#Relational Identity

[omegaphilosophia]

The Philosophy of Relational Ontology

Relational ontology is a branch of metaphysics that focuses on the idea that entities exist and gain their meaning through their relationships with other entities, rather than being independent and self-contained. It challenges the traditional, substance-based ontology, which views entities as possessing intrinsic properties that define them in isolation. In relational ontology, the essence or identity of things is shaped by the web of relations in which they are embedded.

1. Core Concepts of Relational Ontology

Being-in-Relation: The foundational idea of relational ontology is that entities are defined by their relations rather than their inherent qualities. In this view, no entity exists in isolation; rather, all beings are interconnected, and their existence is shaped by their relationships with others. This contrasts with the traditional substance ontology, which sees entities as having intrinsic, unchanging properties.

Relational vs. Substantial Ontology: Substantial ontology posits that things exist independently and their identity is determined by their internal characteristics. Relational ontology, by contrast, holds that the essence of a thing arises from its relations to other things, making these relations central to the understanding of existence.

2. Historical and Philosophical Roots

Process Philosophy: A key influence on relational ontology comes from process philosophy, especially the work of Alfred North Whitehead. In process philosophy, reality is understood as a series of interconnected events and processes, with entities constantly in flux, shaped by their interactions with others. Whitehead’s concept of actual occasions and the interrelatedness of events is foundational to relational thinking.

Phenomenology and Existentialism: Philosophers like Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty also emphasize the relational nature of existence. Heidegger’s concept of being-with-others (Mitsein) highlights how human existence is fundamentally relational, and Merleau-Ponty explores how perception and embodiment are shaped by our relationships with the world and others.

Eastern Philosophy: Relational ontology is often compared to ideas from Buddhism and Taoism, which emphasize the interconnectedness of all things. The Buddhist notion of dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda) states that all phenomena arise in dependence on causes and conditions, denying the existence of independently existing entities.

3. Relational Ontology in Social and Political Philosophy

Identity and Social Relations: In social philosophy, relational ontology is applied to understand how personal and social identity is formed through relations. Feminist philosophy and social constructivism often draw on relational ontology to critique individualistic and essentialist understandings of identity, emphasizing that identity is shaped by social, cultural, and historical contexts.

Interpersonal Ethics: Relational ontology informs ethical discussions about the self and others, suggesting that ethical behavior arises not from abstract principles, but from the recognition of our interdependent existence. Philosophers like Emmanuel Levinas argue that ethics is grounded in the relationship between self and the other, where the face of the other demands a response that acknowledges their humanity.

Communitarianism: In political theory, relational ontology is aligned with communitarianism, which critiques liberal individualism. Communitarians argue that individuals are deeply embedded in social and communal relationships, and these relationships are essential for understanding justice, rights, and responsibilities.

4. Relational Ontology in Science and Environmental Ethics

Quantum Physics and Relational Ontology: Some philosophers argue that modern physics, particularly quantum mechanics, supports a relational view of reality. Quantum entanglement, for instance, suggests that particles do not have definite properties until they interact with other particles, supporting the idea that entities are defined by their relations.

Ecological and Environmental Ethics: Relational ontology also plays a significant role in environmental philosophy. It challenges the anthropocentric view that humans are separate from nature, emphasizing instead that humans are part of a larger ecological web. Deep ecology and other environmental movements adopt relational thinking to advocate for the intrinsic value of ecosystems and the interdependence of all life forms.

5. Critiques and Challenges

Objectivity and Relational Ontology: Critics of relational ontology question whether it can account for objective knowledge. If entities are only understood through their relations, it may be difficult to establish an objective foundation for truth. Relativism is a potential problem if all meaning is seen as dependent on particular relationships and contexts.

The Problem of Individual Autonomy: Another critique focuses on the implications for individual autonomy. If entities, including persons, are fully constituted by their relationships, critics argue that this could undermine the idea of personal freedom and responsibility. Relational autonomy attempts to address this by emphasizing that autonomy itself is relational, shaped by social interactions and dependencies.

6. Relational Ontology in Contemporary Philosophy

Poststructuralism and Deconstruction: In poststructuralism, relational ontology resonates with philosophers like Jacques Derrida, who emphasize the instability of meaning and the play of differences. Deconstruction challenges the notion of fixed identities and emphasizes the relational nature of language, meaning, and existence.

New Materialism: In new materialist thought, relational ontology influences discussions about the agency of matter and the interconnectedness of human and non-human entities. Philosophers like Karen Barad draw on quantum physics to argue that matter itself is relational, challenging the traditional divide between subjects and objects.

7. Relational Ontology in Religion and Theology

Theology and Relationality: In theology, relational ontology has been influential in discussions of the nature of God and divine action. Process theology builds on the relational ideas of process philosophy to argue that God is not a distant, unchanging entity, but is dynamically involved in the unfolding of the world through relationships with creation.

Interfaith Dialogue and Relational Being: Relational ontology also plays a role in interfaith dialogue, where understanding religious differences requires an appreciation of the relational context in which beliefs and practices develop.

Relational ontology challenges the traditional notion of independent entities with fixed identities, proposing instead that existence and meaning are fundamentally shaped by relationships. This approach has profound implications across philosophy, from metaphysics and ethics to politics, science, and theology. By focusing on interconnectedness, relational ontology offers a framework for understanding the complexity of identity, ethics, and existence in a world defined by interaction and interdependence.

[aroaceleovaldez]

i have suddenly become obsessed with a theme that HoO established but never proceeded to extrapolate on, which is:

You are Percy Jackson, and you have been swapped with a boy who was allegedly everyone's favorite person, but they have decided to replace him with you. They just met you. You stand next to his best friend and the people he's known his entire life. In his home. In his cloak. In his place. They stopped looking for him.

You are Jason Grace, and you have just found out you have a long lost sister who completely replaced you in her life with this girl you just met. Your lives and personalities are mirrors. She is you, living the life you were robbed of.

You are Annabeth Chase, and you have just become starkly aware that you have been inhabiting the void left behind by your best friend's long lost brother. You and Luke were just replacements for him. Now you have to look him in the eyes when he has nothing and know you took that life from him.

You are Piper McLean, and you have just found out your relationship is fake and built entirely on the memories of Annabeth Chase. You have been given a boyfriend when hers has been taken away. You have no idea how much of it is real or not but regardless you feel like if your relationship isn't exactly in their image that you have failed.

You are Leo Valdez, and you have just learned that you are the echo of your great-grandfather. You are not your own person. You just exist to be a mirror of him. A doppelganger. An actor and stunt double facing all the danger he never had to but wearing his face. To be there for his best friend decades later simply because he couldn't. You are playing a role. A seventh wheel and a pawn for a goddess who carefully sculpted your entire life for her own purposes.

You are Hazel Levesque, and the only reason you are alive is because your brother couldn't save your his sister. You are a consolation prize. An apology. Your existence here is misplaced in every way but you inhabit it anyways.

You are Frank Zhang, and you are a shapeshifter. Inhabiting your own body feels strange and clumsy when you could be literally anything at any time. You are anything and everything and live your life with the simple certainty of knowing exactly how you will die.

[lotus-lost-n-found]

Some Batfam Headcanons because the brain never stops;

Jason hates being called "Bruce's Son". But he hates it more when hes called "One of Wayne's Orphans/Wayne's child" because fuck you I'm his son-! wait no--

With the exception of Damian, they rarely refer to Bruce as "Dad/Father". Either it didn't occur to them/didn't see the need to/thought it would be strange. But when Dick/Jason/Tim/Cass are tired or injured it might slip out. And Bruce might just crumble a bit at it

Doesn't mean they don't say it to their siblings when Bruce is out of Earshot.

"Dad said you couldn't." "What do you mean Dad said I couldn't use that mug? It's my mug!" "You snooze you lose Timmy Boy-" "Jason don't be an asshole-"

That being said Bruce says "son/daughter/child" at every available opportunity he can after he knows that they have acclimated enough that they wouldn't be uncomfortable/know they can tell Bruce that they don't want to be called that.

First time Bruce called Dick "son" in a way that meant "You are my kid" and not in a "This police officer just called me son with a brow furrow" way Dick grinned and carried on with the conversation. Later he wondered if his dad wouldn't like someone else calling him Son; but Dick thinks about the life he was given because of Bruce and thinks maybe his dad wouldn't mind.

Calling Jason "son" is a hit or miss situation, even before he died. The first time it happened he was confused, he didnt think that was the relationship they had and it made everything change for him. He got frustrated--not angry--with himself and Bruce at this sudden emotional turmoil. Wasn't he just the kid Bruce picked up in an alleyway? Wasn't he just some street rat in bright Robin clothing? (He lets himself believe that he can be Bruce's son. If for only a little while).

Tim cries after Bruce is out of earshot, it would've been a year or so after his parents died and he was adopted. He didn't think he could have been wanted like that again. Even if you think the Drake's had A+ Parenting or not, I don't think he would have gotten a lot of confirmation of being wanted otherwise.

Cass smiles, emotions carefully concealed under her expression. She's grateful she found Bruce and he doesn't mention it if she leans a bit closer in a request for closeness.

Damian doesn't expect anything less, he only appears satisfied. But also relieved that he has gotten the confirmation that yes, Bruce wants and accepts him.

EDIT 10/11; hiii, i have added Duke, Steph & a Bonus in a reblog you can find on the same blog under my 'batfamily headcanons' / 'sore rambles' tag. have fun :)

[lesbiantism]

Ya know what shout out to butches who wrestle with our butchness because we don’t fit the mold in some way. Butches who aren’t physically strong or naturally caretaking because of physical disability, who need to be cared for, who can’t hold open the door for a femme. Butches with long hair, butches with big hair, butches who express their culture via their hair. Butches who’s masculinity is shaped by their culture, who’s masculinity doesn’t fit the white eurocentric mold. Fat butches, butches with curves viewed as feminine, butches who don’t have skinny, boyish builds. Butches who don’t want to be sexualized, butches on the ace spectrum. Butches who don’t have traditionally masculine interests or mannerisms or whatever. Effeminate butches. Butches who take inspo from gay men. Butches who like the occasional dress or skirt. TRANSFEM BUTCHES!!!!! And any other butches who don’t fit a certain mold!! All butches are good butches and we are all valid.

[rocketbirdie]

i don't want to lose you. i don't want to lose this

[zillychu]

me? redrawing my old shit?? its more likely than u think

[growing-home]

i feel like we don’t always talk about the smaller ways that having a dissociative disorder (and not being “out” about it) can really disable a person— i’m in a choir, and idk how to explain to the musical director that SOMETIMES i am a soprano and have no trouble hitting high notes while other times i feel like i physically cannot sing that high. or how sometimes my guitar feels like an extension of my body but sometimes i don’t even remember how i’m supposed to hold it properly. or in art therapy when i only sometimes have access to my adult level of artistic skill while sometimes i have the skill level of a five year old. my dissociative disorder very much disables me, and this is something i don’t see people talking about outside of the ways that PTSD disables those with dissociative disorders. what i mean is that sometimes i do not have the ability to do very basic tasks. dissociative disorders are developmental disorders, and i am very much developmentally disabled much of the time.

i don’t plan on ever being publicly out about my dissociative disorder in a non anonymous setting. i have a hard time even talking about my parts in therapy even to the clinician that diagnosed me with DID. it feels unbearably vulnerable and not safe to tell people about my parts. i feel like we’re seeing more and more people on tik tok start talking publicly about their DID, and while that may be very helpful for them, i honestly can’t imagine ever being fully out with it like that. keeping it secret is what has kept me safe, it is how i survived the last twenty years of my life. my experience with DID also does not line up with most of the DID content i’ve seen online— and i don’t mean this to invalidate those whose experiences are different than mine, it’s just that it can feel really lonely and isolating to have a dissociative disorder that doesn’t fit with the worlds preconceived image of what a dissociative disorder looks like. this is part of why i typically just say that i have dissociative disorder instead of DID.

tldr: dissociative disorders can really impair basic functioning and i feel like people forget that when they focus so much on the parts of DID that are more sensationalized in the media.

[pocchi-poket]

You know, I feel like we're not talking enough about the fact that Alastor has in his room a full reproduction (?) of a swamp-forest that's highly likely very similar to the one where he was killed. Talk about being morbid.

Edit: someone pointed out in the comments that the swamp-forest is called bayou. It's a kind of ecosystem in Louisiana.

[loserifer]

i survived another week under capitalism's thumb. w me. anyway, here's some Tension >:)

Page 5/?

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reblogs are appreciated!!! 🕺🕺🕺

[nibeul]

these guys

[id: it's a wip of the Bad Batch. At the moment, it's just their heads stacked together going Echo, Tech, Hunter, Crosshair, and Wrecker from bottom to top. /end id]

[alwaysbewoke]

this is chief among the reasons why i have no respect for black republicans.

[reimeichan]

Signs of having DID that I ignored (note that these are not exclusively signs of DID but they were for me):

I don't have amnesia, that's just short term memory loss because I have ADHD!

I actually have a very good memory, I'm great at memorizing things (what do you mean that's not the same thing)

sure it may seem like my mood changes drastically but I've read online that's common in people with ADHD! it's hard for us to regulate our emotions!

so what if I have different preferences from time to time? that's normal right? like when your mood changes you may prefer different foods? what do you mean that's not the same as going from "I hate spicy foods" one day to "omg I LOVE spicy foods!" the next?

yeah okay I tend to space out in the middle of conversations then come back to and need you to remind me what you said for the past 10 seconds or so. that's just my ADHD inattentiveness. what do you mean that I only do this when stressed. what do you mean that's a form of dissociation.

speaking of dissociation, sure sometimes I feel like I'm watching myself say and do things without my own input but that's just because I was tired/stressed out

yeah sometimes I go on autopilot. my autopilot seems to have its own agenda sometimes though. weird.

sure I changed usernames a *few* times but isn't that pretty common? yeah I also wanted to change how I presented online and also my pronouns and stuff but again isn't it common for people to want to start over sometimes?

*making multiple accounts to play the same game because I play the game differently on different accounts and don't want to mess things up on one account*

oh yes, I'm genderfluid! I say that because my gender absolutely changes from moment to moment and sure it seems kinda tied to other aspects of myself like color preferences and energy levels and personality traits but I'm pretty sure that's just par for the course with genderfluidity?

"you're so different when you're around your parents vs when you're at school/work vs when you're hanging out with friends!" yeah that's called being a complex person we all have different masks we wear in different social situations and I'm no different even if it seems more extreme for me

"how was school/work/the hang-out/going to visit your parents?" I don't know I'm tired and have a giant headache and can't remember

"you said this to me the other day and it made me feel <x>" what????? I literally have no memory of this and that's so incredibly out of character for me wtf I would never do that I was probably just really stressed out and tired and had no filter on.

[bruciemilf]

The most embarrassing moment of Jason’s life is calling Bruce to bail him out for underage drinking

[ambrosiagourmet]

I dunno, I kinda think that describing an often-viewed-as-autistic character as relatable to everyone is fun and rad actually. I think that the idea of autistic people being relatable to neurotypical people is cool as hell

[lorebird]

In which Ford struggles so badly to relate to other people that he wonders if he’s really human at all. The more isolated he becomes, the harder it is to reconcile with his own humanity.