The paradox of individual action, part II
Three ideas to rethink the individual.
In last week's newsletter, I began to talk about the different terms and conceptions of the individual: the dividual, the transvidual, and the interdividual.
While each of these terms is helpful and can help us move beyond the idea of the lone and separate individual, today, I would like to point out some concepts and ideas of re-thinking the individual that are important to integrate into our understanding.
Superpositionality
In quantum mechanics, superposition refers to the ability of quantum particles to exist in multiple states simultaneously until they are observed or measured. At this point, they collapse into a specific state. They are waves and particles.
Unlike particles that exist as separate entities in specific positions in space and time, waves are disturbances that extend through material and energetic dimensions, enveloping spacetime. Waves have the capacity to overlap, combine, interfere, and become entangled with one another, creating what is known as what Karen Barad calls a "superposition." Superpositions are characterized by inherent indeterminacy, containing multiple potentialities for further differentiation as the constituent waves amplify, nullify, reconfigure, and interact with the world.
When we view phenomena in the world, such as students, teachers, the climate, or individuals, as waves rather than discrete particles, we can see how they become concrete expressions through their interference. This suggests that individuals can be seen as existing in a state of potentiality or multiple possibilities until certain factors come into play that lead to a definite manifestation or expression of their identity.
“Emerging through the ongoing interference of naturalcultural waves (such as gender and climate change), superpositionalities are momentarily articulable sociomaterial relational-locations which are both situated and dynamic. Understanding identities and/or subjectivities as intrasectionally composed superpositionalities helps us attune to how we are all waves of possibility.” Verlie Blanche
In this sense, the individual as a "superpositionality" can be understood as a dynamic entity with the capacity for multiple identities, potentials, and possibilities - coming into being through the overlap with others - human and nonhuman. The individual is not fixed or predetermined but open to various states and expressions, influenced by multiple factors such as personal experiences, social interactions, cultural contexts, and internal dynamics.
Similar to how quantum particles exhibit different properties depending on how they are observed or measured, the individual's identity and characteristics may be influenced and determined by external factors and relational contexts. The concept of superpositionality emphasizes the fluidity, complexity, and potentiality inherent in the individual, suggesting that their identity and state of being are not fixed but subject to various influences, interactions, and entanglements.
These entanglements can take be the following:
We are physically entangled I
We are physically constituted through the stuff of the world. We are woven from the tapestry of the Earth, intimately connected to the elements and energies that shape our existence. Our bodies are composed of matter and energy that interact with the environment.
Our bodies are composed of biological matter, including cells, tissues, organs, and systems. These structures are made up of elements and compounds derived from the Earth's resources, such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and minerals. Our genetic makeup, encoded in DNA, determines many of our physical characteristics and functions.
"… life is a phenomenon of absolute communality. Flourishing in a relationship of mutual benefit is as much a part of this as lustily consuming another in order to guarantee one's own flourishing." Andreas Weber
We sustain our bodies by consuming food and water from the environment. Through digestion and metabolism, the nutrients from the food we eat are broken down, transformed, and incorporated into our bodily tissues and energy reserves. The quality and composition of our food directly influence our physical health and well-being.
We breathe in air, absorb sunlight for vitamin D synthesis, and come into contact with various substances and energies. These interactions shape our physiology, immune responses, and overall physical development.
The substances and pollutants present in our surroundings can directly or indirectly impact our health and well-being. For example, exposure to toxins, pollutants, or radiation can affect our cellular functions and contribute to developing diseases.
“If we do not yet know exactly what the presence of a vast range of chemicals in umbilical cord blood and breast milk might mean for the future of our children’s health, we do at least know that we are no cleaner, even at birth, than our environment at large. We are all already polluted”. Eula Biss
Our physical constitution is a product of evolutionary processes that have shaped our species over millions of years. Our bodies bear the imprints of time, a testament to the evolutionary journey that has sculpted us. We carry within us the echoes of our ancestors, their triumphs and adaptations etched in our very bones. Our physical form is a testament to the rich tapestry of life's history.
Our memories are entangled
A friend recently sent a picture of a vacation we took together. I was shocked because I couldn't remember the vacation. I don't remember everything from my life, but I thought I remembered more significant events, such as a vacation with friends. It took me some time to recollect those memories. Are those memories part of me, or are they part of the picture and I?
Even our memories are entangled with others: They are not just in our brain, but in our whole body and in relation with others - human and nonhuman, landscapes and cultures. It's in the scent of a favorite food; it's in the sweater of our childhood, it's in the song that we couldn't stop listening to, and it's in a picture that reminds us of the last vacation we took. The work of memory is part of the network of interaction that shapes us as "individuals." Memories are held not only, or perhaps even not primarily, in our brains. Instead, they are held within precisely the complex network of relationships that shape us. They are not confined to the solitary chambers of our minds but rather dance within the spaces between hearts, forging bonds that transcend the limits of individuality.
I will share more concepts about the individual in next week's newsletter.