s i n an i m a l p s y c h o l o g y . O n M e r l e a u - P o n t y ' si n t e r p r e ta t i o n o f t h e d a t a, c h i m p a n z e e b e h a v i o r is n o t r e g u l a te d b y t h eo b j e c t i v e p r o p e r t i e s o f a t h in g , i n w h i c h c a s e t h e t h i n g - a b o x , a ro d , ar i n g - w o u l d b e p e r c e i v e d a s b e i n g a s u c h - a n d - s u c h a n d a s b e i n ga m e n a b l e t o s u c h - a n d - s u c h u s a g e s r e g a r d le s s o f w h e r e o r u n d e r w h a tc o n d i t io n s i t m i g h t b e p e r c e iv e d . T h e c h i m p a n z e e c a n n o t r e c o g n i z es o m e t h i n g i n d if f e r e n t p e r s p e c t i v e s a s t h e s a m e t h i n g . ~2 B e c a u s e i td o e s n o t p e r c e i v e t h e e s s e nt ia l n a t u r e o f th i n g s o r t h e i r r e l a ti o n a lp o s s i b i li t ie s - a b o x a s a s e a t, f o r in s t a n c e , a n d t h e s a m e b o x a s a ni n s t r u m e n t , e . g . , f o r r e a c h i n g f o o d ~3 - t h e c h i m p a n z e e l a c k s t h e a b i l i tyt o t r a n s f o r m t h i n g s in it s w o r l d . M e r l e a u - P o n t y c l a im s t h a t t h e c h i m -p a n z e e l a c k s b o t h t h e p o s s i bi li ty o f tr a n s f o r m i n g i ts b e h a v i o r r e l a t iv e t oa n i n s t r u m e n t a n d t h e p o s s ib i li ty o f tr a n s p o s i n g s o m e t h i n g i n it se n v i r o n m e n t i n a w a y r e l a t i v e t o i ts o w n b e h a v i o r , a s w h e n i t is t h e g o a lt h a t m u s t m o v e i n re l a t i o n t o t h e c h i m p a n z e e i t se lf as a s ta t i o n a r y p a r to f t h e b e h a v i o r a l f i el d. L a c k i n g a m u l t i p li c it y o f p e r s p e c t i v e s u p o n t h es a m e o b j e c t , t h e c h i m p a n z e e h a s n o p o s s i b il it y o f f r e e o r c o g n i t i v ec o n d u c t : i t is i n c a p a b l e o f s y m b o l i c b e h a v i o r . T T h e c h i m p a n z e e i s t h u ss e e n a s l o c k e d i n t o p a r t i c u l a r s t r u c t u r e s o f b e h a v i o r w h i c h p r e c l u d e a no p e n n e s s to t r u t h a n d an u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e p r o p e r v a l u e o ft h i ng s . ' 'aS

I n th e p r o c e s s o f m a k i n g t h is c a s e f o r h u m a n u n i q u e n e s s , M e r l e a u -P o n t y c o m e s c l o s e a t tw o p o i n t s t o s u g g e s t i n g t h a t h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o ft h e t e s ts is n o t r e a l l y f a i r s i n c e t h e t e s ts t a k e t h e a n i m a l o u t o f it s n a t u r a lb e h a v i o r a l f r a m e w o r k ; 16 a n d t h a t t h e o b s e r v e d c h i m p a n z e e b e h a v i o rm i g h t b e b e t t e r l i k e n e d t o, a n d m e a s u r e d a g a in s t t h e b e h a v i o r o f h u m a nc h i ld r e n o r p r i m i t i v e h u m a n s th a n a g a in s t t h e b e h a v i o r o f h u m a na d u l t s, av B u t t h e s e p o t e n t i a l l y s i g n i f i c a n t a n d c r i t ic a l p o i n t s a r e n o t


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224 M A X I N E S H E E T S J O H N S T O N E

actually taken up as such. On the contrary, they are pointedly used asevidence to show that the chimpanzee's world is a mechanical-staticone which does not measure u p to the geometric-physical one ofhumans, most specifically, of world-wise humans. Thus Merleau-Pontydoes not consider the possibility that that judgement is skewed whichassays intelligence in the chimpanzee on wholly human grounds. Hedoes not consider, for example, that upright posture, while assumed andassumable by a chimpanzee, is not its dominant postural attitude andthat this fact might have something to do with its not stacking boxes inequilibrium:TM if in its common state a chimpanzee is never at a loss forbalance, then verticality is not felt, that is, it is not lived through as ahazard or as something to be achieved. Merleau-Ponty's analysis is inthis sense biased in respect to both his interpretat ion and his theoreticaluse of the data.

To appreciate the criticality of this bias one might suppose, forexample, that some humans were taken captive (as opposed to beingobserved and studied in the wild) by some inquisitive, enterprising,knowledge-seeking gibbon researchers and asked to brachiate 100 feetin the air in the middle storey of a rainforest, to a goal (a hamburger?)hanging from a tree limb some quarter of a mile away. The question ofcommunication aside - how do the humans know what the gibbonsexpect of them, how do they know, for instance, that there s a goal,much less where it is? - how would the humans fare according to thegibbons? Would the gibbons liken the humans' efforts to their young orto primitive gibbons?; or, since they think humans more intelligentthan some other vertebrates, would they compare their efforts straight-away with adult gibbons? Would they justify the reasonableness of thetask on the grounds that humans are capable of brachiating andbrachiate on occasion (on playground rings and gymnastic equipment)in the same way that they, the gibbons themselves, are capable ofwalking upright and indeed do so on the forest floor? Would theyfurthermore think that it is no different for them to ask humans to maketheir way in a treetop world than for humans to ask chimpanzees tomake their way in an upright one? Would they think the efforts of thehumans clumsy, over-cautious, lacking judgement, indecisive, un-cooperative? Would they characterize them as slow learners? Mightthey even think that given e.g., disinterested, uncooperative, coweringresponses, humans are primarily emotional creatures incapable of thosecognitive functions which would allow them to judge distances


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E X I S T E N T I L F I T N D E V O L U T I O N R Y C O N T I N U I T I E S 5

e f f ic i e n tly a nd in t e l l ige n t ly o r t o pe r c e ive a nd w e igh a dva n ta ge s o fa l t e r na t ive r ou te s w i th p r ec i s ion a nd d i spa tc h , a nd so on? As f a r f e t c he das th is scenar io m igh t a t f i r st appear , i t is not . a l toge ther f ic t iona l . O new e l l - k n o w n a n d r e s p e c te d a n t h r o p o l o g i s t w h o s e i n t el l ig e n c e w o u l d n o tIbe do ub te d m a de h im se l f t he sub je c t o f hi s s tudy a nd d i sc ove r e d tha t hewas a fa i lure a t f ishing for termites with a s t ick.191

M er lea u-P on ty ' s c la ims suf fe r f rom ano the r bias as we l l , bu t th is oneIuna vo ida b le a n d a pp a r e n t now on ly in r e t rospe c t . Th i s b i a s a c tua llyame l iora tes to som e exte nt the abov e c r i t ic i sm of h~s e f for ts to es tabl i shbio logica l grou nds for hu ma n un iqueness . S ince ja il o f the sc ient i f ics tudies he u t i l ized were don e pr ior to 1942 wl)en La Structure duComportement wa s f ir st pub l i she d in F r a nc e , M e r le a u - P on ty ne c e ssa ri lyr e l ie d on e xpe r im e n ta l s tud ie s o f t he 1930 's a nd e a r li e r. Th e k ind a ndam ou nt o f l i te ra ture ava i lab le on no nh um an pr imat , ~.s were thus s evere lyr e s t r i c t ive by toda y ' s s t a nda r ds a nd so a l so wa s :he ne a r ly e xc lus ivebehavior is t ic bent of sc ient i f ic l i te ra ture on ani r la ls o ther than pr i -mates . Eth olo gica l rese a rch and f ie ld s tudies of an i mals in the i r na tu ra lha b i t a t s we r e ha r d ly c om m on a t t ha t t im e ; p r o le c t s de vo te d to a nunde r s t a nd ing o f nonhum a n a n im a l s in the i r own wor lds we r e ba r e lyunde r wa y . Thus , ha d the y be e n c u r r e n t a nd /o r a ' t a i l a b le a t t he t im e ,s tud ies showing the use o f sym b o l i c ge s tu r e s by l~ ygm y c h im pa nz e e s ,f o r e xa m ple , 2 - t o s a y no th ing o f be e da nc e s o r the l a ngua g eha b i l i t a tion p r og r a m s m e n t ion e d e a r l i e r - wou ld l~ ave r e a d i ly s toppe dM e r le a u - P on ty f r om m a k ing a s t a t e m e n t suc h a s , I ' I n a n im a l be ha v io rs igns a lwa ys re m a in s igna l s a nd ne ve r be c o m e sym bol s . '21 M o r e ov e rs tudies showing a ch impanzee ' s ab i l i ty to d i f fe re l l t ia te invar iant pro-per t ie s of th ings in i ts en vi r on me nt 22 wo uld hav ehis cent ra l thes is tha t ch impanzees lack a l l sensesum , in de f a u l t o f a n e x te ns ive de sc r ip t ive a nd e xM e r l e a u - P o n t y ' s a n a l y s i s a n d j u d g e m e n t s w e r ethe y we r e un t e m pe r e d by a w ide a nd so l id ly ba se do f n o n h u m a n a n i m a l b e h a v i o r .

I f v i e we d d i r e c t ly in t e r m s o f hum a n un ique n(c ou ld be a dde d to the f i rs t two . No t o n ly was the dhuman uniqueness severe ly l imi ted and inva l ida te~a b le toda y , a nd no t on ly wa s i t i n t e r p r e t e d a nd iex t r ins ic to i t sel f , bu t s om e qui te te l l ing da ta app eawhi l e a c c oun t s a r e g ive n o f nonhum a n a n im a l ta c c oun t s a r e g ive n o f hum a n be ha v io r . The d i s t i :

) een equa l ly fa ta l to~f th in gs as such Ine r im e n ta l l i t e r atu r e ,Lhemselves skewed:r e s e ar c h k n o w l e d g ess, a third cr i t ic ismata used to es tabl i sht by evidence ava i l -u d g e d b y s t a n d a r d s

m iss ing a l toge the r :, ehavior , no s imi la rlgu i sh ing f e a tu r e o f


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h u m a n k i n d - c o n s c i o u s n e s s o r m e n t a l i t y - is n o t c a r v e d o u t b u t is t a k e nas a fa i t accompl i f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g 23 a n d i n f a c t a s a fai t accomplie x c l u s i v e in t h e b i o l o g i c a l w o r l d . I n e f f e c t , h u m a n u n i q u e n e s s is n o tg r o u n d e d b y M e r l e a u - P o n t y i n a n a n al ys is o f h u m a n r e al it ie s th e m -s e l v e s a n d t h a t a n a l y s i s t a k e n i n c o m p a r i s o n w i t h a n a n a l y s i s o fn o n h u m a n r e a li ti e s. 24 H u m a n r e a li t i e s a r e i n l a r g e m e a s u r e t a k e n f o rg r a n t e d . P e r c e i v i n g t h e s a m e o b j e c t i n d i ff e r e n t g u is e s, f o r e x a m p l e , isu n a n a l y z e d e i t h e r a s a g e n e r a l o r a s a d e v e l o p m e n t a l h u m a np h e n o m e n o n . A n e u t ra l r e a d e r o f The S tructure o f ehav ior m i g h t t h u sg e t t h e i m p r e s s i o n t h a t M e r l e a u - P o n t y is b i a s e d t o b e g i n w i th i nw a n t i n g t o m a k e t h e c l a i m t h a t h u m a n s a r e u n i q u e i n k i n d r a t h e r t h a n ind e g r e e . T h i s i m p r e s s i o n i s b o l s t e r e d b y c l e a r i n d i c a t io n s i n t h e t e x t th a tM e r l e a u - P o n t y d o e s n o t w a n t t o v o u c h s a f e intell igence t o n o n h u m a np r i m a t e s : I s it n o t t o t h is m o d e o f o r g a n i z a t i o n t h a t t h e t e r mi n t e l li g e n c e o u g h t to b e r e s e r v e d ? h e a sk s i n r e s p e c t t o h is u n a n a l y z e db u t p o s i t e d s u p e r i o r m o d e o f s t ru c t u r a t i o n ; 2s W i l l it e v e r b ec o m p l e t e l y ? h e a s ks in re s p e c t t o th e f u n c t i o n o f a th i n g b e in g g r a s p e dw i t h m o r e t h a n p a r t i a l p r e c i s i o n , i. e ., a b o x a s d i r e c t ly i n s t r u m e n t a lr a t h e r t h an a s a v a g u e s o m e t h i n g - o r - o t h e r w h i c h m i g h t h a v e s o m e -t h i n g t o d o w i t h t h e b e h a v i o r a l f ie l d . 26

Y e t M e r l e a u - P o n t y w o u l d s e e m t o w a n t t o s ay als o th a t h u m a n s a n dn o n h u m a n s d i f f e r in d e g r e e a s w e l l a s i n k i n d s in c e n o n h u m a n a n i m a ls t r u c t u r e s - t h e v i t a l s t r u c t u r e s - a r e e n f o l d e d in h u m a n s t r u c t u r e s . B u tt hi s c la i m is n e v e r a c t u a ll y m a d e b e c a u s e t h e k i n d o f e v o l u t i o n a r yc o n t i n u i t i e s e s s e n t i a l t o i t s r e a l i z a t i o n n e v e r s u r f a c e . B e h a v i o r a l c o n -t in u i t ie s e x i st f o r M e r l e a u - P o n t y o n l y in t h e f o r m o f f u n d a m e n t a lb i o l o g i c a l d i m e n s i o n s o f l i fe , t h a t i s, i n th e f o r m o f p r o p e r l y v it a lc a t e g o r i e s - t h e s e x u a l o b j e c t , t h e a l i m e n t a r y o b j e c t , t h e n e s t . . . . ,,2 v A l lo r g a n i s m s re a l i z e t h e s e b i o l o g i c a l n e c e s s i ti e s a c c o r d i n g t o t h e i r p r e -f e r r e d b e h a v i o r s . ' '2 8 E v o l u t i o n a r y c o n t i n u i t i e s a r e p r e s e n t t h e r e f o r eo n l y in t h e s e n s e t h a t e v e r y li v in g c r e a t u r e i n o n e w a y o r a n o t h e r f in d sf o o d , e a t s , f i n d s a m a t e , m a t e s , p e r c e i v e s d a n g e r s , a v o i d s t h e m , a n d s oo n . T h e r e is n o s i g n if i ca n t d i f f e r e n c e i n d e g r e e h e r e a t a ll : e a t in g ise a t i n g a n d s l e e p i n g is s l e ep i n g . T h a t a c h i m p a n z e e e a t s m o r e m e a t t h a na g o r i ll a b u t l e ss t h a n a h u m a n , f o r e x a m p l e , m i g h t b e o f i n t e r e s t t o a ne c o l o g i s t o r t o a v e g e t a r i a n b u t is h a r d l y a s u ff i c ie n t b a s i s f o r m a i n t a i n -i ng t h e r e a r e e v o l u t i o n a r y d i f f e re n c e s in d e g r e e . W h a t w o u l d b en e c e s s a r y t o t h e l a tt e r w o u l d b e a n a c c o u n t o f h o w v i ta l s t r u c t u r e s a r e


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i n f a c t e n f o l d e d i n h u m a n s t r u c t u r e s , t h a t i s , h o w c e r t a i n n o n h u m a na n i m a l b e h a v i o r s a r e e n c o m p a s s e d w i t h in h u m a n b e h a v i o r s o r c o n -v e r s e ly , h o w h u m a n b e h a v i o r s h a v e t h e i r a n t e c e d e n t s in n o n h u m a nb e h a v i o r s . W h e n t h e o p p o r t u n i t y a r i s e s t o e x a m i n e t h i s r e l a t i o n s h i p ,M e r l e a u - P o n t y i n f a c t t u r n s h is b a c k o n i t, a s w e h a v e s e e n i n r e s p e c t t oi n t e l l i g e n c e .

W h a t is p e c u l i a r is t h a t M e r l e a u - P o n t y s e e m s t o p r o m i s e a d i f f e r e n c ei n d e g r e e f r o m t h e v e r y b e g i n n i n g o f t h e b o o k . I n h is fi rs t s e n t e n c e h es ta t es , O u r g o a l is t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e re l a t io n s o f c o n s c i o u s n e s s a n dn a t u r e . . . . , ,29 A p a g e l a t e r h e s t a te s t h a t h is m e t h o d o f r e a c h i n g t hi sg o a l is t o s ta r t ' f r o m b e l o w ' a n d b y a n a n a ly s is o f t h e n o t i o n o fb e h a v i o r . ' '3 I n e f f e c t , f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g , t h e r e is a h i g h e r a n d a l o w e ro r d e r - e v e n t u a l l y e x p o s i t e d in te r m s o f a h u m a n m e n t a l i t y a n d an o n h u m a n a n i m a l v i t a l i t y w h i c h a r e t o b e c o n j o i n e d i n s o m e w a y .I n d e e d , w h i l e M e r l e a u - P o n t y w a n t s t o s h o w t h a t th e h u m a n o r d e r i s an e w u n i t y b y v i r t u e o f a r e o r g a n i z a t i o n o f st r u c t u r e s , h e a l s o w a n t s t os h o w t h a t t h e h u m a n o r d e r is c o - e x t e n s i v e w i t h t h e l o w e r p h y s i c a l a n dv i t a l o r d e r s : h e w a n t s , i n h i s o w n w o r d s , t o s h o w t h a t t h e h i g h e r i s

l i b e r a t e d f r o m t h e l o w e r b u t a t t h e s a m e t im e is f o u n d e d u p o n it . 31B u t a s n o t e d , t h e f o u n d i n g a s p e c t i n a n e v o l u t i o n a r y s e n s e a p p e a r s t o b en o t h i n g m o r e t h a n t h e m e r e f a c t th a t h u m a n s , l i ke n o n h u m a n s , e a t,m a t e , a n d s o o n . I t is t h e l i b e r a t e d a s p e c t t h a t is a ll - c o m p e l l i n g . I n d e e d ,i n th e t r a n s f o r m a t i o n f r o m v i ta l to h u m a n o r d e r , t h e f o r m e r is a ll b u td e v o u r e d . I n a t t e m p t i n g t o m a k e m o r e p r e c i se th e re l a ti o n s o f t h ep r o p e r l y h u m a n d i a l ec t i c w i t h t h e v i ta l d ia l e c ti c b y u si n g t h e e x a m p l e o ft h e F r e u d i a n s y s te m , '3 2 f o r e x a m p l e , M e r l e a u - P o n t y s p e a k s o f s o m ep e o p l e w h o f ai l t o li v e a h u m a n l i fe ; f o r i n s t a n c e , p r i s o n e r s o f ap a r e n t a l c o m p l e x . . . [ w h o ] b e l i e v e t h e y ' a r e m a r r y i n g ' w h e n i n r e a l i t yt h e y a r e s e e k i n g a m a t e r n a l p r o t e c t i o n . '3 2 H e g o e s o n t o sa y , T h i s isb e c a u s e t h e r e o r g a n i z a t i o n , t h e n e w b i r t h . . , is a c c o m p l i s h e d in t h e m inw o r d a n d n o t i n re a l it y . '3 4 I n c o n t r a s t t o s u c h s e e m i n g l y p s e u d o -h u m a n s , t h e r e a r e o t h e r m e n , c a p a b l e o f i n t e g ra t in g i n to th e i re x i s t e n c e , b y u n i f y in g i t, w h a t i n t h e p r e c e d i n g o n e s w a s o n l y i d e o l o g i -c a l p r e t e x t , a n d t h e s e w o u l d b e t r u l y m e n . W i t h r e s p e c t t o t h e m , t h ec a u s a l e x p l a n a t i o n s o f F r e u d w o u l d a l w a y s b e a n e c d o t a l ; t h e y w o u l da c c o u n t o n l y f o r t h e m o s t e x t e r n a l a s p e c t s o f a t ru e l o v e j u s t a s,a c c o r d i n g t o F r e u d h i m s e l f , p h y s i o l o g i c a l e x p l a n a t i o n s d o n o t e x h a u s tt h e c o n t e n t o f a d r e a m . ''3 s I n b r i e f, i f t h e f o u n d i n g a s p e c t is e x p r e s s e d


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2 2 8 M A X IN E SH E E T S J O H N ST O N E

o r a p p a r e n t a t all in a n e v o l u t i o n a r y s en s e , it a p p e a r s a s a h i n d r a n c e t ol iv i n g a h u m a n e x i s t e n c e r a t h e r t h a n a s a p o s i t i v e , i f s u r p a s s e d ,d i m e n s i o n o f i t .

2B BE Y O N D T H E S T R U C T U R E O F B E H V I O RM e r l e a u - P o n t y d i d n o t c o n t in u e t o e x p lo r e n o n h u m a n a n im a l b e h a v i o ra s t h e f o u n d a t i o n f o r u n d e r s t a n d i n g c o n s c i o u s n e s s b u t n e i t h e r d i d h ea m e n d h is o r i g in a l in t e r p r e t a t i o n s a n d j u d g e m e n t s o r r e s c i n d t h e m a ss u c h i n h is l a t e r w o r k s . T h e q u e s t i o n o f h u m a n u n i q u e n e s s m i g h t th u sb e t h o u g h t t o h a v e b e e n e i t h e r c o n c lu s i v e l y a n s w e r e d o r a b a n d o n e d b yM e r l e a u - P o n t y a s h e t u r n e d h is a t t e n t i o n t o h u m a n r e a l it y i ts e lf a n d t o ad e e p e r a n d d e e p e r p e n e t r a t io n o f t h e h u m a n b o d y a s p h e n o m e n a lc e n t e r o f t h a t r e a li ty . B u t a s n o t e d e a r l i e r , t o d e s c r i b e t h e n a t u r e o fh u m a n b e i n g - i n - t h e - w o r l d is n e c e s s a r i l y t o s i t u a te i t i n t h e r e a l i ty o fa n i m a t e b e i n g - i n - th e - w o r l d : a c la i m fo r h u m a n u n i q u e n e s s is a d u m -b r a t e d if n o t s p e l l e d o u t d i r e c tl y . T h u s , t h o u g h h is a t t e n t i o n s h i f t e d to am o r e e x c l u s i v e f o c u s , t h e q u e s t i o n o f h u m a n u n i q u e n e s s w a s sti l le n g e n d e r e d a n d w a s n e c e s s a r il y p u r s u e d i n h is l a t e r w o r k . A t t h e s a m et i m e , a n d n o d o u b t b e c a u s e t h e q u e s t i o n w a s o n l y i n d i r e c t ly a d d r e s s e d ,t h e o r i g i n a l a s s u m p t i o n s r e m a i n e d u n e x a m i n e d . T h a t t h is is s o isa p p a r e n t i n Phenom enology of Perception f o r e x a m p l e , w h e r e M e r l e a u -P o n t y p u t f o r t h t h e c o n c e p t i o n o f r a ti o n a l i ty a n d c e r t ai n b e h a v i o r sg o i n g h a n d i n h a n d , t h a t is , h u m a n h a n d in h u m a n h a n d . E a r l ie r in TheStructure of Behavior M e r l e a u - P o n t y w r o t e , M a n is n o t a r a t i o n a la n i m a l . ''3 6 W h a t h e m e a n t w a s t h a t m a n is n o t a n a n i m a l t o w h i c hr a t i o n a l i t y h a s b e e n a d d e d . I t is n o t a m a t t e r o f a n e w i n g r e d i e n t b u t o f an e w u n i t y - a r e o r g a n i z a t i o n o f s t r u c t u r e s o f b e h a v i o r . L a t e r , inPhenom enology of Perception h e w r o t e , i t is n o m e r e c o i n c i d e n c e t h a tt h e r a t i o n a l b e i n g i s a l s o t h e o n e w h o h o l d s h i m s e l f u p r i g h t o r h a s at h u m b w h i c h c a n b e b r o u g h t o p p o s i t e t o t h e f i n g e r s ; t h e s a m e m a n n e ro f e x i s t i n g i s e v i d e n t i n b o t h a s p e c t s . ''3 7 T h i s s t a t e m e n t i s a c t u a l l yf o l lo w e d b y a f o o t n o t e r e f e r r i n g t o t w o p a g e s o f The Struc ture ofBehavior w h i c h h a v e t o d o w i t h a n o r g a n i s m ' s p r e f e r r e d b e h a v i o r s ,b e h a v i o r s w h i c h a r e e x p r e s s e d b y a v a r i e ty o f a prioris: e . g . , c e r t a i nc o n s t a n t s o f c o n d u c t , o f se n s i b le a n d m o t o r t h r e s h o l d s , o f a ff e c t i v it y , o ft e m p e r a t u r e , o f b l o o d p r e s s u r e . . . . ,,3 s N o w t h e p r o b l e m a t a s tr i c tl yp h i l o s o p h i c a l l e v e l is t h a t i f t h e s a m e m a n n e r o f e x i s t i n g is s i m p l y am a t t e r o f p r e f e r r e d b e h a v i o r s , t h e n th e o p a ci t i e s o f t h e e a r l i e r w o r k


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E X I S T E N T I A L F I T A N D E V O L U T I O N A R Y C O N T I N U I T I E S 2 2 9h a v e c l e a rl y n o t b e e n r e p a i r e d b u t s i m p ly r e c h r is t e n e d : t h e o n e - t o - o n ec o r r e s p o n d e n c e b e t w e e n r a t i o n a l i t y a n d u p r i g h t p o s t u r e o r b e t w e e nr a t i o n a li ty a n d a n o p p o s a b l e t h u m b is s y n o n y m o u s w it h a s u p e r i o rm o d e o f s t r u c t u r a t i o n . B u t if , a s M e r l e a u - P o n t y s t a t e d j u s t a f e w p a g e sl a t e r i n P h e n o m e n o l o g y o f P e r c ep ti ont h e r e i s n o t . . a f o r m o f b e h a v i o u r w h i c h d o e s n o t o w e s o m e t h i n g t o p u r e ly b io l o g ic a lb e i n g . . a n d c a u s e f o r m s o f v i ta l b e h a v i o u r to d e v i a t e f r o m t h e ir p r e - o r d a i n e d d i r e ct i ont h r o u g h a s o r t o f leakage 39t h e n t h e l e a k a g e s m u s t b e e i t h e r p e c u l i a r ly d e l e t e r i o u s - a s p e r t h ea f o r e m e n t i o n e d p s e u d o - h u m a n s s u ff e ri n g F r e u d i a n m a l a di e s a n d inw h i c h c a s e l e a k a g e p a r a d o x i c a l l y ru n s c o u n t e r t o th e r e a l i z a ti o n o f at r u e h u m a n i t y - o r t h e t e r m l e a k a g e a p p e a r s t o b e a m i s n o m e r : a

p r e f e r r e d b e h a v i o r c a n h a r d l y b e s aid t o c o n s t i t u t e a l e a k . T oc o n c e i v e u p r i g h t p o s t u r e o r a n o p p o s a b l e t h u m b , f o r e x a m p l e , a s as p i l l i n g o v e r o f a b i o l o g i c a l f o r m o n t o a h u m a n o r c u l t u r a l f o r m i s t oc o n f o u n d e v o l u t i o n a r y t h e o r y . C u l t u r e a n d h u m a n i t y a re a n o u t g r o w t ho f b i o l o g i c a l li fe n o t i ts f o u n d a t i o n a l f o r e r u n n e r s .

F u r t h e r m o r e , t h e p h i l o so p h i c a l p r o b l e m is s u b st a nt ia l ly c o m p o u n d e dw h e n t h e s a m e m a n n e r o f e x i s ti n g is e x a m i n e d b i o lo g i ca l ly . A no p p o s a b l e t h u m b a n d u p r i g h t p o s t u r e a r e p a r t o f a g r e a t a p e ' s h e r i t a g e .G r o o m i n g , f o r e x a m p l e , c o u l d n o t ta k e p l a c e i f t h e t h u m b w e r e n o to p p o s a b l e t o t h e f i n g e r s ; t w i g s c o u l d n o t b e s t r i p p e d o f l e a v e s i f a d ig i t a lo p p o s a b i l it y w e r e n o t p r e s e n t. T h e o p p o s a b i li ty o f a h u m a n a n dn o n h u m a n p r i m a t e t h u m b is d i f fe r e n t i n d e g r e e b u t n o t in k in d . T h es a m e i s t r u e o f u p r i g h t p o s t u r e . I n f a c t, c h i m p a n z e e s a r e c a p a b l e o fs e v e r a l d if f e re n t m o d e s o f b i p e d a l w a l k in g a n d e v e n b a b o o n s - O l dW o r l d m o n k e y s - w a l k b i p e d a l l y a t t im e s . 4 I n t h e u p r i g h t p o s t u r e o fh u m a n s a n d n o n h u m a n s t h e r e is a g a i n a d i f f e r e n c e in d e g r e e , n o t ink i n d . I n c o n s e q u e n c e , o n e c a n a s k , d o e s u p r i g h t p o s t u r e o r a n o p p o s -a b le t h u m b b e l o n g t o th e h u m a n o r d e r o r t h e v i ta l o r d e r ? C a n t w oo r d e r s b e c l e a r l y d i s ti n g u i s h e d i n t h e s e t e r m s a t a ll ? A l es s c o n c l u s i v eb u t n o t u n s i m i l a r s i t u a t i o n i s a p p a r e n t i n r e s p e c t t o r a t i o n a l i t y . I fr a t i o n a l i t y c a n b e s e r i o u s l y e x a m i n e d b y a p h i l o s o p h e r i n r e l a t i o n t obee s 4~ a n d i f t h e n e g a t i v e f i n d in g s f r o m t h a t e x a m i n a t i o n c a n b es e r i o u s l y c h a l l e n g e d b y b i o l o g i s ts , 42 t h e n t h e q u e s t i o n o f r a t i o n a li n t e l l i g e n c e i n t h e a n i m a t e w o r l d c a n n o t b e a n a l r e a d y s e t t l e d o n e a n dn e i t h e r, b y t h e s a m e t o k e n , c a n t h e q u e s t i o n o f h u m a n u n i q u e n e ss .

H o w t h e n is o n e to u n d e r s t a n d t h e s a m e m a n n e r o f e x i s t in g ? T h e


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230 M A X I N E S H E E T S J O H N S T O N Eevidence seems to point toward the possibility that the same manner ofexisting exists itself along a continuum. Indeed, arguments against thatpossibility collide with a Darwinian evolutionary world. Moreover ifhumans are not animals to which rationality has been added, thenperhaps nonhuman animals are not animals from which rationality hasbeen subtracted. Given these perspectives, features such as uprightposture or attributes such as rationality cannot be plucked out of abiological repertoire and made to dance on exclusively human feet. Tounderstand the same manne r of existing, what is necessary to beginwith is a broader and deeper understanding of nonhuman animalbehavior. A rmed with such evolutionary understandings, amendmentsand corrections may be made of Merleau-Ponty 's thought as suggestedabove. But in fact it is possible not only to amend and correctMerleau-Ponty's thought; it is possible at the same time to c o n t i n u e it.In the last published work before his death, Merleau-Pon ty wrote,There is a human body when betwe en the seeing and the seen between touching and thetouched between one eye and the other between hand and hand a blending of some sorttakes place - when the spark is lit between sensing and sensibles lighting the fire that willnot stop burning until some accident of the body will undo what no accident wouldhave sufficed to do . . . . 43Surely there is an altogether different notion of human uniquenessexpressed in these lines, lines which incidentally are repeated in lesseloquent fashion in Merleau-Ponty's posthumous work, T h e V i si b le a n dthe I nv i s ib l e 44 It is as if a blueprint were given whereby one couldrecognize a human not by its attributes or by its organs, for example,but by the peculiar subtleties of its experiences. The level of distinctionhas been deepened: it is no longer a question of behavior but of whatone might call sensory-kinetic domains. Given this new and deeperinsight it is possible to flesh out Merleau-Ponty's account of theuniqueness of human being-in-the-world from an enhanced existential-evolu tionary perspective. Existential fit is the key to that perspective. Inthe first place, the concept of existential fit provides the framework formaking some necessary corrections, e.g., of Merleau-Ponty's earlyformulations of the physical body which, coupled with a reading of theavailable experimental scientific literature of the day, led him toespouse an absolute evolutionary discontinuity between humans andnonhumans. Of equal if not greater significance, the concept allows anelaboration of his later writings in which, as indicated above, in-


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complete but provocative glimpses of human uniqueness appear. Inshort, through an exposition of the concept of existential fit anddescriptive accounts of its expression, an existential-evolutionarydimension of being is uncovered which provides the context foramending and fleshing out MerIeau-Ponty's accounts of human being,for grounding their validity and integrity, and for coming to an originalunderstanding which anchors human uniqueness in the heart of life -both human and nonhuman - as it is lived rather than in the abstractedrealities of features, organs, or behaviors. At this level, one might say,behavior becomes style and the outside spectator becomesphenomenologist.45

3. E X I S T E N T I L F I TIn existential studies, the physical and lived bodies are usually describedas oppositional. The one belongs to a third person world, the other to afirst person world; the one is there for others, the other is here for me.From what point of view is this opposition discovered and concep-tualized? It is not the definitive conclusion of a phenomenology of thebody - an insight discovered through a foundational and thoroughgoingdescription of human bodily life. It is discovered in the analysis ofcertain bodily experiences tempered by two already drawn dichotomies:that of the self and the social (or the public and the private) as inSartre's my body for me and by body for others, and especially that ofthe existential and the scientific, as in the early writings of Merleau-Ponty and the writings of many other existential philosophers. In brief,it is a description and conception of the body which is rooted in certainviews and/or practices common to the Western world. From thisperspective it is preeminently a cultural conception of bodily being. Tobalance the corporeal scale one needs to dig down below the surface ofthe cultural and consider th e phenomenon of bodily being in existential-evolutionary perspective, a perspective in which the fundamental lifetheme of existential fit is everywhere apparent. A fish, for example, is acreature which lives the life of a fish. But it is not of course a quest ion offish alone: no creature in the world is a physical specimen upon which acertain mode of living is grafted and neither is it a certain mode ofliving upon which a certain enabling physicality is grafted. That a fish isa creature which lives the life of a fish is rooted not in causal or


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t e l e o l o g i c a l a c c o u n t s o f b e h a v i o r b u t i n t h e q u i n t e s s e n ti a l c o h e r e n c y o fp h y s i c a l a n d l i v e d b o d i e s - i n e x i s t e n t ia l fi t.S i n c e t h e m a j o r c o n c e n t r a t i o n o f th i s s e c t i o n w i ll b e o n a n e x p e r i e n -

t i a l a c c o u n t o f e x i s t e n t i a l f i t , i t w o u l d b e w e l l t o i n d i c a t e b r i e f l yb e f o r e h a n d s o m e t h i n g o f w h a t i s i n v o l v e d i n i t s m e t h o d o l o g i c a l e l u c i -d a t i o n - a n d t h u s s o m e t h i n g o f t h e c o n c e p t u a l s h i ft s i t e n t a il s - a n ds o m e t h i n g a l s o o f i t s c h a r a c t e r i n e v o l u t i o n a r y a n d e x i s t e n t i a l t e r m s .

T h e m e t h o d o l o g i c a l s i g n i f i c a n c e o f t h e h y p h e n a t e d a d j e c t i v e , e x i s -t e n t i a l - e v o l u t i o n a r y , c a n b e c a p s u l i ze d i n th e s i m p l e s t w a y p e r h a p s b yq u o t i n g f r o m M e r l e a u - P o n t y ' s p o s t h u m o u s w o r k , The Visible and theInvisible a n d s a y i n g t h a t h e r e t o o , r e v e r s i b i l i t y . . . is t h e u l t i m a t et r u t h . '4 6 I n s o f a r a s w h a t e x i s t s e v o l v e s a n d w h a t e v o l v e s e x i s ts , w h a t i sr e q u i s i te i s a r e a d i n g o f e x i s te n t i al i n s c r ip t i o n s in e v o l u t i o n a r y a c c o u n t so f l if e a n d a r e a d i n g o f e v o l u t i o n a r y i n s c r i p t io n s i n e x i s t e n ti a l a c c o u n t so f l i f e . W h a t i s t o b e u n d e r s t o o d t h e n i s n o t a p h y s i c o - c h e m i c a l o rp h y s i o l o g i c a l b o d y i n r e l a t i o n t o a l iv e d b o d y , b u t l i fe i ts e l f - a n i m a t eb e i n g - a s a n e x i s t e n t ia l - e v o l u t i o n a r y p h e n o m e n o n . H e r e t h e p h y s i c a lb o d y is p l a c e d n o t i n t h e c u l t u r a l p e r s p e c t i v e o f t h e s c i e n c es b u t i s t a k e nin situ: a l iv i n g f o r m , i n t h e c o n t e x t o f it s i m m e d i a t e r e l a t i o n s h ip s a n dn a t u r a l h i s t o r y . I n e f f e c t , w h a t e v e r t h e i n f r a - s t r u c t u r e s o f l i f e , t h e y a r ei l l u m i n a t e d b y l o o k i n g t h r o u g h a n d a t t h e w h o l e o f l i v in g l if e it se lf -t h r o u g h e x i s t e n c e a t e v o l u t i o n a n d t h r o u g h e v o l u t i o n a t e x i s t e n c e .

T h e p h e n o m e n o n o f e x is t e n ti a l f it c a n b e b r i e f ly s u m m a r i z e d i ne v o l u t i o n a r y te r m s t h r o u g h t w o a b b r e v i a t e d e x a m p l es , o n e a t th e l e v elo f t h e i n d i v i d u a l , t h e o t h e r a t t h e s p e c i e s l e v e l . I n t h e h u m a n a b -n o r m a l i t y k n o w n a s p r o g e r i a , t h e r e is a d i s j u n c t i o n o f th e p h y s i c a l a n dl i v e d b o d ie s . W h a t i s o l d is y o u n g a n d w h a t i s y o u n g i s o l d a n d b o t h a tt h e s a m e t i m e . T h e w a r p i n g o f th e p h y s i c a l p r e c l u d e s a s i m p l e a c t o fr e a c h i n g w h i l e a li f e t o o l it t le l i v e d is s p e n t i n d y i n g . I n a w o r d , t h e c h i l dis o u t o f j o i n t w i t h l if e . T h e r e is a s c h i s m a t t h e m o s t p r i m o r i d a l l e v e l o fb e i n g . I n c o n t r a s t , e x i s t e n t i a l f i t s h o w s i ts e l f i n e v e r y f a c e t o f a n o r m a lc r e a t u r e ' s l if e . W h a t i s e x i s t e n t i a ll y f i t i s e x i s t e n t i a l ly v i a b l e . A n i n t a c tr e a d i n e s s e x i s t s t o t a k e u p t h e l i v i n g o f a l if e . A p a r t i c u l a r s u b j e c t i s n o tm e r e l y a l i v e i n t h e w o r l d b u t l iv a b l e .

Y e t i t is n o t s i m p l y a n i n d i v i d u a l l iv a b i l i t y b u t a p a r t i c u l a r kind o fi n d i v i d u a l l iv a b i l i ty w h i c h i s a l iv e i n t h e w o r l d . W h i l e i n d i v i d u a ll i v a b i l i t y h a s i t s o r i g i n i n e x i s t e n t i a l f i t, s o kinds o f l i v a b i li t y h a v e t h e i ro r i g i n i n i t s d i f f e r e n t i a l e x p r e s s i o n . H e n c e w h a t i s n e c e s s a r y i s a nu n d e r s t a n d i n g o f s e n s o r y - k i n e t i c d o m a i n s . I n o t h e r w o r d s , a n y p a r t i -


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c u l a r d o m a i n o f I c a n ' s ''4 7 is th e d i f f e r e n t i a l e x p r e s s i o n o f e x i s t e n ti a lf it . A p r i m e e x a m p l e o f t h i s e x p r e s s i o n i s t r a n s p a r e n t i n t h e s t o r y o fs o m e l o b e - f i n n e d f is h , a s t o r y w h i c h i s a n a c c e p t e d c h a p t e r i n e v o l u -t i o n a r y h i s t o r y . 48 E o n s a g o , t h e s e f i sh e x p l o r e d b e y o n d t h e p e r i m e t e r so f t h e i r c u s t o m a r y a q u a t i c w o r l d a n d m a d e t h e i r w a y o n l a n d . I n d o i n gs o , t h e y a l t e r e d t h e c o u r s e o f o r g a n i c e v o l u t i o n . N o w i t w a s n o t a g r o u po f f in s w h i c h m a r c h e d o n t o t h e l a n d a n y m o r e t h a n i t w a s a g r o u p o fg e n e s w h i c h d e c i d e d t h a t i t w a s i n t h e b e s t i n t e r e s t s o f a l l t o g o f o r t ha n d m u l t i p l y . T h e w a t e r - t o - l a n d t r a n s i t i o n i s a q u e s t i o n n o t o f a b -s t r a c t e d p h y s i c a l b o d i e s b u t o f p o s s i b l e m o d e s o f l i v i n g i n t h e w o r l d ,t h a t i s , a q u e s t i o n o f a p a r t i c u l a r d o m a i n o f I c a n ' s w h o s e i n s c r i p t i o n s li ee q u a l l y w i th i n t h e p h y s i c a l a n d l i v e d b o d i e s. T h u s t h e f is h w h i c h m a d et h e t r a n s i t i o n w e r e i n f a c t th e s e f i n s , t h e s e g e n e s , a n d s o o n , b u t n o t a st h e s o l e u l t i m a t e r e a l i ti e s o f t h e i r b e in g : t h e y w e r e l i v i n g s u b j e c t s o f ap a r t i c u l a r w o r l d . B y t h e s a m e t o k e n , t h e f is h w e r e i n f a c t a c e r t a i n k i n do f l iv a b i l i ty a l i v e in t h e w o r l d , b u t n o t i n a b s t r a c t i o n f r o m a n y p a r t i c u l a rb o d y . T h e w a t e r - t o - l a n d t r a n s i t i o n e n t a i l e d a n o p e n i n g i n a p a r t i c u l a rd o m a i n o f I c a n ' s ; i t w a s b o d i e d f o r t h b y p a r t i c u l a r c r e a t u r e s . I n b r i e f,l a n d - l i v i n g a s a p o s s i b l e w a y o f b e i n g i n t h e w o r l d w a s n o t o n l y t h ee x p r e s s i o n o f a q u i n t e s s e n t i a l c o h e r e n c y o f p h y s i c a l a n d l i v e d b o d i e s -o f e x i s t e n t ia l fi t - b u t a l so a m e a s u r e o f it s d i f f e r e n t i a l e x p r e s s i o n i n t h ew o r l d o f l i v i n g b e i n g s .

T h e r e is o n e m o r e s u m m a r y i n d ic a t io n to b e g iv e n . T h e p h e n o m e n o no f e x i s t e n t i a l f i t i s t o b e s i t u a t e d i n e x i s t e n t i a l a s w e l l a s e v o l u t i o n a r yp e r s p e c t i v e . A c t u a l l y it i s l es s a m a t t e r o f s i t u a t i n g t h a n o f a c k n o w l e d g -i n g i n s o f a r a s e x i s t e n t i a l fi t i s a l r e a d y p r e s e n t i n c e r t a i n a c c o u n t s i nv e i l e d f o r m t o b e g i n w i t h . I n Th e Structure of Behavior M e r l e a u - P o n t ys p e a k s o f a s p e c i e s a s e l a b o r a t i n g s t i m u l i i n a m a n n e r w h i c h i s p r o p e rt o i t ;49 h e s p e a k s o f s t i m u l i i n t e r v e n i n g a c c o r d i n g t o w h a t t h e y s i g n i f ya n d w h a t t h e y a r e w o r t h f o r t h e t y p i c al a c t iv i t y o f t h e s p e c i es c o n -s i d e r e d ; 5 h e s p e a k s o f s i t u a t i o n a n d r e a c t i o n p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n as t r u c t u r e i n w h i c h t h e m o d e o f a c t iv i t y p r o p e r t o t h e o r g a n i s m i se x p r e s s e d ; 51 h e s p e a k s o f t h e c o n d i t i o n s o f l i f e . . . [ b e in g ] d e f in e d b yt h e p r o p e r e s s e n c e o f t h e s p e c i es . ''5 2 W h a t i s th i s propr ie ty t h i sa p p o s i t e n e s s w i t h o u t w h i c h n e i t h e r e x i s t e n c e n o r e v o l u t i o n w o u l d b ep o s s i b l e ? W h a t i s t h is propriety w h i c h is a c k n o w l e d g e d b u t p a s s ed o v e ri n s i l e n c e ? T h i s a p r i o r i m a n n e r o f e l a b o r a t i n g a s t i m u l u s , t h i s m o d e o fa c t i v i t y p r o p e r t o t h e o r g a n i s m , t h is s ti m u l u s in t e r v e n i n g a c c o r d i n g t ow h a t i t s i g n i f i e s a n d w h a t i t i s w o r t h f o r t h e t y p i c a l a c t i v i t i e s o f t h e


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2 3 4 M A X I N E S H E E T S J O H N S T O N Es p e c i e s c o n s i d e r e d - a l l t h e s e p r o p r i e t i e s a r e t e s t i m o n i a l s t o e x i s te n t i a lf it. T h e c h a r a c t e r o f b e i n g p r o p e r t o a c e r t a in s p e ci e s t h e c h a r a c t e r o fs p e c ie s t h e m s e l v e s i n t e r m s o f p r o p e r e s s e n c e s b o t h a r e a n a ff i r m a t io no f a q u i n t e s s e n t ia l c o h e r e n c y o f p h y s i c a l a n d l i v e d b o d ie s . T h e p h y s i c a la n d t h e l i v e d a re n o t t w o d i s t i n c t e v o l u t i o n a r y s e q u e n c e s m e e t i n g a n dh a p p e n i n g i n t h e s a m e c r e a t u r e a n a l o g o u s in a s e n s e t o th e l a b o r a t o r yc o n j u n c t i o n of t w o s t ra n d s o f D N A o n e r e c o m b i n a n t a n d o n e n a t u ra l .W h a t e x is ts a n d e v o l v e s a r e n o t p a r t s b u t w h o l e s n o t f r a g m e n t s o f l if eb u t l i fe i t se l f . W h a t i s l i v e d t h e n i n a n e x i s t e n t i a l - e v o l u t i o n a r y s en s e a r ed i f f e r e n t s e n s o r y - k i n e t i c w o r l d s : t h e s e f in s t h e s e e y e s t h i s f u r t h e s ew i n g s t h e s e e a r s t h e s e a r m s t h e s e l e g s a n d s o o n a r e a c e r t a i no p e n i n g o n t o t h e w o r l d ; t h e y b e s p e a k c e r t ai n s e n s o r y - k in e t ic p o w e r sa n d s e n s i t i v i ti e s . T o u n d e r s t a n d e x i s t e n t i a l f i t i n e x i s t e n t ia l t e r m s i s t ou n d e r s t a n d p r e c i s e l y w h a t i t m e a n s t o s a y th a t e a c h s p e c i e s is a c e r t a i nk i n d o f l i v a b i l it y i n t h e w o r l d a c e r t a i n propriety o f b e i n g .

W i t h t h e s e p r e l i m i n a r y r e m a r k s i t is p o s s ib l e to t u r n t o a r e a d i n g o fi n s c r i p t i o n s f ir s t h a n d : t o d e s c r i b e e x i s t e n t i a l f it i n e x p e r i e n t i a l t e r m s t os e e i t f r o m t h e i n s i d e a s it w e r e . T o d o t h is m e a n s t o f i n d e x p e r i e n c e sw h e r e t h e r e m a r k a b l e c o n s o n a n c e o f t h e p h y s i c a l a n d li v e d b o d i e s isc l o s e t o t h e s u r f a c e w h e r e i n f a c t t h e l i v e d b o d y ri s es u p a s whollyp h y s i c a l ; t h a t i s w h e r e i t is n o t s i m p l y a m a t t e r o f t h e f e l t b o d y i n a n yg i v e n e x p e r i e n c e b u t a m a t t e r o f t h e f e l t b o d y b e i n g f e l t a s aconsumm tely p h y s i c a l p r e s e n c e . L e t m e b e g i n b y o f f e r i n g a f e w v a r i e de x a m p l e s .

A y o u n g c h i m p a n z e e s w in g s r e p e a t e d l y b e t w e e n t h e s a m e t w or e si l i e nt b r a n c h e s t h e n d r o p s d o w n a n d b e g i n s s o m e r s a u lt i n g a n df r o l i c k i n g o n t h e g r o u n d . 53

I n t h e c r e v i c e b e t w e e n t w o h il ls t w o b i rd s a r e s o a r in g ; t h e y a r e r id i n ga s i n g l e u p c u r r e n t o f a i r ; it i s t a k i n g t h e m n o p l a c e i n p a r t i c u l a r . 54

I a m w a l k i n g i n a h i ll s id e p a r k a n d c o m e t o a d e n s e l y - g r a s s e d k n o l l . If li ng m y s e l f d o w n o n t h e g r e e n e r y a n d r o l l to t h e b o t t o m .T h e e s s e n t ia l q u a l i ty o f t h e s e e x p e r i e n c e s i s sheer p h y s i c a l i t y . W h a t i sb e i n g l i v e d h e r e i s w h o l l y t h e p h y s i c a l b u t n o t a s a d is p l a y o f c e r t a i ns kil ls f o r e x a m p l e . M o r e o v e r w h a t m i g h t i n o t h e r c i r cu m s t a n c e s b eh o r i z o n a l t o t h e e x p e r i e n c e i s h e r e t r a n s f o r m e d i n b e i n g l i v e d d ir e c tl y .I n a w o r d m o v e m e n t is e x p e r i e n c e d f o r i ts o w n s a k e ; it s m e a n i n gis c a p s u l i z e d i n i ts o w n w i l d s p l e n d o r . T h e r e i s i n e f f e c t n o t h i n g b e y o n dt h e s h e e r p h y s i c a l i t y o f t h e k i n e t i c a l ly l i v e d b o d y : m o v e m e n t isa l l - c o n s u m i n g .


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N o w s h e e r p h y s i c a l i t y is th e g e n u s o f w h a t L i n g i s h a s d e s c r i b e d i nt e r m s o f v o l u p t u o s i t y5 5 a n d w h a t P l u g g e h a s d e s c r i b e d i n t e r m s o fo n e r o u s n e s s . 56 T h e s e t w o s e e m i n g l y d i s p a r a t e e x i s te n t ia l a c c o u n t s m a yt h u s b e s e e n t o h a v e a c o m m o n g r o u n d : e a c h d e s c r i b e s a s h e e r s e n s u o u sd e n s i t y o f b e i n g . T h i s k i n d o f e x p e r i e n c e i s a n a f f i r m a t i o n o f t h ef u n d a m e n t a l c o h e r e n c y o f t h e p h y s i c a l a n d l i v e d b o d i e s a n d i n d e e d i sr o o t e d i n t h a t f u n d a m e n t a l c o h e r e n c y . I n th e o n e k i n d o f e x p e r i e n c e t h ep h y s i c a l b o d y is e x u l t a n t l y c e l e b r a t e d ; i n t h e o t h e r i t is s u f f e r e d a s a ni n e s c a p a b l e a f f l i ct i o n . T h e t w o e x p e r i e n c e s a p p e a r t o r e f le c t t w o p o l e so f p o s s i b l e e x p e r i e n c e s o f t h e p h y s i c a l b o d y l i v e d a s c o n s u m m a t e l yp h y s i c a l p o l e s d e s c r i b a b l e a s r a d i c a l p l e a s u r e a n d r a d i c a l p a in . W h a t Iw o u l d l ik e t o s u g g e s t i s t h a t t h e r e a r e i n d e e d t w o b a s i c f o r m s o f s h e e rp h y s i c a l it y a n d t h a t w h i l e v o l u p t u o s i t y a n d o n e r o u s n e s s a r e e x e m p l a r so f e a c h o f th e s e t w o f o r m s r e s p e c t i v e l y a d i f f e r e n t k i n d o f a n a l y s is i sn e e d e d t o p l u m b t h e d e p t h s o f a s h e e r s e n s u o u s d e n s i t y o f b e i n g f i nd t h ef o u n d a t i o n a l c o h e r e n c y o f t h e p h y s i c a l a n d l i v e d b o d i e s i n w h i c h t h a te x p e r i e n c e i s a n c h o r e d . W h a t I w o u l d l i k e t o u n d e r t a k e i s j u s t s u c h ab e g i n n i n g a n a ly s is b y e x a m i n i n g b r i ef l y o n e o f t h e t w o b a s i c f o r m s .

L e t m e b e g i n b y d e s c r ib i n g b r i e fl y t w o p a r a d i g m a t i c e x p e r i e n c e s ; t h ep o s s ib l e e x p e r i e n c e o f s h e e r p h y s i c a l i ty i n m a k i n g l o v e a n d i n d a n c i n g .T h o u g h s p o k e n o f i n t h e sa m e b r e a t h t h e e x p e r i e n c e o f d a n c e a n d o fs e x u a l i t y a r e n o t n e c e s s a r i l y e q u a t a b l e i n t h e l e a s t. I a m i n f a c t c h o o s i n gt h e s e t w o e x p e r i e n c e s t o h i g h l i g h t t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t h e t w of u n d a m e n t a l m o d e s i n w h i c h s h e e r p h y s i c a l it y a s r a d i c a l p l e a s u r e 6 a n b ee x p e r i e n c e d n a m e l y k i n e t i c a l l y o r t a c t i l e l y - a s e n s u o u s d e n s i t y o fb e i n g i n m o v e m e n t o r a s e n s u o u s d e n s i t y o f b ei ng i n t h e f le s h.

T h e p a r a d i g m a t i c d a n c e e x p e r i e n c e i s o n e o f p u r e m o v e m e n t . I t is as o lo d a n c e i n w h i c h n o s t o r y is b e i n g t o l d a n d i n w h i c h m o v e m e n ts t a n d s f o r n o t h i n g b u t i ts e lf . T h e d a n c e i s a p u r e l y k i n e t i c h a p p e n i n g ; i tis a d a n c e i n w h i c h I a m m o v i n g f o r t h e p u r e j o y o f m o v e m e n t - i tss u s p e n s i o n s i ts b u r s t s o f s p e e d i ts s h i f ts i n a c c e n t a n d a m p l i t u d e . Y e t i ti s n o t a s i f I a m oing t h e m o v e m e n t ; o n t h e c o n t r a r y I r i d e i t l ik e aw a v e b u t i n s u c h a w a y t h a t i ts c o n t o u r s a n d m i n e c o i n c i d e c o m p l e t e l y .T h e r e is i n e f f e c t a u n i o n o f m y s e l f a n d t h e d a n c e . I t l iv e s t h r o u g h m ea t th e s a m e t i m e t h a t I li v e a n d b r e a t h e i n it . T h e d e n s i t y o f t h e d a n c ea n d t h e d e n s i t y o f m y b e i n g t h u s c o m e t o g e t h e r : w e m e e t i n t h e s h e e rp h y s ic a li ty o f m o v e m e n t w h i c h is b o t h m e a n d t h e d a n c e . M o v e m e n th e r e is t h u s n o t a s i m p l e s e n s a t io n o f m y b o d y p r e s e n t i n s u c h a n d s u c h aw a y a t a p a r t ic u l a r t i m e b u t a n a l l - e n v e l o p in g d y n a m i c w h i c h r a d i a t e s t o


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2 3 6 M A X I N E SH EETS J O H N STO N Et h e t i ps o f m y b e i n g . I n t h e s a m e w a y , I r e a c h t o e v e r y c o r n e r o f t h em o v e m e n t , d r a w i n g o u t a ll th e p o w e r s o f its f o r m . I a m n o t h i n g m o r et h a n th e m o v e m e n t a n d t h e m o v e m e n t is n o t h in g m o r e t h a n m e . H o wi n d e e d t e l l t h e d a n c e r f r o m t h e d a n c e ? W e e n v e l o p o n e a n o t h e r ; w ec o h a b i t t h e s a m e s p a c e - t im e ; o u r p h y s i c a l i t i es m a t c h ; t w o p u r e l ys e n s u o u s d e n s it ie s c o m e t o g e t h e r w h i c h a r e w o v e n o f t h e s a m e k i n e t icc l o t h ; t h e y a r e e a c h o f t h e m c a s t o f t h e s a m e s h e e r p h y s i c a l i ty w h i c h i sm o v e m e n t .

T h e r e is a s t r u c t u r e o f th i s d a n c e e x p e r i e n c e w h i c h i s n o t o n l y q u i t es t ri k i n g b u t w h i c h h a s f a r - r e a c h i n g s i g n i fi c a n c e i n t e r m s o f e x i s te n t ia l f ita n d e v o l u t i o n a r y c o n t i n u it i e s. I t is a s t r u c t u r e i m p l i e d b y , b u t n o ts p e l l e d o u t in t h e f o r e g o i n g d e s c r i p ti o n . T o e x p e r i e n c e t h e d a n c e a s t h es h e e r p h y s i c a l i t y o f m o v e m e n t is t o e x p e r i e n c e a d il a t io n o f th e p r e s e n t .T h e c u s t o m a r y s u r g e o f t i m e f r o m p a s t t o f u t u r e is h a l t e d . I n i ts p l a c e as i n g u l a r d i m e n s i o n i s p r e s e n t , b u t i t is e x a g g e r a t e d , e n g o r g e d , a s i tw e r e . N o w d o m i n a t e s n o t o n l y th e m o m e n t b u t i ts ty p i c a l h o r i z o n s a sw e l l . P r o t e n t i o n s a n d r e t e n t i o n s a r e v i r tu a l ly n o n e x i s t e n t F I n e f fe c t , Ia m n o t m o v i n g t o w a r d a f u t u r e n o r o u t o f a p a s t; I a m m o v i n g o n l y int h e p re s e n t m o m e n t w h i c h is e n l a r g e d b e y o n d m e a s u re . W h a t Ie x p e r i e n c e t e m p o r a l l y is t h u s a d e n s i t y o f n o w , a d e n s i t y w h i c h m a t c h e sa n d is e n g e n d e r e d b y t h e s h e e r s e n s u o u s d e n s i ty o f m y b e i n g a n d t h es h e e r s e n s u o u s d e n s i t y w h i c h is th e d a n c e . T h e r e i s i n d e e d a p e r f e c ta c c o r d b e t w e e n t h e m o v e m e n t I e x p e r i e n c e a s s h e e r p h y s i ca l it y a n d t h et h i c k e n e d p r e s e n t i n w h i c h t h e d a n c e a n d I l i v e ; w e a r e a ll p a r t o f t h es a m e t e m p o r a l i t y .

I n l o v e m a k i n g t o o , b e i n g i s c a u g h t u p i n t h e s e n s u o u s d e n s i ty o f n ow .I t is t h e p r e s e n t m o m e n t w h i c h h o l d s s w a y a n d is a ll - c o n s u m i n g ; i t isa g a i n a t i m e i n w h i c h t h e m o m e n t n o w is s u d d e n l y w il d, o v e r r u n n i n g i tsg r o u n d a n d p u s h i n g p a s t a n d f u t u r e t o a l m o s t i n v i s ib l e h o r iz o n s . 58 T h ee s s e n t ia l ly t a c t il e s e n s u o u s c h a r a c t e r o f l o v e m a k i n g , h o w e v e r , m a k e s i ta n e x p e r i e n c e q u i te d i f f e re n t f r o m a p u r e m o v e m e n t d a n c e . I n t h e a c to f m a k i n g l o v e w h a t i s o f m o m e n t is n o t m o v e m e n t p r s b u t t h e f l e sh l yr e a l i ty o f b e i n g e n t w i n e d o n b e i n g . I f m o v e m e n t a t t im e s e n t h r a l ls , i t ist h e t o u c h o f f le s h o n f l e sh w h i c h c a r r i e s i t t o e n t h r a l l d o m . I ts d y n a m i c sa r e f e lt o n t h e c o m m o n g r o u n d o f a s h a r e d t ac t i li ty . T h u s , m ym o v e m e n t s a r e n o t e x p e r i e n c e d a s k in e t ic f i g u re s b u t a s t ac t il e p a t t e rn su p o n t h e o t h e r . S i m i la r ly , t h e o t h e r s m o v e m e n t s r i d e a t a c t il e s t ra n d o ff le s h c o i l e d o n f le s h ; t h a t i s, t h e y a r o u s e m e n o t b e c a u s e o f t h e i r k in e t i cq u a l i t y p r s b u t b e c a u s e t h e i r i n t e n s i t i e s a n d r h y t h m s a r e t a c t i l e l y


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E X I S T E N T I L F I T N D E V O L U T I O N R Y C O N T I N U I T I E S 2 3 7r e v e a l e d t o m e . I n s h o r t , I f e el th e o t h e r s m o v e m e n t t h r o u g h m y f le s ha n d t h e l iv i ng n e s s o f m y o w n m o v e m e n t t h r o u g h t h e f le sh o f t h e o t h e r .T h e m k i n g o f l o v e i s i n d e e d a t ctile c r e a t i o n .

I n t h e s h e e r p h y s i c a l it y o f fl es h , t w o s e n s u o u s d e n s i ti e s c o m et o g e t h e r . T h e e x p e r i e n c e o f t o u c h is n o t t h e n a m e r e s u r f ac ep h e n o m e n o n ; i t is n o t c u t a n e o u s s t i m u l a ti o n . M a k i n g l o v e is a ta c t il ef a t h o m i n g o f th e s e n s u o u s d e n s i t y o f t h e o t h e r - j u s t a s i t i s a y e a - s a y i n go f m y o w n s e n s u o u s d e n si ty . M o r e o v e r g i v e n t h a t t h e e x p e r i e n c e is o n ei n w h i c h t h e f l e s h l y s e n s u o u s n e s s o f b e i n g i s d i l a t e d , i t i s e a s y t ou n d e r s t a n d w h y i t i s t h a t i n b e i n g s t r o k e d , l i c k e d o r s q u e e z e d , f o re x a m p l e , t o u c h i n g is n o t e i th e r e x p e r i e n c e d a s a p u n c t u a l p h e n o m e n o n .I t is n o t a s if t h e r e i s n o t h i n g i n b e t w e e n t h e p l a c e s t o u c h e d . T h e r e isn o t e v e n w h a t m i g h t b e c a l le d , c o r r e l a t i v e t o t h e v is u a l, a n e g a t i v et a c t i l e s p a c e w h i c h i s s e t o v e r a n d a g a i n s t a p o s i t i v e o n e . T h e p l a c e sa c t u al ly t o u c h e d b e s p e a k a n d a w a k e n a w h o l e ; t h e y r a d ia t e t o th eo u t e r m o s t e d g e o f b e i n g - a s i n a frisson o f e c s t a s y - o r t h e y m a g n e t i z et h e w h o l e o f b e i n g a s i n a r u s h o f o r g a s m i c s h u d d e r i n g s . I n a ll t h ee x p e r i e n c e s o f b e i n g t o u c h e d a n d w h a t e v e r t h e i r p a r t i c u l a r f o r m , i t is aq u e s t i o n o f c o n c e n t r i c r i p p l i n g s o u t w a r d o r i n w a r d , m a g n i f i c a t i o n sf r o m , o r c o n c e n t r a t i o n s i n , a n o r i g i n a l t a c t i l e c e n t e r w h i c h i g n i t e t h ew h o l e o f b ei n g . A l l to u c h i n g s a r e a n i m m e d i a t e i n c a n d e s c e n c e o f m yf le s h. I n l ik e f a s h io n , m y a c t o f t o u c h i n g t h e o t h e r i s n o t e x p e r i e n c e d a sa c o m p e n d i u m o f l o c a l i z e d ta c t il e s e n s a ti o n s o f m y o w n f l es h o r t h a t o ft h e o t h e r . T h e p l a c e s I t o u c h a r e p l a c e s o f l i t e ra l j o i n i n g b u t t h e y g a t h e ru p a w h o l e . M y t a c t i le f e e l in g s o f th e o t h e r a n d m y f e e l in g s a s ta c t u a ls u b j e c t a r e n o t t h e n p u n c t u a l p h e n o m e n a e i th e r , m e r e s p a ti al ly lo c a t -a b le e v e n t s a n a l o g o u s t o a s e n so r y h o m u n c u l u s i n m y c o r t e x . M o r e o v e ri n e m b r a c i n g t h e o t h e r , I e m b r a c e n o t a f r a g m e n t b u t a s e n su o u sd e n s i t y w h o s e f o r m is a d u m b r a t e d i n a ll t h e a c t u a l f r o n t i e r s o f f le s h o nf le s h. T h e o t h e r e x i st s f o r m e n o t a s a s e ri e s o f p a r t s t o u c h e d b u t a s a ni n fr a n g ib l e w h o l e w h o s e b o u n d a r i e s a r e b e y o n d m y f le sh y e t w h i c h m yf le s h n e v e r t h e l e s s e n c o m p a s s e s a n d e x t o l s.

N o w if t h e a b o v e a b b r e v i a t e d d e s c r i p ti v e a c c o u n t s o f l o v e m a k i n ga n d o f d a n c i n g a r e p a r a d i g m a t i c e x a m p l e s o f s h e e r p h y s i c a l it y t h e n i ts h o u l d b e p o s s ib l e t h r o u g h t h e m t o i l lu m i n a te w h a t m a k e s t h ee x p e r i e n c e o f a s h e e r s e n s u o u s d e n s i t y o f b e i n g p o s s i b l e a n d t h u s c o m et o a d e e p e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e f u n d a m e n t a l c o h e r e n c y o f t h e p h y si c a la n d l i v e d b o d i e s - o f e x i s t e n t i a l f i t .

T o b e g i n w i t h , to b e l i v e d a s s h e e r p h y s i c a l it y t h e p h y s i c a l b o d y m u s t


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238 M A X I N E S H E E T S J O H N S T O N Ebe not simply sensible in and of itself but sensible to a radical degree.This radical prominence of the physical is grounded in a reversibility ofexperience at the moment of erstwhile wor ldly experience itself, thatis, in the awakening of a wholly sensuous and self-revealing dimensionof bodily being. The possibility thus depends upon the sensory-kineticworld of the subject which is to say that the physical body can be livedas radical pleasure only insofar as a self-reflexive sensory modalityexists: the physical body can otherwise not be thrust to the foregroundof experience - lived for its own sake. The brief examples given earlier,e.g., of a chimpanzee swinging repeatedly between the same resilientbranches, then somersaulting and gamboling about on the ground, aredescriptive of just such kinetically reversed experiences. They arecameos of the more fully described dance experience. In these kineticexperiences of sheer physicality, mov ement is lived for its own sake. I tstops short of imprinting itself on the world, so to speak, but turns backupon the creature itself. It is not experienced as movement f o rsomething, but is wholly consuming in its own right. Movement is anexperience of radical pleasure then precisely insofar as a subject canlive it and it alone, that is, precisely insofar as a subject can transformthe experience of m e r e movement or h o r i z o n l movement into a sheerkinetic density of being. The possibility of reversible kinetic meanings isthus engendered or not in the I can's of a living subject, I can's whichsignify a certain kind of livability in the world that is the differentialexpression of existential fit.

In a tactile experience of sheer physicality equally reversed meaningsare present but in the language of the flesh. What is curious here,however, is that no indication of a radical tactility is to be found inaccounts of nonhuma n animais. 59 A sense of radical pleasure in theform of a wild splendor of flesh on flesh is missing. Touch as aself-reflexive modality appears to be a uniquely human character.Yet hard and fast lines cannot be so swiftly drawn. Evolutionarycontinuities are just that: affinities cannot be ignored. On the one hand,for example, there is the fac t that chimpanzees enjoy being tickled;6 onthe other hand, there is the fact that domestic and other humanly-accessible animals en joy being stroked; 61 if a third hand were permit-ted, there is also the fact that in mammalian life, offspring are lickedoften and profusely by their mothers. 62 Although there are no readycameos here of the more fully described experience of lovemaking, aradical pleasure of the flesh is nonetheless adumbrated in one way and


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a n o t h e r i n t h e s e n o n h u m a n t a c t il e e x p e r i e n c e s . 63 A l l t h e s a m e , t h e r eare d i s ti n c ti v e h u m a n / n o n h u m a n d i f f e re n c e s a n d i t is p re c i s e ly a ne l u c i d a t i o n o f t h e s e d i f f e r e n c e s w h i c h w i ll t h r o w i n t o r e li e f w h a t i tm e a n s t o s a y t h a t e x i s t e n t i a l f it i s a n i n v a r i a n t d i f f e r e n t i a l l y e x p r e s s e da c r o s s a ll o f e v o l u t i o n a r y h i s t o r y . T o d e s c r i b e t h i s in v a r i a n t i n b r o a dt e r m s i s t o a n s w e r t h e q u e s t i o n , w h a t m a k e s t h e e x p e r i e n c e o f a s h e e rp h y s i c al it y o f m o v e m e n t p o s s ib l e t o h u m a n / n o n h u m a n c r e a t u r e s b u t as h e e r p h y s i c a l it y o f th e f l es h p o s s i b le t o p r e e m i n e n t l y h u m a n o n e s ? I nf i n e r t e r m s , i t is t o a n s w e r t h e q u e s t i o n , w h a t i s t h e m e a n i n g o fe x i s te n t ia l f it i n t e r m s o f t h e e x p e r i e n c e o f a s h e e r s e n s u o u s d e n s i t y o fb e i n g i n th e f l es h - o r a l t e r n a t i v e ly , in r e l a t io n t o n o n h u m a n p r i m a t e s ,o f n o t b e i n g i n t h e f le s h , s i n c e w h a t is n o t e x p e r i e n c e d i n m a t i n g r it u a lsa p p e a r s t o b e p r e c i s e l y t h e p h y s i c a l b o d y as such L e t u s p u r s u e t h em a t t e r b r i e f l y b y w a y o f t h e f i n e r p o i n t f i rs t.

F r o m a n e v o l u t io n a r y p e rs p e c t i v e , th e p h e n o m e n o n o f l o v e m a k i n gc a n n o t b e e x p l a i n e d a s a c u lt u r al r e f i n e m e n t o r e m b e l l i s h m e n t o f m e r ea n i m a l m a t i n g o r s e x u a l i n t e r c o u r s e . I n f a c t , i n l o v e m a k i n g t h e r e i s as u p e r f l u it y o f to u c h i n g s a n d e n t w i n i n g s w h i c h n o m e r e s e x u a l d i m o r -p h i s m o r c u l t u r a l e l a b o r a t i o n s s u f fi ce t o e x p l ai n . T h e e x p e r i e n c e o f ar a d i c a l p l e a s u r e o f t h e f l e s h c a n b e u n d e r s t o o d o n l y i n t h e l i g h t o f ab o d y m a d e f o r t o u c h i n g a n d b e i n g t o u c h e d . L o o k e d a t i n t hi s l ig h t , i t isf i r s t o f a l l c l e a r l y a t a c t i l e o p e n n e s s w h i c h g r o u n d s t h e p o s s i b i l i t y o f ar a d i c a l t a c t i li ty o f t h e f l es h : h u m a n b o d i e s a r e exposed t o t o u c h : t h e ya r e u p r i g h t a n d t h e y a r e n a k e d . T h e y a r e t o p o l o g i c a l l y a c c e s s ib l e tot o u c h a n d d i r e c tl y so . O n e m i g h t a l m o s t s a y t h e y a re v u l n e r a b l e t ot o u c h : t h e y a r e b o d i e s w h o s e s k in is v i r tu a l l y u n p r o t e c t e d a n d w h o s er e l a t i v e l y t i n y b a s e o f s u p p o r t i s a s t a r k c o n t r a s t t o a fu l l t h r e e -d i m e n s i o n a l t a c t i le e x p o s u r e t o t h e w o r l d . B u t u p r i g h t n e s s a n d n a k e d -n e s s b e q u e a t h t h e m a s w e l l a p o w e r t o to u c h . M o s t o b v i o u s l y , o f c o u r s e ,a r m s c a n e m b r a c e , h a n d s c a n f o n d l e , fi n g e rs c a n p r o b e , n a i ls c a ns c r a tc h . B u t o v e r a n d a b o v e t h is p e r i p h e r a l t a ct u a li ty , a h u m a n b o d yc a n s t r e t c h o u t , p r e s s , ro l l, o r r u b f u l l l e n g t h a g a i n s t a n o t h e r b o d y .M o r e o v e r t h a t e x t e n s i v e c o n t a c t is a g a in d i r e c t: a v i r tu a l ly u n c o v e r e ds k in is in i m m e d i a t e c o m m u n i o n w i t h t h e w o r ld . I n e f f e c t, h u m a n b o d i e sc a n b e l i v e d a s a r a d i c a l p l e a s u r e o f th e f l es h p r e c i s e l y b e c a u s e t h e y a r et a c t u a l s u b j e c t s s t e e p e d i n t a c ti li ty : a ll m y I c a n s a r e i n d e e d d r e n c h e di n t h is h u m a n n e s s w h i c h I a m - t h e s e a r m s , t h e s e l e g s , th i s t o r s o , t h ish e a d a r e w h a t I li v e i n l o v e m a k i n g , n o t a s s o m a n y p a r t s b u t a s b o t h af r e e d o m a n d a d e s t i n y I c h o o s e t o fu lf il l. A s a n e x p r e s s i o n o f e x i s te n t i a l


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240 M A X I N E S H E E T S J O H N S T O N Efit, a radical pleasure of the flesh is thus continuous with a radicaltactility and vice versa. A sensory-kinetic subject whose exposure andpower to touch are extraordinary and a sheer physicality of the flesh gohand in hand.

If a radical being in the flesh is preeminently a human possibility it isbecause human flesh is above all a tactile affair and conversely, becausetactility is beyond all an affair of the flesh. Touching and being touchedoffer the continual possibility of taking hold and enveloping onecompletely in an experience of radical pleasure. In contrast, tactility innonhu man primates appears by and large to retain both a cutaneous andpunctual character: it stops on the surface and is localized. Pleasure ispossible but not yet a full-blown rad ica l pleasure of the flesh. It is onlywhere what is tactilely felt becomes an erotic awakening of one s ownflesh and where correlatively, what is tactually felt heralds a similarerotic awakening that a radical pleasure of the flesh is possible. Thattouchings tend to remain on the surface and localized in nonhumananimals is thus to be seen in the context of a differential expression ofexistential fit. For example, mother-infant and physical peer playrelationships aside, tactility in nonhuman primates remains pre-dominantly in the service of the other senses. A world of soft things,smooth things, rough things, hard things, round things, warm things,small things, and so on, is not built up by them. They are notpreeminently tactual subjects they do not go about feeling the worlddirectly as a mode of knowing it and making consummate sense of it.Moreover where touch itself has meaning in social contacts, it enters atthe level of the symbolic rather than the sensuous. Thus, the pat on thehand, arm or buttocks which reassures; the tactile ministrations ofgrooming which unite and calm; the semblant tactile gestures of a malethat request a female to turn or to adopt a certain position. 64 All suchtactile social gestures are one-sided, fleeting, and/or static. In suchcontacts the tactile subject does not pass continuously over into therealm of the tactual and the tactual subject continuously over into therealm of the tactile. Moreover the encounter itself is not an encounterof two animate beings committed to touch: a truly dyadic dimension ismissing. Indeed, being touched outstrips touching: even in mother-infant relationships, stroking, petting, fondling and caressing are notevident. In short, touching and being touched are not intertwined butseparated by a sensuous and interanimate abyss.


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SHEETS JOHNSTONE -Existential Fit and Evolutionary Continuities