Anticipatory Aesthetics: The Senses and the Body in Anticipatory Theory and Practice

Anticipatory aesthetics extends the conceptual repertoire of the theory of anticipation. This chapter offers a theoretical rationale for the importance of anticipatory aesthetics in the work of foresight practitioners and theorists. It argues for a central place for the senses – both embodied and subtle – in anticipatory knowledge work. Key to this understanding is the centrality of both the senses and anticipation to the evolution, not just of human beings but of all life. The chapter draws extensively on the work of the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze who posited the Chaosmos and a transcendental empiricism. Deleuze’s work complements and challenges the approach taken by those engaged in anticipatory systems theory and the mapping out of a possible discipline of anticipation. Intercivilizational dialogue is also introduced to extend the possibilities of anticipatory systems theory, Deleuze’s thought, and anticipatory aesthetics. Neohumanism is offered as a suitable bridge between Western readings of anticipation as a necessary feature of evolving systems and Eastern spiritual representations of the world as conscious. The chapter ends by considering the five futures senses of memory, foresight, voice, optimism, and yearning. It is argued that these senses account for the sense-making processes that occur within human systems and that a clearer appreciation for such senses will enrich foresight practice and the theory of anticipation