Walter Benjamin; The Age of Choice; Marx and Philosophy
An interview with James Martel; an event with Sophia Rosenfeld; our new print issue
Dear all,
The new print issue should be available for pre-order in the next week or so. For now, here is the cover:
Your Sunday Read
“Walter Benjamin’s The Critique of Violence”
A conversation with James Martel
Walter Benjamin’s The Critique of Violence is arguably one of the most complex and critically debated essays ever written on the subject. It has been a source of both admiration and frustration for students of his work. The essay shows how violence has been integral to the formation of modern political systems and raises difficult questions about the theological nature of modern secularism. In this conversation from Brad Evans’ “A Century of Violence” series, James Martel assesses the relevance of Benjamin’s Critique today, exploring the distinction between mythical and divine violence, and considering how all this can help us address the vexing problem of fascism in our times. You can read the interview here.
Monday Event: 11am PT/2pm ET/7pm UK/8pm CET
“The Age of Choice”
Sophia Rosenfeld in conversation with Isabelle Laurenzi
Choice touches virtually every aspect of our lives, from what to buy and where to live to whom to love, what profession to practice, and even what to believe. But the option to choose in such matters was not something we always possessed or even aspired to. And it turns out that not only are we not very good at realizing our personal desires, we are also overwhelmed with too many possibilities and anxious about what best to select. In this event, historian Sophia Rosenfeld will explore how the idea of choice has become synonymous with freedom, with a particular attention to the lives of women and reproductive rights as a symbolic flashpoint in our contemporary struggles over the association of liberty with choice. You can find out more and register here.
Recording of latest event
For those of you who missed Monday’s conversation with Renée DiResta on “Algorithms and Propoaganda”, you can watch the recording here:
Ending
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Wishing you all a lovely Sunday, wherever you are.
Anthony Morgan
Managing Editor