Excess Ecology

I'm not yet ready to weigh in on Ran's thoughts on freedom. The concept is central to Bookchin, and for him the definition of such a concept includes the history of that concept - including in this case freedom to act ethically: acting in the general interest, and acting to foster elaboration on the potential diversity and freedom around us. The recursive nature of this reminded me yesterday of Will Crichton, whose ideas on individuality are similarly recursive. And so, last night, after S had stopped answering my messages; after I went round to find out face to face, and her new partner opened the door...after initial reactions it was to Will Crichton's book I turned. Central to Crichton's Foundations for a New Civilization is the cultivation of attitudes rather than the solving of problems; attitudes being intentions to have a particular feeling towards an object. This passage: In false pride or shame one feels superior or inferior to others in one's community. I...

Excess Ecology is the first title I could think of gleaned from two major influences - Todd McGowan of the Why Theory  podcast and author of, among other things, Pure Excess; and Murray Bookchin , whose 'social ecology' or 'dialectical naturalism' or 'libertarian municipalism' I found out  about (through Audible) solely because Todd wrote an afterword to a new edition of Bookchin's The Philosophy of Social Ecology.  They are pretty different, Todd being as far as I can tell statist, and Bookchin anti-statist...but both share an appreciation for the political radicality of the kind of dialectic dramatised by Hegel. McGowan mostly follows the Hegelian owl-of-minerva line - our job is to interpret the world, not to change it or make recommendations/prescriptions . But, aside from great film recommendations, one line of action is clear - favour the public, use public means where possible, engage with the public. So, now that all my theatre involvement has cea...