Recent events have me returning to his essay, "The Spirit of Terrorism". >Terrorism is immoral. The World Trade Center event, that symbolic challenge, is immoral, and it is a response to a globalization which is itself immoral. So, let us be immoral; and if we want to have some understanding of all this, let us go and take a little look beyond Good and Evil. When, for once, we have an event that defies not just morality, but any form of interpretation, let us try to approach it with an understanding of Evil.
>This is precisely where the crucial point lies — in the total misunderstanding on the part of Western philosophy, on the part of the Enlightenment, of the relation between Good and Evil. We believe naively that the progress of Good, its advance in all fields (the sciences, technology, democracy, human rights), corresponds to a defeat of Evil. No one seems to have understood that Good and Evil advance together, as part of the same movement. The triumph of the one does not eclipse the other — far from it. In metaphysical terms, Evil is regarded as an accidental mishap, but this axiom, from which all the Manichaean forms of the struggle of Good against Evil derive, is illusory. Good does not conquer Evil, nor indeed does the reverse happen: they are at once both irreducible to each other and inextricably interrelated. Ultimately, Good could thwart Evil only by ceasing to be Good since, by seizing for itself a global monopoly of power, it gives rise, by that very act, to a blowback of a proportionate violence.
I can't help but compare this kind of thinking to Landian Accelerationism. As the 'good' grows, so to does the 'evil'. Technology allows for spectacular things, maybe even immortality, but also full on global extinction. Anyone know of writers trying to fuse or contrast Baudrillard and Accelerationism?
Personally, I'm against cant and re-tard political sloganeering. Get the fuck off my board [you] ignorant bitch--
Jace Gray
Glad my thread is getting such interesting commentary. bumping with some of my favorite baudrillard selections.
This text is from the Transparency of Evil, it's about the eradication of sex and race and the human becoming plastic.
I actually think this kind of nihilistic appraisal of pop culture should appeal to much of the anti-post-modernist crowd that posts on Veeky Forums. It's kind of misogynistic and strangely demeaning of race and gender. At university, I generally had to defend his writings and act as an apologist for his homophobia and sexism. Totally bizarre that here on Veeky Forums he'd be considered a marxist cuck.
Jonathan Miller
clean your room bucko
Carson Morris
anybody think Michael Jackson is an innocent and pure child except, maybe, Michael Jackson himself.
Ian Davis
>tfw you're using misogyny and homophobia as a selling point.
Is this the redpill?
Tyler Thomas
'Tis the redpill indeed. And it's fucking awesome! FUCK WOMEN AND FAGGOTS
Jacob Reed
I thought all the white people were going into space
Leo Diaz
Derrida spent his later years writing about this topic. One particular essay comes to mind but I'm blanking on the name. I read it in undergrad. Try google.
You could also check out Carl Schmitt if you're looking for a more right leaning interpretation, as the dickwads have suggested in this thread
Parker Lopez
any search term recommendations? which part of my post is the 'topic' you referred to?
Brody Smith
t. mindless /pol/ drones
Aaron Anderson
yeah both baud and land are compatible. it has to do with them touching more on the technological side of things rather than the philosophical theory of the social. people are dukin it out less so because of political tropes and memes and more about how theyre technological zombies in a simulated technological game. now write you fucks.
And yeah, Virilio is another connection to make. I've been reading Negative Horizon, but need to get back to it.
I'm always a little disappointed that Baudrillard and Virilio don't play into Land's concept of speed and technology. Too busy with D&G I guess.
Matthew Rivera
What concepts should I be familiar with when tackling Baudrillard? Marxism, D/G? Should I go straight into Simulacra and Simulation or an essay to lull me into?
Carter Hughes
You don't need to read D&G. A basic understanding of critical theory is enough. I suggest checking out The Transparency of Evil, it's a good intro. Simulation and Simulacra isn't too hard to read either.
David Nguyen
...
Matthew Jenkins
America is probably his most accessible book.
Carter Wright
icycalm would tongue baudrillard's ass if he could, and he definitely reads land too
Landon Morgan
I have been intimidated by Baudrillard reputation as a difficult to read philosopher. This text seems incredible straight forward and easy to digest though.
Is most of his stuff at this difficulty level?
Nathan Campbell
Depends on the book. America, The Conspiracy of Art, The Spirit of Terrorism, The Transparency of Evil- I'd say these texts are fairly straight forward and interesting.
some other texts, stuff like The Perfect Crime, Simulation & Simulacra, Fatal Strategies, The Agony of Power... this stuff is a bit more dense. I don't blame anyone for thinking S&S is pure gibberish on a first read. It's a counter-intuitive theory.
Who would really question reality? It's heretical! (pic related from Exiles of Dialogue).
Kevin Green
This is the intro from the Perfect Crime, which I'd say is his most important work, regarding Simulation Theory. You couldn't call it straight forward, it's dense, strange, metaphorical.
Benjamin Williams
I get the feeling that he often wrote in a purposely vague style, but I tend to think that of French postmodern thinkers in general. Part of it could be the translation.
Nathaniel Bennett
What a posturing moron. Through all that he really doesn't say much, let alone anything profound.
Gavin Gonzalez
From reading this I think he finds writing in an obscure, profound, mysterious old man persona incredible fun. I can relate. I love pretingiousness for it's own sake.
Nicholas Sanchez
knew a guy who talked about him all the time in my high school debate days, pretty much just wrote incomprehensibly on purpose to impress trendy pseuds at the time and now appeals to those who want to look smart without actually knowing anything
Evan Morris
>Anyone know of writers trying to fuse or contrast Baudrillard and Accelerationism?
benjamin noys writes from 'the other side'. mackenzie wark's hackers manifesto covers baud, debord, and accelerationism, again from the 'other side'. don't read if youre triggered by utopian council confederates though.
Nathaniel Jackson
Seems like I could work through it if I read it very slow.
Guess he isn't unreadable.
Matthew Peterson
Thanks, on the reading list. Not sure exactly what you mean by 'the other side', do you mean leftist/left acceleration? This is no problem for me.
Ian Flores
Fuck off, Alex.
Grayson Thomas
>and it is a response to a globalization which is itself immoral Stopped reading there. Alt right faggotry need not apply.
Levi Watson
yeah, thread seems to be leaning pretty right, so I wasn't sure. after noys, I'm less convinced by land as there's no guarantee automation will provide adjustable capital that capitalism needs to feed on to grow.
Kayden Lopez
Strange how the times change. Anti-globalism was once associated with the Left, who felt free trade was labor exploitation, and global capitalism was just an extension of the colonial order.
Baudrillard isn't clearly left or right, he offends a lot of political sensibilities. And he identified himself as a nihilist, first and foremost.
David Lewis
Oh, I should mention Passwords. It's a short text, and is essentially written as a glossary. Baudrillard writes a few paragraphs on each of the key terms from throughout his career. Simulation, Seduction, Fatality, Transparency, etc. It's brief and could serve as a great introduction.
Jose Moore
Yeah, Land's argument's for an inevitable outcome are about as credible as the inevitability of "The Revolution" according to Marx. Catastrophe could strike and derail all of humanity and technology along with it. A second Dark Age is always a possibility. Extinction through Climate Change (and Nuclear War, which is also Climate Change) is possible.
And I hope this thread is friendly to leftist and right-wing views, but hopefully intelligent and interesting views.
Landon Reyes
Thanks! Didn't know that text exists.I couldn't pick up on his terminology before, this is ideal!
Owen Morgan
>we have an event that defies ... any form of interpretation Huh? How does the WTC event defy any form of interpretation?
Carson Collins
sure, I got you. does baud do anything with drugs? I find accelerationism inherently left in that automation reduces jobs, the cyber-human combination of the internet is akin to derrida's politics of a drug user. the drug user escapes into simulacrum and fantasy and whose 'work' produces nothing, in terms of liberal capitalism, but an unprofitable desire, or whimsy, in the user. pretty fascinating and I haven't seen a lot of philosophers engage with derrida's drug lit. obviously echoes in opium and anglo romantic movements, 'tune in, drop out' Learyism etc.
It would be too much of a compliment to call this obscurantist, it's just meandering trash -- a man with nothing to say doing it in the course of countless words.
Grayson Cooper
fds
Nathaniel Hill
I love his writing. Began with System of Objects and America (two very different books- the latter latches hold of a specifically American spiritual something still palpable to anyone who's ever driven around the West) then went to town. Enjoyed Transparency and Perfect most. He's at his weakest in the Cool Memories collection, which baffled me given the openness of subject.
Aaron Brooks
Cool Memories has some nice stuff. Pic related.
But yeah, similar to America, it's a book of short aphorisms. It'd never be considered an important book, but if you like B, then it's worth a read.
I seem to recall some flippant comments about Americans being weed addicts. I don't get the impression he had much personal experience with drug culture.
