I guess I just cannot help it - I had decided for myself after attending a relatively miserable debate on the subject of "Whistleblowers" organised by the Frontline Club I would steer clear of such events. I had originally had high hopes for the event - Assange was to attend, as well as many interesting people 'in the know how'. I battled a bunch of Assange groupies to sit right up the front where to my great disappointment the infantile nature of the event unfolded right in front of me. Only a few of the speakers made any attempt to keep to the subject, mostly it was not even run as a debate... Anyway, that went past, and I decided that I had nothing to learn from Assange, that he had grown completely outside his own humanity and was no longer capable of hearing, or listening, unless it was the projection of his own voice and simple ideas.
Hahaha, gosh, that felt better!
Anyway, so, I was firm in my decision not to attend the next Frontline organised event where Assange was to 'star': http://www.frontlineclub.com/blogs/WikiLeaks/2011/07/live-assange-zizek-and-goodman-in-conversation.html
....but I couldn't help it, I tuned in to listen.... And it was fascinating! Wow - I am deeply impressed by both Zizek and Assange. Zizek is hilarious which was refreshing, but also provocative. Assange came across as having had given the ideas under discussion a lot of thought and had a sense of maturity.
But I'd like to pick up on an interesting point that was raised and seemed to carry through the discussion - namely that the presence of censorship in a society is a good thing, as it is indicating that the 'government' is afraid of what people think. To me this smells of a logical fallacy, so let's explore. By analogy, this is perhaps like saying that it is a good sign that garbage is being manufactured by society - that means that there is progress? Perhaps poor analogy.
Okay, so let us keep with the validity of this statement, but then Assange's outlook for the future, namely that it would be ideal that the unadulterated truth is preserved in historical records which are accessible to all, must be in contradiction. And here I start with some generalisations: humans are terrible/horrible creatures - we commit atrocities, and what is worse that being in possession of consciousness means we do these things with our eyes open. As of course Wikileaks has undeniably revealed to us. And yet, most of us would like to think that it would never be us - 'we' would not be so spiritually ugly and base. It is others, because they are dumb or thoughtless, or ruthless etc. We spend most of our lives living under one lie or the other.
The very fact that honesty is a virtue I think is a lie. "We do not see things as they are but as we are" - Kant.
You never say things as they are if you want to live in a civilized society - you use analogies, and euphemisms, because true words are weapons. In your life, you allow very few people the luxury, privilege, and also the responsibility of enlightening you to the facts of a matter outside your own mind. But why? why this cloak of denial, deception, etc? why? because we recognise our capacity for ugliness, and we have a reasonable sense of understanding that it is unacceptable if we want to satisfy our desires for social living. And I think that is itself a good sign - our own lies to ourselves, our own innate capacity for self-censorship, means that we want to be better than we recognise that we are. And to now extend this to the whole global society - the fact that most of us cannot, and don't want to deal with the truth of brutalities committed in our name, is that we globally 'think' we are better than that.
To see history written just as it is, not white washed and painted pretty would be to have to abhorrent truth stare us in the face everyday - to be the Dorian Gray's with their painting hanging in the living room for all to see. It would be at first I am sure very educational, but also with time sterilise us emotionally to it, as it becomes a matter of fact.
This is just one idea - but perhaps for us to continue to fight for beautiful ideals, we cannot strut our ugliness in public? "Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." Nietzche
However, on the other hand of course, a good dose of reality is necessary to keep us in check, like a strong dose of antibiotics.
Basically very interesting discussion! Next time I guess I'll just have to go battle some groupies :D
Hahaha, gosh, that felt better!
Anyway, so, I was firm in my decision not to attend the next Frontline organised event where Assange was to 'star': http://www.frontlineclub.com/blogs/WikiLeaks/2011/07/live-assange-zizek-and-goodman-in-conversation.html
....but I couldn't help it, I tuned in to listen.... And it was fascinating! Wow - I am deeply impressed by both Zizek and Assange. Zizek is hilarious which was refreshing, but also provocative. Assange came across as having had given the ideas under discussion a lot of thought and had a sense of maturity.
But I'd like to pick up on an interesting point that was raised and seemed to carry through the discussion - namely that the presence of censorship in a society is a good thing, as it is indicating that the 'government' is afraid of what people think. To me this smells of a logical fallacy, so let's explore. By analogy, this is perhaps like saying that it is a good sign that garbage is being manufactured by society - that means that there is progress? Perhaps poor analogy.
Okay, so let us keep with the validity of this statement, but then Assange's outlook for the future, namely that it would be ideal that the unadulterated truth is preserved in historical records which are accessible to all, must be in contradiction. And here I start with some generalisations: humans are terrible/horrible creatures - we commit atrocities, and what is worse that being in possession of consciousness means we do these things with our eyes open. As of course Wikileaks has undeniably revealed to us. And yet, most of us would like to think that it would never be us - 'we' would not be so spiritually ugly and base. It is others, because they are dumb or thoughtless, or ruthless etc. We spend most of our lives living under one lie or the other.
The very fact that honesty is a virtue I think is a lie. "We do not see things as they are but as we are" - Kant.
You never say things as they are if you want to live in a civilized society - you use analogies, and euphemisms, because true words are weapons. In your life, you allow very few people the luxury, privilege, and also the responsibility of enlightening you to the facts of a matter outside your own mind. But why? why this cloak of denial, deception, etc? why? because we recognise our capacity for ugliness, and we have a reasonable sense of understanding that it is unacceptable if we want to satisfy our desires for social living. And I think that is itself a good sign - our own lies to ourselves, our own innate capacity for self-censorship, means that we want to be better than we recognise that we are. And to now extend this to the whole global society - the fact that most of us cannot, and don't want to deal with the truth of brutalities committed in our name, is that we globally 'think' we are better than that.
To see history written just as it is, not white washed and painted pretty would be to have to abhorrent truth stare us in the face everyday - to be the Dorian Gray's with their painting hanging in the living room for all to see. It would be at first I am sure very educational, but also with time sterilise us emotionally to it, as it becomes a matter of fact.
This is just one idea - but perhaps for us to continue to fight for beautiful ideals, we cannot strut our ugliness in public? "Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." Nietzche
However, on the other hand of course, a good dose of reality is necessary to keep us in check, like a strong dose of antibiotics.
Basically very interesting discussion! Next time I guess I'll just have to go battle some groupies :D
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