false consciousness: real and virtual worlds: third space

From: IRAJ IMAM (iimam@cal-research.org)
Date: Mon Dec 29 2003 - 16:13:10 PST


Eugene:

'According to Il'enkov, there is not "real" and "virtual" ... consciousness
because by its very nature consciousness is always virtual ...'

Lefebvre and Soja would agree and that is 'second spaces' to them. Those
include all forms of mental activities, dreams, consciousness ('false' or
otherwise), knowledges, ways of seeing and/or projecting,
propaganda/spin/ad, etc.

'(Modern philosopher Zizek (sp?) recently made a similar statement about
"virtual sex" on the Internet arguing that any sex has its virtual aspect).'

Who would doubt that --perhaps women experience a more intense virtuality by
closing their eyes?!

'Thus, the issue is not "virtuality" versus "reality". '

yes, the issue, according to Lefebvre and Soja, becomes reality (real in
space) AND virtuality (imagined in space). The former being what we
experience by our senses outside of our bodies (first space) and the latter
being what we conceive of that experience in our minds (second space),
regardless of any judgement about them being 'real or false.'

'I think what makes consciousness "false consciousness" is not the nature of
the consciousness itself (e.g., "virtual" vs. "real" artifacts) or the
nature of underlining experiences but rather the nature of social relations
and practices in which the consciousness is embedded in (situated) and
emerge from.'

And this brings the notion of 'third space' (or lived space, Lefebvre), by
Soja, Bha Bha, Spivak, bel hooks, and GUTIÉRREZ (thanks Mike for the
reference). If I understand Eugene correctly, the assumption is that
consciousness emerges from ' the nature of social relations and practices in
which the consciousness is embedded.' I think these above authors would
agree with that assumption.

They continue to ask 'so what?' what are we going to do about it? (eg, these
people within these sets of social relations are trapped into these sets of
consciousnesses). Here is where 'third space' becomes of a
response--production of new space, both actual and virtual in a new
activity. That is a new practice (virtual and actual) which in turn allows
for a new consciousness, or learning, to emerge from those activities.

All these authors used 'third space' as a way out of a trapped set of
practices (first space) and consciousnesses (second space). third space is
about transformation and change in what exists--actual and virtual. In
Lefebvre and Soja, third space is about production of new spaces --actual
and virtual--through new activity (lived space). It is close to what Deleuze
called 'line of flight.'

iraj



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