Ashlynn Yvaine, De Saussure, Barthes, and Macherey

In Barthes' writing on The Pleasure of the Text, there is a particular paragraph which stands out to me in its description. It reads:

Now the subject who keeps the two texts in his field and in his hands the reins of pleasure and bliss is an anachronism subject, for he simultaneously and contradictorily participates in the profound hedonism of all culture (which permeates him quietly under cover of an art de vivre shared by the old books) and in the destruction of that culture: he enjoys the consistency of his selfhood (that is his pleasure) and seeks its loss (that is his bliss). He is a subject split twice over, doubly perverse. (110)

This paragraph grabbed my attention in particular as over the six long months I was in quarantine (my household was especially careful of exploring the outside realms) I experienced a longing for hedonism. In fact, I found a commentary on Plato and his teachings on contemplation which turned me on to my road of hedonism. The fact of the matter was needing to remain indoors and isolated from my peers for the better half of a year was something which Plato never needed to experience. He was free to roam the earth and discuss thoughts with his fellow man which was a luxury I was no longer afforded. Without the contact and free discussion with my peers, I could no longer retain the stomach for simple contemplation. Contemplation made me seize in anger because I so desperately needed the pleasure and bliss of hedonism to fill the hole in my humanity that had been bored by the virus that ravages the world.

While Plato may not have supported hedonism, I believe I can use his own work against him in The Allegory of the Cave. If one only searches out the texts of pleasure or the texts of bliss without any overlap then they are as blind as those who only know that which lies within the walls of their cave. The true mark of leadership is one who will act hedonistically as Barthes describes, because they have the knowledge to wield both sides of the story and thus have the ability to lead both sides.

It is okay to be a hedonistic in your tendencies, especially as it applies to text. Pursuing that enjoyment in understanding both sides of an idea will show your true leadership potential and it might just save you from going insane in isolation.