(MUSIC)
NEWS.
TERESA OÑATE. THREE ESSENTIAL BOOKS.
This afternoon we present three books
which collect articles, interviews, prologues
of the last 25 years devoted to philosophical work
and they're not the great monographs published so far
on Aristotle, Gallagher, Nietzsche or Heidegger.
These are rare articles, prologues, reviews, research papers...
Two of these three books share the same main title
Nietzsche’s Postmodern Sons 1 and 2.
The first volume covers materials of Aesthetic and Hermeneutic Ontologies
and the second, the Theological Political Return of Innocence
The third and most recent, The Commitment of the Modern Spirit
focuses on Gianni Vattimo's last keynote lecture
at the Faculty of Philosophy in Torino
they call it lectio di congedo, or farewell lecture
entitled From Dialogue to Conflict, quoting a text by Habermas.
In any case, going back to the books I mentioned
it's a pleasure to introduce to the educated, intelligent reader
not just to philosophers
this compilation of texts and writings
from 1986 to 2011, celebrating the 25-year anniversary
with a Pandora on its cover by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
a Victorian Pre-Raphaelite who recreated Hellenic symbolic imagery
and this Pandora is about to open the box of evil, horror, disease
exploitation, misery and hopelessness
leaving hope trapped by the sea in woman's arms.
The second book also features a Pre-Raphaelite painting
entitled The Theological-Political Return of Innocence
which shows Innocence looking down on the unwordly, as Heidegger put it
as if inquiring: "Are you ready for me?"
This is because political theology, sequestered by dogmatic churches
has come to replace the broken link
with the history of the metaphysics of salvation
later secularised as the history of progress
through rationalist metaphysics
thus losing its legitimacy from Jean-François Lyotard
declaring postmodernity as post-metaphysics and post-history.
We no longer depend on metanarratives
"History is written by the victors", as Walter Benjamin says.
Then the fundamental question is what happens if that God
a myth created by the powerful, is already dead.
What is now divine, sacred, plural divine for all the communities of Earth?
Of other peoples? Of animal communities? The divine Other of difference?
Of the planet and the secret beyond the divide?
The third book, apart from Vattimo's farewell lecture From Dialogue to Conflict
covers a meeting with researchers in Torino, after the lecture
of Spanish, Italian and Latin American origin
and I thought that from our discussions derived from the lesson
we could edit a book by asking participants six questions
and many researchers did to compile this book
on political theology and modern philosophy of history.
I'd like to highlight the presence of an arquebusier angel on the cover.
An image and an icon of power.
It's a Baroque angel from an anonymous series
that populate Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, throughout the 17th century.
They are Hispanic angels in Baroque garb with pearls, draperies, velvets
ruffles and laces, but we shouldn't forget the arquebus.
A loaded arquebus to say: "If you exploit the weak
we change discourse and play a different game".
I think they're beautiful books.
The first two are compilations
featuring works not included in the great monographs of the time
and still indispensable for my students, who requested and could not find them.
They make it possible to follow the 25-year intellectual itinerary
devoted to philosophy.