Bøger af Bert Olivier

Despite the impression of a divergence of themes ¿ which is not incorrect in so far as thematic differences do in fact occur here ¿ the articles collected here are united under a common, overarching topic, namely, the current, sustained attempt on the part of a group of technocratic neo-fascists (mainly at the United Nations, the World Economic Forum and the World Health Organisation), to engineer a transition to a totalitarian world government under which citizens would be controlled mainly by AI. As readers will notice, themes range from a clash between modes of communication and miscommunication during the so-called ¿pandemic¿, through reflections on possible therapeutic approaches during this time, and attempting to comprehend the severity with which humanity has been reduced to ¿bare life¿ by means of all manner of dictatorial decrees during the ¿pandemic¿ Attention is also given to the scandalous way in which philosophers have failed humanity in the face of the monstrous crime being committed against the people of the world, as well as to questions concerning 'truth-speaking' at a time of unmitigated, pervasive lying in the mainstream media.

The philosophical essays collected here are predicated on the conviction that we live in a time when all-encompassing philosophical systems can no longer be seriously entertained as a true reflection of extant reality. Instead, an indefinite number of perspectives on - or discursive appropriations of - what is thought of as 'reality' are possible. Sometimes they diverge and sometimes they intersect in surprising ways, as these essays show. While the belief in an all-inclusive philosophical system is rejected, the author shows that every perspective displays a coherence and illuminating power of its own. The collection is divided into two parts. The first considers philosophy, the individual and society, covering themes including the deleterious effects of capitalism on natural ecosystems, the modern conception of 'immortality' in Nietzsche's thought, Lacan's provocative interpretation of capitalist discourse, the current status of the humanities in universities, individual autonomy, the meaning of 'identification', global 'terrorism', and Plato's philosophical self-subversion. The second part gathers together perspectives on the arts and society, with the author arguing that reflections on cinema, architecture and music never isolate these arts from social concerns, but demonstrate their interconnectedness.