The chemical engineering move.
What did the university mean to accomplish by this? It’s unfathomable.
We might demand an explanation, but we’ll never receive an explanation.
Sense – we want sense. Forget sense. There is no sense. Meaning – we cry out for meaning. Why should we suppose that there is meaning?
The chemical engineering move. A marriage of convenience, or something more sinister?
Is it part of a greater plan? Is it just random?
Did it happen by chance? Of course not. It’s a sign. A signal. There are larger forces at play here. There are powers and principalities.
The chemical engineering move.
The madness of the world has shown itself. The madness behind the world.
The mad deluge. The deluge of parody. Of farce.
The chemical engineering move. We alone can understand it in its eschatological dimension. Its apocalyptic dimension. And, most deeply, its Gnostic dimension.
The chemical engineering move.
What next? What other moves? English to mechanical engineering? History to oceanography? Fine arts to computing science?
The chemical engineering move.
Did anyone speak up on our behalf when this was decided? Did anyone protest?
The chemical engineering move.
Don’t look at it too closely. Don’t think about it too much. Ponder the logic of the chemical engineering move and you’ll go quite mad.
And it’s meant to drive you mad. it’s the unfathomable. It’s the sublime.
The chemical engineering move.
There are moments of collapse … when you catch sight of bigger things. Larger forces. And is that what we can glimpse now?
The chemical engineering move.
There’s a magnificence to the decision. A sublimity.
Maniacs are in charge. Who don’t care how they are seen. Who feel no need to explain themselves. Who don’t have to obey the most elementary logic. Basic rationality.
Maniacs, above rationality. Above reasons. Above explanations. Purely sublime …
The chemical engineering move.
Reptiles, at the heart of the uni. Aliens. Nephilim, ruling the university. Sons of Cain, in charge of the uni. This is Biblical … This is evil …
Unless there’s a greater plan: God’s plan. Unless we are being used by God in all this. Unless we are God’s tools in the midst of this.
Because God uses all things for the good – even this. Even chemical engineering. Even the chemical engineering move.
The chemical engineering move.
Who are they, who made this decision? Who forced this agenda? Reptiles? Insectoids?
Do they think as we do? Do they feel as we do?
Maybe this all makes sense in their universe. Maybe this is a strategy that plays out across dimensions. That only appears nonsensical from our perspective. From our limited point of view.
The chemical engineering move.
They could be Davos types. Could be World Economic Forum types.
Come on, why would they bother with a philosophy department?
It’d be almost a tribute to us that they’d bother. That they’d think it worthwhile taking out a potential enemy.
Maybe this is happening all over, across all the institutions. Maybe they’re neutralising possible areas of resistance.
Unless all this was completely random.
No – it’s not random. Things like this don’t just happen. It’s a plan, Something concerted. Otherwise what would it point to?
Utter derangement. Monumental stupidity.
Utter insanity.
But isn’t it possible – just possible – that someone actually thought this was a good idea? That someone was trying to create a dynamic new synergy. A new model for humanities / sciences collaboration.
The chemical engineering move.
As if something in philosophy’s heart cried out for chemical engineering. As if something in chemical engineering cried out for philosophy. As if something could come of this unholy marriage. This forced collision.
Some cross fertilization. Some unexpected synergy. The generation of new ideas.
The chemical engineering move.
For one subject to intensify the other. Forcing philosophy to become more itself. And chemical engineering – who knows? – to become more of itself.
The chemical engineering move.
Perhaps it’s a hopeful initiative. Perhaps there was a dream that new things become possible by making philosophy speak the language of chemical engineering and chemical engineering to speak the language of philosophy.
Ah, but it’s not an equal exchange. This is not some finely balanced binary system. Because chemical engineering is much, much larger than philosophy.
Philosophy – with three members of staff – will only ever be a tiny appendage to chemical engineering. Philosophy – will be swallowed up by chemical engineering. Hopefully philosophy will prove indigestible to chemical engineering. Hopefully chemical engineering will be forced to spew up philosophy entirely intact.
The chemical engineering move.
What do they think they’re doing? Are they mad? Touched? If so, it’s an impressive madness. It’s a sublime madness. Because who would be crazy enough to move philosophy to chemical engineering?
The chemical engineering move.
Don’t try and think about their plans. It’ll drive you mad pondering their plans.
The chemical engineering move.
It’s sublime. It’s marvellous. It’s genius in some random way.
The chemical engineering move.
How do they think they can get away with this? But they can, that’s the point. That, in part is why they do it. It’s a show of power – of utter power. It’s to prove they can do exactly as they please, no matter how mad.
They can simply bend reality to their will. They’re doing it because they can – however mad it is. In fact, they’re doing it because of that madness.
The chemical engineering move.
It’s so brazen. So defiant. So confrontational. It’s like parking a tank on your front law. They can do whatever they like: that’s what they showing. They’re changing the fundamental nature of things by decree. Because they want to.
Drunk on power. Testing out their powers. Flexing their muscles. Doing it because they can. Because it’s possible for them, as everything seems to be possible for them.
In the face of everything sensible – of course. In defiance of all reason – yes, yes.
The chemical engineering move.
Madness is at work. Madness is showing its face. Or is it evil? Evil madness. The madness of evil. Chaos is being unleashed. This is anything goes. The denial of reality. Of facts. Of what is the case and has always been the case.
The chemical engineering move.
A scream from philosophy itself. In protest. Philosophy’s cry. Philosophy’s protest. Do you hear it? And perhaps chemical engineering is screaming. Perhaps … And is the university itself screaming? Does the university itself protest?
A protest from the campus itself. From the library. From the walkways. From the reclad Brutalist towers. From the steel and glass newbuilds. A protest from the senior common rooms and junior common rooms. From the Students Union. From the laboratories and boardrooms. A cry, rising to the heavens. Do not do this.
The chemical engineering move.
Philosophy, forced into itself. Into pure internal resistance. Crowded into itself. Shoved into itself. Crammed into the tiniest space.
Philosophy will be changed, internally. Philosophy, under immense pressure, will become something else. Will change into another state, like solid turning into liquid.
Philosophy, under this kind of pressure, will turn molten. Melt.
Magma philosophy. Lava philosophy, reading to erupt, madly. Ready to burst, exploding our sanity. Philosophical sanity.
The chemical engineering move.
A concentration of philosophy. A pressure of philosophy. A writhing of philosophy. Turning in itself, around in itself. In a philosophy crucible.
Chaos philosophy. Philosophy torn apart. Mad philosophy, as we are each of us sent mad.
Only a philosophy that can speak of madness will survive. A new kind of philosophy – fragmented, broken. That speaks like an oracle. In fragments. Disjointed sentences. Single words.
What we bear inside us. What runs molten inside us. What writhes inside us. What is hatching inside us …
The chemical engineering move.
It’s troubling. Baffling. They really want to go through with this. They really are serious.
You can see it in their eyes: they think this can be done. That it’s even a worthwhile task. That something important will come of this.
They’re sincere. They’re honest. But they are also mad, quite mad. The institution is mad, quite mad.
The chemical engineering move.
Why have they turned their attentions on us? Why is it our turn? Why philosophy? Why couldn’t they just have left us alone? Why couldn’t we be allowed to exist, untroubled, unharassed? Why should we have to be destroyed and remade? It’s cruel … it’s needless.
Come on – of course it isn’t needless. Of course this isn’t arbitrary. Of course it wasn’t just philosophy’s turn. A special punishment is being meted out to us. A special, tailor made humiliation.
They’re declared war on of philosophy – of course. It is philosophy that has to be attacked, and that first of all. Wrestled to the ground.
It’s a symbolic move. We have no institutional power, no institutional influence. We simply want to get on with philosophy. With philosophising. But that will not be allowed. That cannot be allowed.
Because they sense something about philosophy. They feel a kind of awe of philosophy, despite everything. They know that it’s philosophy they have to go after. Not history, say. Not the fine arts. Not music. Not English literature. No, it’s philosophy – it must be philosophy. Philosophy must be made to do their bidding. Philosophy in particular.
The chemical engineering move.
A special destiny for philosophy, alone among the humanities. A special path mapped out for philosophy, along among the humanities.
To warn the rest of the humanities that this could happen to them. To send out a signal that no one’s safe in the humanities. That no subject can hide. That no subject can hope that things will simply pass them by.
The uni’s coming for you: that’s what the chemical engineering move is showing. At any time! Any moment!
Never think you’re safe! Never think you’re hidden! If we can do it to philosophy, we can do it to you. If we can move the least applied, most theoretical of humanities disciplines to the most applied, least theoretical science subjects, we can do it to you. No one’s immune. No one’s too good for this treatment.
The chemical engineering move.
Anything could happen! The most absurd thing! The greatest absurdity! That’s what the university’s showing.
The university’s more powerful than common sense. The university’s ignores all common sense. That’s the lesson.
The uni can do what it likes: that’s what this says. That’s the message being sent out. Don’t wail that it’s an injustice. The university’s the arbiter of justice. Don’t cry out that it makes no sense. The university decides what makes sense.
This is a shock and awe move. This is a cow-the-humanities move. This is a we have infinite power move. This is a we can do anything we like move. This is a kneel and pray move. This is a behold our greatness move. This is a watch it or you’re next move.
The chemical engineering move.
What’s the uni reacting to? What risks does it face? Why does it have to devote so much of its resources to moving philosophy? Why is it doing this? What’s its strategy?
Is there something we’re missing here? Is there an angle we don’t understand? Is the university itself under pressure from some external source? Has there been a deliberate government clampdown on philosophy? Not that we know of. Not that we’ve heard.
The chemical engineering move is clearly a ritual sacrifice of philosophy – that’s the only way we can make sense of it. it’s a deliberate offering up of philosophy to strange gods.
What’s its roadmap? Is this some national thing? Is it a general persecute European philosophy thing?
from a greater authority? From a government authority? Is the uni itself subject to higher pressure, to government directives regarding the last remaining European philosophy departments?
The chemical engineering move.
Why is this happening? Is the university itself helpless in this?
The deep university’s making its move, maybe. Like the deep government making its move. It’s the equivalent of assassinating JFK. It’s a CIA thing. An MI5 thing. A DARPA thing. An MKUltra thing.
The chemical engineering move.
Because of its absurdity. Because it’s wholly ridiculous. Because it’s a farce.
The chemical engineering move.
The destruction of philosophy is not enough. The humiliation of philosophy: that’s the aim. The torture of philosophy. It’s not enough just to close us down. No – it has to be humiliation.
The chemical engineering move.
Because they can. Because they have to, even. Because this is their eschatological role at the end of times: the mockers of philosophy.
Chemical engineering is the only place for philosophy. The only place where philosophy, and even continental philosophy, had to be moved. To chemical engineering! Nowhere else!
The chemical engineering move.
Were they laughing as they did it? Did it amuse them? Do they know what they’ve done? Or is it more of an instinctual thing? An animal thing? Did they just sense, deep down, that is what should be done?
The chemical engineering move.
That philosophy should be glad of it, and tremendously glad! That philosophy should see this as an opportunity! What good fortune, to be moved in to chemical engineering!
The chemical engineering move.
Because the mockery of philosophy is a legitimate aim. Because it’s in keeping with the logic of all things. The complete humiliation of philosophy and especially European philosophy.
The chemical engineering move.
This wasn’t by chance. It was quite deliberate. Counter sense. Nonsense. But in keeping with the nonsense of the world! The countersense of the world!
Philosophy – to chemical engineering? Of course! Where else! There’s no other choice. No other place for philosophy. Nowhere else where it should go. Nowhere better! More appropriate! More fitting!
The chemical engineering move.
Imagining the meeting where they made the decision. Imagining the negotiations. Was it discussed? Did they weigh up the pros and the cons? Did they all just agree? Were there dissenters? Was anyone against it? Couldn’t they sense the nihilism – even if they’d never heard of the word, nihilism?
They did it because of the nihilism – an unconscious nihilism, but nihilism nonetheless. They did it because of the absurdity. As an unconscious revenge on philosophy. On the humanities in general.
They didn’t know what they were doing – not explicitly. Their left hand didn’t know what their right hand was doing – not really. But the university’s in the grip of deep, deep drives. There’s a whole institutional unconscious at work. A desire for revenge. On humanities expansiveness. On humanities freedom of thought.
They’re instinctively appalled by philosophy. A fear of philosophy – and especially European philosophy, which is actually about something, unlike analytic philosophy, which is a mere grinding of gears.
They know us as a threat – unconsciously. They experience us as an enemy – in the backs of their minds. At a certain level, quite instinctively they knew what was to be done. Which is why the decision was pushed through without objection. Through all the committees. Why it was simply announced as a fait accompli, without consultation.
The chemical engineering move.
We’re being made an example of. Philosophy’s being made an example of. And European philosophy – continental philosophy.
The chemical engineering move.
They’ve already won the war on theology. They’ve already closed down theology nearly everywhere. Now it’s philosophy’s turn. Philosophy’s next in line.
Because they know philosophy, after theology, is their true enemy. That only philosophy, after theology, can put all the pieces together – understand their Plan. That only philosophy, after theology, has the depth – the breadth.
The chemical engineering move.
They know they’re vulnerable to philosophy. That philosophers have discernment (some of us.) That they’re not taken in (a few of us.)
Of course, there’s deep philosophy, too – don’t forget that. The same deep philosophy that has utterly marginalised and shut down European philosophy. The same deep philosophy that has systematically succeeded in removing Indian and Chinese philosophy from every uni and that has almost succeeded in removing European philosophy from very uni. The same deep philosophy that is no doubt in league with greater forces – technocratic forces – to destroy European philosophy.
And it’s not as if we can rely on European philosophy to resist. So called continental philosophy is largely textual commentary philosophy, and even bad textual commentary philosophy. Supposedly European philosophy is mostly writing bad secondary books philosophy, with typical English incompetence. Continental philosophy, in general, is the product of comprehensive schools. Of grade inflation. Of philistine monoglotism.
The chemical engineering move.
We’re being called to arms. This is a summons to our true vocation. It’s being revealed to us: our reason for being in the world. The reason we exist. It’s being show to us: why we are at all. What our stupidity’s for – even our stupidity. How we might use it – even our idiocy.
None of this happened by chance. We didn’t end up working in this department by chance. And philosophy isn’t being moved to chemical engineering by chance.
It’s clear now, what our lives were leading up to. What we were supposed to be going. Where our idiocy has led us. Where our maverick religiosity was leading us.
We understand the eschatological role of European philosophy. And we understand the eschatological role we have as would-be European philosophers. As stupid continental philosophers.
Our chemical engineering philosophy. The philosophy that arose from being moved to chemical engineering. The philosophy that emerged from the cramped space of chemical engineering.
The chemical engineering test. What the chemical engineering forced us to. What it made us think.
To affirm the chemical engineering move. To know it as the possibility of our thinking, of our thought. It’s possible to talk of a chemical engineering breakthrough.
How chemical engineering broke and remade us. How chemical engineering broke us on its wheel. And remade us on its wheel.
The chemical engineering disaster. Which is also a chemical engineering rebirth.
We must speak of ourselves as chemical engineers from now on.
Our chemical engineering madness. Yes, we’ve been sent mad.
But something may happen because of this madness. Something may happen through this madness. What’s making itself known, as we dwell in madness?
The chemical engineering era has begun. A new phase in Five Bridges philosophy.
The move to chemical engineering logic. Its logic. Its anti logic.
This is a deliberate satanic parody. It’s an operation of the antichrist. A sign that the uni has been infiltrated. Devoured from within.
Philosophy, in exile. Philosophy, in hiding. Philosophy, disappeared inside us. And theology – even more hidden. Even more exiled.
Philosophy – European philosophy – hunted. On the run. Living under a false name – a chemical engineering name.
Philosophy, only able to exist under cover. Under an assumed name. In disguise. Philosophy, only able to be crypto philosophy. Speaking its truth by telling lies – chemical engineering lies.
Rewriting our modules in order to make their contents accessible to chemical engineering students. To make their aims and objectives intelligible to chemical engineering students. To make their learning outcome wholly understandable by chemical engineering students.
We won’t be allowed to use the words, epistemology and ontology and metaphysics. We won’t be allowed to use the words axiology and deontology and virtue ethics. We won’t be allowed to use words the chemical engineering students do not understand.
The chemical engineering taming of philosophy. The chemical engineering disciplining of philosophy. Making it biddable. Making it understandable to the university authorities. Because the authorities dislike what they cannot contain. What questions them. What questions authority and the limits of authority. What does not submit.
A series of meetings with philosophy. To plot a course for integration. To work together with chemical engineering. To find a way of working together. To plot a course. To make a roadmap.
A becoming chemical engineering of philosophy. And a becoming philosophy of chemical engineering?
Work in Progress 