Theory Club

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Theory Club is an informal discussion group of enthusiasts, dilettantes, amateurs & auteurs, professionals & procrastinators.  Meetings are held bi-monthly on Wednesday evenings at 9 PM in the Conference Room.  The discussion leader is generally responsible for providing some kind of (possibly-fermented (SSHHH!!!)) refreshments.

Contents

Mission

What is theory, and why should we talk about it? Theory has a weird place at ITP: often maligned, often talked around, often misunderstood. You may love it or you may hate it, and now we have a chance to get that out in the open—and we can all learn something new.

I intend to make this 1) educational and 2) fun and interesting. Theory doesn't have to be a ridiculous, academic, armchair pursuit. The readings and ideas I like are the ones that inspire new ideas and new approaches to my own projects, and I bet many of you feel the same.

The First Rule of Theory Club is you don't theorize about Theory Club.

Theory Club List

Join the Theory Club group!!! Visit itp.nyu.edu/group/theoryclub!!!

Roster

Meetings

  • Meeting 18: VALUE: An introduction to market dynamics and cultural agency (Feb 16, 2011) — Led by Alex Dodge


  • Meeting 17: Logic! (Feb 9, 2011) — Led by TIMS


  • Meeting 16: Star Wars and urbanism and minimalism and land art (Dec 15, 2010) — Led by Greg Borenstein


  • Meeting 15: This Is a Text: An A–Z of Conceptual Graphic Design (Nov 10, 2010) — Led by Joshua Clayton
    Ssecorp noitacinummoc eht ot roloc dna, egami, yhpargopyt fo noitacilppa lufyalp/lacitirc eht ni detseretni esoht ot tnaveler semeht syevrus yliratnemgarf Txet a Si Siht.


  • Meeting 14: BACH (Oct 27, 2010) — Led by Matt G. Bach to bach to bach to bach slides


  • Meeting 13: VALIS (Oct 13, 2010) — Led by Corrie van Slice


  • Meeting 12: Monism & Theology (Sept 29, 2010) — Led by Mark Triant, Minister of Unbelief & Geokinetic Liaison
    can metaphysics ever be a useful enterprise? i spent my senior year of college arguing that it cannot; here i overturned all that hard work and led the group in discussing some of the issues relating to the topic of The Cosmic Totality. we talked about ontological monism - the thesis that the universe consists of (strictly speaking) exactly one thing. we discussed monistic theologies, which have historically been called both pantheism and atheism, and why, in fact, a consistent monotheistic theology may indeed be tantamount to atheism, or vice-versa. we discussed the stoics, vedics, presocratics, mystics, heretics, and all the spinoza the group could handle.



  • Meeting 10: de Certeau: Strategy & Tactic (March 23, 2010) — Led by Patrick Grizzard
    de Certeau's critical tools of strategy and tactic as a response to/critique of disciplinary society, the society of control and panopticism; the "concept" of the city, and walking as speech act.


  • Meeting 9: Crypto-Anarchism! (March 2, 2010) — Led by T3db0t
    Ever heard of "darknets?" Feel strongly about privacy? Ever wondered what you could do about the exposure of yr datastreamz to the Whole Wide World? I'll introduce the recent history of internet privacy with specific regard to anonymous (or pseudonymous) overlay networks like I2P and we can discuss what it means for information to be free, "free," or "N/A," and what anarchy means in the information age.  I'll even endeavor to give a live demo of how these technologies work!


  • Meeting 8: On Ideology in Cultural Production (02/4/2010) — Led by Sonia

Douglas Crimp: On the Museum's Ruins [1] Andrea Fraser: Museum Highlights: A Gallery Talk [2] Althusser: Reading Capital [3]

  • Meeting 7: Giorgio Agamben (01/26/2010) — Led by Sonaar Luthra


  • Meeting 6: Get Drunk at Mars Bar


  • Meeting 5: Ulysses's landescape (11.23.2009) — Led by Aiwen
    Bring your mugs to the whiskey sea, all phuns intended in J's oddisee!
    • online text: [4]
    • basic schemata which we'll be referring to: [5]
    • ulysses as self-referential hypertext: [6]


  • Meeting 4: Starring Jacques Derrida as Columbo (11, 11, 2009) — Led by Sonaar Luthra
    Derrida isn't all that different than my favorite detective, and I intend to prove it. Red wine will be served.


  • Meeting 3: Sake ~&~ Whiskey (Oct. 28, 2009) — Led by Sonia Yuditskaya
    The Uncanny Valley (a prevalent theory for dealing with and thinking about robotics) implies a certain dichotomy of human, and machine (or what could be analogized as souled, and soulless). Shintoism, a religion followed by roughly 92% of Japan's population, believes that all things have a spirit, these spirits are called Kami and exist along side and in the same world as humans. Since so much robotics development comes from Japan, I would like to take a moment to unpack robotics culture from the point of view of Shinto, and let it weigh in with the Uncanny Valley and other Judeo-Christian notions on the creation and giving of life and the perception of its artificiality.
    • Watch out! Link dump ahead!
    • references: Freud's definition of the uncanny part [7], [8], and [[9]] Kant's sublime: [[10]] , the uncanny valley [[11]] , I was not kidding that these things are related [[12]] , Dennett: Conciousness Explained : [[13]] , Shinto, and introduction [[14]] , Geminoid : [[15]] , Paro Therapy Robot : [[16]] , Murata Girl : [[17]]



Resources

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