Sounding Smart and Things to Do
So after a great deal of research (scanning a bunch of blogs, making mental notes on bibliographies, and general word of mouth) I’ve concluded that the key to sounding smart within critical social theory is having an extensive knowledge, or at least knowing how to talk endlessly, about Foucault, Badiou, and Habermas. So, not so much in order to sound smart for smarts sake, but because I think I’m smart and I’d like to sound smart, I plan on studying the aforementioned over the following months beginning with Foucault. I may not get as far as Badiou, but I would definitely like to know a thing or two about Habermas and the entire Frankfurt School in general. I am beginning with Foucault because from what I can tell he seems to be among the easier reads of twentieth century philosophers, I am already most familiar with him, and I already tend to agree with him on a number of issues. I had hoped to begin with his work on gender, but I can’t get an English copy of his Histoire de la Sexualite, and so I will be beginning here.
I am adding these studies to my list of, teaching myself high school math, further inquiries into the philosophy of identity (another necessity to sounding smart), reading a novel a week (give or take a week), teaching myself Quebecois French (would probably be easier if I actually knew French French), maintaining a full course load with a 3.5 GPA, not loosing my youthful good looks (remain active), the continued upkeep of this blog, and all the while trying to maintain a reasonable standard of the “good life” (I need a girlfriend or I need to get laid.).
Wow, this is a lot of stuff to do in a year. Gosh Michelle, I’m starting to sound a lot like you… so that stomach pain didn’t end up being an ulcer? I’m quite pleased with my “new life,” only a few months ago, trying to achieve even one of these would have seemed highly unlikely. (I still think the novel a week is little unlikely… shhhhhh…)
It’s a little intimidating committing all this to text. Now it seems a little more binding.
Edit: I missed Nietzsche... He’s important too but in more general terms.
posted by Nicholas @ 5.8.05
2 Comments:
hahahaha, yeah it probably was. it's marx after marx. when we talk about marxism today, and we're not talking to everyday folks (who think it sounded great on paper but could never work in real life, or they think it's just plain evil.) we're probably talking about the frankfurt school. i think they're actually within the grouping reffered to as the neo-marxists but my minds foggy on that.
there's somethig called post-marxism but it's kind of a lot like rartional choice theory. what comes afetr marxism? apparently capitalism. i should start calling myself a post capitalist... seriously, sounds cool doesn't. BANG this is a great idea, that way instead of associating with marx and the way things were it puts me in a stage after the present. that might be why marxism is so hard to swallow for some, it's just plane too old.... blah blah blah
critical femminsit has to many negative connotations, in factcalling ones self a femminist in general tends to have negative connoatations. i generaly just say i'm pro women or pro women's rights. maybe i should call myself a post patriarchy... nawwww doesn't work.
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