Comments on: Fuck the future? http://blog.voyou.org/2008/07/06/fuck-the-future/ Lazy rascals, spending their substance, and more, in riotous living Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:32:41 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Dan http://blog.voyou.org/2008/07/06/fuck-the-future/comment-page-1/#comment-32249 Dan Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:07:33 +0000 http://blog.voyou.org/?p=197#comment-32249 On this topic, I'm currently reading, and very much enjoying, Erik Davis' book 'techgnosis'. His website, http://www.techgnosis.com/, gives a pretty good idea of the style On this topic, I’m currently reading, and very much enjoying, Erik Davis’ book ‘techgnosis’. His website, http://www.techgnosis.com/, gives a pretty good idea of the style

]]> By: voyou http://blog.voyou.org/2008/07/06/fuck-the-future/comment-page-1/#comment-30752 voyou Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:30:34 +0000 http://blog.voyou.org/?p=197#comment-30752 "The future/novelty stuff is not really about the future or the past, but is really about the present." One of the things I do find troubling about epochal political theory is not so much the newness of the present, but the (obviously related) insistence on seeing the past as very definitely past (passed), as finished, done with, and carrying no echoes into the present. Now, this isn't always the case with Negri and people: one of the things I like about the analysis in <em>Empire</em< is the suggestion that the current state of affairs is kind of the aftermath of the revolutionary movements of the middle of the 20th century, a kind of continuing attempt by the ruling class to keep those revolutionary energies in check. If that's the case, what is new about the present is intimately connected to what is old about the present. But I don't know how to combine these two ways of viewing the present at once.</em> “The future/novelty stuff is not really about the future or the past, but is really about the present.”

One of the things I do find troubling about epochal political theory is not so much the newness of the present, but the (obviously related) insistence on seeing the past as very definitely past (passed), as finished, done with, and carrying no echoes into the present. Now, this isn’t always the case with Negri and people: one of the things I like about the analysis in Empire

]]> By: Nate http://blog.voyou.org/2008/07/06/fuck-the-future/comment-page-1/#comment-30719 Nate Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:22:25 +0000 http://blog.voyou.org/?p=197#comment-30719 hey Tim, it's been a while, I hope you're well. At this point I think it's very clear that the future/novelty stuff is not really about the future or the past, but is really about the present. (On that, I'm mostly done with Negri's new book Porcelain whatsits, and I simply hate it, post coming in the ... um... near future.) Tronti has several remarks on all this in relation to the future in his piece the Strategy of the Refusal - the downfall of all the future Utopias which have been built on the working class (...) finally offers the subjective possibility of enclosing the class struggle within the chain of the present in order to smash it." "the final act of the revolution requires that there should already be the workers' State within capitalist society - the workers having power in their own right and deciding the end of capital. But this would not be a pre-figuration of the future, because the future, from the working class point of view, does not exist; only a block on the present, the impossibility for the present to continue functioning under its present organisation". "communism (...) instead of constructing a model of the future society, supplies a practical means for the destruction of the present society" Anyhow, I'll have to give these comics a look, I've only read one comic by Ellis, Black Summer, which I really like. take care, Nate hey Tim,

it’s been a while, I hope you’re well.

At this point I think it’s very clear that the future/novelty stuff is not really about the future or the past, but is really about the present. (On that, I’m mostly done with Negri’s new book Porcelain whatsits, and I simply hate it, post coming in the … um… near future.) Tronti has several remarks on all this in relation to the future in his piece the Strategy of the Refusal –

the downfall of all the future Utopias which have been built on the working class (…) finally offers the subjective possibility of enclosing the class struggle within the chain of the present in order to smash it.”

“the final act of the revolution requires that there should already be the workers’ State within capitalist society – the workers having power in their own right and deciding the end of capital. But this would not be a pre-figuration of the future, because the future, from the working class point of view, does not exist; only a block on the present, the impossibility for the present to continue functioning under its present organisation”.

“communism (…) instead of constructing a model of the future society, supplies a practical means for the destruction of the present society”

Anyhow, I’ll have to give these comics a look, I’ve only read one comic by Ellis, Black Summer, which I really like.

take care,
Nate

]]> By: echeneida http://blog.voyou.org/2008/07/06/fuck-the-future/comment-page-1/#comment-30642 echeneida Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:38:33 +0000 http://blog.voyou.org/?p=197#comment-30642 http://picturesforsadchildren.com/index.php?comicID=102 http://picturesforsadchildren.com/index.php?comicID=102

]]> By: voyou http://blog.voyou.org/2008/07/06/fuck-the-future/comment-page-1/#comment-30627 voyou Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:11:00 +0000 http://blog.voyou.org/?p=197#comment-30627 But transhumanism <em>isn't</em> an essentially empirical position, that's the point. It takes something with some empirical basis (or something that used to have an empirical basis: AI theory circa 1960) and interprets it in the light of certain much broader tropes. That's how ideology works: in the foreground you have something that looks empirical, but it gets its force from the more-or-less hidden conceptual framework in the background. And hence why it makes more sense to argue against transhumanism theoretically, rather than empirically (because there's no real empirical there, there). But transhumanism isn’t an essentially empirical position, that’s the point. It takes something with some empirical basis (or something that used to have an empirical basis: AI theory circa 1960) and interprets it in the light of certain much broader tropes. That’s how ideology works: in the foreground you have something that looks empirical, but it gets its force from the more-or-less hidden conceptual framework in the background. And hence why it makes more sense to argue against transhumanism theoretically, rather than empirically (because there’s no real empirical there, there).

]]> By: Theo H http://blog.voyou.org/2008/07/06/fuck-the-future/comment-page-1/#comment-30623 Theo H Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:29:26 +0000 http://blog.voyou.org/?p=197#comment-30623 Don't confuse theory with ideology. You can legitimately criticize the transhumanist ideology if you want, as Ellis has done, but this post is a mess because it attempts to make a theoretical argument against what is essentially an empirical position. Don’t confuse theory with ideology. You can legitimately criticize the transhumanist ideology if you want, as Ellis has done, but this post is a mess because it attempts to make a theoretical argument against what is essentially an empirical position.

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