Przeciw melancholii, czyli spór Agaty Bielik-Robson z Giorgiem Agambenem a perspektywy witalizmu mesjańskiego

Abstrakt

In the text Agamben’s theoretical project serves as a negative point of reference for the messianic vitalism of Agata Bielik-Robson. The aim is to indicate a tension characteristic of the “dynamic anthropology”, which could be equal to a subtle dialectics of strength and fragility, necessity and potency treated as “moments” of human being. Viewed from this perspective, Agamben’s narration seems melancholic because of its tendency to celebrate pure potentiality with a resentment towards facticity. It conceals the gnostic angst of occupying any position. As a consequence nuda vita genuinly becomes vulnerable to the sovereign power and the domination of death. Messianic vitalism not only avoids such downsides, but also is able to use them to its advantage, since it is at the same time a foundation of a concrete civilisation project and – which is more expressed in my article – a lynchpin of a sublime art of living.