>> ^griefer_queafer:
I am wondering if suicide comes up as a focus of any of these lectures, because when you speak about death and philosophy in the same breath, surely suicide would have to come up. Schopenhauer's texts dealing with suicide are particularly fascinating. And of course the deconstructionists have so much to say, but in a completely different sense: Ricoeur, Blanchot, Derrida, etc. This stuff is great! Thanks again for the post.


Yes, suicide will come up later on. In part 24.
http://academicearth.org/lectures/rationality-of-suicide

I am wondering if suicide comes up as a focus of any of these lectures, because when you speak about death and philosophy in the same breath, surely suicide would have to come up. Schopenhauer's texts dealing with suicide are particularly fascinating. And of course the deconstructionists have so much to say, but in a completely different sense: Ricoeur, Blanchot, Derrida, etc. This stuff is great! Thanks again for the post.

Just watched the first few minutes. Really wish it was in English. Might get a chance to watch it later, but at least I can learn more about Derrida now. He seems to have much in common with Wittgenstein.

Derrida=hack

Although I suppose his "theory" did provide a generation of academics with jobs. Don't have any original ideas of your own? No problem, just "deconstruct" great literature in obscurantist prose that, if deciphered, either says nothing or says something trite and unoriginal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derrida

Ergo Proxy is a science fiction suspense anime television series directed by Shukou Murase, with screenplay by Dai Sato et al. This is the opening that starts off the show from episode 3, the song is "Kiri" by Monoral. Ergo Proxy features a combination of 2D digital cell animation, 3D computer modeling and digital special effects. The series has some cyber punk elements.

The story initially takes place in a futuristic dome city called Romdo, built to protect its citizens after global environmental apocalypse. In this utopia, humans and androids (AutoRevs) coexist with each other peacefully under a total management system. A series of murders committed by berserk robots infected with the Cogito Virus are starting to jeopardize the delicate balance of the social order. Behind the scenes, the government is conducting secret experiments on a mysterious humanoid lifeform called Proxy, which is believed to hold the key to the survival of mankind.

In an interview, Dai Sato describes his latest project.

"It is set in the future. A group of robots become infected with something called the Cogito virus, and become aware of their own existence. So these robots, which had been tools of humans, decide to go on an adventure to search for themselves. They have to decide whether the virus that infected them created their identity, or whether they gained their identity through their travels. This question is meant to represent our own debate over whether we become who we are because of our environment, or because of things that are inherent in us. The robots are all named after philosophers: Derrida and Lacan and Husserl."

It's not licensed yet so you're allowed to watch it online on various streaming websites. You can catch the first episode on Youtube. Be warned it will be pulled eventually.

<ahref="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FzzZUQuGI8">Ergo Proxy - Pulse of Awakening/awakening 01

I found this to be a very cool and cerebral anime series.

- More @ <ahref="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergo_Proxy">Wikipedia

Wait...what? Derrida and decontructionism? Anti-patriotic and anti-American Democrats? Teapot Anthems?

I just wanted to know why a Voyager would need to give history a push, like if there was some antagonist who travels back through time messing things up royally.

[placing tongue firmly in cheek]

Anliz:

Your question either derives from an anti-paternalist education, Derrida and deconstructionism, or any combination of late 20th century cultural criticism delivered by anti-patriotic and anti-American Democrats. Maybe you have watched too much Richard Dawkins and his silly Teapot atheism.

Anyway, the whole key to understanding Voyagers! is understanding the Bush Neoconservative vision of global politics and manifest destiny.

From http://users.adelphia.net/~staryjo/Voyagers/episode.html

"Jon-Erik Hexum stars as Phineas Bogg, a 17th century pirate, "plucked out of time" and "trained to travel through the ages" using a device known as an "Omni." Watch-like in appearance, instead of a face, the Omni has a small globe surrounded by several rings with numbers in them. In the upper corners, there is a red light on the left and a green light on the right signifying if history is on the track (green) or not (red). Voyagers are also equipped with a guidebook containing a compilation of history. The guidebook is essential to helping Voyagers return history to its pre-destined direction.

Enter 12-year-old orphan Jeffrey Jones, played by Meeno Peluce. When the Omni drops Bogg in 1982 and Jeff falls out a window after his dog grabs the guidebook, the only way to save him is for Bogg to jump after him. Now Bogg is stuck in time with a 12-year-old kid, no guidebook and no way to get Jeffery home. But all is not lost! Jeffery is a history whiz. So now the two of them travel through time giving history a push where it's needed."

Once you understand that history has a pre-destined direction (Christian Rule) and there is a guidebook (the New American Century document), then all you have to do is take young people to strange and exotic places and give history a little push where needed and sometimes kill a lot of people (Iraq).