[FRA:] Enlightenment under attack

[steve.devos at krokodile.co.uk]

Caterine

the mass-extintion event I am referring to is sixth great extinction 
event in the earth's history, it is running at greater than 5000 times 
faster than the normal background rate of species extinctions. What is 
special about this mass-extintion is that it is directly caused by human 
beings.  Ultimately it will probably result in a related massive 
'dieback' in human numbers,  perhaps within the century upto 'a billion 
or more' (quote from Rees) this will be directly caused by the 
unsustainable nature of the global economic system. And you are correct 
unless enlightenment or post-enlightenment thought can find a way of 
addressing this issue then it really is rather pointless theoretical 
structure.

Let me emphasize that in no sense is this related to improving standards 
of living in India or China - that their actions may be speeding the 
process up marginally, is not relevant to the underlying philosophical 
and cultural challenge being raised here,  and indeed it would be a 
fascist sentiment if I was suggesting that their improving standards of 
living was at all relevant to the question being raised. 

I'm not sure how meaningful phrasing the mass-extinction event as a 
'dialectic of extinction'  is - could you expand on this ?  Bearing in 
mind that discussing India and China or any other country of the south 
with an expanding economy, in this discussion should be avoided at all 
costs...

steve

[Eco-tourism is one of the disgusting  inventions of the spectacle,  it 
almost doesn't bear thinking about, you fly in jet plane to some out of 
the way spot and then  you  inflict your presence on some animal you are 
helping to make extinct.... (swimming with dolphins...)  ]



Catherine Liu wrote:

> Can you please clarify what you mean by "extinction" process and are 
> you suggesting that unless we find a theoretical way of stopping mass 
> extinction, we cannot speak affirmatively of Enlightenment?
>
> There are two sides to this dialecticof extinction -- the ranks of the 
> bourgeoisie have swelled in recent years with the industrialization of 
> both China and India who feel that if a few species have to die out in 
> order that they move out of rural poverty, so be it. -- Right now they 
> may not be interested in ecology, but I'm sure that eco-tourism will 
> soon be big there too. But a form of consciousness is emerging in 
> these new classes that while individualistic and atomized also prizes 
> the happiness of individuals -- which for Adorno was always the most 
> important for happiness. His objection to cultural industry was not 
> its individualism per se, because individualism is a historical 
> category, but its pseudo-individualism.
>
> I agree there is not much hope, but we are not hoping for the same 
> things. From the long range view, mass extinctions have taken place 
> periodically -- witness the end of the dinosaurs.
>
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