Edward Said, Palestinian intellectual, literary theorist, historian of the colonial narrative explains how colonialism works. Not just through armies, but through literature. Not just through conquest, but through anthropology. Not just through oppression but justified through narrative. He shows how the West painted a picture of the 'East'. Snake charmers, belly dancers, thieves... The exotic,... Continue Reading →
(The review of the book can be found here) But the questions that I have come to ask of myself, and which I would like to pose to the reader as well, are: Do my political visions ever run up against the responsibility that I incur for the destruction of life forms so that "unenlightened"... Continue Reading →
The hierarchical relations of work and production are mirrored in the relations we see in schools. The hierarchies between administrators and teachers, teachers and students, students and other students correspond to boss-worker relationships and indeed prepare students to play those roles. Students produce work for external rewards (grades) in much the same way that workers... Continue Reading →
When I switch on my radio and hear that black men are being lynched in America, I say that they have lied to us: Hitler isn’t dead. When I switch on my radio and hear that Jews are being insulted, persecuted, and massacred, I say that they have lied to us: Hitler isn’t dead. And... Continue Reading →
The book was both concise and informative at the same time. If you want to know how science was transferred from a culture to culture; or from a continent to continent I recommend this book. It also talks about the influence of science in power which is very interesting as it touches on topics such... Continue Reading →
"Tolerance is invoked in liberal democratic societies when a hegemonic norm can not colonize or incorporate its Other with ease, when that norm maintains or regroups its strength through a new technique of marginalization and regulation rather than through incorporation and direct relations of subordination."
Delighted to have been introduced to this fascinating piece of writing by Richard Feynman (The Value of Science). What a beautiful mind... Makes one really wonder if so-called the "objectivity" of science indeed reduces the dimensions we can see the nature wrapped in and acts as a curtain between the most majestic masterpiece and the... Continue Reading →
Some interesting words that I encountered recently: "Some live without thinking; some only think but cannot put their thoughts into practice... Those who live without thinking are the objects of the philosophy of others. Such persons always run from pattern to pattern, ceaselessly changing molds and forms, hectically struggling their whole life through, in deviations... Continue Reading →
A great scholar explains how almost all the ideologies and the economic systems fail by focusing on inanimate factors, instead of virtues and the human being itself. He also claims that the only way to progress as humankind is to seek change in human behavior and to promote our moral duties on each other. His... Continue Reading →
Thinking Prismatically 