I am still unclear about what is so specific in the generalized massive retardation (barbarism) that effectively surrounds Trump’s figure, nor do I think Trump introduces anything novel in this regard. To put it differently, Trump represents more an acceleration of the logics already inherent in the mass democratic ethos. To find a renovative spirit here—a productive force—misses the mark: the difference between serial monogamy and polyamory lies exclusively in intensity, not in a radical redefinition of the terms at play, just as Trump remains continuous with the mass democratic stupidity rather than a transformation of it.
Democracy here is to be understood as the collective institutions of civil society, and is therefore not the same as the kind of mass mob of exploitative capitalism that the regime of scammers will introduce (and in fact have already introduced). The distinction is between the way Democracy attempts to soften the rudeness of desire through appeals to the overall common good of the polis, however hackneyed this is in practice, whereas Chaos overrides the human security system and launches the domestic into economic civil war.
I wonder what you think about mysticism in the age of the long grunting…are we due for a revival of non-rational / intuitive / shamanic ways of knowing?
Yeah, I think so, but I think it will be more like mythology than mysticism. Mythology is about the "out there" rather than the "inside me," whereas mysticism develops in later times when we at least think we have a realistic grasp of the external world and so the religious sense has to redirect to the drama of the soul.
But I think you need more media theory. Much more of the current situation is based on the decline of the technology of writing. Which also makes this cycle different from others, where mass literacy never existed
Very nice, appreciate it. The last book you list from Flusser sounds great, I'll check that out soon. There is definitely something to Vico's talk of the demise of the word and Finnegans Wake (of course a Viconian text) talking about television before its time... https://peterchrisp.blogspot.com/2015/03/television-in-finnegans-wake.html
I haven't gotten into Vico yet but seems like people I respect are into him. McLuhan loves Joyce, too, he's uniquely good at walking the limits of written language
I see such a massive reflection of this within the monkey ladder experiment stories being shared around a few years back, almost a folk tale representing an awareness of a situation. A growing awareness of a cycle of illumination, then custom and then deconstruction. It’s interesting that the Hindu deity Hanuman is not only a monkey but also evocative of self-control. It’s almost like his myth was reborn through the silly monkey ladder banana experiment.
I feel this - it's the lonely individual optimizing themselves, the will to power. The push to be alone in a room gaming crypto and all the parameters of power to come out on top. Trump's victory has sent a golden gleaming glare of "anyone can do it" out there into the halls of the hungry. And the response is the desire to become part of the spiritual, mental, physical 1%, a vast grinding of bones, muscles and teeth to get totally and utterly ahead.
Not to hawk my own wares but you might enjoy reading this piece I put together on this expression of the new barbarism, the desire to become part of the new Creator Economy, to become a business. it feels so deeply outside of the historical norms of how healthy individuals would develop:
His new, anti-national capitalistic supporters are the barbarians, as we can now see clearly with the H-1B debate going on---a clear-cut example of moving the terrain of war into the domestic realm. I'm arguing the net effect of his new administration will be at-odds with his personally held ideals, as was the case the last time.
Vico holds that these cycles are hard-wired but "progress" is made in the development of natural right, which leads us dialectically to the true religion suspended above the cycles of history, namely Catholicism. But I think history moves like an outward spiral, which makes room for a sense of irreversibility (it's never the same iteration, but each successive phase follows a similar pattern).
I am still unclear about what is so specific in the generalized massive retardation (barbarism) that effectively surrounds Trump’s figure, nor do I think Trump introduces anything novel in this regard. To put it differently, Trump represents more an acceleration of the logics already inherent in the mass democratic ethos. To find a renovative spirit here—a productive force—misses the mark: the difference between serial monogamy and polyamory lies exclusively in intensity, not in a radical redefinition of the terms at play, just as Trump remains continuous with the mass democratic stupidity rather than a transformation of it.
Democracy here is to be understood as the collective institutions of civil society, and is therefore not the same as the kind of mass mob of exploitative capitalism that the regime of scammers will introduce (and in fact have already introduced). The distinction is between the way Democracy attempts to soften the rudeness of desire through appeals to the overall common good of the polis, however hackneyed this is in practice, whereas Chaos overrides the human security system and launches the domestic into economic civil war.
Great piece. Love Vico. You’d like Bernard Stiegler’s ‘The Age of Disruption’.
Thank you for the rec. I like what I've read from him so far
I wonder what you think about mysticism in the age of the long grunting…are we due for a revival of non-rational / intuitive / shamanic ways of knowing?
Yeah, I think so, but I think it will be more like mythology than mysticism. Mythology is about the "out there" rather than the "inside me," whereas mysticism develops in later times when we at least think we have a realistic grasp of the external world and so the religious sense has to redirect to the drama of the soul.
This is good, first paragraph is a banger.
But I think you need more media theory. Much more of the current situation is based on the decline of the technology of writing. Which also makes this cycle different from others, where mass literacy never existed
Thank you. Interesting—agree regarding literacy. Any specific recommendations?
I just re-read this for a class I'm teaching so it's top of mind, but McLuhan talks about barbarism in Understanding Media:
The English aristocracy was properly classified as
barbarian by Matthew Arnold because its power and status had
nothing to do with literacy or with the cultural forms of typography.
Said the Duke of Gloucester to Edward Gibbon upon the publication
of his Decline and Fall; "Another damned fat book, eh, Mr. Gibbon?
Scribble, scribble, scribble, eh, Mr. Gibbon?"
My personal favorite is Flusser, who I write about here https://kevinmunger.substack.com/p/could-this-be-damnation-could-this
Very nice, appreciate it. The last book you list from Flusser sounds great, I'll check that out soon. There is definitely something to Vico's talk of the demise of the word and Finnegans Wake (of course a Viconian text) talking about television before its time... https://peterchrisp.blogspot.com/2015/03/television-in-finnegans-wake.html
I haven't gotten into Vico yet but seems like people I respect are into him. McLuhan loves Joyce, too, he's uniquely good at walking the limits of written language
Absolutely. Thank you for this original, in-depth take, even though it's a bit of a "thanks, I hate it" 😅
These people are orcs. All grunting, no heart. But they think they're dark elves...
https://open.substack.com/pub/heyslick/p/the-dark-elves-fallacy-neoreactionaries?r=4t921l&utm_medium=ios
I see such a massive reflection of this within the monkey ladder experiment stories being shared around a few years back, almost a folk tale representing an awareness of a situation. A growing awareness of a cycle of illumination, then custom and then deconstruction. It’s interesting that the Hindu deity Hanuman is not only a monkey but also evocative of self-control. It’s almost like his myth was reborn through the silly monkey ladder banana experiment.
Simon Critchley
On Mysticism
a hermeneutic path away from the grunting
I actually studied under him and took his course on Mysticism. Great professor. I need to read his book.
I feel this - it's the lonely individual optimizing themselves, the will to power. The push to be alone in a room gaming crypto and all the parameters of power to come out on top. Trump's victory has sent a golden gleaming glare of "anyone can do it" out there into the halls of the hungry. And the response is the desire to become part of the spiritual, mental, physical 1%, a vast grinding of bones, muscles and teeth to get totally and utterly ahead.
Not to hawk my own wares but you might enjoy reading this piece I put together on this expression of the new barbarism, the desire to become part of the new Creator Economy, to become a business. it feels so deeply outside of the historical norms of how healthy individuals would develop:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-154870102
very interesting piece but it lacks coherence. The points are there but I don’t see them connecting…
Is there any point connection in particular that you feel is especially under-defended?
If Trump is not a barbarian, your terms are all wrong! There’s too many “cycles” here, anyway; what about the irreversibility of history?
His new, anti-national capitalistic supporters are the barbarians, as we can now see clearly with the H-1B debate going on---a clear-cut example of moving the terrain of war into the domestic realm. I'm arguing the net effect of his new administration will be at-odds with his personally held ideals, as was the case the last time.
Vico holds that these cycles are hard-wired but "progress" is made in the development of natural right, which leads us dialectically to the true religion suspended above the cycles of history, namely Catholicism. But I think history moves like an outward spiral, which makes room for a sense of irreversibility (it's never the same iteration, but each successive phase follows a similar pattern).
Ten years from now you'll read this and want to kill yourself
Isn’t that just sort of generally inevitable? Lol
Touch grass
Have you ever seen grass
weirdo
Look retard you made a stupid comment based on your misinterpretation of the situation