Bert Olivier | University of the Free State (original) (raw)

Papers by Bert Olivier

Brownstone Journal , 2025

In his book, HAARP: The Ultimate Weapon of the Conspiracy (2003) – followed in 2006 by Weather Wa... more In his book, HAARP: The Ultimate Weapon of the Conspiracy (2003) – followed in 2006 by Weather Warfare – Jerry Smith indicates the importance he attributes to the concept by capitalising it throughout. Smith relates it to what he regards as a weapon for warfare; to wit, the ‘High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP),’ and uncovers what the powers behind this project would have preferred to remain undisclosed, for obvious reasons, once one is apprised of the reasons for its establishment by the ‘Conspiracy.’ Smith's summary statement about this puts it in a nutshell: 'Some people believe that there is one over-arching conspiracy, a cadre of incredibly powerful people who want to rule the world. Most of us dismiss such people as paranoid kooks. Still, there is no denying that for over a hundred years a movement has been developing among the world’s top intellectuals, industrialists and ‘global villagers’ to end war and solve societal problems (like overpopulation, trade imbalances and environmental degradation) through the creation of a single world government. Whether this globalist movement is a diabolic ‘conspiracy’ of the evil few or a broad ‘consensus’ of the well-intentioned many, in fact matters little. It is as real as AIDS and potentially just as deadly, at least to our individual freedom, if not our very lives…'

REAL LEFT, 2025

This article examines the question, whether the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (H... more This article examines the question, whether the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP), located in Alaska, is really the advanced research facility that it is claimed to be, or whether there is something more - and more sinister - about it. Apart from referring to allegations that it was used to exacerbate the 2024 hurricanes in North Carolina and Florida to make them much more destructive, the article draws on the thorough research of Jerry Smith's two books on HAARP (2003 and 2006), in which he discusses its origin and raises serious issues concerning its possible use beyond the ionospheric research it was supposedly constructed for. Smith explores a number of avenues in his astonishingly detailed first book (2003), including the connection between Nikola Tesla’s work (which was way ahead of Tesla’s time) and the construction of HAARP, as well as Clerk Maxwell’s hyperdimensional physics and the work of scientists Richard Hoagland and Nick Begich relating to HAARP. What is clearly evident in the findings of the latter two, is that HAARP is a project that goes far beyond conventional science, and that it is its ‘application’ that should concern the public. References to expressions of such concern abound in the book. In the second book, as one may imagine, what Smith had discovered by the time it appeared, about what HAARP is capable of, features in it - from electromagnetics and ‘earthquakes on demand’, ‘owning the weather’, the difference between ‘contrails’ and ‘chemtrails’, ‘global dimming’ and ‘global warming’, a ‘sunscreen’ for planet Earth, and the ‘Convention on the prohibition of military or any other hostile use of environmental modification techniques’. Considering what has been exposed in the alternative media about HAARP being used to bring about severely dangerous and destructive weather conditions (to mention only one of its capabilities; some of the others would astound readers), it does not appear as if the people in power, and in control of HAARP, have taken much notice of its implications, which is hardly surprising. What has become clear is that HAARP is probably a very powerful weapon.

FRONTNIEUWS, 2025

This article focuses on the recent phenomenon of a thick mist, or fog, enveloping cities in the U... more This article focuses on the recent phenomenon of a thick mist, or fog, enveloping cities in the US, Europe and the UK, and giving rise to complaints that it is making people ill. It examines claims that it is just ordinary fog which has absorbed pollutants in the air, and rejects these in the light of the sensorily observed differences between fog or mist and this 'deadly fog', pointing to reports by individuals as well as - particularly, in fact - chemical analyses that have been done of the composition of the 'fog'. Predictably, all signs point in the direction of the globalist cabal as the originator of this latest attempt to cause illness, if not death, for 'We the people'. I say this advisedly, given the ingredients of the 'fog' as disclosed by chemical analysis. These include aluminium oxide, barium, strontium and - worst of all - graphene oxide, which is found in the Covid vax, and which is deadly, by all accounts. This is related to graphene hydroxide, which was publicly exposed as being in the Pfizer mRNA vax by Dr Andreas Noack three years ago - and for which he was murdered shortly afterwards. Dr Noack showed that graphene hydroxide acts like 'nanoscale razorblades' in people's veins and arteries, cutting through the epithelial layer of these vessels when one is engaged in strenuous activity, like that which top athletes perform regularly, and he linked the sudden death of vaxxed athletes on sportsfields to this. In light of this latest action by the psychopathic globalists, who are the only likely candidates for it - graphene oxide is not found in natural fog - it is pointed out that we need a new theory of evil, beyond Kant and Hannah Arendt.

FRONTNIEUWS, 2024

This paper sets out to examine the hare-brained idea, floated by scientists recently, that 'globa... more This paper sets out to examine the hare-brained idea, floated by scientists recently, that 'global warming' should be slowed down by injecting trillions of dollars' worth of diamond dust into the stratosphere annually, given the light-reflective properties of diamonds. That this is bound to have a negative effect on all living beings on the planet, is comparatively demonstrated with reference to two events that caused major dimming of the sun in the past, the first being the Mount Tambora volcanic eruption in the early 19th century - which spewed large amounts of volcanic ash into the atmosphere, causing severe winters and crop failures in the northern hemisphere. The second event is even more telling regarding the need for sunlight to sustain life. This is the mass-extinction event, 65 to 66 million years ago, which led to the demise of the dinosaurs, presumably after a giant asteroid collided with the earth, causing a dust-particle 'blanket' to cover the earth for such a long time that most plants died for lack of photosynthesis. Hence the chain reaction of herbivorous animals dying and then the carnivorous dinosaurs. To drive the point home as far as dimming the sun goes, another such attempt is discussed, where millions of salt particles were shot into the atmosphere. Notably, Bill Gates - one of the main drivers of the concerted attempt to depopulate the planet - is involved with these sun-dimming projects. Ergo: 'We the people' should stop him and his ilk.

Brownstone Journal, 2024

This article addresses the question, whether peace is conceivable today, broadly within the frame... more This article addresses the question, whether peace is conceivable today, broadly within the framework of Immanuel Kant's 18th-century essay on 'Perpetual peace', where Kant states the conditions for 'everlasting peace' among nations - conditions which appear even less achievable today than during Kant's time. Attention is given to the first 'preliminary article', which states that peace should not be conflated with a mere truce, entered into with the tacit intention, to use the time for recouping one's forces - which is what was done (as Merkel and Hollande have admitted) after the Minsk agreements of 2014/2015 regarding military forces in Ukraine. The role of NATO in the perpetuation of this conflict is scrutinised, before turning attention to the conflict in Syria, drawing upon Scott Ritter's commentary on this, with the intention of showing that here, too - as a result of the Israel and US-supported Jihadist conquest of Syria - the prospects of peace have faded, rather than improved. In conclusion Kant's 'General articles', outlining the universal conditions of peace, are briefly discussed before concluding that peace seems to be a very distant prospect in the world today.

FRONTNIEUWS, 2024

This essay focuses on the current tendency, to tighten control of people in our societies - parti... more This essay focuses on the current tendency, to tighten control of people in our societies - particularly as demanded by the WEF coterie of neo-fascist technocrats - to the point where no democratic freedom will remain. This is made more comprehensible through the lens of a futuristic neo-noir Japanese Anime series called 'Psycho Pass, which depicts a future dystopian society where people are controlled by measuring their 'violence coefficient' by means of a device called a 'dominator'. If the coefficient is above a certain level the person is 'pacified' by the inspector or the enforcer, and if it is still higher - above the admissible level - they are liquidated (literally). The system is controlled by a centralised collective mechanism called SIBYL, consisting of the brains of deceased criminals who are asymptomatic regarding the violence coefficient, and completely, psychopathically dispassionate - something used as justification for using their brains for judging the criminality of latently or actually criminal persons. To conclude, A parallel is drawn between SIBYL and the psychopaths comprising the WEF in this respect.

South African Journal of Art History, 2024

This paper examines Neoclassical architecture, with special attention to some Neoclassical houses... more This paper examines Neoclassical architecture, with special attention to some Neoclassical houses in Mytilene, Lesvos, Greece, with a view to articulating the spatio-temporal implications of its characteristic spatial modulations. It is argued that, as the epithet, "Neoclassical", suggests, its emphasis on geometric forms of a certain kind instantiates an assault on time, and concomitantly an attempt to escape from time's ravages, in contrast with different kinds of architecture, for example that of the Black Forest farmhouse discussed by Heidegger, which embraces time and mortality. The latter is accommodated by Heidegger's notion of "the fourfold"-earth, sky, mortals and divinities and the purpose of this article is to show that, in the light of Karsten Harries's related interpretation of Neoclassical architecture, it fails to provide human beings with the orienting compass embodied by "the fourfold", except in instances where telltale deviations from Neoclassical principles occur. The work of Harries on Neoclassical architecture serves as a valuable guide and backdrop for the interpretation of selected Neoclassical houses in Mytilene. Harries traces the significance of Neoclassical buildings to the funerary and monumental architecture of antiquity, demonstrating that the secular Enlightenment found in these instances suitable models for an architecture that would no longer locate assurances of immortality in Gothic or Baroque church architecture, with its emphasis on verticality. Instead, it would look for a different kind of assurance in the face of the terror of time and death-that provided by the emphasis on a balance between verticality, horizontality and sublime monumentality of Neoclassical architecture, which promises the individual reassuring participation in a greater totality, such as the nation, or even a universal community beyond this. This analysis is brought to bear on some Neoclassical houses in Mytilene, but not without attention to some revealing deviations from the paradigmatic rules-deviations which show the reassertion of humanising temporal values.

Brownstone Journal, 2024

is article approaches the present, fraught situation in the world through the clear lens of Arend... more is article approaches the present, fraught situation in the world through the clear lens of Arendt's book, 'Revolution', which enables one to grasp the relation between war, revolution and freedom. The parallels between the 1960s, when the book was written - that is, around the time of the Cuban missile crisis, when the possibility of nuclear war stared people in the face - and today, when we again face such a dreadful possibility, are noted, with special attention to the critical war in Ukraine. Similarities as well as differences are noted with the help of Arendt's perspicacity regarding the relevance of the availability of nuclear weapons for questions such as 'hot' and 'cold' war, and the paradoxical sense of deterrence through potentially 'total', mutual destruction. The relation between war and revolution as prerequisite for freedom is explored, and a distinction is made between two kinds of revolution - a 'malign' and a 'benign' revolution - the one driven by a coterie of psychopathic neo-fascists and the other by 'We the people', where the former is aiming at totalitarian world rule, while the latter is fighting to secure freedom from total oppression.

Brownstone Journal, 2024

Everything we do as humans is provisional. Because of time's eroding power, everything is revisab... more Everything we do as humans is provisional. Because of time's eroding power, everything is revisable. There is a reason for the word 'decision' being a part of our language. Not accidentally, the term derives from the Latin for 'cut;' in other words, when we decide something, we make a volitional 'cut' of sorts in the sequence of events, or in the reasoning concerning such events, that precede the decision - a concrete reminder that human beings are not equipped with an algorithmic device that enables them to know with absolute certainty what course of action to pursue. Every decision, therefore, represents an acknowledgment that we have to act with incomplete, provisional knowledge, and by implication, that more information and more comprehension could lead to a different decision. This article further elaborates on the many facets of such 'provisional' knowledge, alluding to Nietzsche, Plato, Derrida, Kuhn and others, and concludes by relating (ignorance of) provisionality to the hubristic manifestation, since 2020, of the futile belief in the possibility of absolute knowledge (in a non-Hegelian sense) on the part of a global totalitarian cabal.

FRONTNIEUWS, 2024

'Evil' is a term that is usually not often used in conversation, but in my experience, the past f... more 'Evil' is a term that is usually not often used in conversation, but in my experience, the past four years have witnessed its increasing use in conversations and various publications. Why? What has changed? First of all (as most people should know by now), since 2020, when an international cabal tried to impose a quasi-totalitarian regime on the world, it reared its iniquitous head, as it were. But where does evil come from? According to the early medieval Persian gnostic religion, Manichaeism, the world is divided between the realms of good and evil, and only the acquisition of knowledge of one's spiritual self can help one regain 'paradise'. By contrast, the Enlightenment thinker, Immanuel Kant, regards evil as something introduced into the world by human beings. According to Kant, there are two kinds of evil: radical evil and diabolical evil. The former is rooted in the human heart, as it were, but can be resisted, while diabolical evil so thoroughly permeates some people that they are unable to choose to act against it, in favour of the good. Examples from film noir are provided to illustrate what is at stake. However, human decisions in the context of current events in the world, specifically involving the war in Ukraine, comprise perhaps the clearest examples of evil operating in the world at present, and unsurprisingly, they turn out to be instances of diabolical evil.

Brownstone Journal, 2024

The science-fiction film by Andrew Niccol, Gattaca, envisions a future society where those deemed... more The science-fiction film by Andrew Niccol, Gattaca, envisions a future society where those deemed genetically superior - through genetic engineering - called 'valids', are distinguished from those who are judged genetically inferior, or the 'in-valids'. The film narrative depicts a society in which a chasm exists between these two classes, and the privileges of the one, to the exclusion of the other, is strictly enforced. Focusing on two brothers - one a 'valid' and the other an 'in-valid' - the film shows that, as the tagline of the film states, 'There is no gene for the human spirit', given that the putatively genetically inferior, but spirited, brother proves to achieve what the geneticist ideology of the society discounts, in the process demonstrating that one does not have to be genetically engineered to achieve the realisation of one's loftiest dreams. Against this fictional backdrop, it is argued that the emergence of mandates for so-called 'vaccines' during the Covid plandemic would have a similar societal effect, namely to split society into two classes, one of which would be - and was, in fact - judged as being superior to the other. Gattaca's lesson should therefore be taken seriously, namely, that one cannot 'validly' discriminate in this manner.

FRONTNIEUWS, 2024

This article draws attention to the dangers that confront President-elect Donald Trump, which are... more This article draws attention to the dangers that confront President-elect Donald Trump, which are aimed at preventing him from taking office in January, 2025. It focuses particularly on evidence that the Democrats hope to get Joe Biden to resign and install Kamala Harris in the presidency - the first (black) American woman President. This would, they believe, complicate the transition to Trump's presidency unbearably, for him. It does not end there, however. People like Jamie Raskin have argued that Trump could be disqualified according to the 14th Amendment, which prohibits anyone who has engaged in an 'insurrection' from taking office. Special Counsel Jack Smith probably has a similar card up his sleeve, given that he has filed to 'vacate' the schedule concerning the January 6 case against Trump, accompanied by the stated intention that he would inform the DOJ by December 2 what he intends doing further. It is probable that Smith would use the time until January 6, 2025, to reformulate the charges against Trump, in light of the fact that, while a sitting president cannot be indicted, he believes Trump can be because he is no longer, and not yet, in office as President. This argument is bound to fail, however, because Trump was, technically speaking, still in office on January 6, 2021, when the putative 'insurrection' occurred.

FRONTNIEUWS, 2024

This article sets out to expose the Democrats in the U.S. as wolves in sheep's clothing. While pr... more This article sets out to expose the Democrats in the U.S. as wolves in sheep's clothing. While pretending to be bearers of the democratic flame, they are in fact (probably) the first neo-fascist left-wing organisation in history. The concept of (neo-)fascism is clarifiied, and instances of Democrats' attributing fascist behaviour to Donald Trump are discussed. It is pointed out that what Democrats have been doing, are instances of 'projecting' (in the psychoanalytical sense) what they themselves are guilty of, on to Trump, confusing the American electorate in the process. Signs (sometimes paradoxical) of their neo-fascist strategy are analysed in terms of the hallmarks of fascism. Democrats' emulation of another neo-fascist organisation, the WEF, is noted, and examples of their neo-fascist strategy are discussed.

Brownstone Journal, 2024

This article provides a lens - that of complexity theory - through which the US presidential elec... more This article provides a lens - that of complexity theory - through which the US presidential election may be viewed. It elaborates on the meaning of complexity in the light of the never-ending interaction among interrelated entities on a global scale, ranging from the inorganic to the organic-vegetative and -animal to the organic-human, pointing to the almost incomprehensible fact that everything on the planet is interconnected, and subject to reciprocal change, which reverberates through the entire planetary ecosystem. In the light of this, the chances of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to be elected President of the US are considered, with reference to the likelihood that Harris has received more positive exposure in the mainstream media, compared to Trump, but that, correspondingly, the latter has received more affirmative publicity in the alternative media which - combined with the negative exposure in mainstream media - amounts to greater publicity overall. In the light of the complex interconnections between these contexts of publicity, combined with specific 'messages' or memes casting Trump, or Harris, in a negative or positive light, the likelihood of such semiotic threads favouring the one or the other is assessed - for instance, even the widespread demonisation of Trump in the legacy media may have a positive effect on voter sentiment regarding his eligibility as President. The categorisation of 'Trump haters' into three camps - the sillies, the subliminal and the sinister - by Hamacheck is utilised to demonstrate the fluidity of sentiment among those who are susceptible to rational argument in favour of Trump - the first two groups - in contrast with the last group (the sinisters, who are really the nation-hating globalists), whose hatred for Trump Hamacheck warns against in light of their determination, to double-cross him wherever possible.

Real Left, 2024

We live at a time when the most far-reaching changes in technology and in the social and politica... more We live at a time when the most far-reaching changes in technology and in the social and political relationships between human beings - which have fundamentally been maintained for centuries - are taking place. Against the backdrop of Achille Mbembe's concept of 'necropolitics' - the politics of death - which he coined in response to Foucault's notion of 'biopower', this article examines the extent to which one witnesses events and processes, today, which may justly be termed instances of 'necrotechnology' - the technology of death. To give flesh to this idea the list of 'weapons of mass destruction' (WMD) inflicted on us by the 'powers that be', compiled by S.D. Wells, is scrutinised. These include extreme weather modification technology, lab-constructed gain-of-function viruses and 'clot-shot gene-mutation injections', and are paradigmatic of what I here label 'necrotechnology', given their undeniable causal connection with death and suffering. The question is raised, whether - in the absence of access to commensurate technological means to fight the globalists behind this necrotechnology - there is something one can resort to as a mode of action (of resistance), while admitting that resistance fighters can and do already employ the technology available to them as 'digital warriors' to this end. In fact, the term, 'digital', draws attention to the pharmakon-character of digital technology, the current dominance of which, according to Bernard Stiegler, represents a threat to human consciousness because of the way that technology (re-)configures the very way in which we think and live. Stiegler argues that it is imperative to recognise that digital technology comprises just one kind of technology among others, and that the only way human beings can resist its tendency to become hegemonic, is to revert to 'thinking' as the fountainhead of ALL kinds of reasoning, including the calculative, computational reasoning at the basis of digital technology. Only along this route can human beings successfully resist and surpass the 'barbarism' of exhaustive digitalisation, and in the end offer effective resistance to 'necrotechnology'.

FRONTNIEUWS, 2024

This article focuses on the coming presidential election - one week from today - in the U.S., wit... more This article focuses on the coming presidential election - one week from today - in the U.S., with a view to unpacking the probable consequences of a victory for Donald Trump, on the one hand, and Kamala Harris, on the other. While an election triumph for Trump would probably be followed by severe pushback on the part of Democrat-supporters, including the possibility of civil war, at least in the short term, a Harris win would clear the way for her globalist supporters at the WEF to forge ahead with their dystopian agenda, to turn the world into a totalitarian state with a one world government. The extent to which such a state of affairs would erode existing freedoms - those that are left after the imposition of restrictions during Covid - cannot be overstated. The article provides an overview of the measures of control that one may expect in the dystopia that would be established in the event of a Harris win, but leaves the possibility open, that 'We the People' would not take such a win lying down.

Brownstone Journal, 2024

At certain times in history, sometimes protracted events have occurred that demonstrated the powe... more At certain times in history, sometimes protracted events have occurred that demonstrated the power of dissent - that (as far as we know) uniquely human capacity to express strong disagreement with some or other aspect of the political, social, or cultural status quo, whether this is done peacefully or, in some cases, violently, in a manner that could (and sometimes did) result in revolutionary conflict. The term, 'dissent' is related to another, cognate term, 'dissensus', in the very specific philosophical sense employed by philosopher Jacques Rancière, who writes : 'The essence of politics is dissensus. Dissensus is not a confrontation between interests or opinions. It is the demonstration (manifestation) of a gap in the sensible itself. Political demonstration makes visible that which had no reason to be seen; it places one world in another…' Against a historical backdrop of instances of dissent, this article elaborates on the need for dissent, today, in the face of global attempts to saturate social space with a monodimensional political regime. It is up to 'We the People' to create a dissensual gap in the status quo, to open up different possibilities of being political.

FRONTNIEUWS, 2024

This article raises the question of what it means to be 'sane' in what appears to be an 'insane' ... more This article raises the question of what it means to be 'sane' in what appears to be an 'insane' society. Should one not avoid 'normalising' processes in such a society, that is, avoid adapting to its craziness, in this way retaining one's sanity? Examples of the 'new normal' in the guise of behaviour one is expected to display - which, when measured against Kant's categorical imperative, turns out to fail the test of moral universalisability - are discussed, as well as examples of what it requires to rise above the 'new normal' in moral terms. Lacan's 'mugger's choice' and 'revolutionary's choice' are compared as potential guidelines for moral action, and the reason for prioritising the latter is pointed out.

FRONTNIEUWS, 2024

For those of us who read and watch the alternative media, it is becoming increasingly clear that ... more For those of us who read and watch the alternative media, it is becoming increasingly clear that the truth about the Covid shots, masquerading as 'vaccines,' can no longer be contained by the very entities that seek to perpetuate the lie that they are 'safe and effective' - a lie that was used to entice millions, if not billions, of people to take them during the plandemic. Take the reports below and ask yourself: has the dam finally been broken, and if so, will justice be served soon for the perpetrators of this crime against humanity? Because make no mistake - this was and is a crime on a scale never before seen in human history, with studies revealing that over 31 million people have died from the 'deadly jabs,' and the number is still rising. Among the recent reports showing the growing but accelerating awareness of the lethality of the Covid jabs are those from Australia - where you would least expect it, given the totalitarian way in which the population was subdued during Covid and many forced to take the jab. These, and other evidence of the fact that the Covid jabs were a biological weapon against the people, are discussed here.

Brownstone Journal, 2024

This paper addresses the question of 'civil disobedience' from the perspective of Henry David Tho... more This paper addresses the question of 'civil disobedience' from the perspective of Henry David Thoreau's essay on the topic, which is exemplary in this regard, and echoes the insistence on self-reliance that he shared with his friend and mentor, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Seen against the backdrop of Thomas Jefferson's work on the need to base representative government on the 'little republics' of wards and counties, it is clear that, decades later, Thoreau did not see the American government of his time in a favourable light. He insisted, in a philosophical-anarchist sense, that, essentially, every person, as self-governing, has the right to independence from government - although he was willing to settle for 'good government' in the meantime. Nevertheless, he was clear on this: if a government reneges on its duties of good governance to the people of a nation, those people had the right, if not the duty, to overthrow such a government. In the light of these considerations, the question is raised: given the undeniable overreach on the part of governments worldwide since the draconian measures taken against the people during the 'Convid plandemic', which has arguably continued until today in many guises, should civil disobedience not be considered anew? Examples of events that may justify such action are discussed before concluding with the reminder, that in their light, it should be clear that most governments do not care about citizens today (mainly because they have been captured by the globalist cabal intent on totalitarian world government), and that it may be time to reassert one's rights as the people on whose fundamental authority all 'government' is based, in the final analysis. This was Thoreau's message.

Brownstone Journal , 2025

REAL LEFT, 2025

FRONTNIEUWS, 2025

FRONTNIEUWS, 2024

Brownstone Journal, 2024

FRONTNIEUWS, 2024

South African Journal of Art History, 2024

Brownstone Journal, 2024

FRONTNIEUWS, 2024

Brownstone Journal, 2024

FRONTNIEUWS, 2024

Brownstone Journal, 2024

Real Left, 2024

FRONTNIEUWS, 2024

Brownstone Journal, 2024

FRONTNIEUWS, 2024

Brownstone Journal, 2024

Violence - South African Perspectives (Ed. Jones, C.), Dec 17, 2021

This book chapter explores the many ways in which neoliberal capitalism inflicts violence upon so... more This book chapter explores the many ways in which neoliberal capitalism inflicts violence upon society and the concrete lives of people. Starting with an explanation of 'neoliberal capitalism' (Harvey, McChesney, Foroohar), it focuses on different manifestations of violence, as seen through the work of, among others, Hardt and Negri, Naomi Klein, Slavoj Žižek, David Harvey and Manuel Castells. It is edited by Chris Jones of Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Montagu House, Baltimore, Maryland, USA ISBN: 978-0-9823734-8-4, 2020

The present is a time of unmitigated nihilism. This statement is unpacked, first, by using Nietzs... more The present is a time of unmitigated nihilism. This statement is unpacked, first, by using Nietzsche's distinction between three types of nihilism, namely radical, passive and active nihilism, respectively, where the first denotes the realisation that nothing has intrinsic value, because everything valued is the result of conventional practices and beliefs. Passive and active nihilism are both responses to radical nihilism, where the first is born of the incapacity to face the abyss of nothingness, followed by a ‘blind’ return to convention. Active nihilism, by contrast, responds to the abyss by ‘dancing upon it’, that is, by cheerfully inventing new values. It is argued that today we are witnessing the emergence of another kind of nihilism, which could be called ‘shock nihilism’ or - drawing on the work of Bernard Stiegler – ‘consumer proletarian nihilism’. This novel kind of nihilism accompanies what Stiegler sees as the second wave of proletarianisation under capitalism, the first having been the proletarianisation of workers in the 19th century according to Marx, when their skills (savoir-faire) were replaced by machines, and they were reduced to mere labour power. At present we are witnessing the proletarianisation of consumers globally, because of capitalism's imbrication with advanced communications technology as ‘externalised memory’, leading to the systematic eradication of ‘internal memory’ and the loss of people's ‘savoir-faire’ (know-how), except in a narrow technical sense, as well as their ‘savoir-vivre’ or knowledge of how to live, because of the manipulation by advertising and the culture industry – none of which would be possible on a global scale without what Stiegler calls ‘technics’. This, it is argued, gives rise to ‘shock (or consumer proletarian) nihilism’ because of the rapidity of technological change, as well as to a nihilistic loss of knowledge concerning the maintenance of educational relations between parents/teachers and children/students; hence the crisis in education at all levels. Add to this the fact that culture appears to have reached a state where values have become unhinged from their moorings, as it were, existing now in a state of endless circulation, beyond any meaningful criteria for determining what is good, or bad, and the bland landscape of contemporary nihilism becomes perceptible. In light of this state of affairs, a new form of ‘active nihilism’ is called for.

PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION The second edition of Projections has been substantially expanded with ... more PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION
The second edition of Projections has been substantially expanded with the inclusion of four new chapters: on Natural Born Killers, Dead Poets Society, Wag the dog and Kieslowski's marvellous cinematic trilogy, Three Colours Blue, White and Red. The opportunity to enlarge this edition has been afforded by the (to me surprising) fact that the first edition of 1996 has been sold out. I hope it would not be premature to see in this an indication that the philosophical interest in film is alive and well in South Africa. The new chapters are written in the same philosophical mode as the earlier ones, namely that of critical, cultural-philosophical reflection on the themes, as well as the cinematic modes of presentation of these themes, as they are addressed
in the films in question. As readers will notice, this is done in such
a way as to make the relevant themes as accessible as possible, in the hope that the films dealt with here may gain greater meaning in the light of these philosophical interpretations. Have a good read!

When one is invited, by the narrative structure of a Hollywood 'rom-com', to perceive similaritie... more When one is invited, by the narrative structure of a Hollywood 'rom-com', to perceive similarities between the film in question and one of Charles Dickens's tales, namely A Christmas Carol (2006), it seems somewhat of a stretch of the imagination, until one realises that what imparts similarity to these unlikely bedfellowsapart from narrative isomorphismis their resonance with the discipline of psychoanalysis, however counter-intuitive it might seem. The film is question is Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009), the plot of which revolves around Connor Mead, photographer and womaniser, who attends his brother's wedding, where he angers everyoneincluding Jenny, the only girl he ever loved by his open rejection of marriage. He is visited by the ghost of his uncle, Wayne, who taught him the art of seduction, and announces the imminent visits of three more ghosts, who would guide Connor through his past, present and future relationships with women. What they reveal, and is confirmed by Wayne, is that a life of philandering leads to ultimate loneliness and lack of fulfilment, and this lays the basis for his romantic reconciliation with Jenny. This narrative structure is indebted to Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, where the miserly Scrooge receives visits from ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, respectively, to reveal to him the past roots as well as (potentially) dire future consequences of his heartless actions towards erstwhile friends and family. This has a therapeutic, conscientising effect on him and leads to his personal transformation. Against the backdrop of these narratives dealing with the reconstruction of personal histories, the practice of (Lacanian) psychoanalysis is scrutinised regarding the function of the analysand's verbal reconstruction of his or her personal historiy (anamnesis), which is crucially supplemented by the analyst eliciting the unconscious, repressed memories (the forgotten chapter) that escape the analysand's conscious reconstruction. It is these formerly unconscious memories that comprise the basis for the analysand's possible emancipation, just as the repressed memories to which Connor and Scrooge are introduced by their respective spectral escorts function as the keys to their emancipation from practices precluding their own fulfilment as human subjects. This interpretation is supplemented by drawing on Lacan's theory of 'the four discourses' to demonstrate how both fictional characters may be understood as being governed by a specific 'master's discourse, which is subverted by the doubt of the 'hysteric's discourse' and mediated by the transforming 'analyst's discourse', to be able to arrive at a newly relativised master's discourse.

Today, risk has been multiplied and exacerbated beyond anything that even Ulrich Beck's work on '... more Today, risk has been multiplied and exacerbated beyond anything that even Ulrich Beck's work on 'risk society' seemed to suggest when first published, althoughwith hindsightone can detect traces of the excessive risks of the present, centred on the Covid-19 'pandemic', in his prognostications. Setting aside the contribution of Anthony Giddens to the social theory of the 'risk society', this paper concentrates on the work of Beck instead, with a view to mining it heuristically for a better comprehension of the risks unleashed by the Covid-19 'pandemic' and everything associated with it. It is argued that, despite sharing the denominator of 'technological', compared to the kinds of risk distinguished by Beck, those introduced by the 'pandemic', lockdowns, Covid 'vaccines', and in their wake, economic hardshipto mention only someare of a different, more deleterious order altogether. If, in contrast with the society of wealth-distribution (through goods), the 'risk society' was recognisable by the (by-)production and distribution of hazards such as toxic contaminants, pollution and climate-changing emissions, today society seems to be facing something far worse, namely the production of potentially, if not actually, lethal substances and conditions. If the hazards of risk society were seen as preventable (compared to 'natural' perils)after all, they were socially produced and exacerbated (or sometimes moderated) by economic and cultural practicesone might expect that it would be the case with those faced today, too. This, it turns out, is highly improbable, largely because growing evidence suggests that most of the 'ultra-risks' that have emerged of late have been produced intentionally, or by design, and that it is too late to undo most of them, although others may be prevented. What Beck argued, namely that the potential for cataclysm was increasing, has been exacerbated beyond what could have been expected under 'normal' riskconditions. Ironically, under these conditions the uncertainties of science in the face of unpredictable risk, which were highlighted by Beck, have made way for contrary, ideological claims concerning the 'certainties' of 'the science' in relation to Covid-19. These and other aspects of 'pandemic' society, are addressed through the lenses of Beck's work on risk society, raising the fraught question of the possible extinction of humanity.

The current 'pandemic' is approached through the lens of (mainly) the concept of Homo sacer, elab... more The current 'pandemic' is approached through the lens of (mainly) the concept of Homo sacer, elaborated on by Giorgio Agamben (1998). Taking the work of Michel Foucault on the 'disciplinary society' and 'bio-politics' further, and drawing on the role played by the principle of homo sacer in antiquity, Agamben uncovers the disconcerting extent to which this principle has become generalised in contemporary societies. In antiquity the principle of 'sacred man/human' was invoked in cases where someone was exempted from ritual sacrifice, but simultaneously seen as 'bare life', and therefore as being fit for execution. Agamben argues that the sphere of 'sacred life' has grown immensely since ancient times in so far as the modern state arrogates to itself the right to wield biopolitical power over 'bare life' in a manner analogous to ancient practices, and finds in the concentration camp the contemporary paradigm of this phenomenon. Arguing that today we witness a further downward step in the treatment of humans as 'bare life', these concepts are employed as heuristic for bringing into focus current practices under the aegis of the Covid-19 'pandemic'. In particular, the spotlight falls on those areas where burgeoning 'bare life' practices can be detected, namely 'origin of the virus', 'lethal vaccines', 'engineered economic collapse', 'chemtrails' and 'what (to expect) next'. In the light of emerging evidence it is argued that these practices take the notion of homo sacer, 'bare life' and its concomitant biopolitical and pharma-political practices to unprecedented, virtually incomprehensible levels of depravity.

We live in a time of major events in civilisational history, currently centred on the so-called C... more We live in a time of major events in civilisational history, currently centred on the so-called Covid-19 'pandemic'. In this global context, contemporary people are at the mercy, largely, of powerful media companies that disseminate officially sanctioned news and opinion pieces about all aspects pertaining to the 'pandemic'. The very same thing that makes this mainstream media hegemony possible, however, namely the internet, also allows alternative news sources to circulate censored news and critical opinion, so that one witnesses an information and communication-divide on a scale never seen before in history. This paper sets out to reconstruct this information and communication chasm with reference to representative instances of each of the adversarial sides in what may be called a 'war of information', and attempts to make this intelligible by interpreting these mainly through theoretical lens of Jacques Derrida, supplemented by a coda enlisting Jürgen Habermas work on communication. While the latter does foresee the possibility of authentic communication ('communicative action'), despite the constant spectre of miscommunication ('strategic action'), Derrida is less optimistic about this. Instead, taking his cue from Joyce's Ulysses, he insists that the very means of 'reaching' the other in the act of communicating, are also, ineluctably, the means for failing to reach them, and that 'receiving' a message from someone can thus either result in a mechanical repetition of the message, or a paradoxical 'repeating differently'. Moreover, elsewhere he indicates the paradoxical implications of a change of 'context' as far as an utterance is concerned. This difference between these two thinkers allows one to get an intellectual grip on the situation unfolding in the world in 2021-2022a world of ubiquitous information exchanges, implicitly claiming to be communicational exchanges. More specifically, Derrida and Habermas equip one with the communication-theoretical means to ascertain what this plethora of information exchanges amounts to.

The present paper attempts to think through the many, often contradictory aspects of the present ... more The present paper attempts to think through the many, often contradictory aspects of the present socalled 'pandemic', with a view to arriving at a cogent notion of what 'psychotherapy' would mean under these circumstances. It begins with a consideration of the relevance of the idea of 'mass psychosis', informed by Leonard Shlain's characterisation of the 16 th-century witch hunts in western Europe, in the course of which more than half a million women were executed as supposed 'witches'. This suggests a parallel with today's manifestation of what is arguably a mass psychosis, induced by endemic fear of lethal contamination, fed by global governmental responses ('prescribed' by the WHO) to the alleged 'pandemic' caused by this pathogen. Aspects of the current 'vaccine tyranny' are investigated, as well as the nature of a 'mass psychosis', which is explored from various perspectives, before attention shifts to the issue of appropriate psychotherapy, with recourse to the thinking of Julia Kristeva on 'revolt' and Lacan on the 'revolutionary's choice'.

Jean-Francois Lytotard’s concept of ‘the differend’ enables one to gain a purchase on the plethor... more Jean-Francois Lytotard’s concept of ‘the differend’ enables one to gain a purchase on the plethora of clashing, divergent discourses or opinions characterising the current historical era, that of the coronavirus ‘pandemic’ (Covid-19), in so far as this concept enables one to discern those areas of discourse where no possibility of agreement could possibly be reached. It contrasts Lyotard’s notion of the differend with Habermas’s of ‘consensus’, and advances the argument that Lyotard’s perspective not merely seems to be applicable to the global situation, today, but that it appears to be vindicated by the incommensurability of opinions, views and beliefs characterising the informational and communicational exchange in contemporary media on various aspects of the ‘pandemic’. The latter includes the question of the origin of the ‘novel coronavirus’ (natural, zoonotic transfer to humans, or techno-scientifically produced in a laboratory); the issue of so-called PCR-tests (reliable or not); whether to ‘lockdown’ or not (Sweden versus the rest of the world); and perhaps the most vexing question of them all, namely, whether to receive a Covid-19 vaccine or not (one of several available ones), or to depend on alternative available treatments such as Ivermectin, when necessary. It is demonstrated that the available reports, opinions and pronouncements on these issues diverge irreconcilably, and therefore constitute an exemplary instance of the differend. Finally, the question is raised, what it would take to resolve the differend, or alternatively, make it disappear.