m of care – mar 21 24

missed p1..?

THE VIRTUES OF DIOGENES, PART 2: CHARACTER CREATION [https://museum.care/events/the-virtues-of-diogenes-part-2-character-creation/]:

In the second session, we will explore the world of Diogene’s philosophy by creatively comparing Diogenes Cynics with his contemporary Xenophon’s Cynegeticus. We will speculate on both these dog-associated philosophies and imagine what they might tell us about the worlds and the ecologies they imply. We will be supported in this by anthropologist Avi KBH, who has analysed the history of recreational hunting in Europe and has *published an ethnographic answer to ‘why people hunt’. You can also listen to an audio version of Avi’s paper here: Part 1 and Part 2. In doing so Avi will unpack how Xenophon’s Cynegeticus and recreational hunting have fundamentally shaped notions of freedom, virtue, and salvation through ‘nature’ in comparison to Diogenes notions of virtue. This will be followed by a discussion where participants will explore how the dog-associated philosophy of Diogenes suggests alternative human-nature possibilities. During the session Avi will also draw on **chapter 3 of his 1018 doctoral thesis that covers the transformation in human-nature relations before and after the Cynics and Stoics.

*notes here: avi on hunting:

coercive civ has not gone away.. it’s just that the freedom of recreation is now officially a part of more people’s lives.. so quant not qual change..subject to the humiliation of being told they have a ‘free choice’ to sell themselves to whoever has more capital as mediated by state

finite set of choices.. spinach or rock ness.. need curiosity over decision making..

**just read last pg (for now) of this 35 pg pdf:

35

One reason so many people that hunt in Europe today are men is because women were not at first considered proper free people – citizens – when hunting become a popular right. With the economisation of sex this is again changing.

notes/quotes from meeting:

avi: intro – 4 parts 1\intro.. why last yr session w david 2\ last session p 1 3\ this one.. 4\ next one

reading intro: anarchist principles.. david on animal play and anarchism.. universe as non deterministic.. took anarchism to diff level beyond earth/history.. 2 people as trengy and diogenes.. makes sense connected to david’s work.. both are early anarchists.. and graeber’s work draws heavy on anarchism.. we don’t know if diogenes existed as single person.. anarchist itself.. sans one persona ness.. rather assemblages of whatevers.. graeber himself acknowledged his work is generalist.. rather than singlest.. in these 3 sections.. hoping to analyze diogenes deeper..

in last session drew on annie’s work.. in urban public square.. as rejection of privatization of urban housing.. living as what’s available.. not property.. also to engaging people on personal level.. about navigating space and who are you.. he experimented w messing with debt in first city he lived in.. could say .. the crypto econ of his time.. solid practitioner of direct action across the board.. want to emphasize the more than human part of life.. the multi species guild.. foods, animals, etc.. more broadly could say.. a question about human nature relationships

diogenes and dogs are quite important.. synergetic.. cynic.. syn means dog.. not same as cynicism.. synergetic is a philosophy of being with dogs when one goes hunting.. very important to how we consider virtues and our relationship w nature.. relationships that structured assemblages

why hunting.. environ history of aristo hunting has major influence on how we value virtue today.. also important to focus on human/animal relations.. diogenes practice is done w dogs on the streets.. this spatial contrast is important on how we think of nature and freedom.. cyprus great case study to explore diogenes..

history is a diologic.. convo between present and past.. not a logic of present..

now overview of context of human relationships over 1000 yrs in cyprus.. been trying to draw out synergetic (my focus) vs cynic perspectives

2nd part – pre diogenes and civ.. every anthro needs to talk from field site.. so for me cyprus.. 13k yrs ago summary from ch 3 reading..

[missed some taking john out]

3rd category never addressed.. pest animals

so what has this got to do with diogenes.. trying to emphasize particular relationship that emerged.. between nature (outside civ to be scared of).. then shifted to one where you find freedom.. these notions were aristocratic.. then moved to broadly socialist ideas.. ie: protected areas drew on hunting parts..

dog seen as instrument in hunting relationship an extension of human.. for diogenes that was diff.. can see dog as companion.. often domestication what humans do to animals.. some animals more responsive to that..

ie: about crows.. idea is if do something to species and they will conform.. species don’t have say in what is going to happen.. this is not case

ie: on diff parts having good relationship w seagulls.. because way people interact .. over time .. shapes how seagulls start to interact w people

armel in chat: At some point you were talking about the appearance of gender differenciation in sculptures and also the differentiation between tamed and wild animals, and Could we say the societal differentiation between savage and domestic animals is just a consequence of the more biological difference between tamable and domesticated animals ?

To add to your point of the French Revolutionaries asking for the right to hunt, you could also think of the Irish independence movement being motivated by similar rights, if I remember correctly all fish in Irish rivers were considered property of the crown at some point

armel: you said diff of domesticated/wild animals.. i thought it was more biological..

avi: ie: now people talk about wild boar as a pest.. and they differentiate it from pigs.. when no diff.. wild/domesticated aspect climates/encultrates into space..

ie: i would see street dogs i see in cyprus present as neither wild/domesticated.. rather.. free.. because basic requirements given.. and not aggressive.. because not feared

stas: freedom of hunter relates to entrepreneur.. freedom in same sense.. no employer

avi: precisely.. how to construct freedom that mimics aristocratic notion of it

michael: on commons being kept from some.. on donna haroway daying dogs colonized humans.. because they left a lot of waste dogs could eat.. then if befriended got even more

avi: now all pest ads have hercules as hero fighting enemy pests.. constantly being at war.. or as my students in health care say.. constantly fire fighting

healing (roots of)

michael: on how people claim back the commons

armel: on fish owned by crown

avi: correlation between number of people registered hunters and people worried about sovereignty.. if get more hunters more people worry about it

armel: in covid.. lot of people in france.. a lot of people got hunting licenses.. could get own food.. and guns..

avi: read jose ortega.. writing on how in crisis situations people wanting to go out and hunt

so next session.. what does it mean to create something and how does that make you an authority.. how to claim authority and when does that become authoritarian

stas: on dogs as domesticated as humans

domesticate ness

avi: to me.. people often use ‘diogenes’ to say stuff they couldn’t say themselves

avi: alpha male in wolf packs is an entire mythology.. actually role of leadership rotates.. and often female

avi: i have a phobia of dogs.. because of growing up in places where they ran after and bit me as a kid.. also felt like a lot of dogs i met needed to be dominated in order to be socialized.. and i was not willing to do that

for next time read 5 pgs from mina