Philosophy
As you've seen in this fascinating lecture by Slavoj ?i?ek, the logic of the reigning neoliberal corporatist hegemony requires that people become mindless, selfish, individualistic consumers and automata in a zero-sum game rather than thoughtful citizens who question the status quo, and who work to make the world a better, more just and equitable place in which everyone contributes to create the conditions under which everyone can flourish.
Of course, to the extent that those who wield political, cultural and economic power can distract you with mind-numbing, superficial and petty entertainment, and to the extent that they can appeal to your basest and most shallow instincts, they have the upper hand. Luckily, though, there are people like artist Pawel Kuczynski, who manage to peer beneath the surface and expose, in powerfully visual ways, the cultural, institutional and structural framework under which this entire system operates and the basic hidden presuppositions that fuel its exploitative success.
How many of the following drawings reflect your life, your fears, your aspirations, your culture, your world, your alienation?
- Bob Denver And The Cultural Caricature Of The Counter-culture
Last week was the anniversary of Bob Denver's death. Best known for his role as Gilligan, perhaps the more influential role was the one that really put him on the cultural map, Maynard G. Krebs in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis." Maynard G. Krebs,...
- Why Do We Love Einstein?
Today is Einstein's birthday and as I put the finishing touches on the manuscript, Einstein's Jewish Science: Physics at the Intersection of Politics and Religion, I am thinking about the question in the last chapter -- why do we love Einstein?...
- Novel Graphics And Graphic Novels
Gwydion asks, "Of late, the trend in superhero comic book art has been a move toward a more painterly style, as expressed best (perhaps) by Alex Ross, rather than the simpler line drawings of our youth. Why is that?"It is a reflection of a change in status...
- Why Have Children Of One's Own When One Could Adopt?
From an early age, most of us simple assume that we will have children. ("I'm never going to make my kids wear sweaters they don't like!"). And this assumption continues to influence our thought in early adulthood ("Well, I think when I have...
- Agnes Török - Worthless
If you've ever watched "The Usual Suspects," you probably remember the line that "the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." The same basic idea applies to our obsession with individualism and its concomitant...
Philosophy
Pawel Kuczynski's Thought-Provoking Illustrations
As you've seen in this fascinating lecture by Slavoj ?i?ek, the logic of the reigning neoliberal corporatist hegemony requires that people become mindless, selfish, individualistic consumers and automata in a zero-sum game rather than thoughtful citizens who question the status quo, and who work to make the world a better, more just and equitable place in which everyone contributes to create the conditions under which everyone can flourish.Of course, to the extent that those who wield political, cultural and economic power can distract you with mind-numbing, superficial and petty entertainment, and to the extent that they can appeal to your basest and most shallow instincts, they have the upper hand. Luckily, though, there are people like artist Pawel Kuczynski, who manage to peer beneath the surface and expose, in powerfully visual ways, the cultural, institutional and structural framework under which this entire system operates and the basic hidden presuppositions that fuel its exploitative success.
How many of the following drawings reflect your life, your fears, your aspirations, your culture, your world, your alienation?
- Bob Denver And The Cultural Caricature Of The Counter-culture
Last week was the anniversary of Bob Denver's death. Best known for his role as Gilligan, perhaps the more influential role was the one that really put him on the cultural map, Maynard G. Krebs in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis." Maynard G. Krebs,...
- Why Do We Love Einstein?
Today is Einstein's birthday and as I put the finishing touches on the manuscript, Einstein's Jewish Science: Physics at the Intersection of Politics and Religion, I am thinking about the question in the last chapter -- why do we love Einstein?...
- Novel Graphics And Graphic Novels
Gwydion asks, "Of late, the trend in superhero comic book art has been a move toward a more painterly style, as expressed best (perhaps) by Alex Ross, rather than the simpler line drawings of our youth. Why is that?"It is a reflection of a change in status...
- Why Have Children Of One's Own When One Could Adopt?
From an early age, most of us simple assume that we will have children. ("I'm never going to make my kids wear sweaters they don't like!"). And this assumption continues to influence our thought in early adulthood ("Well, I think when I have...
- Agnes Török - Worthless
If you've ever watched "The Usual Suspects," you probably remember the line that "the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." The same basic idea applies to our obsession with individualism and its concomitant...