Re: [-empyre-] Kroker on Baudrillard, forward from McKenzie Wark

[Nicholas Ruiz III <editor@intertheory.org>]

I agree with Kroker's insight as to Baudrillard's
'futurism'--but only as a currency, not as a prophetic
sensibility; but as for the 'ancient' influence he
attributes to a magical variety--this I find unlikely.

There is no sense of giddiness in Baudrillard, where
his thought becomes a 'theatre of the medieval
artistic practice of anamorphosis,' and spinning
wildly.  I do suspect that the lacerative effect of
his claims evokes this feeling in many readers, as
consumer affect.  Such a rendering is a large part of
the general misunderstanding of critical theory, where
a diabolical, philosophical directness, is mistaken by
a reader, and emasculated for reverie.  

Baudrillard's work resolved a seriously singular
reality-- there need not be, as Paul Taylor mentioned
in a conversation recently--a 'sideorder of optimism'
with every theoretical proposition. It is the absence
of such a pragmatic delivery, which often compels
readers to categorize theory ineffectually as
something else.  It is this rationalist sense of
disciplinary formality that apologists and detractors
of theory share in furthering its demolition.

NRIII

> >
> > From: "McKenzie Wark" <mckenzie.wark@gmail.com>
> > Date: March 20, 2007 5:16:20 PM PDT
> > To: soft_skinned_space
> <empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
> > Subject: Re: [-empyre-] Kroker on Baudrillard
> >
> >
> > The Kroker obit is a good one. Something should be
> said, however,  
> > about JB's photography. I think its really quite
> different to the  
> > writing. There's a kind of delight in the visual
> that's quite  
> > different to the distrust of the sign.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ___________________
> > McKenzie Wark
> > http://www.ludiccrew.org
> 
> _______________________________________________
> empyre forum
> empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> 


Dr. Nicholas Ruiz III
Editor, Kritikos
http://intertheory.org