Toward a Phenomenology of Addiction: Embodiment, Technology, Transcendence (Contributions to Phenomenology Book 93)

Annotation This book addresses an epidemic that has developed on a global scale, and, which under the heading of "addiction," presents a new narrative about the travails of the human predicament. The book introduces phenomenological motifs, such as desire, embodiment, and temporality, to uncover the existential roots of addiction, and develops Martin Heidegger's insights into technology to uncover the challenge of becoming a self within the impulsiveness and depersonalization of our digital age. By charting a new path of philosophical inquiry, the book allows a pervasive, cultural phenomenon, ordinarily reserved to psychology, to speak as a referendum about the danger which technology poses to us on a daily basis. In this regard, addiction ceases to be merely a clinical malady, and instead becomes a "signpost" to exposing a hidden danger posed by the assimilation of our culture within a technological framework Dedication 6 Preface 7 Acknowledgments 10 Contents 11 Part I: The Origins of the Addiction Crisis 13 Chapter 1: Seeking a Philosophical Perspective 14 1.1 Preliminary Considerations 14 1.2 Methodological Concerns 17 1.3 The Phenomenon of the Body and the “Hook” of Addiction 21 1.4 A Shared Zeitgeist 24 1.5 The Interface between Religion and Therapy: Seeking a Program of Treatment 25 1.6 Providing a Contrast to Other Approaches: The Rise of the Artifice and the Allure of Immediate Gratification 27 1.7 The Philosophical Challenge of Addressing Addiction 30 1.8 Conclusion 32 References 33 Chapter 2: Everydayness and the “Norm” of Addictive Practices 35 2.1 The Everyday Predicament of the Individual 38 2.2 Everydayness, Conformity, and Peer Pressure 41 2.3 Human Existence and the Existential Preconditions of “Dependency” 46 2.4 Conclusion 55 References 55 Chapter 3: The Phenomenon of the Body and the “Hook” of Addiction 56 3.1 Image, Gesture, and Desire 58 3.2 The “Play-Space” of Fantasy and the Lived-Body 62 3.3 Fetishes and Their Unique Pathology 65 3.4 Fetishes and Addiction 71 3.5 Conclusion 75 References 75 Chapter 4: Confronting the Forces of Self-Deception 78 4.1 Doubling Down: Dissimulation and Deception 79 4.2 Being-with Others and the Phenomenon of Co-dependency 84 4.3 The Illusion of Denial and New Avenues of Addiction 88 4.4 Conclusion 95 References 96 Chapter 5: Technology and the Rise of the Artifice 97 5.1 The Shadow of Technology 99 5.1.1 The Development of Cybernetics 99 5.1.2 The Beginnings of a Virtual World 105 5.2 The Onslaught of Boredom and the Addictive Search for Euphoria 109 5.3 Cultural Excess and the Illusion of a “Cure” 112 5.4 Conclusion 119 References 120 Part II: From Pathos to Healing: Transcendence and a New Life-Trajectory 122 Chapter 6: From Theology to Therapy: A Genealogical Account 123 6.1 A Fortuitous Journey: Bill Wilson’s Discovery of Carl Jung 124 6.2 A Fateful Turn in the Development of the Twelve Step Program 130 6.2.1 Therapeutic Origins 130 6.2.2 Revisiting the Oxford Group 134 6.3 Revisiting the Roots of Faith 139 6.4 Conclusion 144 References 145 Chapter 7: In Search of a New Discourse: Resetting Priorities 148 7.1 Priorities and Choices 149 7.2 Responsibility and Recovery 155 7.3 Choosing to Choose: Transcendence as a Pathway 159 7.4 Conclusion 163 References 163 Chapter 8: From Excess to Economy: The Elements of Recovery 165 8.1 The Role of Boundaries 169 8.2 Contrition, Self-Discovery and Disclosedness 172 8.3 The Poetics of Transformation 174 8.4 Conclusion 180 References 180 References 182 Index 189 Front Matter ....Pages i-xiv Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Seeking a Philosophical Perspective (Frank Schalow)....Pages 3-23 Everydayness and the “Norm” of Addictive Practices (Frank Schalow)....Pages 25-45 The Phenomenon of the Body and the “Hook” of Addiction (Frank Schalow)....Pages 47-68 Confronting the Forces of Self-Deception (Frank Schalow)....Pages 69-87 Technology and the Rise of the Artifice (Frank Schalow)....Pages 89-113 Front Matter ....Pages 115-115 From Theology to Therapy: A Genealogical Account (Frank Schalow)....Pages 117-141 In Search of a New Discourse: Resetting Priorities (Frank Schalow)....Pages 143-159 From Excess to Economy: The Elements of Recovery (Frank Schalow)....Pages 161-177 Back Matter ....Pages 179-191