Looking at everything through an energy lense

http://www.math.uaa.alaska.edu/~afkjm/video/MaryLogan-Energy/MaryLogan-Energy.html Or added as a link:



This is a very nice summary of the issues that seem to be the ground of everything else that is happening.

Feminist tools of the trade

Reading Jane Austen
The irony of it all. There are lots of differing points of view regarding how to interpret the irony in her novels. Part of this problem I suggest is the nature of thinking to be recursive. Do I interpret a line like "imbecility in females is a great enhancement of their personal charms" to be meant as true? Is it a comment on the nature of males? Is it irony in that is is ridiculous because of the injustice of it but still true of males attitudes? Is there irony since the smart women use this to charm stupid men? How many other levels of irony might be interpreted here? Which, if any, were the intentions of the author? All of them?
But it certainly shows one way of dealing with the injustice of the situation in Jane Austen's day and certainly still applies in many respects today. This is certainly one tool feminists have at their disposal.

Reading Slavoj Zizek

Spur of the moment purchase for me the other day was "Living in the End Times" by Slavoj Zizek. It has been a great relief! Having watched Slavoj on multiple Youtube videos I have grown used to his presentation style: very fast speech with a nice Slavic accent and frequent spastic movements that suggest a very active mind more than some sort of disorder. The relief in reading the book comes from the fact that while I can still hear his voice as I read his pace has slowed down considerably! In fact, he can even repeat himself when I want to hear something over again. But there has also been a terrible disappointment. Having never read one of his books before I wanted to review some of his research and started with the startling summary of Martin Luther's point of view regarding human beings as God's excrement. Did Luther say anything of the sort I wondered? A friend said yes. But using Google to check this have so far found multiple exact quotations of Zizek's point - made in multiple books - such as "The Parallax View" where virtually two pages from the new book are there complete. And still again in another web page. Typing ths before continuing my explore I wonder if anyone else has noticed a propensity for Zizek to repackage his books under new titles and reissue them? I can see using similar material to make similar points but would certainly not want to be paying the price for a new book that is mostly an old book.

Anticipation

Ok, so maybe there is a difference between the old edition owned by a philosopher who liked Bloch and penciled notes in the text and a new copy in paperback:

http://www.amazon.com/Werke-20-B%C3%A4nden-ein-Registerband/dp/3518097180/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_cart_1

But I am anticipating its arrival non the less. Where on my shelf will I put this? Perhaps in the office?

Wish list

Had an interesting eye opening experience several weeks ago at Title Wave Books when I found a new complete set of Kant's works for $19.95 - all six volumes for that! I confess when I went to the counter it was initially to see if they were really going to charge that for the whole set or per book! When the clerk said it was the whole price I could not help myself. So then I figured - I ought to start reading it. So far I made it through the biography and started the first Critique. Hey! It is not bad. I am managing and find I am following it. So I became curious and checked the Consortium and sure enough the edition they have is different but it is there. So is the complete set of Fichte's work. But for Hegel? Nada. Nichts on the pommfritz. So had a look at Amazon:
Sämtliche Werke: Jubiläumsausgabe 
Now that would be an interesting set for the library to have! But how do I get them to buy it?

Meanwhile. Donna took pity on me and let me order the paperback set - 20 Banden for $349! No kidding. The odd thing was she would not let me order that for my birthday but insisted it would be for Father's Day. (In other words she already has something for August.) So within 12 business days I should have it - and be wondering what to do with it.

Reading in the sun

Except today so far is not as sunny as it has been! So I shiver out on the deck with Aristotle for awhile then retreat into the house for something to eat and read E.D. Hirsch or stop in the garage (my office) to check if there are any new emails. A radio is playing KLEF in both places.

Better catch up

Today a friend has created a blog at long last. This has reminded me that for months I have given up on adding to mine. I guess I better catch up!