The Power of Agnosis and the Politics of the Unknown

14:00 - 16:00 | 14 May 2019 | CRASSH Meeting Room, Alison Richard Building, University of Cambridge.

For this session in the cum panis seminar series, Dr Maria Birnbaum (University of Oslo) joins us to discuss her current research.

Abstract:

In Western intellectual tradition, knowledge has long been associated with progress, agency and freedom. The Enlightenment dictum taught us that knowledge is power and conversely a lack of knowledge is a lack of power. Either a problem to be solved or mitigated, but a problem nonetheless. The Unknown looms large as a state to be alleviated. In my talk I consider the various manifestations of agnosis and open up a discussion on that which goes missing when the Unknown is seen as little more than a void to be filled or a problem to be solved.


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