Wonder was displaced by Cartesian doubt in modernity

Evidence

Modern, Cartesian doubt has taken the place of wonder. Yet the capacity for contemplation need not be bound to imperishable Being. Especially whatever is floating, inconspicuous, or fleeting reveals itself only to deep, contemplative attention. Likewise, it is only contemplative lingering that has access to phenomena that are long and slow. Paul Cézanne, a master of deep, contemplative attention, once remarked that he could see the fragrance of things. This visualization of fragrances requires profound attention. In the contemplative state, one steps outside oneself, so to speak, and immerses oneself in the surroundings. — Byung-Chul Han, The Burnout Society, 40

Categorization

• XREF: The replacement of wonder by doubt is the philosophical engine behind the discipline-to-achievement transition; pairs with Han’s later treatment of the achievement-subject’s exhaustion. — connects to: The Cartesian cogito is the only absolute truth grounding all other knowledge. — Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism Is a Humanism, 21
• SHARE: Cézanne ‘seeing the fragrance of things’ — a perfect tidbit for a friend who loves painting or phenomenology.