Disclaimer 1: Please have sympathy on my soul, dear reader. I know this world is unkind to heretics to whatever is fashionable nowadays, but I am not exactly fashionable, and I care not for the ‘views’ of media gurus or well-spoken sophists. I am an ex-student, a lonely soul, and — much more importantly, my … Continue reading Mask Off: The demonisation of Kanye West — a very provisional, tentative thought piece
Tag: Conflict
The wisdom of Wittgenstein: Why ‘linguistic violence’ is a good thing — and perhaps the best remedy to real, physical violence
‘Linguistic violence’, or the breaking of barriers concerning words with emotional consequences, may or may not have a foundation analogous to the foundation of physical violence, or the breaking of barriers concerning deeds with physical consequences. But even if it does, that makes linguistic violence a good thing — as it diverts energy from physical … Continue reading The wisdom of Wittgenstein: Why ‘linguistic violence’ is a good thing — and perhaps the best remedy to real, physical violence
The art of questioning: A complete set of predictions for 2023
I would like to give a systematic set of predictions — some general and abstract, some more precise and concrete — for the coming year. I make predictions not principally to make a ‘prophecy’ about the future. Rather, I wish to test, in a very loose way, my analysis of the present by extending current … Continue reading The art of questioning: A complete set of predictions for 2023
loss
I am defeated My arguments offended Whoever once trusted Me Resent me Defend me Contain me But you don't know What it's like To lose me
The strategic case for U.S.-Russia alliance
There are times in history when the situation has become so complex, so absurd, that the only remedy to the illness which befalls civilisation is equally absurd, but not equally complex. There is a way out, but we must be prepared to attempt the impossible if we are to avert the probable scenario of decay … Continue reading The strategic case for U.S.-Russia alliance
The Shadow of Anarchy
The following is an extract from an article published on 5 November 2016, about the return of international anarchy following Putin's annexation of Crimea, inter alia: The walls came down in 1989. Anarchy – the absence of global governance – came down with them, with the strengthening of the United Nations and the European Union. … Continue reading The Shadow of Anarchy
Class war or culture war?
I’ve recently considered some possible lessons a theory of social evolution can teach us today. One lesson is the importance of technology. While techno-optimists praise technology as the thing that can save us from political crises, Marx showed that political crises are precisely the obstacles to technological development. In a world of interstate disunity and class inequality, … Continue reading Class war or culture war?
Edmund Wilson 