Welcome to the Michel Serres online hub

In an effort to provide better interaction among Michel Serres readers, I have added this blog component. I wish I could bring together all the people from around the world who have benefited from the valuable ideas that Serres has brought to life through his writings but short of that, I offer another small step in building a more diverse and lively group of conversations around ideas that he would very much want us to extend and multiply.

Dancing Stones (embossed line drawing) M Friesen 2003

Latour Educates a Naive Michel Serres

This essay titled The Englightenment Without the Critique: A Word on Michel Serres' Philosophy showed a while back as a Google Alert. I immediately read it. Having worked through Conversations on Science, Culture and Time on many occasions, the variance between Latour and Serres was not surprising. However, the interview format of Conversations allowed for banter, a play, between the two that this sustained piece leaves less room for.

 Latour argues that you can see someone's theory by the manner in which they undertake their exegesis of a text, a kind of behavioural marker for core commitments:

But also,it is my conviction that every science, including the hard ones, is defined by a certain way of practising a peculiar kind of exegesis. Tell me how you comment on a scripture or an inscription, and I will tell you what sort of epistemology you hold on to. Understanding Serres's conception of the commentary is thus also a way of understanding his conception of the sciences. p85-86

There is much more in this Latour chapter, including a very interesting discourse on Serres's metaphysics, understanding of non-linearity, the interdependence of physics and poetry, and so on. Latour often differs sharply with Serres but his engagement does provide a valuable perspective on ways in which we might read Serres.

Ashok Karra has posted a review of Biogea on his blog titled Environmental Philosophy and the Question of Origins. The themes of his engagement and critque will be of interest to Serres readers through not unfamiliar. The many images and metaphors that Serres is famous for are often difficult and confusing when you've grown accustomed to other ways of writing and thinking. Serres is not everyone's cup of tea, as they say. I think you will, however, find it a thoughtful discussion and worth reading.

Variations on the Body (translated by Randolph Burks)

Open publication - Free publishing - More variations

Variations on the Body - Audio Version

Here is the audio of the English text of Variations on the Body that was given to me by Randolph Burks. I cleaned the text of footnotes and other apparatus, noted headings and sections, then fed it into NaturalSoft text-to-speech in four blocks.

It isn't as good as having a human being reading it but it does allow quick turn-around and will hopefully be a useful experiment.

Is this type of audio - or audio of written texts in general - of any value?

Part 1 - Metamorphosis

Part 2 - Potential

Part 3 - Knowledge

Part 4 - Vertigo

A resurgence of philosophy?

Finn has posted a short piece on the role the Michel Serres may have in re-invigorating the vocation of philosophy. Rather than the coldly clinical dissections of certain branches of twentieth-century Anglo-American analytic philosophy or the deeply obscure and possibly senseless language of some Continental experiments, Serres has laboured to bring philosophy to our attention as a habit of life and mind that infuses our experiences and contemplations with real life, hope and possibility.

Serres loves images like this one of earth, where the flow, patterns and connections can be seen and imagined. And where are the borders? Where are the red lines or dotted black lines that define countries and nations? Why, having seen such images hundreds of times, do we persist in our reduction alone habits? Clearly, reduction is only a very partial truth.

Michel Serres - Stanford News article

This is a really interesting article that provides a good overivew of the context of Michel Serres's work and thinking. The links on the side-bar are also useful places to explore further (one points back to this site). I'll add the video element in another post.

Good Post on Weather

David Williams has a very nice post on the cultural and intellectual space/aesthetics of weather. Serres is referenced but not featured. However, it is a very worthwhile reflection and anyone familiar with Serres's admonition that contemplation of weather should be the among the most central features of a true philosophers work, will find William's article worthwhile.