[...]l="trms"nttrm="knowledge,Knowledge">edge of the other='strcls'>* as a way of ="trms">="trms">empirically knowing that other='strcls'>** ='lgc'>: ='strcls'>*="trms">method of ="trms">sympathetic as="trms">sociation='strcls'>*
in ="nms">apass ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> the laboratory of the times located in the person of the rese="trms"nttrm="search">archer himself
![--> animal
world multi species contingency assemblage human animal dog space society place
[source: Peter Westenberg / constantvzw.org] world multi species contingency assemblage human animal dog space society place [source: Peter Westenberg / constantvzw.org]](images/ajayeb/0090.jpg)
grounded Levy-Bruhl's ="trms">science in the real ='lgc'><== he rejected a focus on a knowable singular subject in favor of a ="trms">science based on the ability to detect and ="trms">interpret the invisible forces that worked to produce a particular “mentality” ='lgc'>[of the artist in the case of bad feedback='lgc'>]
(Levy-Bruhl's mistake='lgc'>:) ="trms">systematic ="trms">interrogation and illumination of mobile invisible forces that produced beings wholly unlike us ='lgc'>=/=='lgc'>{ ="trms">method of ="trms">sympathetic as="trms">sociation ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> participant observation='lgc'>: the felicity of evidence produced through the qualitative experiential ="trms">methodological ="trms">instruments ='lgc'>[='lgc'>='lgc'>--> comes to define the modes of critical relatedness in ="nms">apass='lgc'>]
(since 15th century) investigators ='lgc'>==> staking one's claim to the real on the mastery of those forces that relentlessly elude a plain direct visibility or sensibility ='lgc'>='lgc'>~='lgc'>~='lgc'>='lgc'>--> human ="trms">sciences
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='strcls'>*we still hunt ghosts, fueled by a desire operationalized in a ="trms">method of being close enough to something to sense it, because our form of mastery ="trms">demands a closeness to things unseen, unprovable, indeed ‘nonsensical,’ yet un="trms">questionably ‘there’='strcls'>* -="ppl">Baxstrom
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="ppl">="ppl">Despret on ="ppl">Derrida's ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal
the act of being seen by an ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal ='lgc'>==> ="ppl">Derrida groups together on the end hand “="trms">scientists and philosophers ='lgc'>=/= prophets and ="trms">poets”
='lgc'>{ ="ppl">="ppl">Bateson, Goodall, Bekoff, Smuts, and many others have met the gaze of the living diverse ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animals and in ="trms">response undone an redone themselves ='and'>& their ="trms">sciences ='lgc'>=/= ="ppl">Derrida ='lgc'>}='lgc'>--="ppl">="ppl">Haraway='lgc'>='lgc'>--> why did ="ppl">Derrida leave unexamined the practices of ="trms">communication outside the ="trms">writing ="trms">technologies he did know how talk about='qstn'>? ='lgc'>==> philosopher (speak in the absence of ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal) ='lgc'>=/= theoreticians (speak face to face with the ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal) ='lgc'>=/= ="trms">scientists
="lsts lst1">•="ppl">Derrida's o="trms"nttrm="righ,rigo,riga,rigi,trig,rign">riginal ="trms">positioning='lgc'>: to speak (starting) from ='lgc'>[='lgc'>~ a partir de='lgc'>] a real ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal and not about ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animality ='lgc'>[being ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal='lgc'>] ='lgc'>: to speak in the ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal's ="trms">presence and not in its absence ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> this ='lgc'>[this way of talking about ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal is against his philosophical tradition='lgc'>] is not particularly o="trms"nttrm="righ,rigo,riga,rigi,trig,rign">riginal, it is part of the very game of philosophy='lgc'>: ='strcls'>*to fight with ="trms">ancestors and contemporaries ='lgc'>[='lgc'>='lgc'>~=='qstn'>? recalcitrance تمرد tamarod='lgc'>] about great and noble ideas='strcls'>* (to denounce inequality and violence)
maintaining distance is a characteristic of the ="trms">episteme of the French philosophical tradition
the topic of ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal in French tradition='lgc'>:
="lsts lst1">•the ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal can be a topic of philosophy if it is called up as a figure of otherness (or a figure of deprivation) ='lgc'>[='lgc'>='lgc'>--> is that why i started to work and think about ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal ="trms">fables after i moved to germany='qstn'>? because i became identifiable as deprived other='qstn'>? and ="trms"nttrm="already,spread">reading about the naming and d="trms">enunciation of philosophical violence towards the ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal became a proxy for philosophical violence towards myself as a foreigner='qstn'>?='lgc'>]
="lsts lst1">•='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal as ancient ="trms">ancestor (a search for ="trms">difference with appeal)
="lsts lst1">•
='lgc'>}='lgc'>='lgc'>--> ='strcls'>**as a figure caught up in theoretical and abstract issues='strcls'>** (a philosophical ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal) ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> animots='lgc'>: paper ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animals, abstract inexistent ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animals
='lgc'>=/= ="ppl">Derrida taking up the topic of the ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal ='lgc'>==> to oppose a certain humanist hegemony, denouncing philosophical violence towards the ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal
="lsts lst1">•="ppl">Derrida's rejection of philosophical game par excellence (the game that deals with re="trms">presentations, framework of re="trms">presentation)
='heart'>♥ the parable of the twelfth camel
An old man, sensing his impending death, called to his side his three sons, to share with them the little he still owned. He said to them='lgc'>: my sons, I have eleven camels. I bequeath half of them to the oldest, a quarter to the second son, and to you, my youn="trms">gest, I give a sixth. Upon the father's death, the sons found themselves quite perplexed='lgc'>: how to divide their in="trms">heritance='qstn'>? A war over the division of goods seemed inevitable. With no apparent solution, the sons went to a neighbouring village to seek advice from an old sage. The old man thought awhile and then shook his head='lgc'>: I cannot resolve this problem. The only thing I can do for you is to give you my old camel. He is not very obedient and often does as he pleases. I don't know if you can use him but I think he may help you divide your in="trms">heritance. The sons brought the old camel back with them and divided up the in="trms">heritance='lgc'>: the first then received six camels, the second three and the youn="trms">gest two. This then left the camel of the old sage, which they could return to his owner.
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, ,
‘'’ ‘'’ ‘'’ ‘’
this parable reveals particular and essential dimension of all forms of in="trms">heritance='lgc'>:
="lsts lst1">•='lgc'>[="ppl">="ppl">Despret:='lgc'>] they place us in a ="trms">position of ="trms">obligation ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> to work out
="lsts lst1">•='lgc'>[="frds">Sina:='lgc'>] they had to go to the foreign to figure out their in="trms">heritance
the sons have to work out the ='strcls'>*="trms">position of ="trms">obligation='strcls'>*
='strcls'>*****in="trms">heritance (passed on as something that appears impossible) as such requires you to ='strcls'>*start from='strcls'>* ='lgc'>[='lgc'>=/= about, concerning, with='lgc'>] this in="trms">heritance
="lsts lst1">•“start from” implies precisely the fact of remaining ="trms">obligated to that ='strcls'>*from='strcls'>* which we speak, think, or act ='lgc'>[='lgc'>~ learn from ='and'>& create from events='lgc'>]
="lsts lst1">•“being ="trms">obligated” implies learning to do, speak, act, decide, not about these events, not concerning them, not facing or against them, but from them
='lgc'>==> you are bound ='lgc'>: ='strcls'>*you honor the terms of the problem='strcls'>* (such as it is posed along with its contra="trms">dictions ='lgc'>~ fubar)
='lgc'>==> (help you to) resist the common sense (or less common sense) solutions
='lgc'>[='strcls'>*='lgc'>]in="trms">heriting='lgc'>: an act that ="trms">demands thought and commitment, an act that calls for our transformation by the very gift of in="trms">heriting ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> ='mywrk'>my work on ="nms">ajayeb, you start from ="nms">ajayeb (better than “coughing”='qstn'>?)
Despert in ="trms"nttrm="already,spread">reading ="ppl">Derrida through ="ppl">="ppl">Haraway ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> studying the way in which ="trms">scientists were beginning to ="trms">respond to their ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animals ='and'>& becoming attentive to the ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animals’ ="trms">responses in trun
='lgc'>[="frds">Sina ='lgc'>+ ="ppl">="ppl">Despret ='lgc'>+ ="ppl">="ppl">Haraway='lgc'>] ='strcls'>***to in="trms">herit is an act that ="trms">demands a transformation on the part of the in="trms">heritor='strcls'>***
the importance of transforming that which is transmitted to us
thinking from ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animals
(="ppl">="ppl">Despret working on) the meaning of ”(starting) from” ='lgc'>[a partir de='lgc'>]
="lsts lst1">•for philosophers='lgc'>: to depart from ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animals, to leave them as quickly as possible and never to return ='lgc'>==> “='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal='lgc'> = text ='and'>& pretext” ='lgc'>: its function is to provide a reason for going (partir) elsewhere ='lgc'>[='lgc'><='lgc'>-- i have done this='lgc'>]
getting involved ='lgc'>--to='lgc'>='lgc'>--> martyrdom
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="trms">author-turned-ethologist ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> classic genres of ethological ="trms">literature
(a ="trms">matter of) ='strcls'>*performing through ="trms">narration the passing ="trms">obligation that is now mine='strcls'>*
(="ppl">="ppl">Latourian) ='strcls'>*amateur='lgc'>: a person who likes and cultivates her tastes and does her best to cultivate a kind of becoming-sensitive to the ="trms">world='strcls'>*
in ethology (and in ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animal ="trms">sciences) monologues make terrible ="trms">narratives
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='lgc'>[='at'>@="frds scrmbld">Femke, ='at'>@="frds scrmbld">Pierre, ='qstn'>?can we do without='lgc'>] the philosophical tradition of='lgc'>: ='strcls'>**searching for traces of ideological and political contamination='strcls'>** in the work of ="trms">scientific ="trms">natura="trms"nttrm="listen,alist,ilist,llist,olist,ylist,ulist">list (or whatever other field) ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> you (often) find a perfect target for this ="trms">sort of critique
="lsts lst1">•(pay attention to) what makes a perfect target for your ="trms">sort of critique (='at'>@="frds scrmbld">Laura's Jane Fonda, etc.)
='lgc'>[="trms">zoological ="trms">bird:='lgc'>] ="trms">sociobiological ="trms">literature prepares you to accept a certain kind of fact about this ="trms">bird ='lgc'>=/= Zahavi's babblers however do (altruism ='and'>& cooperation) in a remarkably more inventive and diversified way and for entirely ="trms">different reasons that ="trms">sociobiological ="trms">birds
="trms">anthropocentrism (credit ="trms">birds with complex intentions, and ='lgc'>[why='qstn'>?='lgc'>] complex intentions always seem human)
to see ="trms">birds as “dancing” and for fairly complex reasons could only have been a result of the fact that the observers projected ="trms">onto the ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animals their own frameworks and experiences
="ppl">="ppl">Despret observing the ="trms">birds ='lgc'>+ their ethologist ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> the ="trms">birds made Zahavi ="trms">interesting
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(="ppl">="ppl">Despret discovering that) any theory of re="trms">presentation was at once partial and totalizing, because it proposed to elucidate the complex work of ="trms">relations and encounters from the sole standpoint of the human
(how ="ppl">="ppl">Despret became) ="trms">interested in actual practices (with ="ppl">="ppl">Stengers and ="ppl">="ppl">Latour), in the way they ="trms">articulated ="trms">questions and ="trms">responded to ="trms">questions
='strcls'>****="trms">stories that ="trms">scientists ='lgc'>[and Disney or Hollywood='lgc'>] develop about ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animals are also our ="trms">stories='strcls'>**** ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> these ="trms">stories transform humans and their ='trgt hghlght 1'href='?q=animal'>animals
='lgc'>--Steng[...]