209 replies to this topic

[You Play to Win the Game]

Interesting essay from Hubert Dreyfus of Cal-Berkeley on Kierkegaard’s essay on the Reflective Age back in the 1800's.  http://socrates.berk...ierkegaard.html

[You Play to Win the Game]

From that link:

 

More basically still, that the Public Sphere lies outside of political power meant, for Kierkegaard, that one could hold an opinion on anything without having to act on it. This opens up the possibility of endless reflection. If there is no possibility of decision and action, one can look at all things from all sides and always find some new perspective from which to put everything into question again. Kierkegaard saw, when everything is up for endless critical commentary, action finally becomes impossible. "[A]t any moment reflection is capable of explaining everything quite differently and allowing one some way of escape...." (42) He is therefore clear that "reflection by transforming the capacity for action into a means of escape from action, is both corrupt and dangerous...."(68) Therefore the motto Kierkegaard suggested for the Press was: "Here men are demoralized in the shortest possible time on the largest possible scale, at the cheapest possible price."

 

Kierkegaard would surely have seen in the Internet, with its web sites full of anonymous information from all over the world and its interest groups which anyone in the world can join and where one can discuss any topic endlessly without consequences, the hi-tech synthesis of the worst features of the newspaper and the coffee house. On their web page anyone can put any alleged information into circulation. Kierkegaard could have been speaking of the Internet when he said of the Press, "It is frightful that someone who is no one ... can set any error into circulation with no thought of responsibility and with the aid of this dreadful disproportioned means of communication" (Journals and Papers, Vol. 2, p 481.) And in interest groups anyone can have an opinion on anything. In both cases, all are only too eager to respond to the equally deracinated opinions of other anonymous amateurs who post their views from nowhere. Such commentators do not take a stand on the issues they speak about. Indeed, the very ubiquity of the Net generally makes any such local stand seem irrelevant.

 

I've done some philosophy research, but never gotten into Kierkegaard's work before now. It is amazing that he has nailed everything wrong with the internet, in a round about way, in the 1800's before it even existed.

[NewMarketSean]

http://pitchfork.com...ounce-big-tour/

 

Philly in March, DC in August.

 

I might try to go to both. Tickets on sale November 22.

[mweb08]

http://pitchfork.com...ounce-big-tour/
 
Philly in March, DC in August.
 
I might try to go to both. Tickets on sale November 22.

I'll go to the Philly show for sure.

[Pedro Cerrano]

8/8 at the Gorge. Same weekend the Mariners are home. Hmmmmm......

[mweb08]

Got my tickets for Philly!

[You Play to Win the Game]

How's everyone feeling about the album a few weeks later?

[mweb08]

How's everyone feeling about the album a few weeks later?

 

I like it a lot, but I think I'd rank it last among their albums.

[You Play to Win the Game]

I like it a lot, but I think I'd rank it last among their albums.

 

I bet this would be the consensus.

 

For me, it's my favorite, I absolutely love the message and what it's all about.

 

What knocks it down to last for you, the musical elements, or the lyrical?

[mweb08]

I bet this would be the consensus.

 

For me, it's my favorite, I absolutely love the message and what it's all about.

 

What knocks it down to last for you, the musical elements, or the lyrical?

 

Musical. The lyrics are at least as good as the others IMO, but that' not as important to me as the music is.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Musical. The lyrics are at least as good as the others IMO, but that' not as important to me as the music is.

 

It usually isn't as important, but with Arcade Fire, it tends to be - they just are on a whole new level lyrically, IMO. BTW, I would agree that musically, it'd be last.

[Pedro Cerrano]

1)  Suburbs

2)  Neon Bible

3)  Reflektor

4)  Funeral

 

I think the album as a whole is great.  The only songs I could do without are the Eurydice and Orpheus ones at the start of disc 2.  Disc 1 is completely sublime and the end of disc 2 is great as well.

[You Play to Win the Game]

1)  Suburbs

2)  Neon Bible

3)  Reflektor

4)  Funeral

 

I think the album as a whole is great.  The only songs I could do without are the Eurydice and Orpheus ones at the start of disc 2.  Disc 1 is completely sublime and the end of disc 2 is great as well.

 

Having seen the movie Black Orpheus, I actually don't mind Eurydice and Orpheus as much, but it seems a bit out of place with the rest of it, so I can understand that criticism. I also agree that dist 1 is completely sublime.

[mweb08]

1)  Suburbs

2)  Neon Bible

3)  Reflektor

4)  Funeral

 

I think the album as a whole is great.  The only songs I could do without are the Eurydice and Orpheus ones at the start of disc 2.  Disc 1 is completely sublime and the end of disc 2 is great as well.

 

I actually really like Awful Sound and I think "It's Never Over" is solid, but too long.

 

It's hard for me to rank the first 3 albums because I love them all and can go back and forth on them, but I guess I'd go with:

 

Funeral

Suburbs

Neon Bible

Reflector

[NewMarketSean]

I haven't felt compelled to listen to it all that much lately but that's mostly because I dont have the ability to listen to my iPod in my car and I am too lazy to burn a CD. I heard a lot of it on Sirius before the album came out and after, so while I do want to let it sink in more, I feel like I have listened to it enough to form an opinion on it.

 

It's probably my least favorite of their albums thus far but the separation between each of them is so small. 

 

I do, however, think this album will make for an awesome live experience.

 

Buying tickets tomorrow.

[NewMarketSean]

Just got two floor tickets for the 8/17 show in DC.

 

Crazy that it's so far away.

[Pedro Cerrano]

So I've listened to "Reflektor" enough where I can safely say that I'd rank it last amongst Arcade Fire's albums. Not that this is a bad thing. I'm not even disappointed. It's still a great great record, it just had a lot of expectations to live up to thanks to its predecessors. Joe DiMaggio isn't always replaced with Mickey Mantle...

 

Suburbs

Neon Bible

Funeral

Reflektor

[You Play to Win the Game]

Arcade Fire is the musical guest on Fallon tonight. 

[mweb08]

A little over a week away from the Philly concert!

 

Here's how they started their U.S. tour:http://www.rollingst...opener-20140307

[NewMarketSean]

Thought about going to the Philly show and making an epic St Paddys Day out of it all but decided to go to DC show instead. Sucks I have to wait 5 more months though!