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Western ethnomusicology is a philosophical quagmire. Music scholars are not usually well versed in philosophy. Confidence and sometimes intransigence in their views is often demonstrated – but as they say ‘fools rush in …’. There has always been close connection between philosophy and music. Many modern Western musicologists trace this relationship back to ancient Greece and Plato . Others trace it to Pythagoras. The idea that music and harmony reflect something important about the universe is attributed to Pythagoras….
Mark Sleboda let his underwear show in his podcast with Garland Nixon, revealing his deep contempt for Africa. The depth of this contempt affects his global analysis so one has to believe that he is in fact influenced by underlying racism, He says that Russia/Soviet intervention in Africa was a ‘waste’ at 36.00. For Sleboda Russia poured money and assets into Africa and ‘all of it was wasted’. Russia and Africa? One could go back many centuries but lets…
Following the myths about ‘rationality’, discussed previously, there is a consequential myth about the Western Enlightenment. In this narrative, the Enlightenment was about the rise of ‘reason’ and the project of reforming the world in accordance with it. There was at this point two clever and deliberate misconstructions. In its origin, ‘the light of reason’ was a spiritual faculty, but almost secular in that it did not subordinate itself to a clerical institution. It mirrored in status one’s individual…
There is a myth that Western culture is based on rationality. It is, according to this myth, because of the rationality of the Western mind, that Western culture produced all the great wonders of the modern world from culture to modern industry to modern arms. The rest of the world is characterised by a lack of rationality. Even in this decade Western philosophers can give talks at professional gatherings questioning whether Chinese are ‘rational’. Leigh Jenco suggests a tripartite…
Many Western commentators have described Khamenei’s approach to nuclear weapons as if he was just an old-fashioned cleric and out of touch. We are looking here to put Khamenei’s position into a proper perspective. It is not to argue for or against Khamenei’s position but to suggest that the self congratulatory positIon of Western commentators is misplaced. Let us start with the Manhattan Project. At the time many scientists were persuaded to work on the project on the grounds…
What I have to say does not apply exclusively to Alexander Mercouris (AM) but to most of the Western Commentariat. I am referring to the words of Mercouris in his podcast where he discusses the murder of Kemal Harrazi.: ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtqvH_zAFDw&t=2844s ) AM view is that Israel or Israel and members of Trump’s entourage are seeking to undermine the President’s attempt to seek peace. There is such a fundamental contradiction here that it is breathtaking. If the President cannot…
Many people are assuming that Trump is seeking an off ramp. This is just another deception to encourage people not to fully prepare for a long struggle. The response to every setback has been to double down not to retreat.
Robert Pape is a very subtle propagandist for US militarism. He appears otherwise which is where the subtlety is. He explains how he has gamed and mapped US strategy for decades and even has a protocol for the wars. What does not make sense is that he assumes that US war objectives are say X, but he never is listened to. He then explains the negative consequences when his plans were not listened to. He argues that the goal of…
Western commentators have a seriously misleading description of Israel’s nuclear strategy. One could even say that Western commentators have been playing up the likely effectiveness of Israel’s use of nuclear weapons, i.e. acting as propagandists for Israel. Western commentators are behaving as cheerleaders for Israel’s use of nuclear weapons. Whenever mention is made of Israel’s use of nuclear weapons, it is said as if it were a final action. This is absurd. First of all, the use of nuclear…