Monday, November 28, 2011

A Post of Links

You know that claim that eating meat is what allowed humans to develop larger brains? Claims repeated in such places as, say, The Omnivore's Dilemma. Well, over at PaleoVeganology, is a presentation of the scientific evidence opposed to this position. I am obviously a little biased, but it sounds rather convincing.

Over at This Cage is Worms, CK has a wonderful review and criticism of Jane McGonigal's Reality is Broken. Part One. Part Two. Part two also has a critique of McGonigal's anthropocentrism, which includes one of the worst versions of "this is what makes us humans" that I have seen in a while.

Adam Robbert has links to two wonderful Isabelle Stengers writing. Here and here. In the first one, Stengers introduces the idea of mesoscopic thinking and political action, as opposed to the D&G opposition between the molar and the molecular (this interview is also personally funny to me because my wife is trained as a chemist, as well. And she loves making the joke that D&G are chemists).

I recently ran across this interview with Diane Davis about her book Inessential Solidarity. One of the questions contain this:
That is, you asked why we are asking questions about the object and the animal at this moment. Clearly, these are not brand new questions, and all of this current work is rooted in a long philosophical tradition. But these questions are popping up with more urgency now.
It is always interesting to see the way others view the fragmented attack on anthropocentrism.

Hal Herzog and Laura Wright got into a little fight about if Hitler was a vegetarian. See here, and here. I think I have read all the works cited by both these thinkers on the issue. So, if I get some free time in the next few days, I might make my own post on this topic. But I suggest you go ahead and read these posts, regardless.

Here is an interview with Silvia Federici about Occupy Wall Street.

Speaking of interviews, two of them were posted recently on the Ranciere blog. First one, obviously, with Ranciere himself. The opening question concerns Ranciere's relationship with anarchism. The second interview is with Rey Chow, always worthwhile.

Lastly, check out these interesting opening thoughts on the space of the slaughterhouse.

My song today is from The Haunted Windchimes, with their "Ballad of Human Progress". I cannot tell you how addicted I have been with this band since I heard them.