BY JOANNA ZYLINSKAProfessor of new media and communications at Goldsmiths, University of London How do things emerge in the world? What is the relationship between an organism and its environment? In recent years both the humanities and the sciences have embraced a more process-based, relational way of thinking about these questions, with matter seen as … More Joanna Zylinska: Evolution is not all that.
BY DORION SAGANAward-winning science writer, editor, and theorist “Every scientific idea passes through three stages,” wrote William Whewell in his 1840 Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences: First, it is ridiculed.Second, it is violently opposed or claimed to be of only minor importance.Third, it is accepted as self-evident. Other versions and variations have appeared since, with … More On star stuff, ‘Science’s Unruly Earth Mother,’ and the scientific art of empirical rebellion
How far apart are humans from animals—even the Vampyroteuthis infernalis, the “vampire squid from hell”?Let’s discuss. Considering the human condition along with the Vampyroteuthis infernalis condition seems appropriate because “we are both products of an absurd coincidence,” writes Vilém Flusser. Q&A WITH VAMPYROTEUTHIS INFERNALISSubject of Vilém Flusser’s Vampyroteuthis Infernalis: A Treatise Q. How are you … More Halloween special: A rare interview with the ancient vampire squid from hell.
BY EUGENE W. HOLLANDProfessor and chair of comparative studies at Ohio State University The Occupy movement has already spawned one general strike—a spontaneous mass reaction to police brutality in Oakland last November that ended up shutting down the fifth-largest port in the country overnight. The movement is now calling for a General Strike on May … More The Occupy Movement and the General Strike on #MayDay
A statue of Greek soldier Pheidippides on Marathon Road northeast of Athens. According to legend, Pheidippides died after a 26.2-mile run from the Battle of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persian invaders. Image from Creative Commons. BY CLAIRE E. RASMUSSENAssociate professor of political science and international relations at the University of … More Boston Mania: What drives us, professionals and amateurs alike, to run a marathon?
Univocal is a publisher of beautiful handmade, letterpress-printed books of critical theory by major renowned philosophers (not to mention “anti-philosophers”) of our time. University of Minnesota Press is excited to be distributing Univocal’s gorgeous books this fall. Check out this video to see them in action:
BY RON BROGLIOAssistant professor of English and senior scholar of the Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University I sat down to write this blog entry but the day got away from me. The morning began with me discussing the death of a beached whale with an artist working on the grammars of touch … More Writing amid the difficulty of reality
BY ANKE FINGERAssociate professor of German studies and comparative literature at the University of Connecticut In an essay titled “The New Imagination” (1990), Vilém Flusser emphasizes the need for a “critique of image criticism” – and he considered letters to be images as well. He writes: “The linear gesture of writing tears the pixels from … More New media and old philosophy: What would Vilém Flusser think about e-books?
BY KATHY RUDYAssociate professor of ethics and women’s studies at Duke University Ellen DeGeneres recently launched a national campaign endorsing veganism, and I give her a lot of credit. Along with people like Jonathan Safran Foer and many other media stars, she is putting the question of eating meat on the table as a significant … More With veganism and animal-rights causes, a middle ground is always best.
Today’s Q&A feature is with Amanda Boetzkes, assistant professor of art and design at the University of Alberta and author of the soon-forthcoming The Ethics of Earth Art. ——- Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty, 1970. Photograph JEK 2005 ©. Art © Estate of Robert Smithson/ Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photo from CreativeCommons.org. Q: You … More The ethics of earth art — different approaches to understanding ourselves in relation to the planet.
