Monday, March 30, 2009

Who is Niki Raapana? My academic credentials :)

I just learned one of my most passionate and active supporters with whom I have regular contact, was not aware of my position in Thomas Wood's bibliography for his academic studies of the Communitarian Residence Life Movement. The ACL has it's own category heading, and this compilation of my work goes all the way back to my speech at the Libertarian Party Convention in April 2001. This is THE MOST thorough overview of communitarian writers and thinkers in existence. Even if I wasn't included I would highly recommend it as a source for further study. But, in genuine academic spirit, Wood included my many, many contrary papers on the subject. That my ACL topic pages and articles at newswithviews are included is really, now that I think about it again, all the "credibility" I need. Funny that I haven't given it a more prominent position on my websites. Rereading it now and as far as I'm concerned, it's my academic resume.

Regardless of whether you're in favor of or opposed to communitarianism, it is now a proven fact that it cannot be the final perfect, ultimate dialectical synthesis, because it has valid opposition (us). The final synthesis is supposed to be so perfect there arises no antithesis. If the next step is transcendence as Bobby has found, then we are playing a role in the dialectical evolution of Utopia just because we oppose the forced evolution of our society. I'm dazzled by the brilliance of their finding such an effective way of using my opposition to help them win their covert coup. So our inclusion in this biblio is a double edged sword. Scholarly recognition means our antithesis exists, and that means we're already yesterday's news (before most people have heard of it!).

The NAS is the National Association of Scholars:
http://www.nas.org/postings/how_many_delawares/communitarian-bibliography.htm

4 comments:

Bobby Garner said...

Of course, Utopia is a place which cannot ever exist in reality, that is the physical world. But then transcendent has a similar definition: 1 a: exceeding usual limits b: extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience c: being beyond the limits of all possible experience and knowledge.

When we consider the New Age philosophy of relativism, we can understand why that doesn't present any problem. From that perspective nothing is impossible, and some of its True Believers have attempted to prove it by flying off the top of tall buildings for example. The transcendence is in the same class of irrationality, and it will prove to be just as unworkable.

This scheme, for all of its cleverness was never supposed to actually work in this world as we know it. This is what needs to be understood. The transcendence is to a place lying beyond the limits of our experience where we have never gone before, the Brave New World of the New Aquarian Age, The Great Transition to Technological Singularity, Humanism, Unitarianism, and Utopian ascension to godhood. Non of these are the choices of a rational human.

This is not about revitalization and renewal. It is all about destruction of an ungodly world. Its "the kings of the earth, and their armies being assembled to make war with the One..." who is called "Faithful and True. And He judges and wars in righteousness." - Revelation 19:11-21

Given the nature of the dialect where even the opposition supports it, I think we are proving the validity of neutrality toward its phony opposites, because they are both losers. The winners will be those aligned with the One riding the white horse who is called Faithful and True.

Anonymous said...

Niki

Jesus Christ is the ultimate thesis AND antithesis. :-) Man's ways and kingdoms will fail.

FishTaxi said...

Niki, I always knew you were smarter than me sister. Hey, theres some internet worm going around at midnight, its all over the TV news. I don't have a TV either so I thought you should know. Could be an April Fools Joke but since when does TV news play a joke on people. George Orwell maybe?

I'll keep you updated.

Anonymous said...

Niki,
Hey what do you think they were really up to while they had us worrying about some ridiculous worm? I woke up this morning thinking about Kathy getting married on this day 34 years ago. You were 18 years old. I'm moving to a place where I won't have tv either. As for who in the hell is Niki Raapana, you had a doctorate in life before you left home, like we all did. The most important thing now is what is in your heart and can you still love? And that you do splendidly Niki. Create your minis and your gertees and let the rest of them figure their way through this communitarian blunder. I'm excited and happy for you in your new venture. Your heart is big Niki.
Love,
Sue