My mother-in-law Faith named her two daughters Angelica and Christiana. It probably doesn’t need to be said that she’s very religious. At some point when Angelica and I were living at Faith’s house, a friend of ours, meeting Faith for the first time, remarked “oh, you have a pretty name.” She replied, “Thank you. I wasn’t so happy with it for all those years I was agnostic.” Surprised, Angelica asked Faith for clarification, and found out that Faith had been an agnostic from the age of 15 to about 30. She had wrestled with her religious beliefs in part because she thought that if she didn’t believe in god then her father had wasted his life as a lutheran pastor. She asked Angelica, “don’t you feel like my life is wasted if there’s no god?” or something to that effect. Angelica laughed and said no, that she didn’t feel like Faith’s life’s value rests on her christianity or her work with her church. (more…)
… is so important about academics?
… are theodicy and the myth of the metals?
This follows on from the talk I posted just below, conversations around related themes with many friends, and what I’ve been reading lately. Comments accepted with gratitude. (more…)
… is up with the insistence on the new?
This is the text of a talk I gave at a conference recently, based on a longer thing that I wrote (included on this site under the post titled “… time do you work?”). Comments welcomed and appreciated. (more…)
… is Mark going to do with his life?
Mark posted something with this very question in it. I can relate. I’m in a similar boat, except for me the ‘becoming a psychoanalyst’ part is more of ‘becoming a translator’ or ‘becoming paid staff at a business union again’. I want to have some kids, damn it, but first I’d like to have a job where I can afford them, have health insurance, and be home in the evenings and weekends. Stupid world, it ought to be set on fire.
In any case, what Mark really needs to do is clearly to design buttons, or “badges” as he calls them (aren’t cultural differences adorable?).
… time do you work?
This is the text I’m using as the basis for a talk I’m giving later this week on Negri etc. It’s about as polished as I have time to make it right now, which is to say, it’s a rough draft including my own notes to self. I lost the footnote numbers and don’t have time to put them in again right now. If/when I clean this up I’ll repost the cleaner version here. Comments welcome. (more…)
… time is it?
This is a review I wrote of Jason Read’s book. The review comes off too harsh (still that kind of marxist I guess, unfortunately). It’s a great book. Just not perfect. I got a lot out of writing the review, though that’s not a promise to any readers. I’ve written to Jason about doing an interview and he’s agreed. If anyone has questions to suggest - or just wants to discuss - Read’s work I’d be happy to hear. (more…)
… is ordinary language?
It might be that I just like stodgy brits (like Mark!), but I’m keen on ordinary language philosophy. It’s partly the same thing in a lot of the marxisms I like, taking seriously how people act and think in their own terms. I find the ordinary language stufff attractive for its tone, very down to earth and not at all baroque, religious, or shrill (the tweed jacketed professor rather than the prophet or party leader. Ultimately they’re all fucks but it’s nice to sip cocktails in the parlor of the former, after rubbing elbows with too many of the would-be latter). This could be just that I’m smitten with Harry Frankurt’s delightful little pamphlet “On Bullshit”, on which I plan to write a longer piece, but there are worse crimes than gaining new affection for things because one has a crush on someone who likes them.
… is a union?
Last night at our branch meeting we got enough members in good standing to sign the charter to make the Twin Cities General Membership Branch (GMB) of the IWW official. It’s very exciting, and as a result I though I’d put down my thoughts on what a union is.
(more…)