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In Principles of Political Economy (1848) John Stuart Mills suggested that a ‘stationary state’ –... more In Principles of Political Economy (1848) John Stuart Mills suggested that a ‘stationary state’ – and not the permanent pursuit of economic growth – is a desirable condition.The richest and most prosperous countries,’ he thought, would arrive at the ‘stationary state’ soon. That was more than 170 years ago. Things didn’t quite turn out that way. What happened? What do you think of the idea today?

El sintagma de la “autoficción como un deseo incontenible de bios” opera como un derivado del cap... more El sintagma de la “autoficción como un deseo incontenible de bios” opera como un derivado del capítulo 14 del libro de Patricia López-Gay titulado Ficciones de verdad donde la autora explora, desde la crítica literaria, el fenómeno llamado giro autoficcional en la literatura contemporánea. La autoficción, según López-Gay, son “escrituras vivenciales que instalan la duda epistemológica en la literatura y la historia” (López-Gay, 38) donde el “yo autoral reconstruye reinos de una realidad abiertamente permeable a la ficción”. (López-Gay, 38) Este carácter eminentemente dubitativo de las narrativas auto-ficcionales implica entonces un desdibujamiento de la distinción entre la realidad y la ficción. En cuanto al concepto de bios, este corresponde a un estado de la vida comunitaria que opera como depositaria de la trascendencia vital del autor. En este aspecto, resulta provechoso introducir la distinción que Giorgio Agamben establece entre zoé y bios en Homo Sacer, donde zoé se refiere a la vida biológica en un sentido meramente animal en contraposición a bios que supone tanto una ética de la buena vida como una ontología político-comunitaria del hombre. Es en esta segunda acepción del término bios donde se encuentra verdaderamente el componente óntico de la autoficción en tanto que deseo de afirmar al hombre como un ser comunitariamente inscrito.

At the end of the day, the question is this: is a claim like 'kitten-killing is wrong' true-and-s... more At the end of the day, the question is this: is a claim like 'kitten-killing is wrong' true-and-shup-up (like 'the earth is round') or is it a matter of preference (like 'pecan pie is tasty') or social convention ('like 'you should drive on the right side of the road') or….? And however, you answer, how do you deal with the consequences of that answer?

In Walcott's epic ​ Omeros Major Plunkett is the model of white inclusion in Saint Lucia's nation... more In Walcott's epic ​ Omeros Major Plunkett is the model of white inclusion in Saint Lucia's national identity-the creative identification and construction that is the underlying principle in the book. All new political structures have the need to create "national mythology" to legitimize themselves as independent political nations. The process of national legitimization can be done in different ways: the creation of national symbols such as flags, coat of arms, or national animals; the instrumentalization of history to create narratives with a clear purpose of portraying the national enemy in an exaggerated way; or the use of mythology to codified the new social, political, and cultural structure of the new nation. Is not arbitrary the fact that ​ Omeros is an epic poem, a genre that has been fundamental for the construction of a unifying identity: the ​ Iliad and the ​ Odyssey for the Ancient Greeks, the Aeneid for Rome, ​ The Song of My Cid for Spain, and now ​ Omeros ​ for Saint Lucia , all of them have been imperative aspects of the creation, identification, and construction of a national ethos in their respective nations. This question of identity suggests a process of both exclusion and inclusion that determines the "Us" from the "Others" in relation with who are the individuals that are going to participate or not in the construction of national identity. This process of differentiation is where Dennis Plunkett is situated. Major Plunkett is a WWII veteran from Great Britain that moved with his wife, Maud Plunkett, to Saint Lucia, an island from the Caribbean that was previously colonized by both the French and the British, a colonial past filled with struggle, pain, slavery, and genocide

Hildegard's Materialism vs the Radical Anti-Materialism Of the Cathars The philosopher Gustavo Bu... more Hildegard's Materialism vs the Radical Anti-Materialism Of the Cathars The philosopher Gustavo Bueno once said that " pensar es pensar contra alguien. " In this 1 sense, it is incorrect to interpret Hildegard´s theological project merely as a mystical subjective vision. Rather, the theological system of Hildegard should be regarded, in a polemic sense, as a Catholic attack towards the heretical views of the Cathars, which in Hildegard´s lifetime became "rampant in Cologne and the Upper Rhine valley." Therefore, this essay is going to argue in favor 2 of a materialist conception of Hildegard's theology, in which the worldly is perceived through a positive glance. Furthermore, the Christian materialism of Hildegard is going to be juxtaposed with the radical anti-materialism of the Cathars, which conceives that the worldly is evil.

Antes de iniciar con la comparación resulta imperativo establecer primero los términos del ensayo... more Antes de iniciar con la comparación resulta imperativo establecer primero los términos del ensayo con el fin de clarificar los argumentos del mismo. Primero, la idea que servirá como mediadora para explicar cómo opera la relación autor-personaje tanto en “El Quijote” como en “Niebla” será la de propiedad. Aunque la idea propiedad en principio no sea literaria sino jurídico-moral, esta misma cumple una función metafórica adecuada, en tanto que establece una relación sujeto-objeto extrapolable a la representación del autor (sujeto) como “propietario” de un personaje (objeto). Además, el distanciamiento necesario que ocurre durante la separación entre el propietario y lo apropiado —que implica externalidad— es comparable al aspecto metatextual que sucede entre el autor y los personajes. Dicho esto, el término “propiedad” respecto a la relación autor-personaje se interpretará desde la noción de libertad. Esto es, los límites que tiene el autor y otros de disponer de sus personajes. En ambos autores, esta idea de propiedad se justifica mediante la noción del genio artístico, que en Cervantes emana de su segundo prólogo y que Unamuno discute en su ensayo “Sobre la Lectura e Interpretación del Quijote”, pero que también aparece indirectamente en “Niebla”. En materia estructurativa, el ensayo empezará comparando los prólogos del Quijote con el fin de explicar la emergencia del sentido de propiedad entre el autor y su personaje, a la vez que se analizará la cuestión del genio artístico. Luego se contrastará estas ideas con las de Unamuno, explicando en el proceso las continuidades y discontinuidades entre ambos autores.

It is first necessary to explain the theoretical basis of the opposition between agape and eros t... more It is first necessary to explain the theoretical basis of the opposition between agape and eros to understand how Prince Myshkin serves as the receptacle of this polemical distinction in The Idiot to proceed with the purposes of this essay. This theorization of the conflict between love-agape and love-eros comes from Anders Nygren's magnum opus, Agape and Eros. In a few words, the Lutheran theologian argues that eros emerges from a down-top selfish desire to possess in contrast to agape, which implies a top-down unconditional love towards mankind. Therefore, eros, which entails sexual love, appears as a deviation, while agape is the faithful form of Christian love. In this sense, it is possible to re-interpret the history of the Christian theology of Love through the lens of this conflictual relation. For instance, Abba Evagrius – a theologian closer to Dostoevsky's Orthodox spirit than Nygren – affirms that “the kingdom of heaven is the passionless state of the soul.” (Evagrius, 98) Here, the condition of dispassion (apatheia) serves as the road to agape, as Evagrius asserts that the “offspring of passionlessness is love.” (102) And this love involves “doing good to others,” (113) i.e., the evangelical command to “love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Mark 12:31) In this case, the precondition to reach agape is to eliminate eros through the destruction of passions, which Evagrius frames in terms of desire to obtain. Dostoevsky – a devout Russian Orthodox and reader of the Philokalia – echoes these attacks against possessive love and the promotion of unconditional love through the figure of the "positively beautiful person" (Frank, 129) (id est, Christ-like) Prince Myshkin.

In chapter 3 of Political Theology, the German jurist, Carl Schmitt, declared that “all significa... more In chapter 3 of Political Theology, the German jurist, Carl Schmitt, declared that “all significant concepts of the modern theory of the state are secularized theological concepts.” This idea of the strong connection between modern political ideologies and theological doctrines was not an original one: before Schmitt, the Spanish counter-revolutionary Donoso Cortés - one of Schmitt ́s main influences - also affirmed this thesis in his Essays on Catholicism, Liberalism, and Socialism. Similarly, in the East, Vladimir Soloviev hinted at this relation when he asserted the “link between the ultimately materialist idea of the man-god and the idealistic conception of the human-divine I, as cognizer.” (Kostalevsky, 90) Fyodor Dostoevsky went beyond Soloviev ́s assertion and identified the immanentist inversion of Christianity inherent to nihilism as a secularized version of Roman Catholicism. The following essay explores the mechanisms and implication of this doctrinal inversion and its relation to Catholicism by analyzing Dostoyevsky's opus, primarily Demons and The Brothers Karamazov and secondarily the Idiot. Lastly, the orientation of this essay is not whether Dostoevsky's assertions of Roman Catholicism and nihilism are correct. On the contrary, it is a descriptive analysis of how Dostoevsky understood the connection between political nihilism and theology.

The following essay explores Hannah Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism by emphasizing how her co... more The following essay explores Hannah Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism by emphasizing how her controversial idea of the right to have rights deals with one of the elements that contributed to the rise of totalitarianism, i.e., the decline of the nation-state. I am dividing this essay into three parts for the sake of argumentative clarity and organizational purposes. Part one
analyzes the decadence of the nation-state and its connection to the rise of totalitarianism from an Arendtian perspective by highlighting the relation between this political deterioration and the decay of traditional notions of human dignity. Subsequently, part two focuses on the question of
the right to have rights as a response to this dual and related decadence of the nation-state and human dignity while exploring Stephanie DeGooyer's interpretative framework of the right to have rights as both an analytical tool and a lost right. Lastly, part three ends with an assessment of whether or not the right to have rights serve an operative function in the fight against totalitarian domination through engaging with Arendt's views on the practicality of this philosophical, political, and existential problem. Consequently, this written analysis is not a mere re-explanation of Arendt's positions but a critical and interpretative exploration of the textual material in question.

In Principles of Political Economy (1848) John Stuart Mills suggested that a ‘stationary state’ –... more In Principles of Political Economy (1848) John Stuart Mills suggested that a ‘stationary state’ – and not the permanent pursuit of economic growth – is a desirable condition.The richest and most prosperous countries,’ he thought, would arrive at the ‘stationary state’ soon. That was more than 170 years ago. Things didn’t quite turn out that way. What happened? What do you think of the idea today?

El sintagma de la “autoficción como un deseo incontenible de bios” opera como un derivado del cap... more El sintagma de la “autoficción como un deseo incontenible de bios” opera como un derivado del capítulo 14 del libro de Patricia López-Gay titulado Ficciones de verdad donde la autora explora, desde la crítica literaria, el fenómeno llamado giro autoficcional en la literatura contemporánea. La autoficción, según López-Gay, son “escrituras vivenciales que instalan la duda epistemológica en la literatura y la historia” (López-Gay, 38) donde el “yo autoral reconstruye reinos de una realidad abiertamente permeable a la ficción”. (López-Gay, 38) Este carácter eminentemente dubitativo de las narrativas auto-ficcionales implica entonces un desdibujamiento de la distinción entre la realidad y la ficción. En cuanto al concepto de bios, este corresponde a un estado de la vida comunitaria que opera como depositaria de la trascendencia vital del autor. En este aspecto, resulta provechoso introducir la distinción que Giorgio Agamben establece entre zoé y bios en Homo Sacer, donde zoé se refiere a la vida biológica en un sentido meramente animal en contraposición a bios que supone tanto una ética de la buena vida como una ontología político-comunitaria del hombre. Es en esta segunda acepción del término bios donde se encuentra verdaderamente el componente óntico de la autoficción en tanto que deseo de afirmar al hombre como un ser comunitariamente inscrito.

At the end of the day, the question is this: is a claim like 'kitten-killing is wrong' true-and-s... more At the end of the day, the question is this: is a claim like 'kitten-killing is wrong' true-and-shup-up (like 'the earth is round') or is it a matter of preference (like 'pecan pie is tasty') or social convention ('like 'you should drive on the right side of the road') or….? And however, you answer, how do you deal with the consequences of that answer?

In Walcott's epic ​ Omeros Major Plunkett is the model of white inclusion in Saint Lucia's nation... more In Walcott's epic ​ Omeros Major Plunkett is the model of white inclusion in Saint Lucia's national identity-the creative identification and construction that is the underlying principle in the book. All new political structures have the need to create "national mythology" to legitimize themselves as independent political nations. The process of national legitimization can be done in different ways: the creation of national symbols such as flags, coat of arms, or national animals; the instrumentalization of history to create narratives with a clear purpose of portraying the national enemy in an exaggerated way; or the use of mythology to codified the new social, political, and cultural structure of the new nation. Is not arbitrary the fact that ​ Omeros is an epic poem, a genre that has been fundamental for the construction of a unifying identity: the ​ Iliad and the ​ Odyssey for the Ancient Greeks, the Aeneid for Rome, ​ The Song of My Cid for Spain, and now ​ Omeros ​ for Saint Lucia , all of them have been imperative aspects of the creation, identification, and construction of a national ethos in their respective nations. This question of identity suggests a process of both exclusion and inclusion that determines the "Us" from the "Others" in relation with who are the individuals that are going to participate or not in the construction of national identity. This process of differentiation is where Dennis Plunkett is situated. Major Plunkett is a WWII veteran from Great Britain that moved with his wife, Maud Plunkett, to Saint Lucia, an island from the Caribbean that was previously colonized by both the French and the British, a colonial past filled with struggle, pain, slavery, and genocide

Hildegard's Materialism vs the Radical Anti-Materialism Of the Cathars The philosopher Gustavo Bu... more Hildegard's Materialism vs the Radical Anti-Materialism Of the Cathars The philosopher Gustavo Bueno once said that " pensar es pensar contra alguien. " In this 1 sense, it is incorrect to interpret Hildegard´s theological project merely as a mystical subjective vision. Rather, the theological system of Hildegard should be regarded, in a polemic sense, as a Catholic attack towards the heretical views of the Cathars, which in Hildegard´s lifetime became "rampant in Cologne and the Upper Rhine valley." Therefore, this essay is going to argue in favor 2 of a materialist conception of Hildegard's theology, in which the worldly is perceived through a positive glance. Furthermore, the Christian materialism of Hildegard is going to be juxtaposed with the radical anti-materialism of the Cathars, which conceives that the worldly is evil.

Antes de iniciar con la comparación resulta imperativo establecer primero los términos del ensayo... more Antes de iniciar con la comparación resulta imperativo establecer primero los términos del ensayo con el fin de clarificar los argumentos del mismo. Primero, la idea que servirá como mediadora para explicar cómo opera la relación autor-personaje tanto en “El Quijote” como en “Niebla” será la de propiedad. Aunque la idea propiedad en principio no sea literaria sino jurídico-moral, esta misma cumple una función metafórica adecuada, en tanto que establece una relación sujeto-objeto extrapolable a la representación del autor (sujeto) como “propietario” de un personaje (objeto). Además, el distanciamiento necesario que ocurre durante la separación entre el propietario y lo apropiado —que implica externalidad— es comparable al aspecto metatextual que sucede entre el autor y los personajes. Dicho esto, el término “propiedad” respecto a la relación autor-personaje se interpretará desde la noción de libertad. Esto es, los límites que tiene el autor y otros de disponer de sus personajes. En ambos autores, esta idea de propiedad se justifica mediante la noción del genio artístico, que en Cervantes emana de su segundo prólogo y que Unamuno discute en su ensayo “Sobre la Lectura e Interpretación del Quijote”, pero que también aparece indirectamente en “Niebla”. En materia estructurativa, el ensayo empezará comparando los prólogos del Quijote con el fin de explicar la emergencia del sentido de propiedad entre el autor y su personaje, a la vez que se analizará la cuestión del genio artístico. Luego se contrastará estas ideas con las de Unamuno, explicando en el proceso las continuidades y discontinuidades entre ambos autores.

It is first necessary to explain the theoretical basis of the opposition between agape and eros t... more It is first necessary to explain the theoretical basis of the opposition between agape and eros to understand how Prince Myshkin serves as the receptacle of this polemical distinction in The Idiot to proceed with the purposes of this essay. This theorization of the conflict between love-agape and love-eros comes from Anders Nygren's magnum opus, Agape and Eros. In a few words, the Lutheran theologian argues that eros emerges from a down-top selfish desire to possess in contrast to agape, which implies a top-down unconditional love towards mankind. Therefore, eros, which entails sexual love, appears as a deviation, while agape is the faithful form of Christian love. In this sense, it is possible to re-interpret the history of the Christian theology of Love through the lens of this conflictual relation. For instance, Abba Evagrius – a theologian closer to Dostoevsky's Orthodox spirit than Nygren – affirms that “the kingdom of heaven is the passionless state of the soul.” (Evagrius, 98) Here, the condition of dispassion (apatheia) serves as the road to agape, as Evagrius asserts that the “offspring of passionlessness is love.” (102) And this love involves “doing good to others,” (113) i.e., the evangelical command to “love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Mark 12:31) In this case, the precondition to reach agape is to eliminate eros through the destruction of passions, which Evagrius frames in terms of desire to obtain. Dostoevsky – a devout Russian Orthodox and reader of the Philokalia – echoes these attacks against possessive love and the promotion of unconditional love through the figure of the "positively beautiful person" (Frank, 129) (id est, Christ-like) Prince Myshkin.

In chapter 3 of Political Theology, the German jurist, Carl Schmitt, declared that “all significa... more In chapter 3 of Political Theology, the German jurist, Carl Schmitt, declared that “all significant concepts of the modern theory of the state are secularized theological concepts.” This idea of the strong connection between modern political ideologies and theological doctrines was not an original one: before Schmitt, the Spanish counter-revolutionary Donoso Cortés - one of Schmitt ́s main influences - also affirmed this thesis in his Essays on Catholicism, Liberalism, and Socialism. Similarly, in the East, Vladimir Soloviev hinted at this relation when he asserted the “link between the ultimately materialist idea of the man-god and the idealistic conception of the human-divine I, as cognizer.” (Kostalevsky, 90) Fyodor Dostoevsky went beyond Soloviev ́s assertion and identified the immanentist inversion of Christianity inherent to nihilism as a secularized version of Roman Catholicism. The following essay explores the mechanisms and implication of this doctrinal inversion and its relation to Catholicism by analyzing Dostoyevsky's opus, primarily Demons and The Brothers Karamazov and secondarily the Idiot. Lastly, the orientation of this essay is not whether Dostoevsky's assertions of Roman Catholicism and nihilism are correct. On the contrary, it is a descriptive analysis of how Dostoevsky understood the connection between political nihilism and theology.

The following essay explores Hannah Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism by emphasizing how her co... more The following essay explores Hannah Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism by emphasizing how her controversial idea of the right to have rights deals with one of the elements that contributed to the rise of totalitarianism, i.e., the decline of the nation-state. I am dividing this essay into three parts for the sake of argumentative clarity and organizational purposes. Part one
analyzes the decadence of the nation-state and its connection to the rise of totalitarianism from an Arendtian perspective by highlighting the relation between this political deterioration and the decay of traditional notions of human dignity. Subsequently, part two focuses on the question of
the right to have rights as a response to this dual and related decadence of the nation-state and human dignity while exploring Stephanie DeGooyer's interpretative framework of the right to have rights as both an analytical tool and a lost right. Lastly, part three ends with an assessment of whether or not the right to have rights serve an operative function in the fight against totalitarian domination through engaging with Arendt's views on the practicality of this philosophical, political, and existential problem. Consequently, this written analysis is not a mere re-explanation of Arendt's positions but a critical and interpretative exploration of the textual material in question.