70 pages in, and it's pretty fun so far. I think Graeber gets a bit of flak for coming off as a bit glib, but he's got the chops to back it up so I don't mind. Seems to me the basic point is to say of debt what Marx said of capital: it's a social relation. The rich anthropological and historical discussions are all meant to flesh this out.

you gotta tell me how you like the Brown book. — StreetlightX

Finished it a few days back and really enjoyed it. Quite pithy, which I always appreciate. The chapters on the dissolution of the social and the political, replaced by an expanding private sphere was compelling. They are variants on themes I've heard before. I found the last chapter particularity intriguing with Brown's analysis that Capitalism dissolves moral values that would otherwise act as a conscience barrier restraining aggressive acts. With this nihilism in place it then opens a lacuna for nihilism, power as politics, viz., the Alt-Right, to rush in, which explains our contemporary political climate.

However, thinking about the final chapter more in depth, and in a historical context, the political violence in the USA has in fact decreased in the past 40 years. And it's not as if political history isn't abound with moral sublimation between colonialism, slavery, torture, genocide, etc., I'd have to think about it more, but I would say that a conscience isn't a given - which I think Wendy Brown somewhat presupposes here - something that is then subsequently eroded, by neoliberalism. Rather, a conscience is something to be developed, and neoliberalism works to ensure that it doesn't. There are more layers here than explain the political climate, rather than just neoliberal hegemony.

Yeah, I thought the last chapter - along with the legal analysis in chpt 4 - were the most original of the book. I think you're entirely right too in saying that liberalism stifles the development of moral relations, rather than eroding a given.

Christian Marazzi - The Violence of Financial Capitalism

Read this over a couple of days. Was a bit too condensed to be particularly useful, but the emphasis on considering the global (rather than regional) nature and reach of financialization was a good takeaway.

liberalism stifles the development of moral relations, — StreetlightX

When people say "business is business" they mean that it's a world where contracts are much more important than friendship or even familial relationships. People who fail to recognize that will eventually be screwed over by a former friend and either learn to protect themselves legally or exit that world. So there are natural sentiments that get squashed.

The cultural climate also matters.

The Phenomenology of Spirit by Hegel
A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America by Bruce Gibney

So jelly you people can read books.

liberalism stifles the development of moral relations,
— StreetlightX

When people say "business is business" they mean that it's a world where contracts are much more important than friendship or even familial relationships. People who fail to recognize that will eventually be screwed over by a former friend and either learn to protect themselves legally or exit that world. So there are natural sentiments that get squashed.

The cultural climate also matters. — frank

True.

:death: :flower:

Conversations with Zizek—Zizek with Glyn Daly

And a bunch of grammar/style guides for work.

And a bunch of grammar/style guides for work. — Baden

Such as ?
Do you really need them - I thought you already a talented writer and educator ?

Oh, they're predominantly academic style guides for my editing work (Chicago, MLA, APA, Turabian etc). They're very fine grained and differ on minutiae depending on the field etc. Thanks for the compliment anyhow. :wink:

...for my editing work (Chicago, MLA, APA, Turabian etc). They're very fine grained and differ on minutiae depending on the field etc. Thanks for the compliment anyhow — Baden

Ah, OK - so you provide professional editing services for all sorts. Consider me even more impressed.

Had a quick look at Turabian. I note that it is used in journal articles and essays as well as for theses, dissertations and research papers. Apparently offering more readability.

The Turabian style of writing a bibliography in the notes-bibliography mode is perfect for humanities, like arts, languages, literature and history.

So, let's just say that there might be a few generous intellectuals on or off TPF...
And imagine that they have a burning desire to write an article for TPF.
Why wouldn't they ?
This would be a polished, perfect product; a proud upstanding piece of philosophy :cool:
Then we could all tear it to shreds :naughty: ...er... I mean enjoy and comment :halo:

I think you should write an article on 'How to Write an Article'.
You know ya wanna :wink:

Check out all this attention. @Banno eat your heart out. :wink:

Actually, I've started a blog on various aspects of writing on my site, including how to write academic articles. What I might do here is write an article on argumentation (claims, reasons, warrants, and evidence etc). Anyhow, we're off-topic, so I'll shut up now. Feel free to send a PM about any of this and thanks for the encouragement. :up:

Check out all this attention. Banno eat your heart out. :wink: — Baden

You guys :roll:

What I might do here is write an article on argumentation (claims, reasons, warrants, and evidence etc) — Baden

Excellent :up:
Make it so, number one.

Anyhow, we're off-topic, so I'll shut up now — Baden

Well, not really and please don't.

While I enjoy the lists of current reads, I like it even more when there's a bit of a conversation or review. Like here:

you gotta tell me how you like the Brown book.
— StreetlightX
Finished it a few days back and really enjoyed it... — Maw

Writing a TPF Book Review article would be a bit more challenging but would be easy to find, informative, insightful and inspiring.
How about it...?

Actually, I've started a blog on various aspects of writing on my site, including how to write academic articles. — Baden

Didn't know that. Is there a link to this on TPF ?

No. I try to keep that stuff separate. I've started writing something along the lines suggested though, so I'll keep you posted. :up:

I try to keep that stuff separate — Baden

That's a shame. However, I understand the need to keep personal stuff separate. God knows you don't want to be deluged by fan mail :hearts:

I've started writing something along the lines suggested though, so I'll keep you posted — Baden

Look forward to reading it, thanks.

Alright, did that. I put it in the learning centre for now: https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/7014/effective-argumentation

Thanks for that excellent read. My fuller response there :smile:

And thanks for the push. :wink:

Get a room...

:zip:

A reading room, perhaps

A reading room, perhaps — Chris Hughes

Woah woah woah. I donno if this kind of highly charged erotic language is allowed here.

Well, I've been reading 50 Shades of Grey. (Not really.)

Actually, I've been reading five non-philosophy books. The one possibly fit to mention here is Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire, "a searing modern polemic... from the BAFTA and MOBO award-winning musician and political commentator, Akala", as UK bookseller Waterstones' synopsis has it.

Serotonin by Michel Houellebecq

november-december readings:

• Mythmakers & Lawbreakers, ed. Margaret Killjoy
• Peter Watts is An Angry Sentient Tumor, Peter Watts

re-reading

• Poor Economics, Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo
• The Sublime Reader, ed. Robert Clewis
• The Source of Self-Regard, Toni Morrison
• Murray Talks Music, Albert Murray
• The Nearest Thing to Life, James Wood

"Chaos and Complexity in Psychology" - finishing today
"Essay on Philosophical Method" - R.G. Collingwood, underway
"Analysis of Sensations and Relation of the Physical to the Psychical" - Ernst Mach - starting tomorrow

Wanted to start Popper's 3 volume "Postscript to the Logic of Scientific Discovery" but volume 1 is hung up from a tardy Amazon vendor. :(

Wolfgang Streek - Buying Time: The Delayed Crisis of Democratic Capitalism