Date:        Wed, 18 Jan 95 10:22:16 EST
From: Karen Ocana <CXKO-AT-musica.mcgill.ca>
Subject: Re[2]: Nietzsche, Spinoza, tranquil atheism


>May i suggest that when Deleuze speaks of a tranquil atheism as
>being an atheism for which the death of God is not a problem he is
>saying that we need not mourn the loss. This does not necessarily mena
>we should not attempt to destruct christianity, like Deleuze wishes
>to totally destruct the negative of the hegelian (christian)
>dialectic. Nietzsche's atheism, for Deleuze, is tranquil thus in that
>we feel nothing of the bite of bad conscience when we tear christian
>values to pieces, no nostalgia for the loss of our humane, christian
>morality!!
>
>Oh, i agree with Karen that neither Nietzsche nor Spinoza wish to
>do away with 'belief'. But they remain atheist; they preach the
>atheistic religion.
>
Hm. I don't think I was saying Nietzsche and Spinoza don't wish to
do away with belief--athough that term, belief, rings bells, it
sounds somehow WIP?ish. And if they're preaching an atheistic
religion they haven't done away with the priest at all, at all,
have they? I hope you don't mean that. The joy of thinking, and
"being shot through by gods" (in erik's words, whose post in
response to Landa I found thoroughly refreshing and inspiring)
can't be quite like preaching an atheistic religion. Although,
hold it, those Buddhist monks, I guess they fall into the category
of preachers too--preachers of sorts, preachers and practitioners.
Deleuze, on the other hand, refers to what he does as pedagogy
(could it be in WIP?; let's see, what have I been reading lately?
could it be in _Nomad Thought_? or in _Chaosmosis_ for that matter?
Dunno.), which has a softer, less authoritarian sound. After all,
we need teachers, all kinds of teachers, we learn in all sorts of
ways; but i'd rather learn froma teacher than a preacher, any day.
Or become one. I like the part in _D&R_ that talks about learning.
It's time to reread that thing, and learn more about creative praxis.
>chris
         karen

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