Sunday 15 May 2011

Universalism exists in Emancipation: Theoretical meanderings II


To write freely without a plan is an arduous task. The act is an attempt to muster the sub/conscious part of a being into a reality of interconnected existence, within a nonlinear timeframe, constantly self reflecting the next conception. Time is the valuable method used to deduce the next step in this dialectic. Over time the collation of a written piece can be drawn out through the method of re-reading what lies in front of the author’s amalgamation of inter-subjective conceptions. Serving this cognitive function an argument will undoubtedly be conceived, only, if the author is to write for a purpose; the purpose being to further the progression of human emancipation, only when this effort is taken will the produced work be of any value. The ‘value’ can in most instances be related to emancipation, a - universal value.

Taken as the case, emancipation becomes the purpose of any dialectical process. Emancipation does not in this instance pertain to suggest the enlightenment of the ignoble or the fetishistic disavowed: the contours of reality suggest that such a task would seem, as taken from a stoic perception, impenetrable, if it is understood that we live in an era of epicurean nature. To break out of this contemporary negation would be a paradox as to do so would require divine emancipation. That is to say, it is a conscious decision to either strive for material abundance, personal wealth, and therefore hostile alienation or to oppose such conjunctions in favour of being “truly universal...as radically singular, in the interstices of communal identities”, as suggested by Kant; the former is the embodiment of the liberal capitalist who supposes that this system propounds the promotion of the individualist, paradoxically, only inasmuch as one conforms to the stereotype! To be an individual in this instance one has to be part of the collective, or rather, to be idiosyncratic within capitalism is the anti-thesis of its core. Whereas, the latter suggests a radical break by suggesting; the universal aspect of individuality can only exist once the idiosyncratic individuals constitutes the communal identities. In other words, the capitalist conforms to communal stereotypes alienating true individuals, whereas in truth, society can only be universal if it is made up of truly individuals, where society requires idiosyncrasies, not alienates them, within the collective. This could only exist in an alternative society to the one we inhabit.

Whilst it is widely acknowledged that those living in the developed West live, in general, in ‘neat’ conditions, that is to say, they have not only the necessary tools to survive but may also live lives where leisure is a major part of living as opposed to those countries where survival is, by far, the dominating factor involved in day to day living. Here lies a cross-road. The decision, which way to turn has already onomatopoeically been reached, you can turn left or right (although this is not to suggest either has a monopoly on a standardised interpretations of ideology, such a suggestion requires further insight that will not be present here). It is those individuals who believe they took the left road but were in fact approaching the crossroad from the wrong direction that are of concern. These individuals can be understood to be Liberal capitalists who are themselves unaware or have, like most capitalists reached the point of utopianistic dreams, believing that the society we encounter is the only way to order society, giving the assumption that we have or will, if we follow the current path reach the best possible world. A capitalist will affirm this position through stating “ I have no time for politics” or “I don’t do politics”, such statements are the most ideological statements one can make, this sentiment is pure avocation of the ruling ideology. Therefore their actions reinforce the matrix of neo-liberal capitalism. Instances of belief that the current neo-liberal mechanisms help society are falsities. If anything fair-trade coffee and philanthropic gestures from the likes of Bill Gates and Gorge Soros debilitate the intricate capitalist matrix, furthering the process of alienation. Such institutions and acts are under the current guise necessary but these should be institutions of the past. In an emancipated universality such acts would not be necessary. See Video below...

Moral of the blog... strive for and cherish idiosyncrasies, accept that all public acts are intrinsically political, if you dispute this then you will be advocating the current status quo, and once you have accepted this now let’s contemplate ways in which to undermine the ruling power structure to facilitate an alternative future - a future which caters for the emancipation and eradication of alienation.  


1 comment:

  1. hi Joseph,
    good to see someone else writing around the thoughts Zizek! Please check out my blog where I have endeavored to do the same. I have added you to my links so that we may form a community of Zizekian thinkers.
    Thanks,
    Sam (www.esjaybe.net)

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