Portland Free Philosophy Lectures and Discussions

We continue with our exploration of the Deleuzian eventand line of flight, contrasting it with Bataille's logic of transgression. The reading for this week is four short sections from Deleuze's The Logic of Sense, focusing on Fitzgerald "The Crack-Up":

Eighteenth series of the three images of philosophers
Twenty-first series of the event
Twenty-second series - porcelain and volcano
Twenty-third series of the aion

We'll also revisited this text:
Fredrika Spindler, "Event, Crack-up and Line of Flight – Deleuze Reading Fitzgerald"

You can find all texts in the Google folder linked at the VERY BOTTOM of this description. The Zoom link is also posted there.
👇 scroll all the way down for the links 👇

Some discussion questions:

• How does the Deleuzian line of flight differ from the Bataillean logic of transgression? Is one to be preferred over the other?
• What exactly is the Deleuzian event? Must an event necessarily be accompanied by an experience of personal trial or breakdown?
• Is Deleuze's argument for the superiority of Anglo-American literature (over the French or German, say) convincing?

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ABOUT THIS READING GROUP
This is a comprehensive reading group focusing on the works of French writer Georges Bataille. We are reading key texts from Bataille himself, as well as tracing his relationship with other major thinkers such as Hegel, Nietzsche, André Breton/Surrealism, Blanchot, Lacan, Foucault, Deleuze, Derrida, etc.

Some familiarity with Bataille's mode and style of thought is helpful but not necessary. You're welcome to join the group in medias res at any time. See, however, the group rules below.

Please take the time to read and reflect on the reading prior to each meeting. Everyone is welcome to attend, but speaking priority will be given to people who have read the text.

Topics to be discussed in the future:

• Bataillean transgression and Deleuzian line of flight
• Erotism and the 'logic' of transgression
• Foucault's "A Preface to Transgression"
• Bataille's critique of Hegel: the negative and general economy
• Derrida's reading of Bataille in "From Restricted to General Economy"

Past topics included:

• Bataille's aesthetics: the rift with Surrealism
• Susan Sontag on avant-guarde literature
• Bataille's novel Blue of Noon
• Inner Experience and a-theological mysticism
• Bataille's reading of Nietzsche and his critique of fascism

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MORE ABOUT BATAILLE
Georges Bataille stands out as an eclectic, fascinating and controversial figure in the world of French letters. A contemporary of Sartre and Lacan, he combined ideas from diverse disciplines to create a unique position that he called 'base materialism'. In the early 20s, Bataille abandoned Catholicism, embraced psychoanalysis and Marxism and initiated an unorthodox search for the sacred in late modernity. His obsessive pursuit of ecstatic liminal experiences took him across the boundaries of philosophy, sociology, political economy, mythology, poetry, literature and mystical theology. His works develop a libidinal economy of unconditioned expenditure, offer a critique of fascism and embrace marginal experiences in the style of the French poets. Though he remained largely outside the academic mainstream and worked as a librarian, Bataille is a formative precursor to the post-structuralist philosophers of the '60s -- and may well be more relevant to our time than ever.

In this group we look at a significant cross-section of Bataille's texts. Our aim is to understand his thought on its own terms as well as place him in the context of his predecessors and the French thinkers who followed his lead. In view of Bataille's early relationship with Surrealism, the referenced artworks will spotlight this movement.

Note: Bataille's texts, while philosophically important, discuss difficult themes such as mortality, violence, the unconscious, eroticism, rituals of sacrifice, etc. Discretion is advised as you approach him, especially if this is your first experience with French philosophy.

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GROUP RULES

• Please spend 1-2 hours per week reading and preparing for the discussion.
• Keep your comments concise and relevant to the text.
• Please limit each comment to a maximum of 2-3 minutes. You're welcome to speak as many times as you wish.
• Virtual meeting courtesy: let's not interrupt each other and keep mics muted when not speaking.
• We'll focus the discussion with key passages and discussion questions. Be sure to bring your favorite passages, questions, comments, criticisms, etc.

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Current text:

• “Metaphysics, An Anthology,” 2nd edition, edited by Kim, Korman, and Sosa

Primary reading assignment:

• "Does Ontology Rest on a Mistake?" Stephen Yablo

NOTE: this is a long essay and we may discuss it over two sessions.

Suggested supplementary reading assignments:

• "What Metaphors Mean," Donald Davidson
• "Seeing and Beliving: Metaphor, Image, and Force," Richard Moran
• "Aptness and Truth in Verbal Metaphor," David Hills

NOTE: these supplementary reading assignments focus on the topic of metaphor; they're referenced and influential upon Yablo's paper under discussion.

.PDFs of these reading assignments can be found in the Blinding Cyclops Discord server. See below under "Hosting" for instructions about how to join the server and find the readings.

Seminar Description

In this seminar, which meets every other Saturday at 2:00p PT, we read and discuss essays and books about metaphysics from the analytic philosophy tradition. Typically, the primary reading assignment is a single essay or a single chapter from a book, while the suggested supplementary reading assignments are citations from the primary reading assignment.

Our discussions are focused on evaluating and debating the argument presented in the primary reading assignment. Because of this, attendees are expected to have read and understood the primary reading assignment before the meeting begins. The suggested supplementary reading assignments may run to dozens if not hundreds of pages and for this reason it’s not mandatory to have also read these prior to the meeting, though it’s encouraged that attendees read as much of these materials as possible. Those who have not read the primary reading assignment are welcome and may chat in writing with other attendees but may not participate verbally.

The goal of this seminar is to foster understandings of the topics explored by the analytic philosophy tradition related not only to metaphysics but also related topics in epistemology, ontology, logic, the philosophy of language, and the foundations of mathematics and the material sciences. While our intentions are serious, as I hope the formal language of this syllabus has conveyed, our discussions will be a shitshow as only befits the subject matter and its history, reflecting discussions and debates that have been ongoing not only for the relatively short history of analytic philosophy, but the history of philosophy in its entirety.

So please join us for lively, rambunctious, contentious, but hospitable and welcoming investigations into the very foundations of truth and reality!

Hosting