Sociology follows technology. This has always been clear, as much as the following truth: politics follows economics. In language derived from seventeenth-century political theorist James Harrington, the ‘superstructure’ follows the ‘foundation’ of society. According to Harrington’s principle of ‘ballance’, the structure of politics follows the structure of the material world underpinning it. And according to … Continue reading From fission to fusion: The technological germ of a future past
Tag: Harrington
חיים
If I belong nowhere And all my heroes are alien to me Will I die the pretty scholarship boy With a pretty fake accent And a pretty fake life The Yggdrasil, by Oluf Olufsen Bagge, 1847. Well how about this So long Lexit Edexit Mix it Live in What’s left Who’s next Parisian Italians Or … Continue reading חיים
A theory of power
It has often been noted that power is expressed most purely through the sphere of politics — which, in turn, is defined through the lens of power. The term ‘power politics’ can therefore seem to be a tautology. What is powerful is political; what is political is powerful. But if these terms collapse into each … Continue reading A theory of power
Time of Terra: The medieval foundations of modern politics
In my previous writings about modernity, theory, philosophy, art, and evolution, I have somewhat obscured the key to the world in which we live: its origins in medieval Europe. This idea occurred to me, paradoxically, in reflecting on science fiction, such as the tabletop game Warhammer 40,000, which follows influences both from high fantasy (notably, … Continue reading Time of Terra: The medieval foundations of modern politics
Edmund Wilson 