Calendar

Vera List Professor of Philosophy, Richard J. Bernstein, will present his new book on Hannah Arendt, Why Read Hannah Arendt Now (2018, Polity Press), followed by a screening of the documentary film Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt.

Free and open to the public.

Physicists and philosophers question the validity of one of the most observed and seemingly obvious appearance in our world: that time flows. Many in the physics and philosophy communities contend that the flow of time is not a fundamental feature of the world, nor even a fact of the world, but is an illusion. As a case in point, we will consider Brian Greene’s view of time in his PBS exposition “The Elegant Universe” holding that time may not flow, the past may not be gone, the future may already exist, and that now is not special. Most people, as observers of time’s passage, might agree with the Greek philosopher Heraclitus who expressed the idea that all is change and that change occurs with the flow of time. I will explore some of the motivation and reasons given for these positions and contrast the arguments made for each viewpoint.

The schedule: a short presentation on topic of 3-D Printing, and then Stuart’s presentation for about 1 hr. plus time for questions.  It is necessary to register beforehand to be admitted.

CV: Stuart Kurtz graduated from MIT with an SB in Chemical Engineering and from Princeton with an MS degree in Polymer Engineering and an MA and PhD. in Chemical Engineering.  He taught at RPI and in Brazil as Professor Titular in Materials Engineering.  This was followed by a research career in industry accumulating around 30 patents and publishing at least a few good papers.   He now focuses on Philosophy of Science and Physics and climbing mountains because they are there. He has spoken to the Lyceum Society many times; most recently in January, 2018  he spoke on the topic: Lessons from Science Lysenko, Velikovsky and the Demarcation Problem; In February, 2018 he spoke on Geoengineering for Climate Change Mitigation.  In December, 2018 he reviewed the Nobel Prize in Physics for that year.

Sjoerd van Tuinen and Jürgen Schaflechner will present their film “Toxic Reigns of Resentment” featuring Wendy Brown, Grayson Hunt, Rahel Jaeggi, Alexander Nehamas, Robert Pfaller, Gyan Prakash, Peter Sloterdijk, and Sjoerd van Tuinen. NSSR philosopher Jay Bernstein will respond after the screening.

After the fall of the Soviet empire and the triumph of global capitalism, modernity appeared to keep its dual promise of liberty and equality. The spreading of human rights and democratic forms of government were intrinsically linked to free flows of global capital and free markets. Supported by technological developments and an ever-increasing digitalization of daily life, the future contained the promise of abundance and recognition for all.

Only a few decades later, however, we witness an oppositional trend: A revival of nationalism paired with xenophobia, an increasing tribalization of politics, a public sphere oscillating between cruelty and sentimentality, and a Left caught up in wounded attachments. Social media, once the promise to give voice to the disempowered, link cognitive capitalism with a culture of trolling and hyper moralization. Algorithms programmed to monetarize outrage feed isolated information bubbles and produce what many call the era of post-truth politics.

How did we enter this toxic climate? Are these developments a response to the ubiquity of neoliberal market structures eroding the basic solidarities in our society? Has the spread of social media limited our ability to soberly deal with conflicting life worlds? And have both the left and the right given in to a form of politics where moralization and cynical mockery outdo collective visions of the future?

We are excited to announce a public talk featuring Elie During as part of French philosopher Gaston Bachelard’s 60th death anniversary. On the face of it, The Dialectic of Duration, Gaston Bachelard’s 1936 essay, is a pungent—if often unfair—criticism of the Bergsonian doctrine of time and creative evolution. The constructive side of this Anti-Bergson has received less attention: it implies a genuine poetics of time based on the intuition of the sporadic and oscillatory nature of becoming. Bachelard’s rhythmic theme is consistent with the idea of “surrationalism” introduced that same year as a formal counterpart to the surrealist experiments carried out on the fringes of conscious experience. Inspired by the explosive potential of scientific revolutions already celebrated in Le Nouvel Esprit Scientifique, the surrationalist project can be interpreted as that of a poetics of reason. André Breton believed it would “act simultaneously as a stimulant and restraining influence” (“Crisis of the Object”). Insights from the scientific investigation of time as well as poetic and musical experience will help us see how this double action is in keeping with the eruptive dynamics of imagination and reason, as much as with Bachelard’s ideal of “self-surveillance”.

Elie During is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris Ouest. His research focuses on the philosophical implications of relativity theory. His publications include an introduction to Poincaré’s philosophy of science (La Science et l’Hypothèse, 2001), an essay on the nature of time (The Future does not Exist, 2014), two critical editions of Bergson, a coedited volume on contemporary metaphysics of realism (Choses en soi, 2018, English translation forthcoming from Edinburgh University Press), and most recently a critical edition of Bachelard’s Dialectique de la durée (2021).

Organized by

Julie Beauté, Aix-Marseille Université, ADES (France)

Alexander Campolo, Durham University (UK)

Jeanne Etelain, New York University (USA)

Sam Kellogg, New York University (USA)

Alexander Miller, Ghent University (Belgium)

Pierre Schwarzer, New York University (USA)

Meg Wiessner, New York University (USA)

General Description:

This semester, the Philosophy Film Club at The New School is hosting a series of films to consider the notion of founding myths — the inspiring, frightening, and defining speculative fictions that ground our sense of belonging to place, community, and a way of life. Each screening will begin and conclude with a discussion facilitated by a member of the NSSR Philosophy Department. In the spirit of community, all are welcome!

Philosophy Film Club hosts a screening of the post-
apocalyptic drama Mad Max: Fury Road directed by George Miller. Join us for a screening and post-film discussion of this style-redefining vision of a future “in which men have become the pawns of insane leaders and women hold fiercely onto [while fighting fiercely for] the last vestiges of hope.”

Location: Bark Room (M104), Sheila C. Johnson Design Center (ground floor), 2 W. 13th Street at Fifth Avenue

For more information or to be added to the mailing list, email: veronica@newschool.edu

The Philosophy Film Club at The New School is hosting a screening of ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ (dir. Martin McDonagh), with pre- and post-film discussion facilitated by James Trybendins, PhD Student in Philosophy.

In the spirit of community, all are invited to the Spring 2023 film screening series hosted by the Philosophy Film Club at The New School. Everyone — whether seasoned in philosophy or without any prior philosophical training — with an interest in philosophy, film, and/or conversation about the meaning of what we experience is welcome! Each screening will begin and conclude with a discussion facilitated by a member of the NSSR Philosophy Department. Snacks and beverages also provided.

For more information or to be added to the mailing list, email: veronica@newschool.edu

The Philosophy Film Club at The New School is hosting a screening of ‘Millennium Actress’ (dir. Satoshi Kon).

You are invited to join us in squaring this gorgeously animated circle, as we explore questions of memory, perspective, and narrative. Pre- and post-film discussion will be facilitated by none other than PJ Gorre (Director of Curricular Affairs + Implementation at Parsons and PhD Candidate in Philosophy).

This semester, an international lineup will take us on cosmic, labyrinthine, miraculous journeys; if that sounds hyperbolic, just wait. Those compelled by form will find ample meta-cinematic gristle, while those wishing to dive into content will meet oceans for us to navigate.

Everyone — whether seasoned in philosophy or without any prior philosophical training — with an interest in philosophy, film, and/or conversation about the meaning of what we experience is welcome! Each screening will begin and conclude with a discussion facilitated by a member of the NSSR Philosophy Department. Snacks and beverages always provided.

Future Screenings:

La Flor’ Part 3 (dir. Mariano Llinás), with guest facilitator Dr. Miguel Paley (Fordham University), on Friday, October 20, 2023

‘Stalker (dir. Andrei Tarkovsky), with guest facilitator Olga Knizhnik (PhD Candidate, Philosophy) on Friday, November 12, 2023

Location:

Bark Room (M104), Sheila C. Johnson Design Center (ground floor), 68 5 Ave (2 W. 13th Street at Fifth Avenue entrance)

For more information or to be added to the mailing list, email: veronica@newschool.edu

The Philosophy Film Club and Liberal Studies present a screening of Robert Bresson’s Pickpocket (1959) and discussion led by Robert Pippin (U Chicago).

Generally considered one of Bresson’s greatest works, Pickpocket tells an “incomparable story of crime and redemption … A cornerstone of the career of this most economical and profoundly spiritual of filmmakers, Pickpocket is an elegantly crafted, tautly choreographed study of humanity in all its mischief and grace, the work of a director at the height of his powers” (Criterion Collection).

Robert B. Pippin is the Evelyn Stefansson Nef Distinguished Service Professor in the Committee on Social Thought, the Department of Philosophy, and the College at the University of Chicago. He is the author of several books and articles on German idealism and later German philosophy, including Filmed Thought: Cinema as Reflective Form (University of Chicago Press, 2020), Metaphysical Exile: On J. M. Coetzee’s Jesus Fictions (Oxford University Press, 2021), Philosophy by Other Means: The Arts in Philosophy and Philosophy in the Arts (University of Chicago Press, 2021), and most recently, The Culmination: Heidegger, German Idealism, and the Fate of Philosophy (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2024).