Debord

[skitty]

Can anyone tell me what Debord means by "Revolutionary theory is now the sworn enemy of all revolutionary ideology-and it knows it."? This is from Society of the Spectacle.

[blake 3:17]

Debord means that "theory", based on action, practice, and an emerging subjectivity, is opposed to "ideology", based on dogmatism, faith in The Party and passivity.

[Ostrinski]

He probably means that revolutionary theory i.e. conclusions based on concrete Marxian analysis of the existing material and social forces in society that are able to further serve as qualified revolutionary perspectives is anathema to the abstract, unchanneled, and dare I say manufactured nature "ideology" which only amounts to a set of ideas that vaguely reflects the state of a certain social relationship.

But then again I could very well be full of unadulterated shit, as the Situationists were not the type to prefer to make sense of things, mind you.

[skitty]

[QUOTE=Ostrinski;

But then again I could very well be full of unadulterated shit, as the Situationists were not the type to prefer to make sense of things, mind you.[/QUOTE]

Virgin Molotov Cocktail recommends: 'Read "Society Of The Spectacle". Drop acid.'; but I couldn't decide which to do first:crying:. Maybe that's the problem...

[o well this is ok I guess]

the Situationists were not the type to prefer to make sense of things, mind you. I never like to make judgements like this, since I don't read french. I mean, it's always possible we're just dealing with shit translation/some cultural linguistic gap.

[skitty]

I never like to make judgements like this, since I don't read french. I mean, it's always possible we're just dealing with shit translation/some cultural linguistic gap.

I did the best I could and got the translation approved by the author; but you're right, there can be problems. I know someone who won't read novels that weren't originally written in english because he assumes he'll miss something.

[human strike]

There are several translations of The Society of the Spectacle (as well as Vaneigem's Revolution of Everyday Life) and it is important that the translation is correct because Debord used the words that he did very deliberately, avoiding the workerist rhetoric present in the socialist movement in France at the time as well as, or so I understand, détourning the words of others. The Revolution of Everyday Life by Raoul Vaneigem is commonly considered to be easier to understand. Personally I much prefer Vaneigem's writing, not simply because it's easier to follow but because I agree with his reasoning in his choice of style. Debord and Vaneigem disagreed on whether there was a place for poetic language in revolutionary theory, Vaneigem arguing that there is.

http://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/raoul-vaneigem-the-revolution-of-everyday-life