{"id":164686,"date":"2025-11-05T07:26:26","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T15:26:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=164686"},"modified":"2025-11-05T07:28:44","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T15:28:44","slug":"the-relational-imperative-with-kenneth-gergen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=164686","title":{"rendered":"The Relational Imperative with Kenneth Gergen"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CsodO-dzRkQ?si=NeVy2veGpHlmU2rk\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>On ChatGPT&#8217;s recommendation, I dove into the work of <A HREF=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kenneth_J._Gergen\">Kenneth J. Gergen<\/a>. He wrote The Relational Imperative. He laments the individual focus of modernity but he seems completely oblivious to this reality is a consequence of liberalism and the Enlightenment. He longs for a return to the porous world but he lacks that vocabulary. In trad identity, the individual is not the focus, that is a modern enlightened liberal perspective, it is not a religious\/nationalist\/tribal identity.<\/p>\n<p>ChatGPT says: Exactly. Gergen\u2019s \u201crelational turn\u201d is an attempt to critique the isolated, self-contained subject of modernity\u2014but because he\u2019s a social constructionist steeped in liberal humanism, he can\u2019t see that the very ontology he\u2019s rejecting is the child of that same Enlightenment project. He wants belonging without hierarchy, community without binding norms, relation without limits.<\/p>\n<p>His \u201crelational being\u201d imagines that meaning and self emerge only in dialogue, but he misses the point that pre-modern or \u201cporous\u201d identities (to use Charles Taylor\u2019s term) weren\u2019t constructed through open-ended dialogue\u2014they were given. A person\u2019s self was anchored in inherited roles, sacred order, and communal enforcement. The porous self didn\u2019t \u201crelate\u201d so much as participate in a shared metaphysical and moral reality.<\/p>\n<p>So you\u2019re right: Gergen\u2019s nostalgia for relationality is a moral and metaphysical hunger for what liberalism dissolved, but he can\u2019t name it because that would require critiquing liberalism\u2019s sacred premise\u2014the primacy of the autonomous individual. His work wants the fruits of transcendence (deep belonging, shared purpose) without its roots (objective moral or spiritual order).<\/p>\n<p>In short: Gergen sees the loneliness modernity produces but not its cause. He wants connection without submission, community without command. It\u2019s the Enlightenment\u2019s last gasp trying to recover what it destroyed.<\/p>\n<h2>Communitarian and virtue-ethics pushback<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/undpress.nd.edu\/9780268035044\/after-virtue\/\">Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue<\/a> \u2014 why liberal modernity fragments moral language and how traditions repair it.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/books\/liberalism-and-the-limits-of-justice\/6800BAC97E92FF5D64FF99DE858A900C\">Michael Sandel, Liberalism and the Limits of Justice<\/a> \u2014 the \u201cunencumbered self\u201d critique.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.regnery.com\/9781935191506\/the-quest-for-community\/\">Robert Nisbet, The Quest for Community<\/a> \u2014 intermediate institutions as antidote to atomization and centralized power.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Sociology of the therapeutic self<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/politics-prose.com\/book\/9781932236804?srsltid=AfmBOoqQnSKNJFgU-BFXkTRScVsXSh0jhsf7f95niqrkRzhNFuekD_Hc\">Philip Rieff, The Triumph of the Therapeutic<\/a> \u2014 how therapy displaced sacred authority.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucpress.edu\/books\/habits-of-the-heart-with-a-new-preface\/paper\">Bellah et al., Habits of the Heart<\/a> \u2014 American \u201cexpressive individualism\u201d vs covenantal commitment.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.routledge.com\/Purity-and-Danger-An-Analysis-of-Concepts-of-Pollution-and-Taboo\/Douglas\/p\/book\/9780415289955\">Mary Douglas, Purity and Danger<\/a> \u2014 how shared boundaries and taboos knit communal order.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politybooks.com\/bookdetail\/?isbn=9780745624099\">Zygmunt Bauman, Liquid Modernity<\/a> \u2014 choice without bonds, fluid identities without anchors.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Religion, the secular, and the porous imagination<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sup.org\/books\/anthropology\/formations-secular\">Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular<\/a> \u2014 the secular as a contingent project that reshapes possibilities for belonging.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/press.uchicago.edu\/ucp\/books\/book\/chicago\/P\/bo3683997.html\">Jos\u00e9 Casanova, Public Religions in the Modern World<\/a> \u2014 traditions reentering the public square.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Post-liberal diagnoses and repair attempts<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/yalebooks.yale.edu\/book\/9780300240023\/why-liberalism-failed\/\">Patrick Deneen, Why Liberalism Failed<\/a> \u2014 autonomy that undercuts the preconditions of communal life.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basicbooks.com\/titles\/yuval-levin\/the-fractured-republic\/9780465093250\/\">Yuval Levin, The Fractured Republic<\/a> \u2014 rebuilding mediating institutions in an age of fragmentation.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.allenandunwin.com\/browse\/book\/Phillip-Blond-Red-Tory-9780571251674\">Phillip Blond, Red Tory<\/a> \u2014 a communitarian, pro-social market vision aiming to reunite freedom with obligation.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wwnorton.com\/books\/9780393307955\">Christopher Lasch, The True and Only Heaven<\/a> \u2014 a demolition of naive progress myths and a case for rooted, democratic traditions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On ChatGPT&#8217;s recommendation, I dove into the work of Kenneth J. Gergen. He wrote The Relational Imperative. He laments the individual focus of modernity but he seems completely oblivious to this reality is a consequence of liberalism and the Enlightenment. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=164686\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43015,43016],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-164686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-buffered","category-porous"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 4.9.10 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On ChatGPT&#039;s recommendation, I dove into the work of Kenneth J. 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He laments the individual focus of modernity but he seems completely oblivious to this reality is a consequence of liberalism and the Enlightenment. He longs for a return to the porous world but he lacks that vocabulary. In","og:url":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=164686","og:image":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/lukesanta.jpg","og:image:secure_url":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/lukesanta.jpg","og:image:width":800,"og:image:height":600,"article:published_time":"2025-11-05T15:26:26+00:00","article:modified_time":"2025-11-05T15:28:44+00:00","article:publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/lukecford","twitter:card":"summary_large_image","twitter:site":"@lukeford","twitter:title":"The Relational Imperative with Kenneth Gergen - Luke Ford","twitter:description":"On ChatGPT's recommendation, I dove into the work of Kenneth J. Gergen. He wrote The Relational Imperative. He laments the individual focus of modernity but he seems completely oblivious to this reality is a consequence of liberalism and the Enlightenment. He longs for a return to the porous world but he lacks that vocabulary. In","twitter:creator":"@lukeford","twitter:image":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/lukesanta.jpg"},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"164686","title":null,"description":null,"keywords":null,"keyphrases":{"focus":{"keyphrase":"","score":0,"analysis":{"keyphraseInTitle":{"score":0,"maxScore":9,"error":1}}},"additional":[]},"primary_term":null,"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":"","og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":null,"twitter_use_og":false,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"BlogPosting","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[]},"schema_type":"default","schema_type_options":null,"pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":"-1","robots_max_videopreview":"-1","robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":"default","local_seo":null,"breadcrumb_settings":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"ai":{"faqs":[],"keyPoints":[],"titles":[],"descriptions":[],"socialPosts":{"email":[],"linkedin":[],"twitter":[],"facebook":[],"instagram":[]}},"created":"2025-11-05 15:26:26","updated":"2025-11-05 15:29:38","seo_analyzer_scan_date":null},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?cat=43015\" title=\"Buffered\">Buffered<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\tThe Relational Imperative with Kenneth Gergen\n\t\t<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog"},{"label":"Buffered","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?cat=43015"},{"label":"The Relational Imperative with Kenneth Gergen","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=164686"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=164686"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":164689,"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164686\/revisions\/164689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=164686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=164686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=164686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}