Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen
The 90-minute chit chat between three white males (with exactly the same body build, age and sitting posture — legs crossed, left over right — except for Timothy, who insisted on mispronouncing Приго́жин [prʲɪˈɡoʐɨn] a zillion times) is entertaining in spots.
Ivan’s argument that Russia’s leader desires to be judged on a higher level — what is happening internationally — not on battlefield Ukraine — is apt. So is Timothy about Biden & Co. realizing (finally) they can’t fuck over Kyiv and win re-election in 2024.
Ivan’s “maybe common dreams, but national nightmares” observations about Europe, and the decolonization narrative trumping the Cold War narrative in India, China, Global South, are helpful. Ivan also touches on Ukraine’s “subjectiveness” (agency) briefly, a topic that popped up in 20211.
Tim during the Q&A part talks about the difference of being a public intellectual and an academic, whatever that is, touching on the stupidity and self-absorbtion of those who spend enormous amounts of time time worrying about being vaporized by nuclear weapons, in this case Russia’s, something we mumbled about on Day 4 of the current bloody mess2.
Too bad no Ukrainians attending the gathering, if there were any, were given the microphone.
Setting the Plate Clear. Subjectivizing Ukraine (September 6, 2021)