On The Aesthetic Dimension Of Chris Shilling’s Technical Body Theory

This article takes Chris Shilling’s technical body theory as the research object,focusing on Shilling’s three forms of technical body,namely physical substitution,physical enhancement and community.From these three perspective of aesthetic rationality,this paper clarifies the inner aesthetic dimension of Shilling’s technical body theory.Body and technology are two objects which Shilling discuss in his technical body theory.He analyses the relationship between body and technology from the convergence of Max’s,Durkheim’s and Zimmel’s body view,and distinguishes what is the form of technical body.Aesthetics and technology are two big problems in Shilling’s technical body theory.For the first form of physical substitution in the technical body,Shilling mainly points out that prosthetic has a significant impact on human body.By revealing the fact that the social environment of physically impaired people and their physical disabilities will weaken their vitality and change their normal psychological state.Shilling makes it very necessary to use physical substitution in the technology,reparing the physiology basis for physically impaired people to awaken the subject’s aesthetic experience of the new subject rebuilding from technology and body.Shilling combines subjective condition and administrative levels when aesthetic experience takes place to expound the aesthetic problem that the new subject causes in Shilling ’s theory.For the second form of physical enhancement in the technical body,Shilling thinks the technology is moving further to the inside of the body,constantly satisfying the needs of promoting and expanding body perception,which can increase their body experience,and this has a great influence on consumerism.We also place the persuit of perfection for physical extension,the second form of "technical body" in the context of consumption.From the two aspects of social discipline and desire,this paper expounds the formation of the pursuit of the perfection of appearance in "body improvement" and its aesthetic problems.For the third form of community in the technical body,Schilling emphasizes that the power of technology has a significant impact on the community.The aggregation of network technology for virtual community is different from the traditional sense of community.It is a group of "deregionalization","de-bloodization" and "de-identification".For the aesthetic consideration of Shilling’s communal transformation,the common aesthetic taste and the need of belonging are the construction factors of Shilling’s communal transformation.It is a community which is constructed on the condition of the common aesthetic taste and belonging of the subject.However,in the virtual world of both good and bad,the analysis of the internal advantages and disadvantages of the communal tranformation needs to be guided by correct values.The unique feature of Shilling’s technical body theory is that he not only indicates the development track of Cyber technology for us,but also considers the rational problems of technology and body in society.Besides,he also analyzes the aesthetic problems of technical body.Although biotechnology and network technology are constantly developing in depth,it is undeniable that Shilling’s technical body theory judges and analyzes its evolution track,and the aesthetic problems involved are still the classics and core of aesthetics.