Drew Dalton
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Drew M. Dalton is an American philosopher and a professor of English at
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...
. Previously, he was a professor of philosophy at Dominican University. He is known for his works on
continental philosophy Continental philosophy is a group of philosophies prominent in 20th-century continental Europe that derive from a broadly Kantianism, Kantian tradition.Continental philosophers usually identify such conditions with the transcendental subject or ...
. Dalton received his
Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...
in philosophy from the Institute of Philosophy at the
KU Leuven KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries. In addition to its mai ...
focusing on phenomenology and ethics, social and political philosophy. Dalton's work primarily address the concept of the
absolute Absolute may refer to: Companies * Absolute Entertainment, a video game publisher * Absolute Radio, (formerly Virgin Radio), independent national radio station in the UK * Absolute Software Corporation, specializes in security and data risk ma ...
as it affects the various sub-branches of philosophy: ethics, metaphysics and aesthetics. In
ethics Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...
, Dalton argues that the pursuit of an absolute good inevitably leads to evil. Nevertheless, Dalton argues, one should not give up on the idea of absolutes entirely nor on the possibility of the good. Instead, Dalton promotes "ethical resistance," as the proper way of relating to any given absolute and pursuing the good. Only when the good is conceived of negatively, as a mode of resisting the possibility of absolute evil, he argues, can both the idea of the absolute and the concept of goodness be integrated into a practical ethics. In this way, his work on ethics draws from the tradition of
philosophical pessimism Philosophical pessimism is a philosophical tradition that argues that life is not worth living and that non-existence is preferable to existence. Thinkers in this tradition emphasize that suffering outweighs pleasure, happiness is fleeting or u ...
to suggest that the good can only ever be conceived relatively, in relation to what he calls the "absolute evil of existence." In
metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...
, Dalton argues for the idea of a "
naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...
" or "
material A material is a matter, substance or mixture of substances that constitutes an Physical object, object. Materials can be pure or impure, living or non-living matter. Materials can be classified on the basis of their physical property, physical ...
" absolute which he argues is deducible from the conclusions of contemporary scientific research, specifically work in contemporary
thermodynamic Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that deals with heat, work, and temperature, and their relation to energy, entropy, and the physical properties of matter and radiation. The behavior of these quantities is governed by the four laws of th ...
astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline, James Keeler, said, astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the ...
and
biophysics Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations ...
on the function and nature of entropic decay over and within existence. From this, Dalton proposes a new conception of being as something which is "unbecoming." In
aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...
, Dalton extends the conclusions of
philosophical pessimism Philosophical pessimism is a philosophical tradition that argues that life is not worth living and that non-existence is preferable to existence. Thinkers in this tradition emphasize that suffering outweighs pleasure, happiness is fleeting or u ...
to champion an "aesthetics of
escape Escape or Escaping may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Escape'' (1928 film), a German silent drama film * ''Escape!'' (film), a 1930 British crime film starring Austin Trevor and Edna Best * ''Escape'' (1940 film), starring Robert Taylor and ...
," which justifies the indulgence in any artistic object that might effectively distract us from what he calls the "horror of reality," a conclusion he draws from his metaphysics and ethics.


Philosophy

Dalton draws extensively from
phenomenology Phenomenology may refer to: Art * Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties Philosophy * Phenomenology (Peirce), a branch of philosophy according to Charles Sanders Peirce (1839â ...
,
psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek language, Greek: and is a set of theories and techniques of research to discover unconscious mind, unconscious processes and their influence on conscious mind, conscious thought, emotion and behaviour. Based on The Inte ...
, speculative materialism,
philosophical pessimism Philosophical pessimism is a philosophical tradition that argues that life is not worth living and that non-existence is preferable to existence. Thinkers in this tradition emphasize that suffering outweighs pleasure, happiness is fleeting or u ...
, and
German idealism German idealism is a philosophical movement that emerged in Germany in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It developed out of the work of Immanuel Kant in the 1780s and 1790s, and was closely linked both with Romanticism and the revolutionary ...
. Key elements of Dalton's works are: * Suspicion of the Absolute Good: Dalton argues that the idea of a perfect, absolute good can lead to ethical problems and even evil if it is not related to properly. He refers to this idea as the "tyranny of the absolute." To make his case, Dalton uses examples from social and political history to demonstrate how concepts of the absolute good have been used to justify oppressive systems globally. * Ethics of Resistance: Instead of seeking to affirm any absolute good, Dalton proposes developing an "ethics of resistance," which "resists" any given concept of the absolute good. For Dalton, ethical action is grounded in recognizing and resisting the allure of the absolute, wherever and however it appears. For this reason, Dalton proposes what he calls "ab-archy" as an ethical model for engaging with others in the socio-political realm. * Metaphysics of Decay: Dalton argues that the only epistemologically valid source for philosophical absolutes is the mathematical and scientific study of matter. It is from this alone, he claims, that metaphysical absolutes can be developed. Following this logic, Dalton proposes a "metaphysics of decay," which he bases on the "thermodynamic revolution" in the contemporary material sciences. By speculatively extending the conclusions of the contemporary sciences, Dalton argues that one "natural absolute" that can be asserted is the idea of entropy which is defined in the
second law of thermodynamics The second law of thermodynamics is a physical law based on Universal (metaphysics), universal empirical observation concerning heat and Energy transformation, energy interconversions. A simple statement of the law is that heat always flows spont ...
. From this he develops an account of being as something which is "unbecoming." * Aesthetics of Escape: By Dalton's read, the primary function of art, contrary to traditional accounts, is not to help us "see the truth," and/or "confront reality" as it "actually is," but, precisely the opposite, to "carry us away" from what he calls the "moral horror" and "torment" of existence. For these reasons, he argues for the redemption of so-called "guilty pleasures" and "fiddling flights of fancy," "not merely as morally justified escapes from reality, but as existentially necessary palliatives against the misery of existence." Dalton's scholarly work draws from and addresses thinkers and themes from: *
Pessimism Pessimism is a mental attitude in which an undesirable outcome is anticipated from a given situation. Pessimists tend to focus on the negatives of life in general. A common question asked to test for pessimism is "Is the glass half empty or half ...
: In relation to what he calls the "absolute unbecoming of existence," Dalton embraces "ethical pessimism," as a normative system. In "ethical pessimism," Dalton argues, one can ground ethical action and political engagement so long as goodness is conceived of negatively (per his "ethics of resistance" and development of "ab-archy" as a model of ethical social and political engagement). *
Phenomenology Phenomenology may refer to: Art * Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties Philosophy * Phenomenology (Peirce), a branch of philosophy according to Charles Sanders Peirce (1839â ...
: Dalton's work heavily draws from phenomenological philosophy, particularly the ideas of
Emmanuel Levinas Emmanuel Levinas (born Emanuelis Levinas ; ; 12 January 1906 – 25 December 1995) was a French philosopher of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry who is known for his work within Jewish philosophy, existentialism, and phenomenology, focusing on the rel ...
, whom he often uses as a foil to frame his conception of the importance of resisting the absolute in order to be ethically responsible. * Speculative Realism: Dalton argues that the best way to consider questions of the absolute is through a mode of speculative naturalism. In this regard, his work complements and draws from other contemporary speculative realists like
Quentin Meillassoux Quentin Meillassoux (; ; born 26 October 1967) is a French philosopher. He teaches at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Biography Quentin Meillassoux is the son of the anthropologist Claude Meillassoux. He ...
and
Ray Brassier Raymond Brassier (; born December 22, 1965) is a British philosopher. He is a member of the philosophy faculty at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, known for his work in philosophical realism. He was formerly Research Fellow at the Ce ...
. Unlike these two, however, Dalton argues that these speculative projects need not be at odds with phenomenology, but can be used together to develop a "speculative phenomenology." * Social and Political Philosophy: Dalton's philosophical ideas are often worked out in relation to contemporary social and political issues, showing how the pursuit of absolute ideals can contribute to oppression and injustice; and, alternatively, how a proper relation to the possibility of the absolute, one mediated through "resistance" and "ab-archy" might ground a different conception of ethical social and political activity.


Books

* ''Longing for the Other: Levinas and Metaphysical Desire'' (Duquesne University Press, 2009) * ''The Ethics of Resistance: Tyranny of the Absolute'' (Bloomsbury, 2018) * ''The Matter of Evil: From Speculative Realism to Ethical Pessimism'' (Northwestern University Press, 2023)


References


External links

* *"Drew M. Dalton": https://english.indiana.edu/about/faculty/dalton-drew.html * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dalton, Drew Living people 21st-century American philosophers American philosophy academics Year of birth missing (living people) Indiana University faculty Dominican University (Illinois) faculty KU Leuven alumni American political philosophers American ethicists American philosophers of art Philosophers of pessimism American literary theorists Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni