Affective Inflationism And Atmospheric Competence

The contribution presents an inflationary theory of atmospheres conceived as quasi-things. It proposes a distinction between prototypical, derivative-relational, and spurious-idiosyncratic atmospheres, analyzes the different levels of authority and power that atmospheric feelings can exert, and examines both the case in which an atmosphere is perceived without the perceiver being affectively involved, and the case in which the initial atmospheric impression changes over time. Finally, it outlines a theory of atmospheric competence (concerning both those who generate atmospheres and those who perceive them), at the center of which lies the possibility that an initial pathic immersion may be followed by a reflective re-emergence.