A scan of Google Scholar revealed the following citations since 2009 for philosophers: Rawls: 250,000 Quine: 146,000 Kant: 119,000 Rorty: 105,000 Foucault: 62,300 Nietzsche: 38,500 Hegel: 38,500 Heidegger: 38,300 Derrida: 26,900 Wittgenstein: 25,400 Deleuze: 23,600 Husserl: 20,000 Lacan: 21,300 Gadamer: 16,600 Zizek: 15,400 What are we to conclude from this Continue Reading …
Traumatic Roots of Heidegger’s Fall into Nazism
“We are all exceptional cases. We all want to appeal against something! Each of us insists on being innocent at all cost, even if he has to accuse the whole human race and heaven itself.”― Albert Camus, The Fall What accounts for Heidegger's fall from grace into Nazism? This topic is touched on in the episode on Being and Time. Are we all vulnerable to the same or some Continue Reading …
Is Morality Ethical?
“Morality is neither rational nor absolute nor natural." (Nietzsche) Nietzsche and Spinoza both challenged the validity of morality based on transcendent or universal values. They both argued that moral restrictions are based on weakness: Nietzsche via enslavement by harboring vengeance or "resentment" against life ( Genealogy of Morals), Spinoza via enslavement to passive Continue Reading …
DeLanda’s Intensive Science and Virtual Philosophy Not School Group
[Editor's Note: Thanks to Wayne for this plug for a new Not School group for November that's it's not too late for YOU to go join. Sign up for Not School and get in it.] Manuel De Landa is one of the most prominent and clear interpreters of Giles Deleuze, and we're exploring DeLanda's book Intensive Science & Virtual Philosophy. Deleuze, according to DeLanda, provides us Continue Reading …
Zizek’s Year of Dreaming Dangerously – Not School Discussion Group
[From Wayne Schroeder] On the front cover of YODD, Zizek stands disturbed in thought in front of a burning car, set afire by a disaffected youth during the UK riots of August 2011--protests with no program and no message. What do we make of this seemingly senseless violence? The liberal left sought to explain away this phenomenon as failed social programs that “diminished Continue Reading …
Lacan’s Ontology
[Editor's Note: Wayne here is currently leading one of our Not School groups on Deleuze. Being well-versed in this area and having made some helpful comments on this blog, we asked him to clarify what he took to be Lacan's ontology. Thanks, Wayne!] Jacques-Alain Miller once asked asked Lacan, “What is your ontology?” Lacan replied saying that we should read both Badiou and Continue Reading …