ZERO HOUR PROJECT

WHO KILLED PHILOSOPHY?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 03:36:00 +0000

Can you imagine a world where reason no longer existed? Or more precisely… a society where reason -that curious ability that makes us human, were no longer cultivated, studied or simply vindicated?

What kind of society would that be? What kind of citizens would live there? Or, what kind of future would hold for such a society? Would it be even possible to talk about a “human society” as such?

Not long ago, this type of questions belonged exclusively to the fiction literary sphere. Today, these questions unify the diverse philosophical community in Mexico where Philosophy and, in fact, the entire field of humanities, have both been eliminated from the Core Curriculum in the public and private education systems.

Who did this? On what grounds? Is this a joke?, a bad one!?...

Who would dare to do such a thing to the most ancient academic discipline? A tradition of thought whose western lineage stretches from Socrates and Aristotle to Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas to Kant and Hegel, and on throughout modernity to the present, and whose eastern traditions embrace Persia, India, China, Korea, Japan and the Middle East, let alone the Mesoamerican indigenous peoples?

Who in his right mind would eradicate the professional study of fundamental problems connected with life itself, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language?

Who would keep the new generations of young people from developing the most powerful instrument they have (namely, their own mind... their own reason) to think and to meet the extraordinary challenges of today´s world?

Five years ago, I wrote a post about the curricular review undertaken at Harvard where Philosophy was vindicated as one of the cornerstones of the student´s academic formation. Today, UNESCO recognizes the importance of teaching Philosophy even at pre-school and primary levels whereas in Mexico, it is eliminated?

Do the authors of this nonsense really expect that we will stand on the sidelines, mute, as mere spectators?

Note: Ironically, the brain behind this mess will be the 2011 Commencement speaker at Stanford next June.

The Movement in Defense of Philosophy in Mexico

OFMX

HEY, GUESS WHO´S BACK YO!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:11:00 +0000

Hey my friends! I´ll catch up with everyone of you asap!!!
It feels so good to be back!

WHERE THE HELL IS PAUL VAN DYK?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 04:05:00 +0000

YEAH! I´LL COME BACK SOON MY FRIENDS!

CEFILIBE GOES ONLINE!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 03:51:00 +0000

I have just learned that my buddy Cefilibe has finally decided to launch his personal weblog. That´s great news! This guy is really, really good. I wish him the best on this new project.

NADER, A LOST READER?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:23:00 +0000

As everybody knows, Ralph Nader, 4-time presidential contender, announced a new bid for the White House as an independent candidate today. I regard Mr. Nader as among the most distinguish progressive political activists in the United States nowadays but, this time, I have to say I believe his decision is a mistake, basically for himself.

Mr. Nader does not seem to be reading the same book (or at least the same page) the majority of the people of the U. S. is reading aloud: that which narrates the end of the Bush Regime and his wacky policies. It is idle to say that for that end, it is necessary to add up forces (not to subtract them in any way) there where there´s better chances to succeed. Obviuosly, it does not imply to give a blank check of support, it implies to understand history.

Ralph Nader is a great guy, no doubt about it, his intentions are the best (to represent those who have no voice, to have a much broader debate, to push the Democratic candidates to take a more progressive stance) but his moment could not be worse, basically because having no chances to have a real impact on the race this time, he will only end up diminishing his own voice. I hope I am wrong.

OBAMA VA!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 04:17:00 +0000

After Wisconsin´s Democratic primary and the Democrats Abroad results, things seem to have come down to a point where the question is not whether Barack Obama will get the Democratic nomination for president in 2008 or not, but rather if Hillary would be a good VP running mate (hehehe… just kidding!) What I really want to say is that I share the enthusiasm of those who think that even when large states are still at stake (Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania) Obama really seems to be now virtually unstoppable.

I say enthusiasm because that is clearly what this unique character has brought about to people: great excitement, motivation and hope. I myself experienced that sensation too the first time that I saw him talk on a video I stumbled across while writing my very first post for this blog (I even wrote about it here). What I wonder now is whether this excitement is all justified beyond the consideration of his personal traits and manifested intentions. I have to say that I am not sure about it.

I am not going to deny I think Obama represents now the most consistent prospect of change of the way politics have been conducted under the Bush administration (and that I don´t consider this to be a little thing). However, it is not just a change of direction (difficult in itself) what is required to fix the mess but a complete change of the common American political mindset. That would make politicians authentically fight corporate interests, bring to light the so called “non-topics” (those essential topics which are absent from public debate or even public consciousness) or simply change that American Notion -held by some- of believing, like temper tantrum kids, they own the world.

Be Obama the fist step towards that change!

THE LITTLE PICASSO

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:27:00 +0000

When I was in 4th grade, I met this guy who was really cool. He was very popular in the school among the students and teachers, for he had a very especial drawing skill and also for he held the Guinness record for school detentions, basically because he used to spend most of his time exercising his skill, even in class… in fact, especially during the classes time.

It was not that the teachers did not recognize his talent. On the contrary, he was used to being praised for his deeds by them all of the time. It was rather the school system that did not how to handle with this potential maestro because it didn´t consider him as such in the first place.

That was the early 80´s, though I don´t think the situation would be any different if this young Picasso attended 4^th grade today. Basically because despite the major paradigm shift in our understanding of intelligence, owed in part to Harvard professor Howard Gardner´s work and others, the traditional notion of intelligence (understood merely in terms of Logical-Mathematical, Verbal-linguistic or even Spatial reasoning) is still widely upheld.

Some days ago, I happened to meet my school friend again. After greeting him, I asked him what he was doing for a living and he told me he was working as a bartender. I asked him about his interests as a kid (meaning his extraordinary gift) and he said something like: “Arrrgh! Childish stuff!”. In that moment I realized that the problem did not have to do much with the means (this or that concept of intelligence) but rather with the ends: the lack of an appropriate answer to the fundamental question of “what we educate for?" That question where the less fortunate answer is “to teach people how to survive…” because that would be very sad.

THE SYNDROME OF THE OPPRESSED

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:55:00 +0000

I like Psychology very much, especially because it suggests explanations of certain phenomena in the field of human behavior that would be simply irrational otherwise. In watching the Republican presidential debate hosted by the Spanish language television network Univision yesterday afternoon, I kept on thinking about it.

To watch members of the so called “Hispanic community” booing Castro or Chavez´s references during the debate was something kind of expected, as the event was held in Miami (the Cuban element) but, to see them enthusiastically applauding the Republican notion of taking a harder line on illegal immigration or that of maintaining the troops in Iraq (or even escalating them), was something that definitely deserves an explanation more than a simple sensation of astonishment.

I am not a psychologist nor feel I capable of producing such explanation but somehow I feel it has to do with that psychological response sometimes seen in victims of violence who end up showing signs of loyalty to their victimizers or sometimes reproducing their mindset and in some extreme cases, even worshiping it.

THE COST OF WAR

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 04:58:00 +0000

Some days ago, Bob Herbert wrote an article for his column in the Times where he reflected on the Iraq-war-cost for the Americans ("Now and Forever", Dec 4): really a good piece! Today, I stumbled over this video which touches the same topic and that is definitely worth watching too.

THE MUSIC´S BACK!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 21:02:00 +0000

Thank you for that magic moment full of music… The sweetest music I´ve ever heard!

GOBLE GOBLE!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 05:13:00 +0000

This year´s Thanksgiving celebration has just made me recall the time when I went to study in the United States. Ahh, man! I was so young back then hehehe… really! It was my first trip abroad ever and I remember that when I got there I was so depressed, so homesick, that I could not stop myself from crying for a whole week or so. I remember it now because it was precisely on a day like today, at my first Thanksgiving dinner, when I finally pulled myself together.

I think it is great The USA and Canada devote one day each year to getting together with family and friends and reflecting on the wonderful things that one has in life to be grateful for. It is always important to acknowledge it but I think that it is even more important to say it explicitly and share it with the ones we love.

Needless to say that it unavoidably leads you to think of those who don´t have the basics and reflect on the reasons behind inequality and probably more… on the things we can do to change it, even on a personal level.

WORLD PHILOSOPHY DAY!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 07:21:00 +0000

I am now in Monterrey. I came here because this year the main celebration of the World Philosophy Day in México will take place in this city: super!

This is the sixth year in which this worldwide event will be held since it was first instituted by both the International Federation of Philosophical Societies and UNESCO on the day the founder of Western Philosophy Socrates was believed to have been born, nearly 25 centuries ago.

Up to now, it´s been great! Basically because, through these events, Philosophy has got a far greater chance of getting to broader audiences showing its vitality, importance and meanings. That is why I think I could not be happier!

MAZATLAN: CONGRESS BALANCE

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 07:06:00 +0000

I just got back home from Mazatlán where, I have to say it, I attended a great Congress of Philosophy. Academic gatherings of this sort, where literally hundred of presentations, symposia and round tables take place, always represent a great challenge, especially as far as logistics is concerned. I think the Organizing Committee did a very good job and they should be proud about it.

As for the contents, I have to confess that I missed a more active presence of political philosophy, especially that one whose topics and reflections have to do with the nation´s most urgent issues, intimate related to the current world crisis: Globalization, its effects and consequences; Democracy and its degradation; Poverty! Just to name a few examples. Really, I did not understand those absences.

I think that Philosophy as such, at least through its best forms, modes and ways, has got a great potential not just before the current crisis but also for the public life and its dimensions and for personal formation at large. Undoubtedly, this is something that still remains pending but I see some lights on the horizon.

Finally, as soon as I got home, I called my mother up. She asked me if I had got a good trip and all and I started telling her what I have just written. I could not really finish the first sentence when my mother interrupted me and said: “I mean, personally”. Ahh! You mean… hehehe… Let´s say your son is still the luckiest single guy in town!, I said to her. I guess she did not like the answer…

MEXICO: PHILOSOPHY NOW!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:58:00 +0000

I am in Mazatlán now. I came here for the National Congress of Philosophy. This Congress is the most important event for the Mexican philosophical community, largely because not only it congregates literally hundreds of its members but also counts with the participation of distinguished scholars of different disciplines from all over the country and overseas. In this edition, Jürgen Habermas is without any doubt the most noted guest.

As usual, as it has been the case whenever I have got the opportunity to meet any of the big guys, my encounter with Habermas was a complete disaster but so irrelevant at the same time that I would rather not talk about it. What it did turn out to be completely anecdotal was the fact that his remarks at the inauguration of the event were totally unintelligible: he, the theorist of communicative action. Somebody said that this is what happens when you don´t know German. The thing is his speech was in English!

Anyway, to be honest I am really happy. I am just looking forward to finding out what the current status of philosophy in this country is: would it live in the Temple of Artemis yet or it has already been brought down to the earth, like the real founder of the western philosophy Socrates once did, according to Cicero.

COLBERT PARA PRESIDENTE!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 21:50:00 +0000

As it is known, Comedy Central comedian Stephen Colbert recently made “official” his candidacy for president of the USA. According to this dispatch, a new poll suggests that he could be a frontrunner within a month, were his attempt serious!

I have to say that a year ago or so, after watching one of his program emissions where he interviewed Amy Goodman, one of my favorite journalists, I wrote here this guy was a complete disaster. Later on I came across his speech at the 2006 White House Correspondents´ Dinner given a few months earlier: I was not convinced yet. It was not till the beginning of December last year, after the celebration of an out-of-character interview with him held at Harvard (it can be found at google video), when I became as fond of him as everybody was.

As far as the 2008 presidential race is concerned, Colbert´s popularity seems to be inversely proportional to popular confidence in traditional politics and politicians. It is like if people would be saying that they´d rather have a professional comedian in the White House than an improvised one who turned out to be as wicked and dangerous as the one who runs the nation nowadays.

BACK HOME!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:13:00 +0000

Just got back home from the seaside: I guess business hours are over! Hehehe...

BUSINESS TIME!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:46:00 +0000

Elle dropped me a message yesterday echoing some of my friend´s recurrent complaints about my blog´s contents, namely: that they are not the happiest ones. Hehehehe: she is dead right!

Sometimes it really seems to be essential to take short breaks, clean up our heads, make ourselves a cup of coffee and kick back a little bit and who knows? Maybe get busy, maybe it is business time!…

Flight of The Conchords

BUSH: SUSPICIOUS STUMBLES

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 19:27:00 +0000

From “Childrens do learn” to “Mandela is dead”, President Bush has involuntarily made our lives more livable in the last few weeks (or is he really trying to kill us all, making us laugh to death, as someone has suggested?).

However, in all seriousness, after all these years I have ended up finding these mishaps to be entirely suspicious: otherwise it would simply be too much!

CUOMO: LESSONS TO BE LEARNED

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 07:51:00 +0000

Before the Bush administration´s new threat to undertake a military intervention in Iran Mario Cuomo, former Governor of New York, went on Hardball last Friday and gave his take on the issue in what has constituted by far one of the most eloquent comments, made by an American politician, I have heard lately. Matthews is right: Mario Cuomo is so far ahead of the rest! Really worth watching:

REREADING MYSELF

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 05:33:00 +0000

I had never reread what I had written as it would represent to me looking backward instead of forward. It sill does, but this time, with the blog anniversary and all, I took a look at my blog archive and found this rare piece I wrote on Niezsche´s primus work Zarathustra. Here it is as it was written at first:

As it is known, German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche is considered, along with Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud, one of the most important thinkers of modern western thought: one of its sharpest critics.

It is also known that Thus Spoke Zarathustra is one his most important pieces of work: his ultimate achievement and also his most famous writing.

Zarathustra gives an account of a young Persian man who faces an important task: to reveal or to make men recall the truth about themselves and their own possibilities. While carrying out his mission, this hero of thought experiences himself deep inner crises and changes of heart that make him become, in the end, the kind of man he claims men should endeavor to be.

Recently, it was made public an unpublished handwriting that could be, according to experts, the original version of Zarathustra´s chapter devoted to “Women”. A chapter that Nietzsche presumably must have decided to change after a love deception but that was kept intact as it was conceived at first.

As far as I know, this work has never been posted to the Internet, neither in English nor in any other language. Here, I reproduce it completely given its great value and wisdom:

WOMEN

As I went on my way alone today, at the hour when the sun declined, there I met an old woman, and she spoke thus unto my soul:

“Much has Zarathustra spoken also to us women, but never spoke he unto us concerning woman”.

And I answered her: “Concerning woman, one should only talk unto men”.

“Talk also unto me of woman”, said she; “I am old enough to forget it presently”.

And I, obliged by the old woman, spoke thus unto her:

Everything in woman is beautiful, and women all are beautiful but not all can appreciate it, including you women, in the first place.

It is not that there are as many variations in taste as men and women. The whole concept is wrong!!! You all have been deceived…

Some among you look at the woman´s body as if it were the supreme thing and prefer it meagre and famished. Others look at it contemptuously and would rather worship its spirit: hypocrites!!! Either way, women become an object: in the end, their real essence is denied as well as their real beauty.

The beauty of women is an “occurrence in motion” and it can be perceived in every single thing they think, they do, they feel, they happen to remember.... And even if they wanted to keep it undisclosed, there would always be one thing that reveals it: the way they smile, their perfect smile…

Then answered me the old woman: “Many fine things had Zarathustra said, especially for those who are young enough for them.

Strange! Zarathustra knows little about women, and yet he is right in some aspects about us. Though, he might have forgotten to mention one thing... definitely the most important: that women are not really women... but divine beings playing they are human... some times, all too human".

Thus spoke Zarathustra

Note: Nietzsche never really wrote this piece but I wish he had done it (Heheheheh!).

THANK YOU MY FRIENDS!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:16:00 +0000

A year ago today I started this blog: Man! It seems like it was yesterday… I have to say that the best part about having a blog and stuff is YOU guys, there is no doubt about it! To have the occasion to get to know through your blogs new inner worlds, meanings and perspectives (that would be literally impossible to know otherwise), has been something super cool!

Somebody told me yesterday that this kind of communication is utterly virtual, meaning that it was not real: Hehehe... I disagree. On the contrary, I see no more real dialogue with the other and ourselves than the one we establish while either reading or writing or simply sharing in our blogs. And that, at least in my case, has got profound effects.

That is why, like my brother Teorias says (whose blog btw happens to celebrate its first anniversary too): today is a very HAPPY DAY!!!

SICK

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:16:00 +0000

I have not been able to post here lately. The thing is that I went into surgery some days ago. A minor one, if I may say so, but a surgery anyway. I am ok now but I have to say that whenever I have experienced some sort of pain, I think a lot of sick people out there and especially those who are poor: that saddens me and makes mad.

According to official data 50% of the Mexican population does not have health insurance. Mexico ranks well below the OECD average in terms of health spending (barely 6.2% of GDP) and well, anyone who has ever been attended in a hospital (public or private) here in Mexico knows of the awful PR they have there: the personal attention and quality service are a disgrace.

It has been stated (I think it was in Michael Moore´s Sicko) that moral progress in a society can be partially measure by the way in which that society looks after the have-nots. Were that the case, we would have to accept that we are very unfortunate. Damn!

DEPECHE, DEPECHE, DEPECHE!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 22:45:00 +0000

Three things that I really enjoy doing in life are reading, talking to beautiful girls (or intelligent ones, or precisely beautiful because of their being intelligent) and listening to music. Most of the times what I like the best is listening to music, I have to admit it! Even when not frequent, having the three of them at the same time has been just a blast for me!

My favorite band is definitely Depeche Mode. Below there is a rare video of one of its early-stage presentations in Germany, 24 years ago! As somebody commented, in the end, the host calls the band “Everything counts” and the song “Depeche Mode”… hehehe!

ALIVE IN MEXICO!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 22:14:00 +0000

I have been watching practically every single ALIVE IN BAGHDAD documentary clip since it began in November 2005. I like this project a lot, largely because it shows some aspects of the Iraqi reality that it would be impossible to get to know otherwise. One thing that has always amazed me is the numerous similarities I have found between both the Iraqi and the Mexican people despite our different cultural heritage.

I talked it over with some friends and one of them told me that it was due to the Arab presence in our culture. Other one mentioned the phenomenon of multiculturalism. The last one argued that it was rather the human element, the basic human core we all share, not always visible because of the widely-spread media stereotypes. I agreed.

I told my friends that it would be great to have more projects like ALIVE IN BAGHDAD, for instance in Mexico, to help defuse the conventional culture image some of us might have. They all started laughing.

The project already exists and I joyfully salute it!

Click on the logos

9/11: THE OTHER ANNIVERSARY

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:42:00 +0000

My friends: this is the promo for the zhp-politico second podcast. You can listen to it HERE.