What is Deleuze?

nomadthethird

nomadthethird

more issues than Time mag
four_five_one said:
People are quitting their jobs over this stuff:

"In other news, I have decided that Continental Philosophy in Britain, both in its turgid, nepotistic, insanely conservative academic form and its concomitant fan-boy-looking-for-a-new-master-oh-boo-hoo-now-it's-too-popular-I-don't-like-this-band-any-more forms are to be derided, dismissed and disregarded. Henceforth, whilst I will keep my job for however long I can, if anyone wants to offer me part-time work in a theory capacity in any department whatsoever I will seriously consider it (ha! I mean, I'll keep an eye out for ads).

I am (or was) deeply committed to philosophy for lots of reasons - I think complex ideas can and should be clearly explained both to students and to whoever is interested beyond the walls of academia; I think there should be more women in philosophy which is a cock-fest of hideous, socially maladjusted proportions; finally, I'm really, really good at teaching Hegel, Kant and any other European philosopher you could care to mention. Nevertheless: Enough is enough. I am tired of conservatism masquerading as 'serious' intellectual research, I am tired of sexism, especially the ironic kind, and I am sick of hanging around boys and men who think that philosophy is some sort of ego-supplement. You lack wit! All of you!"

-- Infinite Thought
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Philosophy in the U.S. is not a 'cock-fest' at all, and the problems are still the same.

I wonder where "sexism" comes into this...

Anyway, I don't think jobs are really going to be quit. IT is how-you-say charmingly neurotic, that's all. I suppose it comes with the territory, woman/cockfest.
 
J

josef k.

Dangerous Mystagogue
four_five_one said:
OK - I don't want to keep linking blogs, but this is quite funny:

"[Alex: your 'trigger' wasn't THAT message-board? The one over-run by the same gloating mob whose political insights coincide with those of such think tanks as the Cato Institute etc ad infinitum?.]"
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Is that us? Ha!
 
nomadthethird

nomadthethird

more issues than Time mag
four_five_one said:
OK - I don't want to keep linking blogs, but this is quite funny:

"[Alex: your 'trigger' wasn't THAT message-board? The one over-run by the same gloating mob whose political insights coincide with those of such think tanks as the Cato Institute etc ad infinitum?.]"

(from the comments) - http://michaeloneillburns.wordpress.com/2009/06/11/what-just-happened/#comments
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I know who wrote that, it was HMLT.

There have always been plenty of people who weren't on the Badiou bandwagon. I agree with IT that the fact that this has to be conceived in terms of "bandwagons" at all is stupid, and probably a function of the medium in question. But there have always been people who, while they may think Badiou is onto something here or there, take a critical approach to his work--they're called theorists, some people might even call them philosophers, and that's their life's work, to think critically about texts that are called "philosophical" texts. (Nobody here is one, but they exist, and there are plenty of them who imo could blow Badiou out of the water on any number of topics.)
 
J

josef k.

Dangerous Mystagogue
nomadthethird said:
the fact that this has to be conceived in terms of "bandwagons" at all is stupid...
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But it is a bandwagon - otherwise, why would so many people be reading this single author at this time? Because mediatic-marketing has stimulated a demand and encouraged people to invest. Some people might lose some deposits now... this happens in academia... schools of thought get sidelined and marginalized as new power-groupings emerge and institutionalize meta-language hegemonies. The "theory" wars in the US academy in the nineties were a symptom of this kind of power-struggle...

The true lines of power don't line in responding to Badiou's (or anyone's) work in a critical way, but in accepting his language and his categories for thought. The real battle is over language, not over statements and positions... the question is: What kinds of structures of thought (and therefore structures of association) are going to be upheld? To critique Badiou (or anyone) from inside his own rhetoric is already to be a Badiouvian, because it suggests that this discourse (rather than any other) represents the appropriate site of critique and thought... Then again, perhaps you could ass-fuck him...

nomadthethird said:
But there have always been people who, while they may think Badiou is onto something here or there, take a critical approach to his work--they're called theorists, some people might even call them philosophers, and that's their life's work, to think critically about texts that are called "philosophical" texts.
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But media-institutional-academic power structures are not set-up to reward this kind of work... networking procedures demand identifications, allegiances, political-rhetorical snake-oil (see above) formation into "schools" and similar... Which goes to show: you should never trust anyone because of their job.
 
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S

scottdisco

rip this joint please
the marriage of wit and power in HMLT's insight to the dark heart of this board (if that is the case) grips me like a snuff film
 
S

scottdisco

rip this joint please
massrock said:
No it isn't.
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oh yes it is

(i tried in vain to find the Mr Tourette cartoon where he does a Punch and Judy show sign - TRADITIONAL WIFE BEATING DISPLAY - and then tells the bloke at the end "If you just make the bill out to fucking English bastard Heritage" or such :p )
 
M

massrock

Well-known member
Honestly scott I'm shocked at your support of traditional wife beating. People like you make me want to puke. :p
 
nomadthethird

nomadthethird

more issues than Time mag
massrock said:
No it isn't.
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Hey massrock, ever read the dialogues? I have, in Greek. Philosophy was originally a very long, sustained, almost fucking tantric form of argument.

For that matter, do you have any experience with philosophy, or are you just a typical message board idiot with nothing to say but a real commitment to saying it?
 
M

massrock

Well-known member
It was a gag, apologies for not being entirely serious.

But there is a point as well.

nomadthethird said:
This is why I find it hilarious when bloggers supposedly interested in "philosophy" get all uptight about disagreements and online arguments, the types who are from the "can't we all just get along" school of commenting. Philosophy IS arguing, then writing, then arguing-- that's what it's always been, if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen.
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I suppose you have specific examples in mind and I'm not talking about those but I'm not sure what you mean by the 'can't we all just get along' school.

There's arguing and there's shouting someone down. There's value in trying to understand what someone is saying, identifying common ground. That is if the argument is for the sake of ideas and not just to 'win' in some way.

Of course progress can come from ideas in conflict but it must be about the more effective ideas and not about who can be more pig-headed cos that's the way arguments often go outside of philosophical debate and surely it should be about aiming for something better than that.

What I mean is that if 'philosophy' has any relevance beyond being a self-referential game than to say that 'philosophy IS arguing' seems really limited to me. Arguing (in the sense of conflict) is one way in which philosophy proceeds but that's not the whole of it and hopefully not the aim of it. And I don't care who says otherwise. :p
 
J

josef k.

Dangerous Mystagogue
I don't agree. I think philosophy needs to be able to deal with the pig-headed... aiming at something better (higher) seems delusional. The most effective ideas are the lightest, the ones which are able to spread without heavy machinery, or under the sheltering presence of higher values. Philosophy needs to find a place within itself for trolls. At the heart of philosophy is the troll - Socrates - a man who dealt with pig-headed people.
 
M

massrock

Well-known member
nomadthethird said:
For that matter, do you have any experience with philosophy, or are you just a typical message board idiot with nothing to say but a real commitment to saying it?
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Naively I like to think that philosophy might be of some use outside the realm of mental masturbation and ego massage.

In that spirit I think it is too important to leave solely in the hands of professional philosophers.
 
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