Resonance (sociology)

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With the concept of resonance , Jena sociology professor Hartmut Rosa tries to explain social phenomena from a fundamental human striving for "resonant" relationships. His theory of resonance became fundamental in the work Resonanz , published in 2016 . A sociology of world relations formulated.

Term of resonance

The concept of resonance is taken from physics to a subject - object-Describing the relationship as a vibrating system in which both sides stimulate each other. In contrast to the physical meaning of the word, however, they do not just return the received sound, but speak “with their own voice”. The relational abilities of the subjects and their intersubjective structures are only constituted from such resonance experiences or their absence. This is made clear by the primary relationship between the newborn and his caregiver, whose acceptance or rejection of interactions develop the basic relationship patterns. With the concept of resonance used in this way, an attempt is made to find an approach as free as possible from cultural evaluations and assumptions to the question of successful relationships between subject and world in the sense of the “good life”.

The possible reference points for such resonances are ubiquitous and are described in three basic axes: Horizontal resonances take place between two (or more) people, for example in love and family relationships, friendships or the political sphere. Relations to things and activities are referred to as diagonal axes of resonance, and relations to the great collective singulars are referred to as vertical axes of resonance: nature, art, history or religion. In all of these contexts, intense experiences are possible, which make life tangible as an intense encounter or relationship for its own sake. This is contrasted with mute or instrumental world relationships determined by the focus on control and making available, in which the priority is to achieve a useful goal. For example, a mountain tour as an intensive examination of the requirements of the path and the nature it encounters can be an experience of resonance, as a purely purpose-oriented company, but also instrumental and in this sense "mute".

Obviously, parts of the world that are perceived as attractive or desirable are predestined for resonance experiences, while those that are perceived as repellent or fearful lead to "silent", non-resonant experiences. A prerequisite for establishing resonances are also strong evaluations of the subject, which give the object a meaning that goes beyond desire or attractiveness.

If in this way an attempt is made to outline what people are looking for and longing for in their innermost hearts, it is by no means conceived as a permanent state that can be established, but always as a punctual, momentary success or adjustment that occurs against the background of the predominantly mute and instrumental takes off. Resonance in this sense is therefore essentially characterized by the fact that it cannot be created according to plan and at will, but is ultimately unavailable.

Social theory

As a sociological theory, resonance theory deals with the social conditions that promote or hinder successful relationships. If the striving for resonance is seen as a ubiquitous human primordial motivation, its concretization depends to a large extent on historical, geographical and cultural conditions. In particular, existential hardship and political repression make resonance experiences more difficult if they do not make them entirely impossible. The promise of modernity is therefore to enable resonance by overcoming political arbitrariness and improving material resources. Rosa sees this promise as an inherent contradiction of modernity, however, ultimately undermined by the conditions required for progress, which is primarily geared towards increasing resources: Extended resources expand the world that the subject can reach and thus his possibilities for resonance experiences. This results in a logic of increase that requires a constant continuation of improvement and increase in resources. This is accompanied by an increasing need to accelerate: in order to maintain the status quo within a modern society, an increasingly faster increase in services, innovations and material production is necessary. Rosa sees this mode of dynamic stabilization as constitutive for modernity: while premodern societies transform themselves adaptively, i.e. in response to changed conditions, modern society is almost defined by its compulsion to continuously transform.

While the current phase of late modernity is characterized by a high sensitivity and expectation of resonance on the part of its subjects, the mode of dynamic stabilization leads to a loss of resonance possibilities. Rosa noted three main manifestations of the current crisis of modernity:

  • the ecological crisis and the transgression of planetary boundaries due to the finiteness of natural resources compared to an unlimited increase expectation
  • the political crisis that arises mainly from the fact that democratic negotiation processes are too slow for the accelerated technological and resulting social changes and are therefore viewed as ineffective or obsolete, and
  • the psychological crisis of the subjects who see themselves overwhelmed by the acceleration and therefore exhausted (burn-out).

The theory of resonance is thus in the tradition of critical theory from Marx to Adorno and Horkheimer to Habermas to Honneth . She shares the central finding of alienation as an obstacle to a successful life, but tries to contrast this description ex negativo with a positive counter-concept with the concept of resonance. This attempt was already made by Honneth, for example, with the concept of recognition. In spite of all the conceded blurriness and diversity of the concept of resonance, Rosa sees this as a universal concept that includes concepts such as recognition, justice or self-efficacy.

reception

Rosa's work and the resonance theory formulated in it are received and discussed controversially. On the one hand, the author is certified to be original and courageous to undertake an analysis aimed at the fundamentals and, in contrast to the Critical Theory, which is often summarized with Adorno's “There is no right life in the wrong”, the optimistic perspective aimed at overcoming the established crisis is emphasized. Such an appreciation of the resonance theory as a positive continuation of the critical theory can be found in Anna Henkel. Micha Brumlik sees the comprehensive merging of interdisciplinary strands as the completion, but also the end of critical theory, which thereby loses its “theoretically informed, coldly looking at society irreconcilability”.

On the other hand, precisely this comprehensive derivation of the concept of resonance from a multitude of perspectives and contexts is criticized to the effect that “resonance” has almost any effect, the concept lacks precision and it is therefore ultimately unsuitable as a basic social-philosophical concept that Rosa postulates.

Another point of criticism relates to Rosa's alleged recourse to the spiritual world of romanticism, to which he wanted to return without showing the way there. Indeed, Rosa often refers to the sensitivity of romanticism to resonance, also in conscious contradiction to rationalistic concepts, but at the same time sees in the way of thinking of romanticism the danger of purely inner-subjective emotion instead of resonance. In doing so, he rather describes the continued effect of the resonance concepts of Romanticism in the modern age without propagating a return to it.

Finally, it is countered by Rosa's book that the socio-political outlook on concrete solutions is poor and he ultimately fails to explain how resonance can be socially established as an answer to the acceleration crisis of modernity. Despite the reference to political reform proposals such as an unconditional basic income and emerging pilot projects for a post-growth economy , Rosa herself rejects this claim, because it resembles “the question of how one could get from the social formations of› the Middle Ages ‹into the modern age: act in both cases it is a fundamental transformation of the world relationship ... ”.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hartmut Rosa: Resonance. A sociology of the world relationship . 2nd Edition. Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin 2016, ISBN 3-518-58626-2 .
  2. ↑ a b Micha Brumlik: Resonance or: The end of critical theory . In: Sheets for German and international politics . May 2016, p. 120–123 ( blaetter.de [accessed February 24, 2018]).
  3. ^ A b Esther Lea Neuhann, Ronan Kaczynski: Hartmut Rosa: Resonance. A Sociology of World Relations (2016) . In: Journal for Philosophical Literature . tape 4 , no. 3 , 2016, p. 42 - 53 ( academia.edu [accessed February 24, 2018]).
  4. ↑ Rosa, Hartmut: Acceleration: the change in time structures in the modern age . 1st edition Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt am Main 2005, ISBN 3-518-29360-5 .
  5. ↑ Helmut König: When the world becomes a resonance space . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . June 8, 2016, ISSN  0376-6829 ( nzz.ch [accessed February 24, 2018]).
  6. ^ Theodor W. Adorno: Minima Moralia . Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt am Main 1951, p. 40-42 .
  7. ↑ Anna Henkel: Positive Dialectic . ( soziopolis.de [accessed on February 24, 2018]).
  8. ↑ Jens Bisky: Dare to get more feedback . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . July 28, 2016.
  9. ↑ Martin Hartmann: In the Resonanzhafen the world takes on a different face . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . 5th April 2016.
  10. ↑ Dieter Thomä: Hartmut Rosa: Sociology with the tuning fork . In: The time . July 8, 2016, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed February 24, 2018]).
  11. ↑ Hartmut Rosa: Resonance. A sociology of the world relationship . 2nd Edition. Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin 2016, ISBN 3-518-58626-2 , pp. 479 .
  12. ↑ Hartmut Rosa: Resonance. A sociology of the world relationship . 2nd Edition. Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin 2016, ISBN 3-518-58626-2 , pp. 600 ff .
  13. ↑ Hartmut Rosa: Resonance. A sociology of the world relationship . 2nd Edition. Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin 2016, ISBN 3-518-58626-2 , pp. 736 .