Rough Theory

Theory In The Rough

Monthly Archives: May 2007

Life on Mars

3 Comments Posted by on May 26, 2007

“…there is no reason to suppose that an inhabitant of Mars would see us more ‘objectively’ than we, for instance, see ourselves.” ~ Karl Popper Popper, K. (1976 [1962]), “The Logic of the Social Sciences”, The Positivist Dispute in German Sociology, p. 92.

Critical Theory, Methodology, Negations, Social Science, Sociology of Knowledge, Teaching

Speech Impediment

6 Comments Posted by on May 23, 2007

I’ve attended a couple of fantastic seminars on Frankfurt School critical theory recently – part of a series conducted by another university. Unfortunately, I didn’t learn about the series until it was well underway, and was able to attend only the final two. The regular participants were very tolerant of this strange interloper who dropped [...]

Blogging, Reading Group, Technology, Writing

Dungeons and Discourse

1 Comment Posted by on May 22, 2007

Even though it’s not on his blog, I’ll still blame Russ from Knotted Paths for this one: click through to see the full strip… Note: @2005-2006 Aaron Diaz DresdenCodak.com

Links, Procrastination

Couldn’t Have Been Me…

1 Comment Posted by on May 21, 2007

I just received the following email: What have you been teaching? One of my students is talking about ‘regulatory ideals’ in relation to [an applied research project]! This is most distressing…

Overheard, Teaching

A Larval Festschrift

1 Comment Posted by on May 20, 2007

Sinthome’s Larval Subjects posted its first entry on 21 May 2006. Today therefore marks (Australian time, at least), the close of the first year of this extraordinary blog. This anniversary sees me thinking back to my own discovery of the site. I can remember spending a month or so lurking and gathering courage before testing [...]

Conversations

Holding Patterns

Leave a Comment Posted by on May 19, 2007

Sinthome from Larval Subjects continues our recent conversation, following up on the issue of how to conceptualise abstractions within Sinthome’s unfolding framework for analysing assemblages or constellations. Along the way, Sinthome picks up on Steve Shaviro’s recent reflections on Whitehead and Deleuze. Sinthome uses Whitehead to suggest some potential paths into the questions of self-reflexivity [...]

Conversations, Critical Theory, Philosophy of History

The Negative of the Negative

Leave a Comment Posted by on May 18, 2007

Determinate negation seems to be in the air these days! I wanted to draw attention to a fantastic post over at Grundlegung, which picks up on Steve Shaviro’s concept of obliqueness in relation to a Hegelian notion of determinate negation. The take on determinate negation is subtly different from the one I’ve outlined below – [...]

Conversations, Critical Theory, Negations

Assembling an Abstraction

5 Comments Posted by on May 17, 2007

Sinthome at Larval Subjects has written a beautiful post on how it might be possible to approach theory as something other than a process of classification or conceptual abstraction – or, to frame the point another way: what might be required for immanent critique. Sinthome begins by expressing a frustration that I have occasionally also [...]

Conversations, Critical Theory, Negations, Philosophy of History, Political Economy

To Die For

4 Comments Posted by on May 14, 2007

So L Magee assisted with one of my planning theory tutorial sessions earlier today, and I returned the favour this evening by dropping in on one of LM’s quantitative methods sessions. I’m certain LM found my presence supportive and ever-helpful. LM never tells me such things, of course, but I’m sure that’s due to some [...]

Teaching

Green Activism

Leave a Comment Posted by on May 14, 2007

L Magee did me the favour of leading one of my class discussions this morning, giving me the chance to watch from the sidelines. The discussion revolved around Sandercock’s historical survey of various progressive, utopian, and radical approaches to planning. I felt just a bit guilty, realising that, when I asked LM to do this, [...]

City Planning, Teaching

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