Millerman Talks #5 (1/2): Academia, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Allan Bloom, Dugin, and more

Episode 5.

Kitchen talk.

Part one: Snowflakes
Part two: Education and ideology
Part three: The Nietzscheanization of the Left
Part four: From Nietzsche to Heidegger
Part five: Being and Time
Part six: Deconstruction and Inception

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Watch 2/2 for the rest of the conversation:

Part seven: Post-truth
Part eight: Philosophical experience
Part nine: Philosophy and politics
Part ten: TA stories
Part eleven: Professors
Part Twelve: The university

An unscripted talk about academia.

(Sorry about video/lighting/audio imperfections...we are working on improving the setup to make watching and listening more enjoyable).

[TheDavddd]

Great great analogy on drowning and Heidegger's reading of Aristotle. I've thought about this a lot actually: What kind of man (Heidegger) produced these books? How much was he thinking about Being, day to day, to want to write these dense books about it?

[Ykpaina]

Heidegger is always saying that which is most obvious and mysterious. Dasein is always individual and collective epochal being there. Each dasein living now in its current epochal Dasein is at the apex of historical progress. Some embrace this progress others cling to tradition. I always believed there was an unspoken bond between Jungian psychology and Heideggerian phenomenology in the sense that they dwell near the source of consciousness in the psyche for Jung and social and individual being for Heidegger. Jungs concept of individual ion and Heidegger a concept of das man as a precursor to authentic dasein is very much like the progression of history from slave morality to master morality. If you go to the gym consistently you get stronger and bigger if you use the equipment at hand correctly. You transform yourself into who you could be. You are no longer a slave to whims but a master of discipline. Peace be upon you all.

[ryean_aus]

The 'snowflake' argument, I think, is aimed more at political student movements (including campus groups, student bodies, student unions) as well as 'gender' or 'feminist' studies and those types of social science degrees which see dissent as oppression or along powerful-victim lines. Those wanting 'safe spaces' and protesting a right-wing debate held on-campus because 'that guy is bad but I don't really know why' closed-circuit logic. Easily riled into action by fellow students and media outlets, sometimes even their own professors. 'Triggered'—socially reacts to any thought against their worldview or competing with their worldview. That said, I agree with you. From my experience, students are the concrete stuff—TAs and eLas sometimes less so (sometimes more dogmatic and rigid, in fact). I've seen debates on multiculturalism, terrorism, diversity, Islam, immigration, etc, from a variety of perspectives in a university setting. Most certainly not 'snowflake' students. However, could some university courses teach right-wing talking points in a fairer, more critically (rather than dismissively), simply in a better way? Absolutely! Could professors be less snowflake-y? Absolutely. But that requires some balls. It's easier to stay away from controversial things and tow the liberal-hegemonic line.

[camaples]

"In very much a snowflake fashion" lol

[Ykpaina]

Heidegger wrote an interesting book on Nietzche and criticized communism and Americanism equally and I believe he was influenced by Evola, Taoist philosophy and Inverted Platonism and the history of western Metaphysics. So my point is why is Heidegger not considered the father of modern postmodern leftism ? Because of his flirtation with nazism ?

[parthdeshpande]

I think students aren't snowflakes because they are too young, powerless, impressionable and self-unassured to have a moral outrage.