User:Lassebosch/reading writing methodologies/2 Trimester

Cultural Hegemony

16-01-2013

Synopsis Marx and Engels:

Marx and Engles speculates on classes and their conception of themselves. More specifically it is elaborated how, trough rationalization, historical and philosophical references it is possible for the ruling class to justify and argue for their dominancy. Opposing the ruling class is, in cases, is the gathering of a revolutionary class, which, if successful, manages to gather opinions on a broader basis than of the ruling class. Therefore, the authors argues, clashes between ruling class and non-ruling class constantly become more radical.

Gramsci, in three parts:

I) History of the Subaltern class
It is described how the ruling class functions as a unity between the political society and the and the Civil society. On the other hand subaltern classes "are not unified and cannot unify until they become a state". By building formation (given by changes in the economic capacities) the subaltern classes attempts to influence the state and will ultimately assimilate with the formation of political parties. Gramsci notes two paths to obtain supremacy: by dominancy (force) or by intellectual and moral leadership.

II) The concept of ideology
Ideology meaning the investigation or the origins of ideas would eventually lead to "sensations" as being the fundament upon which these are built. Gramsci argues that the mobilizing power the promise of ideas/sensation should not be neglected, and rather than seen as a distinct part of the structure, it should be regarded as a superstructure.

III) Ideological Material
Feeding the "ideological front" and maintaing the structure of a dominant class is various parts, namely the press: publishing, but also other elements which shapes the dominant and established structure: schools, libraries, associations, etc.

Make notes on how Gramsci developed Marx’s idea

Gramsci elaborates on Marx's theory:

- Subaltern clases either assimilate (become part of the state) or revolts
- The notion of the sensations as being essential is underlined
- How and by what procedures a dominant class or a class in formation maintains or develops its hegemony: press, institutions, associations, state-structures

Posit your own definition for cultural hegemony

The structure is maintained and sustained by elements within. The elements would be those who shape the ideas of why, exactly this structure is superior. These elements are embedded and distributed in the structure to an extent that every individual is enrolled and subscribes to the ideas of the structure.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHH

my eyes ARE BLEEDING! TO MUCH SCREEN-STARING TODAY

MUST SEEK MEDICAL ASSISTANCE [OUCH! YES! TAKE A BREAK! - S]

Speculate on how cultural hegemony might operate in the contemporary world.

- Rupert Murdoch media-empire, News Corp hacking scandal - political links/refs

The Guardian Angel

02:00, 23 January 2013 (CET)

A Guardian angel is a supernatural being sent from 'the above' to protect an individual or a group of persons from surrounding dangers and pitfalls. The angel is assigned to guard when its protectee is weak and exposed, and set to lead a clear path trough the darkness. Your guardian angel will help you to a safer life, where danger is either avoided or neutralized, and the fog of the future has been evaporated by a bright beam of glorious light.

Project Guardian Angels (GA) is a concept in development as a part of the FET (Future and Emerging Technologies) under the European Union. Envisioned is the development of technologies of ever more compact and streamlined character, that slips seamlessly into our daily lives; "Inserted into the fabric of our clothing or in a simple bracelet, for example, these systems will enable us to monitor our health, prevent accidents and go about our daily lives with peace of mind." As the immaterial nature of the guardian angel, GA strives towards same invisible yet potential features. A seamless integration of monitoring technologies will allow prediction of future scenarios, where GA will guide you to the safest path.

The cybernetic dream is slowly becoming reality, and while multiple strands of project GA would be interesting points for venturing into the simulacrum, my pick is the itching urge for a super-structural monitoring of the 'subjects'.

Battlefield: Overview
When engaging in computer games of the 'strategy' genre, managing certain parameters successfully are essential to emerge victoriously. One of these central parameters is having a full overview and understanding of all available input.

Overview includes: (unfinished list!)
1) geographical structure of the terrain you are maneuvering, where can different units be allocated gaining most geographical benefits? A guerrilla-fighters preferred zone of fighting would in one case be in close contact with civilians and urban areas, while the military bomber aircraft would be most efficient in areas delivering direct visual contact with the enemy.

2) allocation and ability of your units. Are your forces spread to capture certain points of interests, does there exist any consistent 'front' - have you chosen a path of nitration? Also important is to consider the combination of unit-types. Joining two different types of units in a simultaneous attack might prove more efficient than attacking with identical unit-types, since they can support each others weaknesses and gain from each others strengths.

3) status, here referring to mentally and physically conditions of your units. This point proves to be an extremely important factor to consider. Withdrawing wounded units, maybe even a whole 'front' can in cases be more preferable than spoiling these leaving you with the total loss of valuable resources.

Linking GA and Overview
From a technical perspective multiple linkages between the strategic considerations of the battlefield and project GA are to be found. In a hegemonic line of thought, one could identify points indicating the 'itching urge for a super-structural monitoring' mentioned above and why this might be preferable for the ruling class.

Imminent is a comparison between status and project GA. While project GA not directly indicates militaristic usage, though Thales Group, the 11th largest defense contractor in the world, is one of the partners 66 partners involved, monitoring units would in this case mean monitoring a population or a group of people within a population. This opens up speculations in questions such as; what is the general condition of an individual? Where are weak groups allocated? What are the conditional flows of the society, ect. These information would potentially be funneled directly to the partners of the project, namely large state institutions and huge corporate giants, who in turn will be able to simultaneously, even predictable, map a status-overview of individuals under the holy monitoring of the guardian angel. If this would be the case, then the preservation of a hegemonic-structure is apparent; "the one who controls the spice data controls the universe".

MAYBE CHAPTER PART IN LONGER MORE COHERENT RESEARCH ON FET? (GA just being one of the future scenarios)