ggpsv - Network

Hello! I am excited to announce that social.coop will be my home in the Fediverse from now onwards. You can follow me there at...

Hello! I am excited to announce that social.coop will be my home in the Fediverse from now onwards. You can follow me there at ggpsv@social.coop.

So long and thank you for the fish 🐬

Watched "The Boy and the Heron" today. First time I get to see a Ghibli release in theaters. Won't say much about it other...

Watched "The Boy and the Heron" today. First time I get to see a Ghibli release in theaters.

Won't say much about it other than finding it quite beautiful and poignant.
Likewise, once again Joe Hisaishi does wonders with a powerful score.

Thinking about going for a second watch.

#studioghibli #theboyandtheheron #hayaomiyazaki

"In other words, we have projected backward the idea that there was a self-contained "Western civilization" (a concept that...

"In other words, we have projected backward the idea that there was a self-contained "Western civilization" (a concept that didn't even really exist until the early twentieth century) and, with a genuinely perverse irony, used accusations of racial arrogance on the part of those we designate "Westerners" (...) as a pretext to exclude everyone not designated "white" from having any influence on history, and intellectual history in particular."

... organized largely by women, outside of official institutions like universities, with the express aim of undermining all existing...

... organized largely by women, outside of official institutions like universities, with the express aim of undermining all existing structures of authority. What's more, if one examines many of the original sources, Enlightenment thinkers were often quite explicit that the sources of their ideas lay outside what we now call "the Western tradition" entirely."

Some provoking bits from the preface:"There can be no doubt that many of the ideas we now see as products of the eighteenth-century...

Some provoking bits from the preface:

"There can be no doubt that many of the ideas we now see as products of the eighteenth-century European Lumières were, indeed, used to justify extraordinary cruelty, exploitation, and destruction, not just on the working classes at home, but on those who lived on other continents. But the blanket condemnation of Enlightenment thought is in its own way rather odd, when one considers that this was perhaps the first historically known intellectual movement...

Finally got around to reading "Pirate Enlightenment" by David Graeber. At a high-level, it resonates with some of the themes...

Finally got around to reading "Pirate Enlightenment" by David Graeber. At a high-level, it resonates with some of the themes explored in the "The Dawn of Everything". Specifically, his broader project to "decolonize the enlightenment" and demystify the origin of its ideals.

Fun (pirates!) and provoking. In several instances he alludes to other books that he was planning to write and publish. Made for a bittersweet read.

#reading #books #DavidGraeber

Have been listening to Green House's latest album almost non stop since its release a couple of weeks ago. "Everything is...

Have been listening to Green House's latest album almost non stop since its release a couple of weeks ago. "Everything is Okay" sits so well these days.

https://green-house.bandcamp.com/album/a-host-for-all-kinds-of-life

#ambient #music #BandcampFriday

"Humility says, “I did not earn my station.” Even if you worked hard for it, did you earn the capacity to work hard? Humility is a...

"Humility says, “I did not earn my station.” Even if you worked hard for it, did you earn the capacity to work hard? Humility is a side effect of seeing things as they truly are. The humble also refuse to blame themselves for circumstances beyond their control."

https://charleseisenstein.substack.com/p/privilege-and-fortune-a-confucian

"So much so that it can be startling, if also invigorating and life-giving, to encounter someone who will break the script and deal...

"So much so that it can be startling, if also invigorating and life-giving, to encounter someone who will break the script and deal with you as a person in fullest sense—by taking the time to regard you with kindness and respect, by offering a simple gesture of help or courtesy born out of deliberate attentiveness, by conveying care through the words they speak to us and how they are delivered. "

https://theconvivialsociety.substack.com/p/render-unto-the-machine

I believe this is why #solarpunk has become, to a degree, so captivating. Much of it is about aesthetics, which is no less important than...

I believe this is why #solarpunk has become, to a degree, so captivating. Much of it is about aesthetics, which is no less important than its other elements.

Why is this imagery from Ghibli movies so alluring? It reminds us of the human scale. Environments designed and built *for* and *by* its inhabitants - an imprint of their personality and intricacies.

Much has been said about the current "enshitification" of aesthetics, and I find Alexander's diagnosis quite adequate.

#studioghibli

“Freedom is acquired by conquest, not by gift. It must be pursued constantly and responsibly. Freedom is not an ideal located outside of...

“Freedom is acquired by conquest, not by gift. It must be pursued constantly and responsibly. Freedom is not an ideal located outside of man; nor is it an idea which becomes myth. It is rather the indispensable condition for the quest for human completion.”

This one stuck with me from this morning.

#freedom #PauloFreire

"One of the very largest problems that is facing the Earth now is rarely mentioned, and that is the spread of ugliness. By the...

"One of the very largest problems that is facing the Earth now is rarely mentioned, and that is the spread of ugliness. By the standards of the 20th century it sounds like a rather trivial and unimportant issue. It's not (...). Anything can only be made right if it is done slowly and with care and by people who know the immediate vicinity."

- #ChristopherAlexander

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o6q1dDAv6zY

Starting this book today - Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Opressed".Intrigued by the introductory thoughts in the foreword on...

Starting this book today - Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Opressed".

Intrigued by the introductory thoughts in the foreword on the ills of sectarianism (both Left and Right) and how it impedes the emancipation of all.

Likewise, I'm unveiling motifs similar to those in Erich Fromm's "Escape from Freedom", a favorite of mine.

#reading #books #PauloFreire

He insists that living within limits cannot be reduced to an individual endeavor but rather become a collective project, particularly...

He insists that living within limits cannot be reduced to an individual endeavor but rather become a collective project, particularly because most do not have the opportunity for self-limitation and are instead "limited" by society. Here he expands on the need for a culture of limits, as well as moving beyond a Malthusian interpretation of limits.

I'm excited to explore some of his ideas further, particularly on self-limitation, in long form over at https://metanoia.is.

#malthus #degrowth

This was the first book by Kallis that I've read, and I found his style refreshing. In hindsight I should have picked up the english...

This was the first book by Kallis that I've read, and I found his style refreshing. In hindsight I should have picked up the english version, but the translation was fine.

Something that stood out for me was his transparency, as well as his effort to tie up loose ends throughout the book. I appreciated his thoughts on self-limitation and its relation to abundance and freedom, while acknowledging that right now such a capability comes as a privilege.

I would recommend this book to someone looking to understand some of the philosophical underpinnings of #degrowth. This is something that I...

I would recommend this book to someone looking to understand some of the philosophical underpinnings of #degrowth. This is something that I found lacking in other books on degrowth that I've read such as "Less is More" or "The Future is Degrowth", which I find makes the case harder to digest.

#JasonHickel

Finished this one — I enjoyed it and will refer to it occasionally. I share several of Kallis' thoughts, though parts of the book were...

Finished this one — I enjoyed it and will refer to it occasionally. I share several of Kallis' thoughts, though parts of the book were challenging and provocative, which I deeply appreciate.

I expected the book to go over #degrowth in some capacity but I think it isn't even mentioned. The book is more of philosophical treatise on limits, self-limitation, as well as a critique of the traditional interpretation of Malthus' "*An Essay on the Principle of Population".*

#GiorgosKallis

"This is what David called a revolution. He said revolution is not when palaces are seized or governments are overthrown, but when we...

"This is what David called a revolution. He said revolution is not when palaces are seized or governments are overthrown, but when we change the ideas of what is common sense."

https://www.resilience.org/stories/2023-06-28/learning-from-david-graeber/

#DavidGraeber

Nevertheless, I enjoy this lack of "gamification" in Mastodon. The tradeoffs are evident, such as the challenges to...

Nevertheless, I enjoy this lack of "gamification" in Mastodon. The tradeoffs are evident, such as the challenges to discoverability, but the overall discourse feels more human and authentic.

I've grown weary of the high speed and algorithmic nature of social media, so this "slowness" of Mastodon is appreciated.

Ultimately, I feel like I have the tools here to be in control of the experience. I cannot say this to be true of Twitter for some years now.

Yet, in this regard I've found the mechanics (constraints to some) of #mastodon and early #twitter to make this more adequate for...

Yet, in this regard I've found the mechanics (constraints to some) of #mastodon and early #twitter to make this more adequate for #microblogging.

I find that over the years Twitter lost this fit for microblogging to a more gamified version of the experience. I mostly stopped tweeting around this time because I didn't enjoy the "game".

I do wonder how much of this is specific to Twitter versus the broader mainstream/corporate internet culture as it evolved throughout the years.