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Changing the Subject – Philosophy from Socrates to Adorno

There are quite a few books crowding my bookshelves that offer an overview on Western philosophy and while each and everyone I find to have merits; some lack an engaging component.

Enter Raymond Geuss.

What I found refreshing from the get go, is that Geuss made a subjective selection of philosophers he decided to cover, which is comprised of the usual suspects but also leaving out some stalwarts, which sets the scene for not only him shedding light on the ones he feels passionate about, but also to venture towards practical rather than theoretical philosophy. While Geuss manages to approach things in a balanced manner, it should not come as a surprise that due to the nature of the selections made, the philosophers that made the cut are portrayed in a positive manner. On the upside this means that Geuss focusses his elaborations on the protagonists he has explored in detail.

Subjectivity aside, Geuss masterfully sketches out how the focus of Western philosophical thought changed over time or at least approaches towards eternal questions, as the title of the book suggests – a paradigm shift which can also mean progress.

Geuss’ take on philosophical theories mean that “changing the subject” can mean much more than mere distraction or deflection: It can mean an evolution of viewpoints that progressively incorporate and take into account new information and revelations as they become available.

While Changing the Subject – Philosophy from Socrates to Adorno has a lot to offer for the uninitiated, luminaries will be able to read in between the lines when it comes to Geuss’ approach and a question that I found myself presented with is if Geuss tried to indicate if Western philosophy as we know it is thought to an end with all consequences, it would have already become stagnant and come to an end not unlike a snake devouring its own tail.

Raymond Geuss expertly navigates through the conclusions he arrives at by illustrating them modestly yet rigorously and in an engagingly witty manner without imposing his personal take on the reader, which inspires the recipient to do delve further into the matter.

Aristotle – Art of Rhetoric

Rhetoric is not only a powerful device but can also be a weapon, especially when the aim is not merely to convince someone of what you deem to be right but if your convictions are harmful to others and used to gain power.

Enter Aristotle who realised the dilemma fairly early on with the advent of Greek society and further on put emphasis on the necessity of having good intentions and using rhetoric to spawn happiness instead of conflict, illustrating ways of rhetorically convincing people and arousing emotions for the greater good of society.

Having been penned over two thousand years ago, it is remarkable how relevant and valid the quintessence of the Art of Rhetoric still is and how its principles can be applied in the present day to produce results.  If this is your first exposure to Aristotle’s theory, the scales will fall from your eyes, as it unveils the structure most politicians and basically anyone addressing large sceptical audiences, base their speeches on.

A classic, insightful and essential piece of literature on persuasion and how rhetoric plays an important role to conveying one's information pertaining to any occasion, showing scientifically and systematically how a weak can be turned into a strong argument.

Smellosophy – A.S Barwich

Ah, the senses…

It would prove hard to make a case against the claim that the olfactory one has the connection to our frontal cortex on speed dial, as smells tend to elicit a range of associations and job memories out of nowhere. While this is a beautiful phenomenon, it is also a complex one and the details and reasons for it are difficult to pin down. It gets even more intricate if one sets out to explore if smells and their interpretation are coloured and influenced by one’s social and local contexts.

In his illuminating elaborations, A. S. Barwich examines in an accessibly manner the way smell is processed, interpreted and evaluated and closes in on the actual epicentre of the olfactory receptors in the nasal passage.

I found Smellosophy interesting as it made me question a range of things that I took for granted and never wondered about, e.g. why it is harder for me to determine as smell compared to telling differences and nuances between smells. This might appear obvious, but Barwich goes deeper and unveils deeper layers, looking at resulting mental images and both the verbal and conceptual representations thereof.

Things get really interesting when Barwich elaborates on how smelling can be compared to seeing and how it fits in with how neuroscience positions how we perceive things – if you are not familiar with the scientific models, Barwich comes to the rescue deciphering and presenting concepts in a nutshell and illustrates them in accessible worldly terms.

Smellosophy is a refreshingly educational book that channels its approach through scientific, philosophical and worldly lenses to present a holistic hole.

The Perfect Fascist – Victoria de Grazia

As Henry A. Wallace put it so poignantly, the myth of fascist efficacy has deluded many people and one of the more prominent protagonists is Mussolini and his fascist regime in Italy.

Victoria de Grazia carefully examines the roots of Benito Mussolini, his rise to power and what enabled him based on a personal incident involving his associate and military officer Attilio Teruzzi that soon became fatally political as it helped to eventually spawn the introduction of Italy’s first race laws.

Following Sylvia Plath’s preferences, De Grazia historically exemplifies the appeal and seductiveness of fascism, embedding her findings in a novel-like scenario. Centred around the renouncement of a marriage, the development and evolution of fascism in Italy is weaved in as it takes hold in all facets in society and becomes engrained in concepts of honour and masculinity, which results in the destruction and corruption of individuals and undermines pure emotions, i.e. making love a political affair.

Entwining two narratives, the contradictions and implications of fascisms are shown both on a national, political and bigger picture level as well as in private spheres, including those of its main proponents. Seemingly unrelated parts complement one another to a comprehensive whole that shows par excellence that the personal is the political and both the correlation and interdependencies.

Water of Life - Rampur

The uninitiated seem to be surprised when one raves about the fantastic whiskies emanating from the subcontinent, however, the connoisseurs know that India is home to distilleries that consistently push the boundaries of what is thought possibly when it comes to the refinement of excellent drop.

Enter Rampur Indian Single Malt, the parent distillery of which has honed its alchemy of distilling been since the early 1940s and whose portfolio includes a selection of rums, vodka and gins.

Rampur’s unique location, i.e. the Uttar Pradesh region in Northern India is close to the Himalayas and the resulting extremes of climate that come with the territory add an x-factor to the complexity of its whiskies as it speeds up the aging process.

Needless to say that I was intrigued and had to explore what Rampur makes of its locally grown six-row barley that is distilled in its traditional copper pot stills.

Medium amber in colour, stating that the Rampur Select expression’s aromas are fruity would be an understatement par excellence – a varied bouquet of honeyed cherries tickle the nostrils with highlights of orange, papayas and dried pears.

What the nose promised seamlessly extends to the palate in the creamiest of manners, with the papaya nuances being enriched by highlights of vanilla, marmalade, eucalyptus, spicy clove and floral notes that are backed by a woody oakyness and bits of malty cocoa.

The elongated finish bookends the experience by turning the volume up on the spicy notes, adding nutmeg and rosemary flavours to the mix, while continuing to riff on the aforementioned fruity and herbal notes.

Clocking in at 43% ABV, Rampur entry level Select is a balanced and flavourfully aromatic expression, which in some aspects I find to be reminiscent of some Japanese whiskies.

Rampur’s Double Cask Indian Single Malt takes things up a few notches – not surprisingly as not unlike the name suggests, it is aged in a mix of bourbon barrels and sherry casks, with the common denominator that there is again no age statement included.

On the nose, again a fruit basket unfolds its array of tones, ranging from stone fruits to apricot notes, which is amplified by the Sherry cask maturation.

The transition to the palate is as seamless as can be as the top of the mouth finds itself engulfed in swirls of fruity highlights, spicy notes from the European oak based on a foundation of earthy grains and slight hints of ethanol and vermouth.

For many, the subcontinent is the hotbed for gin, given specifically the influx of British soldiers and their endeavours to combat malaria by ingesting the juniper spirit mixed with tonic, however, traditionally India is not exactly known for being the home of too many gin distilleries.

Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin is the product of Rampur’s home distillery Radico Khaitan. Clocking in at 43% ABV, the triple distilled spirit is infused with Indian botanicals among which Darjeeling green tea leaves leave a distinct impression, backed by zesty lemongrass, coriander and cubeb pepper berries – with juniper interestingly enough not being a listed part of the equation at all. This very fact adds an interesting layer as instead of what would expect in terms of gin aromas, lime, orangey and lemony notes are dominant.

On the top of the mouth, the lime-lemon dominance continues, accentuated by a hint of peppery spice and a slight berry fruitiness.

The medium finish reverberates with a light sweetness that rest on a bed of floral notes, which makes it an interestingly drinking experience that not a lot of other stereotypical gins offer.

Glad I finally got to experience Rampur in all its glory, which took a bit longer than expected as it appears that currently a new distribution arrangement needs to be put in place for Oceania.

Given the quality of the distillery’s drops, I am confident that this will be rectified soon as whisky connoisseurs would feel deprived not having access to this nectar.

August: I've Got Nothing

Hey folks! Sorry if you came looking for a playlist, but unfortunately, I don't have one for you this month. I spent most of the month relistening to a lot of the new albums that have come out this year. I did check out a few new releases. Bright Eyes' new album is solid, but lacking a little kick. The new Orville Peck EP is pretty good too. I didn't listen to anywhere near enough to make a playlist though, so I'm going to be putting Search/Play/Repeat on hold and will hopefully listen to much more in September and have a playlist next month. Thanks for checking in.

Thus Let Us Drink Beer – T-Bone Rye IIPA

T-Bone Brewing was first introduced to me by Peter Bignell when he told me about his son’s brewery while sampling his fantastic Belgrove Whiskey and we were chewing on a pig’s ear in Hobart.

A long story...

Tom Bignell is the man behind T-Bone and having had borderline ideal circumstances with his father having paved the way with him channelling his alchemy in distilling and after trying his hand with homebrewing, he followed his vocation and eventually took the plunge and turned his passion for brews into a profession together with his better half Carla.

Given the whisky royalty family background, I have never had low expectations when it comes to T-Bone’s emissions, their portfolio surmises things on every level no matter if it is their core range of Easy Ale, Pale Ale or Golden Ale.

Being a friend of hoppy brews, the Fruit Bowl IPA caught my attention and despite the IPA market being flooded with expression claiming to have fruity flavours, the name in this instance could not be more accurate. The melange of Chinook, Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe and Amarillo hops create a smorgasbord of exciting flavours and every time I feel like I can nail it down, nuances take a left turn and morph into a different director. There is citrus, stone fruity highlights and just the most subtle bitterness that frames it all beautifully.

Needless to say that I was quite excited to learn that the release of a Rye IIPA was on the horizon. While the name is again a telling one, one might think that this expression is much more one-dimensional. Of course there is a heavy focus on rye malt, which anchors the beer, however, the hop overload courtesy of double dry-hopped with Centennial, Citra and Simcoe hops, makes it a rich and complex IIPA that is reminiscent of English Ales with a spicy rye twist and a hint of toffee.

Paired with a dram of Laphroaig Triple Wood, it proved to be a hell of a satisfying companion that due to how easy it is to drink and its imperial levels of alcohol is dangerously moreish.

The Formative Years – ZAP Magazine

During my early teenage years as a juvenile delinquent in a pre-internet age, any punk and hardcore related information I could come by – be it through observation or exposure - was soaked up in a sponge like manner and what seemed to resemble as something that made sense, became ingrained as empirical truths.

There were many great DIY-style copy & paste style fanzines around, however, most of them were essentially an echo chamber of whatever was prevalent within the confines of the run-of-the-mill stereotypes of “punk”, or alternatively, they only tangentially touched punk, lacked the ethos and had their foci on other forms of music that lacked excitement for me at that age.

Enter ZAP Magazine.

While I was familiar with the editor’s first fanzine Vox Vulgi, his prior involvement in Trust Magazine, his band Challenger Crew and after procuring my first issue, it was not difficult to tell that with ZAP Magazine, the aim was to take things to a whole new level in every aspect - from a more professional magazine-style presentation to content and attitude.

Due to establishing itself as a monthly periodical, it quickly not only became the source for punk and hardcore related news, but constantly evolved and started to include the exploration of new ideas, presented exciting music and political constructs that both inspired and provoked. It served as a hotbed for networking, a community and contacts were forged, some of which last to this day.

While the content of early issues almost exclusively rested on the preferences of founder Moses Arndt, a varied, passionate core of writers was given more and more autonomy, which enriched and enhanced the content in terms of variety.  

Martin Büsser was one of the contributors whose elaborations first agitated and then intrigued me, as his borderline academic emissions helped broaden my musical horizons and exposed me to interestingly different view and angles. Being an intellectual heavyweight, Martin deliberately set out to counteract the narrow-mindedness and intolerance of hardcore purists. He was the one that inspired me to e.g. delve into the Frankfurter School of social theory and critical philosophy as well as to spend the little allowance I had on music by not exactly easy-to-access artists like John Zorn. The beauty with ZAP was that the aforementioned did feel as part of the package and not at all as if it was in contradiction to its core DNA – it was a prism and lens to introduce me to concepts, music and ideas that opened new worlds for me.

Viel Feind, viel Ehr – ZAP encountered a load of antagonism from other scenesters, which partly came with the territory of what they were trying to achieve and at other times was deliberately sparked and provoked.

Truth is, no matter if friend of foe, in its heydays, everyone read ZAP Magazine as it became a mouthpiece with a reach and significance that could not be ignored. A testament to the importance of ZAP is the fact the most vocal critics eventually started writing for it.

On a surface level, one could also claim that its founder Moses Arndt and ZAP singlehandedly introduced what became known as trademark New York Hardcore to Germany, orchestrated its success and made or broke bands in a manner, that reverberates to the present day. During my first visit to NYC and CBGBs in the 1990s, the mere mention of “ZAP” was an easy icebreaker as it was a known fixture and reference point.

ZAP’s influence on not only on the punk and hardcore scene at large cannot be overestimated. With an antifascist core at everything that was undertaken (and amplified during the resurgence of right-wing radicalism after the German reunion) and a growing influence, it started to pierce mainstream media with carefully orchestrated actions. With the founding of a political party, a trademark “Partisanentum”, the infusion of a flagging scene with a deliberate return to “Rotzloeffeltum” and the raw essence of punk in the second half of the 1990s along with both record and book releases, ZAP helped to create a springboard which helped a new generation of punks to catapult their efforts into the new millennium, before it ceased to exist in its known format at the end of the 1990s.

For the next two decades founder and ZAP mastermind Moses Arndt channelled his alchemy is entrepreneurial endeavours and saw him emerge as a medical practitioner with a doctorate under his belt, before 2019 saw the return of ZAP in typically anachronistic form, i.e. only in a printed manner that can only be mail ordered straight from the source or selected mail-orders.

I have yet to lay eyes on the reanimated incarnation, but the mere knowledge that it ZAP is back, feels great.