Greetings!
I hope the semester break went well for everyone. Now that we're back in session, I'd like to re-establish the Spinoza+ reading group, which began last year. Originally, this reading group was intended to acquaint members of the Topological Media Lab with the philosophical framework underlying the Plant Life Support System project. The goal was to trace certain 'systems theory'-related modes of thought from Spinoza, to cybernetician Gregory Bateson, through to Félix Guattari and even more contemporary thinkers.
As it stands, just a small group of us have managed to meet bi-weekly, and we have only managed to get to Section IV of Spinoza's "The Ethics". Nonetheless, many of you have expressed interest in the text, or the discussions, or both. What I'd like to propose for this winter semester is a weekly meeting, starting this coming Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2pm, at TML. We will begin with Spinoza again, so if you or anyone you know is interested in becoming familiar with Baruch's magnum opus, please don't hesitate to get involved. The version we are using is the Penguin Paperback edition, translated by Edwin Curley.
By the end of February we will be moving on to Bateson's work on what he calls "Ecology of Mind". It is heavily influenced by Spinoza, as will become evident when we read the essay, "Form, Substance and Difference".
From there, I would like to pass the job of leading our weekly sessions on to someone else, perhaps someone well-acquainted with Guattari, Deleuze and other authors who weave the conceptual threads we have been discovering over the past year.
If you would like to join in via Skype, that can be arranged. And if you have any suggestions or questions, please email or call me. Otherwise, I hope to see a mix of familiar and new faces next Wednesday at 2pm in EV 7.725.
Affectionately,
Laura
514-979-7079