The multiplicity of interpretations to which the Commune has been subjected, and the multiplicity of interests which construed it in their favor, show that it was a thoroughly expansive political form, while all the previous forms of government had been emphatically repressive. Its true secret was this: It was essentially a working class government, the … Continue reading The Democratic Modernism of Peter Watkins
For FRJ. Fredric Jameson is dead and it feels like the world has moved on its axis, a center of gravity has shifted. It is almost impossible to give a full and fair summation of Jameson’s achievements - as an intellectual, writer and philosopher he can only be thought of in plural, as many Jamesons. … Continue reading Thought To The Second Power
I was, for better or worse, raised in the Methodist Church. To try and explain precisely just what that means is difficult, as in many ways that iteration of the Methodist Church is no longer existent, or is found mostly in memories, kept alive by dwindling, gray haired congregations. The Methodism of the North of … Continue reading Re-enchanting Zion: On Sarah Perry’s Enlightenment
I’ve been doing a series of events for A Primer on Utopian Philosophy (available now, order it here etc etc). What has been perhaps somewhat surprising is the extent to which Bloch’s philosophical project seems to resonate with people. In the midst of the bleak nightmare of modernity, Bloch’s unabashed philosophy of hope could easily … Continue reading Blessed Are They That Mourn, For They Shall Be Haunted
From a situation in which nothing is possible, suddenly anything is possible againMark Fisher, Capitalist Realism, Is There No Alternative Today marks the publication of my new book, A Primer on Utopian Philosophy: An Introduction to the Work of Ernst Bloch, out with Zer0 Books. The book -- more of a pamphlet really -- is … Continue reading Feeling Bloched
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