Since the Goldsmith's Conference of 2007 (which saw the formal embrace of the name), the movement known as
Speculative Realism has, by some accounts, "revivified" philosophy. Led by the young philosophers
Ray Brassier and
Quentin Meillasoux, the movement is becoming known for its two-pronged critique of both the
continental and
analytic philosophical traditions. Speaking crudely, the goal is to fashion a "transcendental materialism" that puts the continental tradition in a better position to engage with the evolving insights of experimental science (particularly cognitive science, biology, and physics), while revising the analytical tradition's tendency to a "scientistic" and "naive" materialism. On the whole the philosophy tries to be less human-centric, acknowledging a world indifferent to human knowing and human being, while still acknowledging the problem of epistemic contingency. Brassier is also a leading proponent or investigator of
nihilism, which will please Big Lebowski fans.
[more inside]
posted by macross city flaneur
on Nov 17, 2009 -
79 comments
William Chace, former university president (Wesleyan and Emory) and Eng. Prof., on
the decline of the English department, with lots of good ideas for why and how, as well as some thoughts on what to do about it. (Albeit no explicit blame to the true scourge: postmodernism and the relativity of it all…).
posted by JL Sadstone
on Oct 19, 2009 -
120 comments
Sometimes, especially in winter, Kenneth Westhues can hear a flock of crows tormenting a great horned owl outside his study in Waterloo, Ontario. It is a fitting soundtrack for his work.
Mr. Westhues has made a career out of the study of
mobbing. Since the late 1990s, he has written or edited five volumes on the topic. However, the mobbers that most captivate him are not sparrows, fieldfares, or jackdaws. They are modern-day
college professors.
[more inside]
posted by parudox
on Nov 11, 2008 -
58 comments
