Course: Belonging again - An Address with O.G. ROSE

Class 1 - DRAWING ATTENTION TO LEAVING PLATO’S CAVE

Sunday July 7th, 11am PDT (Los Angeles), 2pm EDT (New York), 8pm CET (Paris)

Considerations: Pages 1-85 (Book 1, Chapters I and II).

Gathering: We will start by considering Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and a hanging question that focusing on might help us frame the main concerns of Belonging Again. We will then discuss “The Bestow Centrism” which Nietzsche critiques, as well as consider an odd episode at the start of The Republic that leads into a critical question: “How does anyone come to understand that it really matters to understand what really matters?” (which we might associate with Zak Stein’s imperative for us to cultivate “an eye of value”). This will lead us into considering neurodiversity and/or “mentidiversity,” which will bring us into considering Attention, Affliction, Gravity, and Grace, all categories of Simone Weil, in light of Game Theory and “The Meta-Crisis.”

Assignments: Think about how you might “leave Plato’s Cave on your own” if nobody came for you. Is that even possible? Also, consider how you convince or “show” people that it’s important to care and identify “what really matters.” Lastly, what are your thoughts on the state of the world today? Feel free to bring thoughts to class or post them online to the class.

CLASS 2 – PREPARATION FOR OUR RIVER-HOLE IN LIGHT OF THE SINGULARITY

Sunday July 14th, 11am PDT (Los Angeles), 2pm EDT (New York), 8pm CET (Paris)

Considerations: Pages 85-155 (Book 1, Chapters III and IV)

Gathering: We will discuss how rationality “always already” exists situated relative to a nonrationality (which we might at the onset experience as “irrationality”), but knowing that rationality must be limited then changes what is rational (rationality always “absorbs,” we might say), a point that suggests the “Fre(Q) Theory” of Alex Ebert. We will also discuss that if we can only define “rationality” relative to what is “visible,” experienceable, and “plannable,” we will likely be “captured” (Deleuze) and unable to navigate various Dynamics which seek to control us (Kafkaesque). This will bring us to the work of Cadell Last on the “Technological Singularity” and Systems & Subjects, which can then be thought with the work of Stanley Rosen on Nihilism, the “faithful presence” of Dr. James Hunter, and “Zones of Unknowability” as described by Richard Boothby. If all of these are possible in human experience, the question that then follows (reminiscent of phenomenology) is: “What kind of being must the human be to be capable of lack, beauty…?”

Assignments: What do you think “thinking” is for? What do you think might be the difference between “preparing” and “planning?” Is technology an opportunity or a threat? How do you think humans can change the world or is it even possible for humans to so act?

CLASS 3– THE PROBLEM OF SCALE

Sunday July 21st, 11am PDT (Los Angeles), 2pm EDT (New York), 8pm CET (Paris)

Considerations: Pages 156-213 (Book 2, Chapters I, II, and III)

Gathering: We will consider if “the problem of spreading Childhood” or “elevating consciousness” might take care of itself, which is ultimately “the problem of scale,” and we will do so while considering “The Game B and Dark Renaissance Debate.” We will also describe why problem-solving has a natural advantage over problem-prevention, and why Global Pluralism is so difficult without relying on a “system” which, for good and for bad, removes “the human element.” We will also touch on topics of “the rationality of freedom relative to ethics,” how humans naturally seek spaces of limited hermeneutical possibility, why diversity tends to lead to systemization, and the work of Georffrey West on “laws of scale” which might be “accelerating us to death”…

Assignments: Should we even worry about “spreading” anything? Do you think “pathos” is something we can solve or something we must learn to manage? Why are why not? What do you think a system might look like which facilitated negotiation versus replaced “the human element” with systemization?

CLASS 4 – RHETORIC, DISCOURSE, AND SOCIOECONOMICS

Sunday July 28th, 11am PDT (Los Angeles), 2pm EDT (New York), 8pm CET (Paris)

Considerations: Pages 213-394 (Book 2, Chapter IV and the First Half of Chapter V)

Gathering: A key distinction of Belonging Again (Part II) is between Rhetoric, which is inspired by Deirdre McCloskey, and Discourse, which we can associate with Kafka and Frankfurt theories on the construction of the subject. The fate of a people is strongly tied to how they talk, and we will also discuss Jonathan Rauch to make this case on the criticality of “freeing speech.” This will bring us to the topic of “high order” and “low order” causality, and the ramifications the Rhetoric/Discourse distinction could have for economics, mainly in bringing into focus questions on what constitutes “demand.”

Assignment: Does free speech matter? What does speaking do to us beyond merely expressing our opinions? Is relationship possible without communication and speaking? Do we think economics is impacted by what people talk about?

CLASS 5 – ENABLEMENT, ABSOLUTE HISTORY, FORGIVENESS, AND BIRDS

Sunday August 4th, 11am PDT (Los Angeles), 2pm EDT (New York), 8pm CET (Paris)

Considerations: Pages 394-594 (Book 2, The Second Half of Chapter V and Chapter VI)

Discussion: There is reason to think that socioeconomics is undergoing “a great stagnation,” either in the way described by Keynes or in the sense of a weakening middle class. There is also growing “disablement,” as described by Ivan Illich, which could be considered with “the birth of boredom” found in the work of Patricia Meyer Spacks, all of which come together to suggest we are an age that has ignored Thymos to our peril. This weakens us to properly respond to the challenge of Nick Land, which also requires us to consider “Otherness” and how we might approach it if “the interiority” made possible by literacy (as described by Dr. Anton) isn’t to divide from humanity and evolutionarily continue through AI without us. To rise to this occasion, we must learn how to forgive and change “conditions of possibility” under “The Capital-Nation-State” of Karatani. In other words, we must learn to look to the birds of the air…

Assignments: Does the system disable or enable us today? Do we accept “The Great Stagnation” thesis? What are good forms of boredom and what are bad forms of boredom? Should we turn off Artificial Intelligence or let it run its course? How should we be prepared for a world where the use of AI is widespread?

O.G. Rose is a pen name consisting of Michelle’s maiden, middle, and their shared last name. While at the University of Virginia, Rose spent several years working collaboratively with other artists at Eunoia, a creative community Rose helped develop in Charlottesville, Virginia. Rose now lives on a farm, manages a wedding venue named Mead Lake, operates Frozen Glory Photography, and teaches piano using visuals from Rose's Pattern Method.

A finalist for the 2020 UNO Press Lab Prize and 46th Pushcart Nominee, Rose’s creative works appear at The Write Launch, Allegory Ridge, Streetlight Magazine, Ponder Review, Iowa Review online, The William and Mary Review, Assure Press, Toho Journal online, West Trade Review, ellipsis, Poydras Review, O:JA&L, Burningword, and Broken Pencil. Their published books include The Conflict of Mind (2021), Thoughts (2022), Belonging Again: Part I (2023), Second Thought (2023), and Belonging Again: Part II.1 (2024).

To learn more, please check out their website. Also, those who sign up for the class will receive digital copies of all books by O.G. Rose.