The cipher of smooth space

Etienne/Steven Turpin, via Israeli architect and theorist Eyal Weizman's essay The Art of War', contend the impossibility of an inherently 'progressive,' 'radical,' or 'emancipatory' philosophy; and, drawing on Deleuze, re-considers the images of thought, resistance and adaptation which condition our collective political imagination and potential for political struggle. (1) the impossibility of an inherently 'progressive,' 'radical,' or 'emancipatory' philosophy; and, (2) the adaptation and integration of non-hierarchical models of organisation by dominant powers (primarily the State and corporate firms) as means of furthering their powers of control. The former concern highlights the importance of embracing a pragmatic opportunism as a practice of resistance in order to further develop strategic potentials for intervention within a specific context; the latter concern provokes a discussion of philosophy, the event, and its unfolding in relation to militarism and occupation. Both concerns return us to Deleuze and Guattari's cautious remarks at the end of A Thousand Plateaus - "Never believe that a smooth space will suffice to save us" (500) - and beckon us to re-consider the images of thought, resistance and adaptation which condition our collective political imagination and the potentials for political struggle.