Morgan Blackledge's Reviews > Illuminations: Essays and Reflections
Illuminations: Essays and Reflections
by
by
I just LOVED this.
I love this SO MUCH!
SO!
SO!
MUCH.
I LIVE.
IT GIVES.
WE LOVE 💗
Walter Benjamin has helped me discover and legitimize my inner FLANEUR: the French nineteenth-century term for a type of urban "stroller", "lounger", "saunterer", or "loafer".
For Walter Benjamin, the life of the FLANEUR (the window shopper, the people watcher, the eternal browser) is taken as a raison d'etre (reason for being), and further more, as a raison decor (reason for creating beautiful shit).
Benjamin claimed the Paris of the 1930’s and 1940’s as the:
ULTIMATE ESTUARY for the FLANEUR.
The browsers Valhalla.
The strollers sanctuary.
The window shoppers wishing well .
The peoplewatchers paradise.
For Benjamin, the life and mode of the FLANEUR extends far beyond appreciation of beautiful sights, sounds and tastes, and includes BEAUTIFUL INSIGHTS, IDEAS, and NOTIONS.
His writing is like a collection of BUTTERFLIES 🦋
Beautiful fleeting, fluttery things.
That he somehow manages to not simply CAPTURE and PRESERVE, but rather ILLUMINATE and ANIMATE.
He imbues his subjects with Élan Vital (LIGHT of LIFE).
Real MAGIC.
ILLUMINATIONS is Benjamin’s classic collection of essays.
Heralded as the genesis of postmodern literary and cultural criticism. On first glance. A strange menagerie of seemingly disparate topics. But on further inspection…
A beautiful collection of BUTTERFLIES 🦋
Pinned to the board by Benjamin’s fey perspicuity.
Framed by Benjamin’s impeccable taste.
Glassed behind Benjamin’s penchant for the elegant and aspirational, but unattainable objects objets d'art and spirit.
Illuminated/animated by Benjamin’s prescient soul.
COLLECTED BOOKS
In Unpacking My Book Collection: Benjamin reflects on his obsession with, and the emotional and intellectual significance of his book collection, and more broadly, how collections can represent a connection to history and personal memory. Benjamin writes like a FLANEUR BOOK COLLECTOR collects books. Always strolling, and searching, and reaching, and hunting, and preserving, and illuminating.
FOUND IN TRANSLATION
The Task of the Translator: Benjamin reflects on the art, science and philosophy of literary translation. Benjamin argues that translation is not merely a transfer of information from one language to another, but a creative/artistic process that involves a deep engagement with the original text and a soulful transformation of the second language into the first.
THE POETICS OF BEING
On Some Motifs in Baudelaire: explores the work of the role of poetry and the poetic way of seeing/being in modern urban life, as exemplified in the FLANEUR in PARIS.
ART IN THE AGE OF MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION
Illuminations contains the absolute classic essay, Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (AAMR): wherein Benjamin examines how technological advancements including photography and film transformed the nature of art.
AAMR seamlessly weaves Marxism and psychoanalysis into art criticism. Maybe for the first time. But certainly not the last. It became the BLUEPRINT of the Frankfort school.
In addition to all that MARX/FREUD stuff.
AAMR introduces the concept of "aura," defined as the unique and authentic presence of a work of art, which Benjamin argues is diminished by mass reproduction.
An effect that seems to be taking another giant step with AI generated art/text/music. In fact, AAMR provides the foundation for examining the impact of AI on art, and for the critical post humanities more broadly.
AAMR is a MUST READ if you (like me) are interested in, excited by, and terrified of, AI and the TYPHOON 🌀 ALTMAN level ethical SHIT storm that is its indissoluble feature/flaw.
For more on ART and AI from the Benjaminiean perspective:
SEE/READ - Work of art in the Age of Its AI Reproduction - Ignas Kalpokas, 2023 - Sage Journals. It’s short/free/fire.
LA FIN (THE END)
Benjamin committed suicide on 9/26/40 during the Nazzi occupation of France. The reason he cited for the suicide was the loss of his book collection in the Nazzi occupation of Paris.
Without his book collection.
He lost his ability to write.
Without Paris.
He lost his FLANEUR’s ESTUARY.
As such he lost his raison d'etre, his raison decor, his joie de vivre, his elan vital, his desire to continue to LIVE/EXIST.
Benjamin’s work was RESCUED/PRESERVED by Hannah Arendt. Arendt complied, edited, and wrote the superb introduction to this book. And she saw to its publication.
It represents Benjamin's most important writings.
His MAGICAL BUTTERFLY COLLECTION 🦋
Without Arendt.
Benjamin’s work would have bean lost to the Nazi’s ASH HEAP of BURNED, BOOKS, BODIES, and BEAUTIFUL SOULS.
If all of this sounds DARK, DIFFICULT or DEPRESSING.
I have to say.
It’s not.
Not even a little.
It’s MAGICAL.
The writing is DELIGHTFUL.
Full of CARM, BEAUTY, FUN and JOY.
A stroll through an ENCHANTED, magical lost city.
With the patron saint of the ETERNAL FLANEUR.
A special, precious little treat for your HEART and MIND.
5/5 ⭐️
I love this SO MUCH!
SO!
SO!
MUCH.
I LIVE.
IT GIVES.
WE LOVE 💗
Walter Benjamin has helped me discover and legitimize my inner FLANEUR: the French nineteenth-century term for a type of urban "stroller", "lounger", "saunterer", or "loafer".
For Walter Benjamin, the life of the FLANEUR (the window shopper, the people watcher, the eternal browser) is taken as a raison d'etre (reason for being), and further more, as a raison decor (reason for creating beautiful shit).
Benjamin claimed the Paris of the 1930’s and 1940’s as the:
ULTIMATE ESTUARY for the FLANEUR.
The browsers Valhalla.
The strollers sanctuary.
The window shoppers wishing well .
The peoplewatchers paradise.
For Benjamin, the life and mode of the FLANEUR extends far beyond appreciation of beautiful sights, sounds and tastes, and includes BEAUTIFUL INSIGHTS, IDEAS, and NOTIONS.
His writing is like a collection of BUTTERFLIES 🦋
Beautiful fleeting, fluttery things.
That he somehow manages to not simply CAPTURE and PRESERVE, but rather ILLUMINATE and ANIMATE.
He imbues his subjects with Élan Vital (LIGHT of LIFE).
Real MAGIC.
ILLUMINATIONS is Benjamin’s classic collection of essays.
Heralded as the genesis of postmodern literary and cultural criticism. On first glance. A strange menagerie of seemingly disparate topics. But on further inspection…
A beautiful collection of BUTTERFLIES 🦋
Pinned to the board by Benjamin’s fey perspicuity.
Framed by Benjamin’s impeccable taste.
Glassed behind Benjamin’s penchant for the elegant and aspirational, but unattainable objects objets d'art and spirit.
Illuminated/animated by Benjamin’s prescient soul.
COLLECTED BOOKS
In Unpacking My Book Collection: Benjamin reflects on his obsession with, and the emotional and intellectual significance of his book collection, and more broadly, how collections can represent a connection to history and personal memory. Benjamin writes like a FLANEUR BOOK COLLECTOR collects books. Always strolling, and searching, and reaching, and hunting, and preserving, and illuminating.
FOUND IN TRANSLATION
The Task of the Translator: Benjamin reflects on the art, science and philosophy of literary translation. Benjamin argues that translation is not merely a transfer of information from one language to another, but a creative/artistic process that involves a deep engagement with the original text and a soulful transformation of the second language into the first.
THE POETICS OF BEING
On Some Motifs in Baudelaire: explores the work of the role of poetry and the poetic way of seeing/being in modern urban life, as exemplified in the FLANEUR in PARIS.
ART IN THE AGE OF MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION
Illuminations contains the absolute classic essay, Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (AAMR): wherein Benjamin examines how technological advancements including photography and film transformed the nature of art.
AAMR seamlessly weaves Marxism and psychoanalysis into art criticism. Maybe for the first time. But certainly not the last. It became the BLUEPRINT of the Frankfort school.
In addition to all that MARX/FREUD stuff.
AAMR introduces the concept of "aura," defined as the unique and authentic presence of a work of art, which Benjamin argues is diminished by mass reproduction.
An effect that seems to be taking another giant step with AI generated art/text/music. In fact, AAMR provides the foundation for examining the impact of AI on art, and for the critical post humanities more broadly.
AAMR is a MUST READ if you (like me) are interested in, excited by, and terrified of, AI and the TYPHOON 🌀 ALTMAN level ethical SHIT storm that is its indissoluble feature/flaw.
For more on ART and AI from the Benjaminiean perspective:
SEE/READ - Work of art in the Age of Its AI Reproduction - Ignas Kalpokas, 2023 - Sage Journals. It’s short/free/fire.
LA FIN (THE END)
Benjamin committed suicide on 9/26/40 during the Nazzi occupation of France. The reason he cited for the suicide was the loss of his book collection in the Nazzi occupation of Paris.
Without his book collection.
He lost his ability to write.
Without Paris.
He lost his FLANEUR’s ESTUARY.
As such he lost his raison d'etre, his raison decor, his joie de vivre, his elan vital, his desire to continue to LIVE/EXIST.
Benjamin’s work was RESCUED/PRESERVED by Hannah Arendt. Arendt complied, edited, and wrote the superb introduction to this book. And she saw to its publication.
It represents Benjamin's most important writings.
His MAGICAL BUTTERFLY COLLECTION 🦋
Without Arendt.
Benjamin’s work would have bean lost to the Nazi’s ASH HEAP of BURNED, BOOKS, BODIES, and BEAUTIFUL SOULS.
If all of this sounds DARK, DIFFICULT or DEPRESSING.
I have to say.
It’s not.
Not even a little.
It’s MAGICAL.
The writing is DELIGHTFUL.
Full of CARM, BEAUTY, FUN and JOY.
A stroll through an ENCHANTED, magical lost city.
With the patron saint of the ETERNAL FLANEUR.
A special, precious little treat for your HEART and MIND.
5/5 ⭐️
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Reading Progress
May 18, 2024
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Started Reading
May 18, 2024
– Shelved
May 24, 2024
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Hesse is a spiritual philosopher and how beautifully he describes art in his book Narcissus and Goldmund, that any form of art is an urge of artist to create something beyond himself, something which lasts eternities and make him immortal. According to philosophers, there are only 2 desires that humans have, 1. Desire for void. 2. Desire to create something beyond himself .
But I think in the modern age of AI, this will get lost somewhere
As scientists say, AI arts are more stimulating to reward systems of the brain, which will propagate it even further, and the traditional art and its philosophical reason behind it will be lost along the way.
Given the history of technology and art. And given the evolutionary nature of cultural progress. And given the viral nature of memetic proliferation. And given the basic tendency of humans (and other animals) to (a) avoid pain, (b) chase pleasure, and (c) do it the easy way.
That coupled with the spiritual grandiosity that compels people to seek disembodied immortality. We seem to be absolutely destined to fulfill this prediction.
I’m not sure there is a way to avoid AI kind of taking over that type of creative production. In fact. AI will all but certainly take over just about every other type of production.
And I’m both excited and concerned about that.
Drugs of abuse are stimulating to the brain.
And cause people to abandon otherwise healthy and life affirming behaviors, and run headlong into the ravages of addiction.
Capitalism is all too happy to profit from addiction. In fact. American, internet driven cognitive capitalism is ADDICTED to ADDICTION.
But wait until the chickens come home to roost.
And the snake eats its own tail.
If AI simply supplants artistic and intellectual production. And relegates human fine art and philosophy to the realm of folk art, hobbies, crafts and creative anachronism.
Well…
Ok.
But…
There may be a DARK UNDERBELLY to that.
Particularly if our current capitalist culture goes unchallenged.
The fact of the matter is. AI will take over all kinds of engineering, computer since, medical and just about every other type of well paying professional work.
And probably within the next 5-10 years.
I grew up in Michigan.
Automation decimated the domestic auto industry. It didn’t replace the need for human labor. But it did make it possible to outsource almost all of it to “foreign markets” with less “restrictive” labor laws and ecological protections.
That didn’t bounce so well for a lot of people.
A tiny sliver of the automobile industry benefited.
And a bunch of other people were impoverished and or enslaved.
The addiction crisis went viral.
Whole communities were devastated.
The ecological crisis when into overdrive.
If that trend proliferates along with automation of cognitive and creative labor.
Are we ready for that?
The people who stand to profit from AI are.
But are you?
Are polar bears?
How about our children?
The Romans held blood sport spectacles in the Colosseum to manufacture political consent. The Nazis gave people chocolate before sending them to the gas chambers.
AI seems so fun and cool.
And it also seems like a weapon of “Mass Distraction”.
Your thoughts?
Both of them have taken a rather positive approach toward the future of humanity in the age of artificial intelligence.
And truly, after reading your views, I am again growing skepticism towards AI
So innovative
As of yet.
Not so much.
Though eager for new times ahead, whatever wreck may it bring on.
Please.
Anyone.
I’d love to read your thoughts/feelings here in the comments 🥰