Last week, we used the teddy bear as our example of what object relations theorist D.W. Winnicott called a “transitional object.” A teddy bear or other comfort object exists in a transitional state that defies the central distinction of modern philosophy, the division between subject and object, self and world. A teddy bear is a real object, not just a subjective fiction like a hallucination or an imaginary friend; yet it is not merely objective, for it is animated by the subject. As such, it is a friendly oxymoron, a paradox with fur, simple and yet profound enough that its significance has expanded into a second newsletter.
May 26, 2023
May 26, 2023
May 26, 2023
Last week, we used the teddy bear as our example of what object relations theorist D.W. Winnicott called a “transitional object.” A teddy bear or other comfort object exists in a transitional state that defies the central distinction of modern philosophy, the division between subject and object, self and world. A teddy bear is a real object, not just a subjective fiction like a hallucination or an imaginary friend; yet it is not merely objective, for it is animated by the subject. As such, it is a friendly oxymoron, a paradox with fur, simple and yet profound enough that its significance has expanded into a second newsletter.