Subject and object letting-go of fixed positions liberates previously imprisoned philosophical energy

Evidence

Dwelling on – lingering with – the concrete is an inextinguishable aspect of anything that frees itself from particularity. At the same time, that moment of emancipation showsthespecificityof particularitytobejustaslimitedastheblinddomination of a totality that does not respect particularity. — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 1558 (#qualifies, via linked claim)

In this classic test of creativity, individuals are presented with three objects on a table placed next to a cardboard wall: (1) a candle, (2) a pack of matches, and (3) a box of tacks. The task is to attach the candle to the wall so that the candle burns properly and does not drip wax on the table or the floor. The solution demands the ability to literally think outside the box: By emptying the box of tacks and then tacking it to the wall, the box of tacks becomes a candleholder. The solution is considered a measure of “insight creativity” (Schooler & Melcher, 1995) because it involves the ability to overcome a barrier to creativity called “functional fixedness,” the common belief that objects can be used only for their typical function. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2223 (#exemplifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Reason works as conscious projection that holds subject and object apart.; Reason adapts humans to power rather than unifying subject and object; Subjectivity forms itself across plastic sites rather than pre-existing them — Catherine Malabou, The Future of Hegel: Plasticity,…, 289 (+9 more)

Related

• Freeing from particularity requires dwelling with the concrete instead of abstract negation (similarity 0.83)
• Functional fixedness blocks creative solutions requiring atypical object use (similarity 0.82)

Broader Connections

• Philosophical propositions dialectically preserve, suppress, and present their cancelled form #expands (0.80)
• Freeing from particularity requires dwelling with the concrete instead of abstract negation #qualifies (0.75) — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 1558
• Functional fixedness blocks creative solutions requiring atypical object use #exemplifies (0.72) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2223