A brief study dealing with the problem of appearance in relation to perception and comprehension. Appearance, as an autonomous phenomenon, is derived from the political philosophy of Hannah Arendt and its development is retroactively traced from its origins in Platonic philosophy through to its contemporary expression in the work of Henri Bergson. A contrast is drawn between the Western idea of appearance as something inherently related to, and subservient to, the understanding, and an alternative perspective which grants appearance significance in itself. This study proposes three possible relationships of appearance for a subject - the appearance of the world as an object of use, the appearance of the world as an object of contemplation, and the appearance of others in political life. We contrast this with a scientific-empirical worldview which disposes with the subject, and therefore appearance, altogether.
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