Re: <eyebeam><blast> Theory

[olu oguibe <ooguibe@undp.org>]

At 11:22 AM 4/5/98, Ricardo Basbaum wrote:

"
But, as I see it, the problem is not the "theory" (the writing); the
problem is how to read it. Theory (for the authors) is writing, writing,
writing, and (for us readers) reading, reading, reading. Yes, I love
theory books. I like to read theory as literature, it has to convince me
first by the way the writer chooses the words and makes the sentences,
paragraphs, etc. The so called theory books are incredible imaginative
(not all of them) and they appeal towards our most "noble" ends,
touching our desires of changing the world - and changing it indeed!
(every word changes world hypertext although if we look through the
window everything seems to be the same as yesterday: this is the
gaze/discourse problem)

To _create_ thought: that's the problem - and the responsibility!

Yes, I am too much into D&G now, but they indeed stressed the role of
philosopher as a creative writer and they have a place in the flow of
liberating thought from academic strains, and it seems that maybe this
lead to a sort of banalization in the reception of their thinking (see
the efforts to compare the web to rhizome: it is naive trying to find
one thing into another one. Rhizome as a concept should make people
develop new forms of thinking things. The simple comparison just makes
reality weaker than concept, when it is not. Concepts, maps, should
never cover the world - remember Borges).

Theory has to be "experienced" in its proper dimension and it is part of
life! To _practice_ theory is not (should not) to step out of life,
because it is (should be) an open field  of conceptual engineering that
is involved in complex and highly creative development of forms of
survival and fighting. French philosopher Eric Alliez writes about the
"phenomenology of the concept": theory can't be only "understood", it
has to be life experienced, it is a field of sensorial comprehension!
"

                ______________________
                
                i could not agree more!

                olu oguibe
                http://www.arts.usf.edu/~ooguibe

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