On Feb 19, 2008, at 1:03 PM, Dwayne Monroe wrote:
> I've been reading Abu Hartal's "ass kicking", "name taking" posts and
> wondering why it's so common for leftists (and not just the silver
> tongued AH) to accuse other leftists of being
It's been a year and a half since this passage was last posted to this list:
> Duccio Trombadori: But still apropos of polemics, you have also
> stated clearly that you don't like and will not accept those kinds
> of arguments "which mimic war and parody justice." Could you
> explain to me more clearly what you meant by saying this?
>
> Michel Foucault: What is tiresome in ideological arguments is that
> one is necessarily swept away by the "model of war." That is to say
> that when you find yourself facing someone with ideas different
> from your own, you are always led to identify that person as an
> enemy (of your class, your society, etc.). And we know that it is
> necessary to wage combat against the enemy until triumphing over
> him. This grand theme of ideological struggle has really disturbed
> me. First of all because the theoretical coordinates of each of us
> are often, no, always, confused and fluctuating, especially if they
> are observed in their genesis.
>
> Furthermore: might not this "struggle" that one tries to wage
> against the "enemy" only be a way of making a petty dispute without
> much importance seem more serious than it really is? I mean, don't
> certain intellectuals hope to lend themselves greater political
> weight with their "ideological struggle" than they really have? A
> book is consumed very quickly, you know. An article, well.... What
> is more serious: acting out a struggle against the "enemy," or
> investigating, together or perhaps divergently, the important
> problems that are posed? And then I'll tell you: I find this "model
> of war" not only a bit ridiculous but also rather dangerous.
> Because by virtue of saying or thinking "I'm fighting against the
> enemy," if one day you found yourself in a position of strength,
> and in a situation of real war, in front of this blasted "enemy,"
> wouldn't you actually treat him as one?