E. S. Dallaire's 'Metaphor & Reality'

This one was called 'Let's Take a Break From This Poker Game'. Ordinarily this episode would be exclusive to Patreon, but after recording I decided to distribute it to other podcast platforms just to get the word out that there's a second 'Metaphor & Reality' episode recorded every week, but that it's only available to my Patreon subscribers.

This 'peek' is a bit impromptu, and when I recorded the episode I didn't think I would release it here, but I hope you enjoy it, and, of course – consider becoming a Patreon subscriber! Your support contributes to my work as an independent writer and philosopher – a project which has really only gotten underway over the past month or so. If you join up you'll be taking part in it from the beginning, and most assuredly, your early subscription is much appreciated! Check out the link below.

Just making sure I'm not taking for granted that I even know what it is to 'do' philosophy, in this episode. We touch upon, or maybe even take our cue from, Plato's 'Symposium' [correction: from 'Phaedrus'], and then also mention the work of a modern day philosopher named Eva Brann, and specifically her book on Heraclitus, as we briefly mention too Aristotle's Analytics, and his difficulties when accounting for the derivation of first principles. As ever, E. S. Dallaire shares a few of his own thoughts on the matter.

The question is inspired by the contemporary philosophical landscape as found on social media and also in the academy, which seems to have split into two opposing camps, each with their own idea of what relationship exists between motivated (ie. politically or socially motivated) philosophical or general inquiry, and philosophical truth with a capital 'T'. For the one side, traditionally where Marx is found and propounded, the two are one and the same; for the other, philosophical motivation and discovery of truth is and always has been removed from the incidental, material conditions of the moment in which it is formalized. For the host of this podcast series, E. S. Dallaire, this debate was once again brought to his attention within the last couple days, and as he analyzes both sides of the debate in this episode, all he really wants to do is express himself honestly, and do right, philosophically, by his readers and listeners moving forward with his own project, which involves this podcast series and also a series of philosophical chapbooks.

Beginning with a bit of a discussion as to whether a philosopher should bring the advances of modern scientific practice into his/her philosophy, or else leave them be, as they are a product of a global industrial complex, and what once were their (the scientists') pure motivations and aspiration for knowledge and truth have been reduced to data analysis for the sake of business advances, so are not in keeping with the philosophical spirit searching after knowledge with a capital 'T' (truth). The discussion then moves on, as per the title of the episode, to a compare / contrast of Jung's and Lacan's psychoanalytical theories, and E. S. Dallaire reads out a passage he's written on the matter, and talks a bit about his own philosophical project.

What's the Platonic dialogue where Socrates gives reasons for why he doesn't trust writing, or more precisely the product of writers working so carefully to 'beautify' their phrases, as if that would make them more true? Was it 'Phaedrus'? I know he mentions the faults or limits or common motivations for writing in that one. . . Anyways, it's no matter: the point is, going with what he was saying, what I mean to convey in this episode is that the extemporaneous nature of the podcast medium may be perfect for advancing philosophy—specifically, for 'enlivening' it once again, by bringing it out of those dusty tomes which line our shelves and back into common discourse! Only, it is important to remember that one must still speak with the caution of the philosopher, and not get swept away by the excitement of the conversation.

A so-called 'sense-making' apparatus is rapidly emerging online, these days, and for the most part it seems to be an organic process. But what may be the next step these independent intellectuals, who could be said to comprise the various nodes of this emerging network, as representatives of their respective domains of inquiry and discipline, take, in order to begin to apply their common theoretical points of agreement in the physical, non-digital world, in an effort to effect real change? Are they the ones who should take this next step toward application?

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', E. S. Dallaire wonders whether psychoanalytic theory really has so much to say that would be of benefit to philosophers.

The Politics of Sexual Difference - Slavoj Žižek, Mladen Dolar, and Alenka Zupančič:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R7SCY5zVLg

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', E. S. Dallaire describes how Honoré de Balzac's 'Lost Illusions', and particularly one of its characters, Étienne Lousteau, calls into question a young artist's ambitions and dreams of celebrity and glory and wealth.

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', E. S. Dallaire talks about Honoré de Balzac's novel 'Lost Illusions', and draws a comparison between Balzac's work, in this novel and in general, and James Cameron's 'Titanic'.

E. S. Dallaire's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire

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In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', E. S. Dallaire debates whether he wants to invest the time required to understand 'Aion', part two of volume nine of Carl Jung's collected works.