Philosophy/Criticism

“Any institution that centers itself by reproduction is immediately suspect. Criticism, if directed at the unpolished edges of an organization, edges which either sabotage or yet defeat the institution’s ability to reproduce itself, can certainly be found in abundance. But critique, authentic and reflexive, that which calls into question not merely the goals of government or like edifices but indeed their very existence, is something surpassingly rare in our day. Even so, its improbability does not necessitate our own retreat into the impossible. The human imagination is more resilient than any political force. That it is more than impolite to pursue this other course gives a validity to the ‘impolitical’; at once uncouth and impolitic as it must be.” (From the book’s Introduction.)

The author’s third collection of critical essays points to the political crises of our times. His understanding of politics is more expansive than our general reaction to it. It is at once what we are, the “political animal,” the being who is only what we are through the historical consciousness of what constitutes culture and humanity, as well as one who acts within that history and toward a better self-understanding of that same consciousness, often immersed in ideology and submerged in popular consumption of both media and commodity.

With titles ranging from “Mein Banff” to “Why I am not an Olympian” to “Old World Mind, New World Machine” and others, it is clear that not a single word has been minced in this very pointed, yet highly thematic set of papers, essays, editorials, as well as an interview that offers a more personal insight into the author as a thinker and a human being.