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Monsters in our shared world: Aesthetic Action, and the billionaire creators of Historical Action
Mälardalen University, School of Innovation, Design and Engineering, Innovation and Product Realisation.
2025 (English)In: Journal of Aesthetics & Culture, E-ISSN 2000-4214, Vol. 17, no 1, article id 2559454Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

This essay analyses power dynamics in our technologically advanced world through the lens of Aesthetic Action, defined by exploring "what the world could be," and contrasting it with Historical Action, driven by a determinate vision of "what the world should be". Using Florian Klinger's framework of Aesthetic Action and this implicit contrast with Historical Action. Through examination of Naoki Urasawa's anime series Monster and Pluto, the essay argues that seemingly innovative disruptions by tech billionaires typically enact Historical Action. This reinforces existing inequalities and imposes narrow, deterministic visions of a desired future "what the world should be". In contrast, the essay champions Aesthetic Action, exemplified by characters in Urasawa's works, as genuine disruption. This approach embraces indeterminacy, fosters ethical responsibility, and opens possibilities for "what the world could be," which includes a more fair, shared future. Through the portrayal of Kinderheim 511 and the depiction of systemic monstrosity in Monster and Pluto, the essay calls for a critical reimagining of our world beyond the profit-driven imperatives of technological power, advocating for collective Aesthetic Action as resistance and transformative change.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Informa UK Limited , 2025. Vol. 17, no 1, article id 2559454
Keywords [en]
Aesthetic Action, ethical resistance, ethical design, Monster and Pluto, systemic inequality
National Category
Philosophy
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-73385DOI: 10.1080/20004214.2025.2559454ISI: 001569842400001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105015770907OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mdh-73385DiVA, id: diva2:2000540
Available from: 2025-09-24 Created: 2025-09-24 Last updated: 2026-06-12Bibliographically approved

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Lindblom, Simon

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CiteExportLink to record
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Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf