The 2020s and Beyond
(This is part 7 in the No Time for Utopia series.) The main guiding principle of this series is a rejection of βideal theoryβ, that is, of idealizations and unwarranted abstractions from the real world. Nevertheless, by viewing the climate crisis in relative isolation and by mostly ignoring how it might interact with various other developments, I have effectively abstracted that issue from the real world. Unfortunately, this is not easily remedied, and any attempt at a broader view will be largely speculative. It can only be speculative, because even a slightly broader view is well beyond the level of...
Death, Masculinity, and Hegemony
βAt the center of the symbolic order is the abhorrence of death,β writes Odile Strik in the conclusion of her short essay The Symbolic Order of Life and Manhood. The βsymbolic orderβ of the title connects death and masculinity, and (supposedly) structures the way most people understand reality. The essay is terse and almost poetic, and only presents a rough sketch of this symbolic order, but it deals with a number of important themes β such as masculinity, life and death, and cultural hegemony β and it deserves credit for bringing those themes together. This article is a (long) commentary...
A Note on the Psychology of Radicalization and Terrorism
The best explanation of the psychological roots of radicalization and terrorism is given by Terror Management Theory (even if the word βterrorβ in that name has nothing to do with terrorism). Western governments appear to be completely ignorant of this explanation, however, and as a consequence, much of their actions promote terrorism more than counter it. * * * There is no uncontroversial definition of βterrorismβ. To a large extent, calling something βterrorismβ or someone a βterroristβ is a political claim intended to de-legitimatize an opponent and to express disapproval of his or her actions and goals. Nevertheless, there are...