The quote "For if incarnation is the image become flesh, excarnation is flesh become image" is
used by contemporary thinkers to describe a shift in Western culture.
The original phrase was a theological concept, but philosophers and
critics have repurposed it to illustrate modern society's disembodiment. Incarnation: The image become flesh
In
its original theological context, the Incarnation refers to the
Christian belief that Jesus Christ, the divine Word of God, took on
human flesh. This signifies the divine becoming material, making the
divine knowable and tangible through a human body. In this sense, the
"image" (the spiritual, divine form) became "flesh" (the human, material
form).
Excarnation: The flesh become image
The term excarnation was coined by philosopher Charles Taylor in his book A Secular Age
to describe a phenomenon in modern society. As used in the quote, it
refers to the reversal of the Incarnation, where our spiritual life and
even our sense of self are steadily disembodied.
In
a culture of excarnation, spiritual and intellectual life is less and
less connected to meaningful bodily forms and more centered in the mind
or, in the modern sense, the digital image. The "flesh" (our embodied
reality) is increasingly converted into the "image" (our digital avatar,
our social media persona, or our virtual identity).
Context of the quote
The quote suggests a cultural decline:
- A loss of embodiment: It critiques the modern tendency to see the physical body and the material world as less real or important than our inner thoughts, beliefs, or digital representations.
- A new Gnosticism: Some critics link this modern "excarnation" to ancient Gnostic ideas, which viewed the material world as flawed and saw salvation as an escape from the body. The contemporary version replaces this spiritual escape with an escape into technology, where one's identity exists primarily as data and images.
- The digital age: The most common application of this quote points to the effects of technology and social media. Our digital profiles, photos, and virtual worlds often seem more curated and significant than our physical, everyday selves. Our real, embodied experiences are converted into virtual images to be shared and consumed.
In
this cultural critique, the "excarnation" process creates a fundamental
disconnect between our flesh-and-blood reality and our "imaged"
existence.
