Base and Superstructure

Alienation, autonomy, and ideology

Category: Philosophy (Page 3 of 11)

These are posts on philosophy from the blog Base and Superstructure. My background is in academia, with a specific focus on feminism, philosophical issues in the social sciences, and social and political philosophy. I have also done work on historical figures such as J. L. Austin and Ludwig Wittgenstein. These posts incorporate some or all of these issues. The influences may be more or less explicit, depending on the topic. Philosophy can be intimidating, and so these posts present issues in a way that’s open to many people. There is also discussion of specific philosophical issues, and specific issues from a philosophical perspective, such as feminist accounts of pornography, Marxist and socialist accounts of the state and political economy, and the search for the best explanations for social and material phenomena.

A photo of six people crossing the street with their arms on the shoulder of the person in front of them.

My Work on Practices

June 16, 2025 /

It’s been more than 10 years since I finished my dissertation and published my first book. Both centered on the notion of practices. Hitting that round number pushed me to think back to that work and its significance to me – both to my intellectual development and my personal life.

Like much of the work I’ve done as an activist or in my career, it was all pretty heterodox for its time and place. I got my education at a very traditional analytic philosophy department, while my work cut across the lesser appreciated analytic and even continental (!) traditions.

But I bear no grudges there. I’ve never minded heterodoxy. And I’ve greatly appreciated my education both then and now.

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A photo of Sycamore Hall, home of the philosophy department of Indiana University.

Philosophy, Bloomington, and J.L. Austin, Part 2

May 12, 2025 /

Four years ago, I wrote a blog post about the book Austin’s Way with Skepticism, by Indiana University philosopher Mark Kaplan. You can read it here. However, more broadly, the post was about a certain time in my life. It was about the time I spent at IU in Bloomington, Indiana.

As I worked my way through an undergrad philosophy degree, I liked an approach known as ‘ordinary language philosophy.’ Among other points, I particularly liked the idea that our ordinary position gives us a point of departure for philosophizing. That is to say, given our ordinary position as a starting point, we should be able to reach a philosophical term or viewpoint. Otherwise, we set it aside.

In short, Kaplan interprets the ordinary language philosopher J.L. Austin skillfully. But I thought he missed a broader point in Austin’s work, specifically, and certain kinds of ordinary language philosophy, generally. The point is that we have to understand the communicative functions of our words, even philosophical words like ‘know.’

With that in mind, I turn to the book How to Take Skepticism Seriously. It’s written by Adam Leite, another IU philosopher and my undergrad thesis adviser from 20 years ago. In it, he summarizes much of the epistemological work of his own philosophical career.

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Epicureanism 101: Types of Desires

April 28, 2025 /

A metal statue of a round globe of planet earth being held up by hands, intended to represent types of desires.

Readers might have noted the ‘philosophy‘ tag among the list of categories on this site. And those who have read those posts noted awhile ago my interest in Epicurean philosophy. In fact, I’m not interested only in Epicurean theory. I’m also interested in applying it in the context of philosophical counseling.

Toward those ends, I’m starting a series of posts on Epicurean philosophy: Epicureanism 101! What you’re reading now is the first post in that series. If you follow along, you’ll see new posts in coming weeks and months with a title that begins with ‘Epicureanism 101.’

This post will cover a basic Epicurean distinction on the nature of our desires.

Enjoy!

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A boxed cake product called Grand American Prestige. It's intended as a funny representation of the blog American Prestige.

Propaganda Analysis and Leftist Strategy

April 14, 2025 /

I had the pleasure of listening to an interview on American Prestige with Nathan J. Robinson, editor of Current Affairs and co-author (with Noam Chomsky) of The Myth of American Idealism. The book – as well as the interview – discusses Noam Chomsky’s views on U.S. foreign policy and leftist politics.

I discussed the book briefly in my January Reading List post, but the interview goes into greater detail. Readers should note that the interview sits behind the American Prestige paywall. That said, I’m a subscriber. And I’d highly encourage readers to subscribe, or at the very least to listen to the free weekly news update. It comes out every Friday morning.

That bit aside, let’s talk about the interview. I think a particular line of questioning from Daniel Bessner gets at key issues of leftist strategy in the 21st century.

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A photo of a man and a woman sitting on comfortable leather couches and engaged in conversation. The room has excellent natural light, there is a bookcase in the background, and there is a classical bust or statue behind them.

The Philosophical Counselor Is In

April 7, 2025 /

Some readers have noticed new content on the blog page over the last few weeks. It remains, thus far, unannounced in any official way by me. But it’s something I’ve hinted at a couple of times – once on the blog and once in the Patreon newsletter. I’ve been working on it for awhile, and I’ve approached it gradually and methodically. I’ve even taken a professional certification course.

But that’s enough delay. Here’s the announcement: I’ve become a certified philosophical counselor. And I’m now open for business and seeing clients for philosophical counseling services.

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