The next book we are going to read is A Revolution of the Mind by
Jonathan Israel.


We will be meeting to discuss this at 7pm, usual venue (Candid Arts Cafe)
on the 18th January.

Over the last decade Israel has produced a massive three volume history of the Enlightenment which has been met with much acclaim and controversy. Broadly Israel makes the case that there was not one Enlightenment but two - a radical Enlightenment (atheist, advancing the cause of freedom of expression, democracy, separation of church and state etc) and a moderate Enlightenment (reformist, deist, relatively uncritical of existing powers etc). Israel's work focuses on tracing this distinction and defends the former, radical Enlightenment, against both
the moderate Enlightenment and its more contemporary critics (post-modernists etc). A Revolution of the Mind is a shorter work, written between the second and third volumes of Israels broader history. Produced for a general audience it summarises his main arguments.

Thursday 24th November: Ill Fares The Land by Tony Judt

One off move to a Thursday evening will be the last Itchy Chin Club for 2011. We'll start up again in January 2012. Meeting will be at The Candid Arts Trust cafe as usual.

26th of October: Robert M Wallace: Hegel's Philosophy of Reality, Freedom and God

The next book will be Hegel's Philosophy of Reality, Freedom and God concentrating on the Introduction, chapters 1 & 2 and the conclusion, and skimming through chapter 5.

September 21st: Why Marx Was Right

We'll be reading Eagleton's Why Marx Was Right. Should make for a spirited discussion.

17th August: Civilisations and it's Disconents

For the next meeting we're reading Freud's Civilisations and it's Disconents and Explaining Violence in South Africa: Some psychoanalytic considerations.

Habermas: A Very Short Introduction

Next book is Habermas: A Very Short Introduction on 20th July at Candid Arts Trust Cafe in Angel.

Just to keep the blog up to date other recent books have included Sennet's The Corrosion Of Character and The Great Stagflation.

Next meeting: Wikileaks, 16th of March

Thanks to everyone who put some effort into Judith Butler and participated in what turned out to be quite a spirited discussion.

For the next meeting we decided we'd like to do something a bit different and thought wikileaks would make an interesting topic.

The plan was to find a few articles around the issues of wikileaks as a current phenomena, arguments around transparency and power (one of Assange's arguments is that the more power a group wields the more transparent it needs to be) and effects the leaks are having, particularly in places like Tunisia and Egypt.

So far Zizek and Piliger have been put forward, and they'll be a some other reading selected too.

All That's Solid Melts into Air

For the next meeting we agreed to read All That's Solid Melts into Air by Marshal Berman. Tha plan is to read at least the first three parts (Goethe, Marx and Baudelaire), and to meet on the 12th January. Hopefully see you there.

Wednesday the 24th November: Red Plenty

Just in case it wasn't obvious, this blog is only irregularly updated - best to email and join the mailing list to keep up-to-date. After reading The Shock Doctrine, The Blank Slate and sections of The Origins Of Totalitarianism over the summer we're now starting on Francis Spufford's Red Plenty.

There's a free sample and a review by Steven Rose.

June 30: The Enigma Of Capital

Sorry for the lack of updates. We read The Fragile Absolute last month and this month we're reading David Harvey's The Enigma Of Capital.

31st of March: Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher

We had a quiet turn out for Amusing Ourselves To Death last month, but a good animated discussion. Next book is Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher. Meeting details same as usual: Candid Arts Trust Cafe, 6:30pm for a 7pm start. Email chrisf@goop.org for details.

20th of January: One Dimensional Woman by Nina Power

Over Christmas we'll be reading One Dimensional Woman and meeting up on the 20th of January to discuss. For more details email chrisf@goop.org.

August meetup: Democracy

After reading From Marxism to Post Marxism in July, we're experimenting with an article format for August 5th on the theme of Democracy. The articles I've selected are:

Democracy and democracy-support: a new era, by Christopher Hobson and Milja Kurki

Capitalism and democracy, by Achin Vanaik

The Rise of Illiberal Democracy, by Fareed Zakaria


Is democracy possible? by Bruce Gilley


Political parties in comparative perspective, by Paul Webb


Democracy can be bad for you, by Eric Hobsbawm and Jacques Attali


Power to the People, Executive Summary and Recommendations, Power Report

If it's more convenient I've formatted the above for easy printing at.

There's also an extended list of other interesting articles, which are optional:

No hay mujeres: Latin America women and gender equality, by Kristen Sample


Chile or Venezuela - Which is the Good Democracy?, by Rodrigo Acuña


Democracy for export: principles, practices, lessons, by Daniele Archibugi

The Defeat of Democracy in Luciano Canfora, by Dylan Riley, NLR

Canfora's scandalous history of democracy, by Adam Krzeminski


Nothing to turn back to, by Neal Lawson

California: No longer the Golden State? by Peter Aldhous

May 27th: Discipline and Punish

For May we'll be reading Foucault's Discipline and Punish

April 29th: Lost History

Lost History: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Scientists, Thinkers and Artists by Michael Morgan

April 1st - The Ascent of a Money

Next meeting will be the 1st of April where we will be discussing what we thought of Niall Ferguson's The Ascent of a Money (that's the book, rather than the TV programme).

February Meet Up

The results from voting are in and the winner is The Future of the Image by Jacques Ranciere.

We'll be meeting on Wednesday February 25th to discuss at the usual place and time (Candid Arts Trust cafe, 6:30 for a 7PM start).

January meeting

The book for January is Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth. Meetup details the same as usual: 6:30 for a 7PM start, January 28th, Candid Arts Trust cafe.

November meeting

The next book is Hervé Kempf's How the Rich are Destroying the Earth. See you on Wednesday the 26th of November.

October Meeting Details

The votes have been counted and Sartre and Heidegger finished first with five votes. Second place went to The Corrosion Of Character and third to Civilization and its Discontents. Both the texts we will be reading are available free online:

Existentialism is a Humanism
Jean Paul Sartre

Letter on Humanism
Martin Heidegger

The October meeting will be on Wednesday the 29th at the usual time (6:30 for 7pm start) at the usual venue (Candid Arts Trust cafe).