Power & Control (& Also—)
On harnessing immaterial power that is not rooted in external/coercive control, nor in the oppressive systems of domination & submission upon which modern society largely operates.
Power & Control (& Also—)
For example, when given an opportunity to buy the patents for the telephone shortly after it was invented, William Orton, the president of Western Union (then the dominant telegraph company), reportedly dismissed the device as an “electrical toy.” The view prevailing at the time was that the telephone would be used merely for short updates—a purpos... See more
Kevin Whitaker • The Power of Anomaly
“electrical toy” is brilliant, so true king
A nice little koan about the power of surrender :)
How to criticize something you disagree with
Here are social psychologist Anatol Rapoport’s rules for criticizing something:
You should attempt to re-express your target’s position so clearly, vividly, and fairly that your target says, “Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it that way.”
You should list any points of agreement (especially if they are ... See more
Here are social psychologist Anatol Rapoport’s rules for criticizing something:
You should attempt to re-express your target’s position so clearly, vividly, and fairly that your target says, “Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it that way.”
You should list any points of agreement (especially if they are ... See more
Solnit argues that leftist organizers suffer from clinging to fixed views on the strategies and practices that lead to liberation. In fact, the idea that these fixed strategies and practices will lead to a static utopia is the delusion of permanence. Instead, organizers should adopt a view of process, responding to the needs of the moment. She quot... See more
Be like water. (Regarding the power of surrender in the context of leftist political organizing)
"Human consciousness emerges on the interface between three components of animal behaviour:
Communication
Play
Use of tools
Behaviour, in this context, is a biological adjustment by means of movements and all kinds of movement-related physiological activity
Communication and play yields symbolic games and, more importantly, language
Interaction between s... See more
Communication
Play
Use of tools
Behaviour, in this context, is a biological adjustment by means of movements and all kinds of movement-related physiological activity
Communication and play yields symbolic games and, more importantly, language
Interaction between s... See more
Evan Thompson • Consciousness
Rebecca Solnit’s 2004 book Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities. In the book, Solnit writes about how the urgency of the political moment (then, the Bush Administration and the so-called “War on Terror”) calls for letting go of any fixed ideology.
“To be anti doctrinal is to open yourself up to new and unexpected alliances, to new... See more
“To be anti doctrinal is to open yourself up to new and unexpected alliances, to new... See more
Regarding the power of surrender in the context of leftist political organizing.
"Play: Play, therefore, introduces something that can be called “second reality” (Vygotsky, 1978). In this reality the life is going on as if it is the “primary reality,” but with the nice difference that whenever I don’t like what happens, I simply stop the process and go out, or start it anew. This makes play suspiciously like consciousness
Tools:... See more
Tools:... See more