Rancière and Chekhov on Freedom
Jacques Rancière's latest essay, Au loin la liberté, is a wonderful treatise on Chekhov. Its title couldn't be better chosen.
Lorraine Daston: Rules. A Short History of What We Live By
"Rules: A Short History of What We Live By" by Lorraine Daston is a fascinating, dense and highly readable book, which explores the concept of rules and their role in shaping human behavior.
Ray Monk: Ludwig Wittgenstein. The Duty of Genius
Ray Monk’s excellent Wittgenstein biography "Ludwig Wittgenstein. The Duty of Genius" is a joy to read and also serves as a good introduction to his work.
Jürgen Kaube: Hegels Welt
I never thought I’d ever say this, but I greatly enjoyed reading a book about Hegel. I also finally understand what Hegel was trying to do in his "Phänomenologie des Geistes" and his "Wissenschaft der Logik".
Exploding Head Syndrome
For as long as I can remember I've heard a loud noise just before falling asleep, not every night, but every few days. The noise is typically accompanied by a dream image.
Tristes Tropicomix
The Financial Times Weekend Magazine invited the creators of Logicomix, to do a short tribute to Claude Lévi-Strauss.
Logicomix. An Epic Search For Truth
Logicomix, a graphic novel about mathematics and logic, is a pure delight.
Can Dance Be Disgusting?
In one of my recent papers I address the observation that scents can be disgusting, but watching dance rarely is. Stephen Fry begs to disagree, although not in response to my article.
A Kiss on the Eye
This photo by Janine Antoni reminded me of an essay by Jacques Derrida on the work of Jean-Luc Nancy in which he reflects on the sense of touch and the notion of the eyes touching upon something.
Remembering Baudrillard
The other day I read that Jean Baudrillard has passed away. I read some of his work when I was at university. I found his books inspiring, but at times also difficult to follow.