Welcome to Litsy!

Everyone knows “I think, therefore I am” but after a full read-through of Descartes‘s Meditations in philosophy class, I wanted to know more about his work and life. I am fascinated by his emphasis that we should doubt our sensory views of the world for they are only a semblance of what he believes is the “true form” of the universe: a mathematical one, invisible initially, but eventually graspable by the rational human mind.

The first line of Maurice Blanchot‘s The Writing of the Disaster reads, ‘The disaster ruins everything, all the while leaving everything intact.‘ Teju Cole writes about art in troubled times and he quotes this phrase. And, yes, that‘s it exactly. Incredibly astute commentary puts into text what I‘ve been feeling about the pandemic. https://www.artbasel.com/news/a-defense-of-art-in-troubled-times

What were you hoping when you removed the gags that stopped up these black mouths? That they would sing your praises? Did you think when the heads our fathers had ground into the dust had raised themselves up again you would see adoration in their eyes? Here are black men standing, men looking at us & I want you to feel as I do the shock of being seen. For the white man has, for 3 thousand years, enjoyed the privilege of seeing without being seen.

I'm not sure I know much more than I did before, but that may be my fault rather than the author's

#coffeeandabook

I found this book quite heavy going, unnecessarily so IMO. In places enjoyable but overall comes across as intellectual posturing piffle.
#Frenchy
#Juneitselectrifying
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @vkois88

“I wished to be intelligible even to women while providing matter for thought for the finest minds”

Cheers Descartes.

#amreading #amwriting #postgradlife

Enjoying a Parisian reading phase just now. #paris #book #books #currentlyreading #bookstagram #simonedebeauvoir #jeanpaulsartre #leftbank #philosophy #existentialism #politics #nonfiction #parisianliterature #frenchliterature #frenchphilosophy