Monthly Archives: June 2010

Taking things for granted

Posted on June 30, 2010 by

Much of the humor of the Louis CK clip below derives from the fact that he is right: we take things for granted. We take things for granted not because (or not primarily because) they are always there, a permanent, … Continue reading →

Posted in Comedy, Contemporary Culture, Spinoza | 2 Comments

BP, the Real, and Aristotle

Posted on June 28, 2010 by

Taking advantage of some time off – even if in an airport – I read Mark Fisher’s Capitalist Realism. This small little book – really a long essay at 81 pages – is an excellent example of a text that … Continue reading →

Posted in Aristotle, Donald Davidson, Economy | 1 Comment

Third Dogma and SR

Posted on June 26, 2010 by

In a recent online debate, Harman defended SR against the charge that it is nothing new, that you can search far and wide for a 20th century philosopher who didn’t believe that there are objects that exist autonomously of whatever … Continue reading →

Posted in Donald Davidson, Philosophy, Speculative Realism | 7 Comments

Is Deleuze a Speculative Realist?

Posted on June 25, 2010 by

At first it might seem he is. If Bruno Latour is on the right track with respect to speculative realism, as Graham Harman and others would argue, then it might seem that Deleuze is on the right track as well … Continue reading →

Posted in Deleuze, Latour, Meillassoux, Speculative Realism | 4 Comments

Perhaps the Mayan calendar is right…

Posted on June 24, 2010 by

As Niall Ferguson argues in this clip (from CNBC [I know, bublevision as Bill Fleckenstein called during the bubble years of the late 90s]), we’re headed for a major fiscal crisis, a death spiral, in two years. What is interesting, … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy | Leave a comment

Creative Destruction or Creative Stimulus, or …?

Posted on June 22, 2010 by

With the ECRI index pointing lower, an index that has quite accurately correlated with previous recessions, and with budget cuts and austerity measures being enacted across Europe (most recently Britain), we may very well be headed for another recession. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Higher Education | 1 Comment

Badiou’s misreading of Spinoza (and hence of Deleuze by association)

Posted on June 21, 2010 by

In his book Deleuze: The Clamor of Being, Badiou focuses upon the theory of the virtual and directs his harshest criticisms of Deleuze at this theory. More to the point, Badiou argues that when Deleuze claims that the virtual is … Continue reading →

Posted in Badiou, Deleuze, Philosophy, Spinoza | 4 Comments

Fear of Bloggers

Posted on June 20, 2010 by

At the D8 Conference Steve Jobs lamented the descent of news-gathering and editorial functions into a world of bloggers. As Jobs puts it, One of my beliefs very strongly is that any democracy depends on a free, healthy press, and … Continue reading →

Posted in politics | 2 Comments

Hello world!

Posted on June 19, 2010 by

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment