This Thursday: 'A Critique of Biopolitical Economy' with Rob Poe

Rob Poe is a regular attendee of Beer & Revolution and participates in discussions with a critical voice that I respect. This Thursday afternoon he will be giving a talk at the ASU West bookstore called "A Critique of Biopolitical Economy". I find his politics interesting for a variety of reasons, not least of which is his willingness to critique technology from a Marxist perspective. Below I have linked all the relevant information for those interested in attending.

Thursday, February 18
A Critique of Biopolitical Economy
A talk by Robert Poe (MACS graduate student, ASU West)
4:00pm - 6:00pm, ASU West Bookstore

Robert Poe will be presenting portions of his Master's thesis, A Critique of Biopolitical Economy, which engages thoroughly with the works of Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri (i.e. Empire, Multitude and Commonwealth). He grounds their political economy in the history of the Marxist and anarchist political traditions and subsequently critiques how emancipatory their conception of resistance is as understood through the political subject of the multitude. Given his strong philosophical background he will also be critiquing their use of prominent thinkers and concepts in the history of philosophy, particularly Spinoza (the concept of the multitude is taken directly from Spinoza's work). Ultimately, he hopes this project will provide a sustained critique of current movements which seek to challenge global capitalism from a predominantly apolitical position (i.e. the abandonment of the struggle for political power). The philosophical concepts of immanence and transcendence also play a crucial role in this presentation. He will look at how their philosophical and religious interpretations are equally applicable to the realm of political economy, specifically to the re/production of and struggle against global capitalism. The work of Spinoza plays a key guiding role in helping to understand the complex entanglement of politics, philosophy and religion.