Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 10:17:59 -0500 (EST)
From: George Free <aw570-AT-freenet.toronto.on.ca>
Subject: Re: ...becoming...


On Wed, 19 Feb 1997, Ariosto Raggo wrote:

> Lyotard in "The sublime and the Avant-Garde" with regards to the *now*
> writes that it is "what dismantles consciousness, what deposes
> consciousness, it is what consciousness cannot formulate, and even what
> consciousness forgets in order to constitute itself." 'It' is that which
> elludes consciousness in so far as consc. is trying to bring a
> synthesizing imposition on matter(in the sense of multiplicity of
> sensations) and thereby construct a concept or representation rather
> than allowing that which is perceived to appear for itself. this letting
> go of our synthesizing will is just what makes room for an "apparition"
> and not some kind of conceptual art form reducing the play of constant
> becoming.

	Thanks for your post. Maybe I should look at Lyotard again. I 
think a lot would depend on what Lyotard meant by "matter" and on his 
philosophy of "materialism" in general. Presumably, he is not invoking a 
crude materialism of the empiricist variety. Something coming out of the 
Marxist tradition from a Heideggerian perspective with a dose of Western 
mysticism? Quite a brew!	
	What I don't like about Lyotard (and Deleuze as well) is that 
they tend to give priority to the philosophical tradition over and above 
the tradition of practice (in this case artisitic) to which they refer. 
Thats not to say that I reject their work--I find it very stimiluating at 
times--but to point out that it is very important not to get lost in this 
world of philosophical self-reference and to stay connected with our own 
experience of life and work(s). In this connection, I think it is 
important that we do not simply adopt their literary-philosophical lingo, 
but try to fashion our own words out of our own need and response to our 
life and times. 

cheers,
George


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