Summary: The guest this week is Daniel Coffeen and what starts off as a discussion of Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morals turns into a debate about the relative merits of Nietzsche's philosophy founded on immanence, affirmation, and positive will as opposed to Hegel's contradictory negativity. I'm unsure as to how to describe the difference between my perspective and Coffeen's except by analogy. Think of Coffeen's Nietzsche as John Cage, a composer who was more interested in discreet sounds than in relationships, whereas my version of Hegel would be Johann Sebastian Bach with his utterly rational fugues that can only be understood as melody set in oppositions like this: subject, countersubject, and episode. Consider these quotes: John Cage once said, “The highest purpose is to have no purpose at all. This puts one in accordance with nature, in her manner of operation.” While Johan Sebastian Bach is reported to have said, "The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul." I want to reiterate my thanks to everyone who donated to the Think the Impossible book and podcast tour through Kickstarter. Very soon I'll be purchasing the Amtrak tickets to San Francisco, Chicago, and NYC, and posting my travel schedule online. I have three aims on this tour: First, to put together interesting events in each city and spark discussion on the themes I explore on Diet Soap and in my fiction. Second, to promote the podcast and my novel Billy Moon as best I can. Third, to take in the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art. There are several sound clips in this episode and you'll hear the voices of Rick Roderick and Slavoj Zizek as set to Wagner, John Cage, Sebastian Back, and music from the video game Portal.
