Quixotic Musings

A ranging chat with the inimitable Kamal Southall, probing some historical details at the background of Scientocracy's emergence. Topics include the Macy Conferences, the Ratio Club, the Five Eyes and more....

1,290 views May 13, 2023 The Tom Lynn Show In this wide ranging chat, we explore the notion of the 'Net of Scientocracy' and its intersections with numerous themes, from how the plantation system forms a template and seed for emerging structures of control, through to the manner in which the 'de-spiriting' of discourse since the late ninetheenth century forward undercuts possibilit...

A brief discussion of the emergent themes in the thought of Paul Feyerabend and their relevance to current juncture between Thomas Lynn and Stephen Wallpe. Feyerabend protested an undue methodological rigidity in science, and the primacy granted to it by contemporary society.

A ranging discussion on the problems of censorship as a practice inimical to democracy.

In a return from a too long hiatus, I speak with my friend, Stephen Wallpe, about the quixotic status that the ideal of reasoned discourse has become, and discuss upon various questions thence deriving...

A quick collection of thoughts on André Gorz’s collection of essays, “Capitalism, Socialism, and Ecology”...

A reflection suggesting that in the background of the NFL’s recently announced decision regarding Player Protest of the National Anthem is rooted in a desire to preserve an entertaining narrative despite its incompatibility with certain facts on the ground.

A response to an essay of Gabriel Marcel on Creative Fidelity, remaking upon his distinction between fidelity or faith and constancy, noting how the latter is of an ambiguous character.

A consideration of Existentialism’s relevance in the light of a general public discourse which minimizes the significance of our freedom or agency in responding to the situations in which we find ourselves...

In this episode, we consider moments in Gabriel Marcel’s analysis of fanaticism in his book, “Man Against Mass Society.”

A review of Gabriel Marcel’s distinction between treating life as a problem or treating our life as a mystery...

A very brief recap of the crucial suggestion of Gabriel Marcel’s essay on Hope... namely, that to endeavor to assess hope in terms of probabilities is to misunderstand the experiential ground whence it springs...

A recollection of Gabriel Marcel’s remarks about how abstraction can serve the dangerous dishonesty which is fundamental to warfare...

A sequel, brief consideration of Simone Weil’s thoughts on the effects of Force in the context of war...

A quick announcement of my return, and intentions for forthcoming episodes...

A consideration of Michael Polanyi's tiered ontology and its implications for positivism...

A reflection on the hazards of myopia which sets in with the birth of scientific perspective in Galileo as glosses by Herbert Marcuse...

A review of the major themes in Chapter 5 of One Dimensional Man in which Marcuse tracks the development of formal logic as leading to a logic of domination...

Some thoughts on the grounding of optimism in the indeterminacy of human essence or nature described by existentialism...

Some quick thoughts on the connection between optimism and intelligence

A recap of some salient themes in the third chapter of Herbert Marcuse's "One Dimensional Man"...

A very brief recap of the major theme of the second chapter of Herbert Marcuse's One Dimensional Man, namely, the technological suffocation of the political by subordinating freedom to pleasure...

An examination on the themes in he books introduction, looking at how emotional intensity can blind us to how we conspire in the creation of the very problems we seek to solve...