Brain and Self; Walter Benjamin; Hannah Arendt Center

A new essay, a new video, and a new partnership

Dear all,

It’s always exciting to partner with organisations whose work we deeply respect. Last year we partnered with Boston Review for our “Philosophy Today” events series and with the Centre for the Study of Violence for our “Century of Violence” events series. So I’m delighted to announce a new partnership with the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. More on this below, along with a new essay on critical neuroscience and the video recording of this week’s excellent conversation on “Walter Benjamin and the Critique of Violence”. Enjoy!

Your Sunday Read
“Brain:” by Nima Bassiri. Another essay from the “Person” issue of our popular “New Basics” series from last year. Nima is such an intense thinker and writer. His work is situated at the intersection of philosophy, psychiatry, and cultural studies. Michel Foucault’s work is thus, unsurprisingly, a great inspiration to him (as some of you may recall from his essay, “The Force of Scientific Authority”, published in our 2021 “Authority and Knowledge” issue). In this essay, Nima explores the emergence of the idea that brain is the truth of the self or, to put it differently, the emergence of the “(neuro)biological self” or the “cerebral subject”. What, Nima asks, are the consequences of thinking of ourselves as “people whose intelligibility, social worth, and ontological value are defined according to the contours of truth claims made about the brain”? And how might we “re-anchor” ourselves upon different and richer ontological sources, such that the brain is “relegated to the rank of yet another vital organ, no more or less important than, say, the liver”. You can read Nima’s essay here.

Recording of last Thursday’s event
For those of you who missed the excellent final event in our “Century of Violence” series, “Walter Benjamin and the Critique of Violence” featuring James Martel and Brad Evans, you can watch the recording here.

Collaboration with the Hannah Arendt Center
The Hannah Arendt Center (HAC) provides an intellectual space for passionate, uncensored, nonpartisan thinking that reframes the fundamental questions facing our world. We will be co-hosting a series of events early next year looking at the idea of “Thinking Together” and we have also partnered with them for their recently launched annual membership drive. Members joining at the $100 level will receive:

1. Access to their Virtual Reading Group
2. Two complimentary entrances to their Spring Social and Annual Conference: Friendship & Politics
3. 20% Discount at Oblong Books and De Gruyter
4. The latest HA Journal, a brand new tote bag, and a free copy of the forthcoming second 100th anniversary issue of The Philosopher, featuring contributions from, amongst others, Roger Berkowitz (Academic Director of HAC) and Jana Bacevic (our esteemed contributing editor and visiting fellow at HAC).

For more information and to become an HAC member, visit here or click on either of the images below.

Ending
In next Sunday’s newsletter, you can look forward to a review of Susan Neiman’s new book, Left is Not Woke; a short essay from one of our readers on panpsychism and AI; and some updates on our autumn events series.

Wishing you all a lovely Sunday, wherever you are.

Anthony Morgan
Editor