Fw: RHIZOME_RAW: Calamus and Calamity

—– Original Message —–
From: "Joao Pedro" <[email protected]>
To: "Doug Lewis" <[email protected]>
Cc: "Oliveira Pereira" <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2002 2:24 AM
Subject: Re: RHIZOME_RAW: Calamus and Calamity


> Sorry, i was out this weekend. I will answer to you, now:
>
> It's very interesting what you wrote about information, that tend to
> operate best within especific theaters, with a certain theatricality of
the
> object (Baudrillard) , in order to attract massive audiences. De Kerckhove
> gives relevance to the psychotechnologies of information and Noam Chomsky
> to the thought control in a democratic society, showing the way the media
> opperated, manufacturing necessary illusions. Propaganda is to democracy,
> what violence is to a dictatorship. Also, Paul Virilio made the contours
of
> the fascist state and defined them, in "L' insecurite du territoire." Myth
> can give a sense a community, feed upon the need of metanarratives, like
you
> said, but don't forget the myth as a product of the industry of the myths
> makers, that feed the public faith in the dominant ideologies. In that
way,
> myth can be a simplification of the reality, in order to increase a
> emotional and sympathetic reaction to the forces of the power and, also,
to
> distracting people from the important things. By the way,
> affirmation, like any product of the thought, it's a result of a complex
> process that envolves many levels and spontaneity, don't exist such thing!
> Gadamer already had demonstrated that the world is not like we see him,
but
> for us, only exist a "preconception" of the world. Then, affirmation is
not
> a result of the good will, as some philosophy defined, but is the result
> from the violence of a of a thought. For me, there was a author and a book
> that had left in my mind, a very strong impression and that was Proust and
> "Le Recherche du temp perdu." In the Proust's work, existence balanced
> between hazard and coercion, against the concept of "philosophic"
> method-Thers no valid method in life, only counts the hazard, the
Mallarmes
> "Coup de Des" (qui jamais n'abolira le hasard)-and coercion is the
actuality
> violence, a variation of arab concept of "calamus". "Calamus" is a writing
> feather; "calamus" write the live of anyone of us, signed each existencial
> situation, whether we want it or not. If you don't accept the "calamus"
> signed off, if you refused take it what comes to you, than happen the
> "calamity". Proust had read the arab collection of stories, "Thousand and
> one nights", when was a child and remained a strong memory of this
stories,
> where by a destiny circunstance, sometimes for a cruel casuality, live
> changed for the night to the day and the future reminds us, what reserves
to
> the men, it's so uncertain as unkown. Left to us, read the signs and
> interpret, decipher them, give a opinion, what means to act, to endanger,
> foundling to the deception, to play without knowing the consequences, play
> to lose in the end, if the eventual and the inevitable, plays agains us to
> signed our defeat. Art has always a choice, i agree with you, a choice
> that's a interpretation, sometimes unexpected, (strangely, disruptive) in
> the community work and what moves the imagination, the breakway depart
> points, are always signs of a culture, myths, believes, references,
detours,
> hints to a state of things, in a particular way, the violence of our world
> impress me, this obscene state of things in a wonderful world, the
dreadful
> abyss between richs and poors, in contrast to the beauty of the earth, our
> "homeplanet" that we treat so bad!
> Then, art manufactures myth, by it's inherent necessity and this
> necessity, is the fulcrum of the question. Art do it because is necessary,
> moved by that violence of a sign, increasing a rupture point and,
sometimes,
> breakdown becomes breakway. That's called art!
>
> Um abraco (best regards):
>
> Joao Pedro
>
> PS. I remember now: what i have said, don't have any reference at all
> to the Jacques Monod notion of casuality and necessity.
>
> A final note:
>
> Calamity will throw about the word, because men refused play, take a
> part, give a opinion. Apathetics, they liking better a slow dead.
>
> —– Original Message —–
> From: "Doug Lewis" <[email protected]>
> To: "'Joao Pedro'" <[email protected]>
> Cc: <[email protected]>
> Sent: Friday, September 13, 2002 8:09 PM
> Subject: RE: RHIZOME_RAW: Myth and sense of community.
>
>
> via mythologies, it seems, lies simple human constructs which thrive,
> infact, feed upon the need of expanding metanarratives. Why (?) is an
> insightful question i am certain. Informations as consciously planted
seeds
> tend to operate best within specific theaters as well as to certain
> audiences…De Kerckhove spoke of psychotechnologies and
> information-processing as having shifted from the private universe of the
> mind to the publicworld of the cathode ray tube… which sits well with
> Paul Virillos ideas which co-relate community, imagination and speed.
>
> "Art" it seems, has always had consistent choices to make - what is it's
> relationship to speed, to community and to imagination. Art manufactures
> myth not by simply "being", but by it's inherent necessity to
independently
> graft itself onto the legs of societies.
>
> Hola, (?) That's ola, hola is a spanish word! It mean's "hi!"
>
> DOug
>
> oh, nothing against Max either, but there is so many wonderful things to
> think about - his sort of arguments take up far to much space.
>
>
> —–Original Message—–
> From: Joao Pedro [SMTP:[email protected]]
> Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2002 4:29 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Cc: Oliveira Pereira
> Subject: Fw: RHIZOME_RAW: Myth and sense of community.
>
>
> —– Original Message —–
> From: "Joao Pedro" <[email protected]>
> To: "Doug Lewis" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
> Cc: "Oliveira Pereira" <[email protected]>
> Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2002 10:13 PM
> Subject: RHIZOME_RAW: Myth and sense of community.
>
>
> > Since the beginning of times, the myth had bring together the men
and
> > give to them a sense of community. But a myth is a fable, a living
> > narration, like wrote Levi-Strauss, a story in transformation, that
> change
> > with the imagination, with the self-invention of the community elements.
> > It's not to idolize, a petrification of a image. In the network of
power,
> > the art must pervert the grid values, not to submit to a expectant
place,
> > waiting comfortably, with redudant order-words. The art must attempt,
> with
> > fascination, simulation, fatal strategys, viral contamination, against
> the
> > objectivity of the mass media. Not to convert in another icon of our
> times,
> > with a especific status. Jean Baudrillard wrote something about that in
> > "Au-dela du vrai et du faux ou le malin genie de l'image".
> >
> > Best regards:
> >
> > Joao Pedro
> >
> > P.S. I have nothing against Max or someonelse. Simply, there are
> > attitudes that i don't like. Perhaps it's a default of mine.
> >
> >
> > —– Original Message —–
> > From: "Doug Lewis" <[email protected]>
> > To: "'Joao Pedro'" <[email protected]>
> > Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2002 5:22 PM
> > Subject: RE: RHIZOME_RAW: Fw: RHIZOME RAW: A word of warning-don't
> believe
> > in genius
> >
> >
> > Thanks for the concentrated thoughts Joao…sounds like an
anti-"Max"ism.
> > My thoughts are that an artist and the need for artists has always been
> to
> > fertilize contradictions - by simply adding variations of an intuitive
> > understanding of the real (as slippery as that may be), a cognitive
> belief
> > in myth making as well as one part spontaneity. Edward F. Edinger wrote
> > that human society cannot long survive unless its members are
> > psychologically contained within a central living myth.; and so i see
the
> > Rhizome as one of the many soft machines that perpetuates myth. Without
> > much reflection, I comfortably say that belief in contradiction -
inside
> > of my work and inside everyday stumblings, such textures created with
the
> > elbows of bigger things leave me wanting to speak towards an other -
> things
> > that i feel have been left unsaid (even if only through my sheer
> naivity).
> >
> > best, d
> >
> >
> > —–Original Message—–
> > From: Joao Pedro [SMTP:[email protected]]
> > Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2002 10:20 AM
> > To: Doug Lewis
> > Cc: Oliveira Pereira
> > Subject: Fw: RHIZOME_RAW: Fw: RHIZOME RAW: A word of warning-don't
> believe
> > in genius
> >
> >
> > —– Original Message —–
> > From: Joao Pedro
> > To: Doug Lewis ; [email protected]
> > Cc: Oliveira Pereira
> > Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2002 3:42 PM
> > Subject: Re: RHIZOME_RAW: Fw: RHIZOME RAW: A word of warning-don't
> believe
> > in genius
> >
> >
> > Doug Lewis:
> >
> > It's not easy to answer to your question, but i will try.
> > Nietzsche in XIX century, made the transition between: a philosophy
> > established in two fundamental truths that built the ocidental thought,
> > since Plato (the principle of identity and the principle of
> contradiction),
> > and a emergent philosophy that give emphasis to live, a vital existence,
> > beyound good and evil. The classic notion of contradiction, defended
that
> > two values, denying each other, only one could be truth, don't serve
> > Nietzsche. If one of the judges is truth, the other is fake, said the
> logic
> > of the syllogisms, based in the dialectic, like the dialectic used for
> > Plato in their dialogues, to defeat the adversary. On the other hand,
for
> > Nietzsche doesn't matter if a proposition is truth or fake… If the
> value
> > would be useful in a vital way, then is rightful to make use of it, even
> > that value being fake. But Nietzsche don't stop there and said: the
> > philosopher must invent new values, new meanings. It beahoves us to do
> the
> > meaning of one thing, in the "praxis", in a vital and affirmative way.
> > Dionysus is the affirmation god. The logical thought is no more a
> labyrinth
> > of moral (based in one truth), but the labyrinth of live. And in live
> they
> > are tensions, between potentials (as opposed to a identity) and a
tension
> > of this kind is called "value". Not an economic or moral sense, but in a
> > sense of self-invention, pure affirmation, a play that only have the
> > purpose of joy, to relieve the tension. But there are a danger, if you
> > actualize this potential, over and over, in the same way. If it grows
> like
> > a image that never change, like a religious icon, a attractor to all
> > potentiality, then you have a force of power, a fascist one. Because
that
> > force attempt to impose themself like a identity, necessary to all, but
> > they can't resolve all the contraditions, this power see enemys
> everywhere,
> > in a permenent paranoia state. A fascist state is a suicide state.
> Paranoia
> > will killing them.
> > I don't think that's necessary to resolve the contradiction,
between
> > truth or fake, right or wrong, good or evil, them or us, ally or enemy.
> > Like Nietzsche, the artist is beyound that duality of concepts. There
are
> > many levels of desire, think, knowing… Reduce the complications of
> > desire, into one vision of things, in a "genial" perspective of the
> world,
> > into the same "sublime" reality, without alternative, that's the
> INJUSTICE
> > they can do to us! Gore Vidal wrote in "Empire": "The condition of the
> > hell, is not imagine that we have a alternative for our lives."
> > The ability to contradict sometimes is hiden a will of power and
> that
> > will, have two faces: affirmation and denial. And the affirmation of the
> > sublime man is a negative force. Because he don't accept another
> > affirmation, the "yes" that can answer to own "yes". Dionysus need to be
> > loved. The sublime man is too much perfect and he needs nobody. He judge
> > the others by oneself and because of that, think he had solve all the
> > contradiction. He solved nothing! Her affirmation deny the affirmation
of
> > the others. But, you ask me: "We could answer always with a yes?" Of
> course
> > we can't! We are not the "yes men"! That's why is important deny a
> reactive
> > force, which impose the INJUSTICE for all, the force that always say:
> "You
> > are wrong! We live in the better of the worlds and there's no
> alternative!"
> > Now, imagine that reactive power, reverse her position, turn upside down
> > and don't say "no" anymore, but "yes" to the differents alternatives:
> Then,
> > it would be no more a fascist state, but a schizophrenic state!
> > The ability to contradict is important to fight against this kind of
> > injustice! If you deny a negative force, to resist and face it, you will
> > make a affirmation, a statement that can change the conditions of a
> > particular context and, in that case, speak gives a new meaning to
> reality,
> > a tool to dig deeper the indicium of the unsaid, what was behind the
> > oficial version. But, more important to speak, is to act! And for that
> you
> > also need ability, strategys: Dionysus must be quick and very swift too!
> > How ever, in a open comunnity like rhizome, i think the essencial is
> > support, try understand, to relieve and help the nextone. Have a
> different
> > opinion it doesn't mean to have a ego of the size of the world!
> > Contradiction between all opinions, gives to us a multiplicity of points
> of
> > view, and remember, the fascist state hate that! That's why i don't
> > comprehend the dogmatism, even less, the insult in a place like this and
> i
> > agree with Lee Wells: "Stop the heat, spread love!" We're in the same
> boat.
> > Let's stay together, because together we will undefeatble!
> >
> >
> > Best regards:
> >
> > Joao Pedro
> > [email protected]
> > http://oliveirapereira1.no.sapo.pt
> >
> > —– Original Message —–
> > From: "Doug Lewis" <[email protected]>
> > To: "'Joao Pedro'" <[email protected]>
> > Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 7:43 PM
> > Subject: RE: RHIZOME_RAW: Fw: RHIZOME RAW: A word of warning-don't
> believe
> > in genius
> >
> >
> > > written with a sublime message left fully intact… Nietzsche spoke
> about
> > > "The ability to Contradict" as a tool for speaking about one's own
> > > injustices of which they are yet unaware; is it possible?
> > >
> > > saltman
> > >
> > > —–Original Message—–
> > > From: Joao_Pedro [SMTP:[email protected]]
> > > Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2002 4:39 PM
> > > To: [email protected]
> > > Cc: Oliveira Pereira
> > > Subject: RHIZOME_RAW: Fw: RHIZOME RAW: A word of warning-don't believe
> in
> > > genius
> > >
> > > << File: ATT00000.txt; charset = Windows-1252 >> << File:
> ATT00001.htm;
> > > charset = Windows-1252 >>
> > >
> > << File: ATT00004.htm >>
> >
> >
>
> + If the reader will keep me company I shall be glad.
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