Here is the outline for chapter 2 of Being & Death. Please read it over and let me know your thoughts! If you missed the opening post, you can read the outline comment guidelines and my overall purpose statement here.

FULL LUNGS

I: The Respiratory Process

Chapter 1’s outline can be found here.

II: Queer Vision

Chapter purpose: To present an emotional and personal story way-into the content of this book, priming the theory-to-come with emotional salience. This chapter is a microcosm of the entire book, so if you first understand it emotionally, it will be easier to understand it conceptually.

Main take-away: “This book is emotionally charged by the author’s personal journey.”

Outline:

1) “THE EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPE” – Section purpose: to paint a picture of how it feels to be a separate human consumed by aloneness and desire, and where we might find emotional solace inside ourselves.

• Aloneness
  • An exploration of the emotion of aloneness, and the affective qualities of feeling separate.
• Separation machines
  • A “light on theory” overview of our cognitive machinery and language, and how feelings of separateness originate.
• Holes in the heart
  • A “light on theory” overview of lack and desire. Do this through the void diagram. Stick to emotions.
• The ocean
  • A “light on theory” overview of the void as the oceanic space within us. Stick to emotions. Talk inspiration, the unknown, and creativity. Love and intimacy. Meditation. Talk individuation. Intro (lightly) BayN, hero’s journey.
• Learning to swim
  • Intro/overview of this chapter, re: my emotional journey.

2) “THAT’S MY HEART” – Section purpose: to metaphorically and emotionally present how outside things like stories and theories can be maps for our murky internal worlds.

• Kafka on the Shore
  • Intro to the idea of “as within, so without” via the flood scene from Kafka on the Shore.
• Metaphors for introspection
  • Exploration of the idea of “as within, so without” via some personal stories. Talk about myth and conceptual metaphor (light on theory, stick to emotions) as a way to understand our own introspection process.
• This book is a looking glass
  • Discuss the reasons for me writing this book. Discuss my “respiratory process.” Tell how I got here via the content from my “About Me” page.

3) “MY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY THROUGH ART AND EDUCATION” – Section purpose: to tell my personal story of artistic, intellectual, sexual, and spiritual development. The theories in this book have come from the fires of my personal journey, and are all emotionally and narratively charged.

• Secret underground tunnels
  • My personal narrative about how I first came to making art. My emotional life in high school, feelings of separation, and then finding a deep reservoir of spiritual connection via art. Talk about Morgan and my intro to Hinduism.
  • This content is to rely heavily on emotion, and the actual art that I made. Show and discuss the art.
  • Discuss questions of sexuality and openness.
  • Art was my underground tunnel to access all things. A feeling of cosmic unity.
• Over-thinking things
  • My personal narrative about how I first came to semiotics at college. The crisis of negative difference and the fascination with lack. Show this through artwork.
  • Discuss relationship trauma and the closing-off of sexuality. Talk the split between persona/shadow.
  • This was the peak of my “separateness.”
• Exploring the shadows
  • My post-college work. Talk about finding Badiou, re-thinking lack and the void.
  • Writing Thousand Shadow and exploring, once again, the space of sexuality.
• Practicing the not-known
  • Merging of theory and practice of recent work. Talk about therapy, re-opening questions of sexuality. Re-discovering my friendships, Brene and “vulnerability as intimacy”.
  • Talk Burning Man and the struggles of “the fear of being inarticulate.” Talk about kindness. Talk about surrender.
  • Now, I’m writing this very book.

4) “A NEW VISION” – Section purpose: introducing one of densest ideas in this book, “Both, and yet Neither”, by linking it via analogy to sexual identity, its emotional power in my life, and the ethical vision it brings.

• Queerness
  • A quick intro into what “queerness” means to me re: BayN.
  • Maybe explore this via the latest Knife album, which really resonated with me.
  • The political implications of queer vision.
• Queer vision
  • Discuss vision as both seeing and emotion.
  • Discuss the ethical project of this book.
  • End with a callback to “That’s my heart.”