[MD] The MoQ and Politics?

[John Carl]

On Sun, Jan 16, 2011 at 6:10 PM, Mary <marysonthego at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi John,
>
> >>
> I think I'll have more to say on the matter after I've thoroughly digested
> Mary's posting of Levy.  That looks pretty interesting.
>
> Thanks.  I thought it was interesting too.  If you leave out the dog and
> the
> mistress, almost everything in that interview has direct applicability to
> the current situation in America and elsewhere.



Not to mention, the attitude of speaking in cliche which sometimes seems to
be, or have been, a recurring theme around here - this very MD, I mean.

And that Houllebecq vs. Levy rings somewhat like a Platt vs. Arlo debate.






> I found great optimism in Levy's claim here to champion the middle way.
>  All
> things in moderation, for the situation is not nearly so dire as
> advertised.
>
> "The book begins in a very despair, a very pessimistic tone and it finishes
> another way.  For example, Houellebecq is convinced, not only that he has a
> pack against him, the mob running after him and preventing him from
> writing,
> but he even believes that society is made for that.  The conviction of
> Houllebecq is, Question, What is society?  Reply, society is this which
> prevents artists to exist and to perform.  I'm not completely in agreement
> with that, and maybe I convince him a little on that.  That the situation
> is
> not so desperate. "
>
>
I thought the point of Levy countering Houllebecq's despair over the
domination of the artists by society was interesting.  It seemed to me the
point Levy was making was that these social forces which resist the artist,
in the end make him stronger for having stood up to and defied the crowd.
The role of messiah to a culture, as you understand, is playing around in my
brain lately.




> The section on what it means to be Jewish was fascinating too.  Having been
> raised an agnostic, I had no prior instruction in this area, but as he put
> it, a very MoQ-esque flavor emerged.  Imagine, another group of people who
> believe, "The words are the very thing which keeps the world together.
> Without words, without letter, without the deeds and the prayer, the world
> should fall into dust again.  To be decreated."   Quite amazing really.  Is
> he talking about what it's like to be Jewish or explaining symbol
> manipulation at the Intellectual Level?
>


Well for sure I was captivated by that section as well.  My idea of the word
becoming subordinate to the image through evolving social power (media
technology) resonates strongly with Levy's points there.


>
> But his warning to us to beware ideologies was most prescient.  Funny that
> I'd not thought of it that way before, but once he said it, I could see
> that
> he is absolutely right.  Unsupportable dogma is always discovered for what
> it is in the end.  I suppose these philosopher guys can have something
> useful to say to us after all.
>
>
It was very good and very pertinent and I'm thankful you posted it.
Ideological thinking vs Pragmatic thinking takes on a whole new luster when
pragmatism BECOMES your ideology.  That's something I'm definitely going to
contemplate some more.

Yours,

John