Narrarsi da estranei.

Per un’etica del decentramento

Abstract

Narrating and narrating oneself are not necessarily ethically good gestures. According to this initial hypothesis, they only become ethically positive when they adopt a decentralised perspective, capable of inhabiting the porosity of boundaries and dwelling on the threads that bind and the possible narratives, rather than claiming rigid identities. To grasp the implications of this hypothesis, I proceed in three steps. First, I provide two examples of decentralised lives to show how these 'sideways' glances provide a route to a different narrative that is open and welcoming. Second, I link the experience of decentralisation, even in narrative form, to a re-evaluation of wandering and travel as adventures that teach us to blur contours. This is not to confuse or abandon any claim to truth, but rather to grasp its fullness within life beyond all appearances and rigid determinations. Finally, I reflect on the semantic constellation that links imprecision and accuracy as privileged ways of blurring boundaries. I read the former as a renegotiation of overly rigid definitions that end up becoming cages of identity.