Januray 23, 2014

January 23, 2014

Postmodern is in it's core conservative. Not conservatives that believes in conservatism. But an easy way out, a philosophy founded on arrogant cynicism. I always felt those postmodern professors are fat cats. With good jobs at the university why risk it by taking an ethical stand on a social issue.

My response to post everything including Postmodern, post structuralism, post behaviorist or what ever. Either you is or you ain’t.  Not post or neo. These same debates are in fact very old. I strongly believe like Gramsci the intellectual like the artist is embedded in history. Every class in every nation had its intellectuals throughout history. Free-floating intellectuals ultimately became attached to some class or another. Often the professional class, and that is disturbing.

Social movements historically are not only a starting place of research; they are also a underpinning of moral inspiration. The intellectual, again like the artist is a part of and not independent of the trends and movements within society.  Each generation builds upon the works of pervious generations. For me Epicurus, Giordano Bruno, utopian socialists of the early 19^th century, Hegel, Marx, Engels, Luxemburg, Trotsky, Lenin, Debs, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Anarchist-communism of Kropotkin, Anarchist syndicalism of Bakunin, Liberation Theology, Marxist humanism, Christian socialism, Jewish Bund, anti-fascist resistance, IWW, CIO and so on are my intellectual tradition. To set in my office and worry about ethics does not get it. I want to take the inspiration of these old dead guys and build on them and expand on them and bring them up to date. I want to be the narrator of the old left.

 The enlightenment of the 18^th century in Europe set in motion many excesses. This led to imperialism, colonialism, capitalism, destructive industrial technology and the destruction of many traditional societies. Science was a part of this complex. Also socialism led to intemperance and justified malice, fraud and violence.  We need to fully acknowledge this. Accept the criticism. There is also born out of science, socialism and humanism a rich tradition that challenges cruel ignorance, exploitation, oppression and the root of human suffering are better understood and the hope foe a better world and better future is carried out.

The intellectual needs to struggle against arrogance, and narcissism, to fight for daily relevance.  We are a part of what we study both in fact and ethically. By tying myself to this ancient tradition I have a home. I want to make those old dead guys a source of inspiration for my students. They still have a lot to teach us.