The New York Times has finally (a week after his death was announced) published an obituary for Maurice Blanchot. Not only is this obituary so brief and vague as to give no indication of Blanchot’s importance, let alone what he was about–something I am willing to leave aside, since Blanchot himself would have disclaimed what I and many others regard as his extreme importance, as being one of the most profound writers of the 20th century–but also, unforgivably, it completely misstates Blanchot’s political history. The last paragraph of the obituary reads: “Before World War II he was an outspoken rightist, but after the German invasion in 1940, his fascism gave way to French nationalism.”– Just for the record: Blanchot’s dubious right-wing political stance of the 1930s was precisely a French nationalist one; after 1940, what he abandoned, and henceforth condemned, was both fascism and nationalism; during the War he travelled in Resistance circles; after the War, and for the rest of his life, he mostly withdrew from any sort of public affiliation, but was active in supporting Algerian independence in the late 50s/early 60s. was active in the rebellion of 1968, and proclaimed his allegiance to a non-Soviet, pretty much anarchistic and egalitarian form of what he insisted on calling “communism.”
The New York Times has finally (a week after his death was announced) published an obituary for Maurice Blanchot. Not only is this obituary so brief and vague as to give no indication of Blanchot’s importance, let alone what he was about–something I am willing to leave aside, since Blanchot himself would have disclaimed what I and many others regard as his extreme importance, as being one of the most profound writers of the 20th century–but also, unforgivably, it completely misstates Blanchot’s political history. The last paragraph of the obituary reads: “Before World War II he was an outspoken rightist, but after the German invasion in 1940, his fascism gave way to French nationalism.”– Just for the record: Blanchot’s dubious right-wing political stance of the 1930s was precisely a French nationalist one; after 1940, what he abandoned, and henceforth condemned, was both fascism and nationalism; during the War he travelled in Resistance circles; after the War, and for the rest of his life, he mostly withdrew from any sort of public affiliation, but was active in supporting Algerian independence in the late 50s/early 60s. was active in the rebellion of 1968, and proclaimed his allegiance to a non-Soviet, pretty much anarchistic and egalitarian form of what he insisted on calling “communism.”
Bruce Sterling’s new nonfiction book, Tomorrow Now: Envisioning the Next 50 Years is a genial work of futurological speculation…
“Looking Inside the Brains of the Stingy” is an account of the new field of neuroeconomics: the “science” of using brain scans (MRI) to see what sort of neural activity is correlated with economic decisions. (Via McKenzie Wark on nettime). Neural stimulation and hormone levels are supposed to ‘explain’ why people do not always act in accordance with the dictates of “rational choice” economics. “Neuroscientists do experiments like looking at which parts of the brain are active when someone looks at photographs and decides which faces are trustworthy.” Researchers pursuing this line of examination have found, for instance, that trying to make a financial deal with somebody who is perceived as a cheapskate “stimulates the part of the brain associated with disgust.” When people act generously, on the other hand, levels of oxytocin (the feel-good hormone) in the blood seem to go up. What startling discoveries! This kind of survey is almost the perfect reductio ad absurdum of the cognitive/rationalist worldview, or of what Edward O. Wilson calls consilience: the attempt to give scientific rigor to the ‘soft’ disciplines of the humanities and social sciences. I doubt that the most inventive satirist could come up with anything better.
“Looking Inside the Brains of the Stingy” is an account of the new field of neuroeconomics: the “science” of using brain scans (MRI) to see what sort of neural activity is correlated with economic decisions. (Via McKenzie Wark on nettime). Neural stimulation and hormone levels are supposed to ‘explain’ why people do not always act in accordance with the dictates of “rational choice” economics. “Neuroscientists do experiments like looking at which parts of the brain are active when someone looks at photographs and decides which faces are trustworthy.” Researchers pursuing this line of examination have found, for instance, that trying to make a financial deal with somebody who is perceived as a cheapskate “stimulates the part of the brain associated with disgust.” When people act generously, on the other hand, levels of oxytocin (the feel-good hormone) in the blood seem to go up. What startling discoveries! This kind of survey is almost the perfect reductio ad absurdum of the cognitive/rationalist worldview, or of what Edward O. Wilson calls consilience: the attempt to give scientific rigor to the ‘soft’ disciplines of the humanities and social sciences. I doubt that the most inventive satirist could come up with anything better.
Although it was published a third of a century ago, Sam Greenlee’s The Spook Who Sat By the Door is still one of the most brilliant and relevant books I have ever read about race relations in America. (Via Kali Tal’s list of Militant Black Science Fiction). Mixing blaxploitation images with a sophisticated social critique, it’s an imaginative story, published in 1969, of underground guerilla warfare organized by black militants in American ghettols…
Although it was published a third of a century ago, Sam Greenlee’s The Spook Who Sat By the Door is still one of the most brilliant and relevant books I have ever read about race relations in America. (Via Kali Tal’s list of Militant Black Science Fiction). Mixing blaxploitation images with a sophisticated social critique, it’s an imaginative story, published in 1969, of underground guerilla warfare organized by black militants in American ghettols…
Continue reading “The Spook Who Sat By the Door”
In Memoriam Maurice Blanchot 22 September 1907-20 February 2003. See the obituary (in French only) in Liberation.
In Memoriam Maurice Blanchot 22 September 1907-20 February 2003. See the obituary (in French only) in Liberation.
The 45th Annual GRAMMY Awards tonight were exactly as lame and stupid as usual–neither more, nor less. There’s nothing to say, that hasn’t already been said, many times. But did anyone else find some of the pairings as hilarious as I did?
The 45th Annual GRAMMY Awards tonight were exactly as lame and stupid as usual–neither more, nor less. There’s nothing to say, that hasn’t already been said, many times. But did anyone else find some of the pairings as hilarious as I did?
- James Taylor accompanied by Yo Yo Ma
- Queen Latifah introducing the Dixie Chicks
- P. Diddy and Kim Cattral together on stage, making lame jokes about “Best Male Performance”
- Coldplay accompanied by the New York Philharmonic
John Brockman’s latest broadside rephrases the argument for a scientific culture that replaces what have traditionally been called the humanities, outdated in an age of evolutionary psychology and neuroscience. Sigh. Here we go again…
John Brockman’s latest broadside rephrases the argument for a scientific culture that replaces what have traditionally been called the humanities, outdated in an age of evolutionary psychology and neuroscience. Sigh. Here we go again…
Continue reading “More on the Science Wars”
There are some works of art that so boggle the mind that nothing you can say about them quite seems adequate. Such is the case with Asia Argento’s film (she wrote, directed, and starred in it) Scarlet Diva. This film is simultaneously so awful and so wonderful that it leaves me exhausted and defenseless. And I don’t mean that it’s so-bad-it’s-good, a la Ed Wood. I mean that it’s simultaneously both bad and good, in completely novel ways…
There are some works of art that so boggle the mind that nothing you can say about them quite seems adequate. Such is the case with Asia Argento’s film (she wrote, directed, and starred in it) Scarlet Diva. This film is simultaneously so awful and so wonderful that it leaves me exhausted and defenseless. And I don’t mean that it’s so-bad-it’s-good, a la Ed Wood. I mean that it’s simultaneously both bad and good, in completely novel ways…
Continue reading “Scarlet Diva”
I wish I had more to say about tonight’s Michael Jackson Interview on Fox, but it was just lame. I doubt that anyone will be convinced by their repeated claims of objectivity, and that Michael had no editorial control over the show. Nor does it discredit Bashir very much to show his various ass-kissing comments to butter Michael up, as if they somehow threw into doubt his harsher judgments in the final edit of his documentary. All in all, it was more sad than anything else.
I wish I had more to say about tonight’s Michael Jackson Interview on Fox, but it was just lame. I doubt that anyone will be convinced by their repeated claims of objectivity, and that Michael had no editorial control over the show. Nor does it discredit Bashir very much to show his various ass-kissing comments to butter Michael up, as if they somehow threw into doubt his harsher judgments in the final edit of his documentary. All in all, it was more sad than anything else.
According to this article from Pravda (via Follow Me Here), Saddam Hussein has captured a crashed UFO, and it’s the technology he is getting from said UFO, or from alien survivors who are helping him, that makes him a danger to world peace. The stuff he is getting is techonlogically so advanced, it could make him the ruler of the world, unless the US intervenes before it is too late. All I can say is, this is the best explanation I’ve seen for the insane warmongering of the Bush administration. Believing in the threat of UFOs, and an alien invasion, is no weirder than believing in apocalyptic, evangelical Christianity, as Bush has shown himself to do on numerous occasions.
According to this article from Pravda (via Follow Me Here), Saddam Hussein has captured a crashed UFO, and it’s the technology he is getting from said UFO, or from alien survivors who are helping him, that makes him a danger to world peace. The stuff he is getting is techonlogically so advanced, it could make him the ruler of the world, unless the US intervenes before it is too late. All I can say is, this is the best explanation I’ve seen for the insane warmongering of the Bush administration. Believing in the threat of UFOs, and an alien invasion, is no weirder than believing in apocalyptic, evangelical Christianity, as Bush has shown himself to do on numerous occasions.