Judith Butler and Michael Roth: A Conversation at Wesleyan University's Center for Humanities

Wesleyan University President Michael S. Roth spoke with Judith Butler - Maxine Elliot Professor in the Departments of Rhetoric and Comparative Literature, University of California, Berkeley - at the Center for Humanities on February 13, 2013. Their conversation ranged from Butler's earliest philosophical influences to her pioneering book "Gender Trouble" and her current work on desire and recognition.

[@sophiekrop750]

great interview

[@samsalify]

This woman is inspiring in different ways.

[@alexfuriosa]

This woman is such an inspiration, in so many ways.

[@changthunderwang7543]

She inspires me to write nothing like her

[@melaniepthornton]

This is great. Will it eventually be captioned? Thanks!

[@pild3f0ns0]

what was the name of the book mentioned in the end?

[@naminamicapybara]

triangle walks plato's dialogues

[@jnightman9281]

If you could only buy 1 Judith Butler book, which one would you choose?

[@jbagger331]

Any of them, then I would use it as tinder.

[@Neuroneos]

Well... Gender Trouble, of course.

[@MatthewLowery]

@@jbagger331 I imagine you would. The lower-functioning degenerate reactionaries tend towards those behaviours.

[@jbagger331]

@@MatthewLowery Butler makes the same mistake as Plato. Finita Commedia.

[@Deantrey]

The new book on Nonviolence is actually my favorite since I have a big interest in that subject.

[@yankeeluver100]

I had to read some of Butler's work in college. Butler's work was some of the most convoluted pros I have ever read. The points are interesting, but I generally don't like the way they are presented and find them short cited and generally wrong. But hey, she is smart and dutifully stands by what she believes in. This is something I can respect.

[@joanketelby752]

Their views stem from the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory. I'd like to hear D. Murray's view on Butler. Categories.

[@aalegr]

sissy lou you need some philosophy courses my friend

[@MatthewLowery]

Why bore us with your Low IQ uneducated ramblings?

[@joanketelby752]

@@MatthewLowery Another social construtionist with nothing more than insults.

[@mugushi54]

If you like Judith, you will love the work of Grievance Studies professor Helen Pluckrose.

[@MatthewLowery]

grievance studies SJW bottom text

[@veronicarodriguez8094]

not until yesterday did i learn she was Jewish. Philosophy. the great equalizer

[@robalex9387]

Cool dudes! Both of them.

[@henkverhoeven1256]

B.S.!

[@infraherald7449]

What’s bullshit? Her life story? That she’s jewish? I think what she said about the ontology of AIDS was very shrewd, actually; her time as a gay rights activist during the AIDS crisis seems like the most credible experience one could have in order to talk about AIDS.

[@mensabs]

This is the state of the American university, and it's sad. Jack Halberstam take seriously. Department of Rhetoric indeed. Absolute nonsense. Ideology masquerading as thinking. They are sitting quite far apart from one another. Attempting to look like a boy, mouthing the same jargon, catch phrases. College presidents do this sort of thing. Mr Roth can be excused. He wants to bring money to the college.

[@infraherald7449]

This here is Ideology. What I here am commenting on this video is not, it is Real Thinking, unlike anyone who comments or says something different, obviously. Everyone remembers when the State of the American University was Good and not Bad. My Reaction is the Right and Correct Reaction. You are welcome all reading this for my Correct Reaction. Also I know what a Boy looks like and this here person is trying to look like what a Boy looks like, so There.

[@AllendeEtAl]

You don't even know what you are talking about nor want to make an effort to think. Butler here is using a school of thought. A philosophical system. We don't even need to enter into a discussion about it's vality. Couldn't be more distant to ideology.

[@pipboyapproved1361]

The uncomfortable moment when you realize that psychiatric problem has been upgraded to a social/political one and it´ll take a lot of effort to revert that folly. Well at least she´s really good at playing a victim, with all the subtle posing and virtue signaling - all good traits coming with narcissistic personality. I bet that she could make many people care and even fight for her personal psychiatric issues, without them even knowing that they are just being used.

[@aalegr]

Sure, Jan

[@PeymanMusic7]

Pipboy I doubt if you've read her books. And seriously, why so much bigotry and hate when you can simply read and if possible, rightly criticize?

[@MatthewLowery]

@@PeymanMusic7 That would require actual critical thought, which conservatives instinctively hate. Their entire ideology is based on prejuce and anti-intellectualism.

[@lunaridge4510]

I wonder what would happen to your comment here if you were to toss all the words into a hat, shake it around, and then pull them out one after another and reassemble into a sentence. Would it be more coherent? No. Would it mean something different? No. Same old, same old. . .

[@infraherald7449]

Mad you couldn’t get Plato’s dialectics down, aren’t you?