I guess he means the Italian author Umberto Eco.
In a 1995 essay "Eternal Fascism", Eco attempts to
list general properties of fascist ideology. I would add
"lack of differentiation", "uncontrolled growth" beyond
the normal limits, invasion of adjacent systems, and
generally "malignant, agressive and egoistic behavior"
to the list - the hallmarks of cancer.
Fascism is a bit like cancer for politics. The political
system allows the self-rejuvenation by granting the rights
to demonstrate and to found new parties. This can lead
to an ideology like fascism, which spreads and growths
like cancer, and eventually destroys the old system
completely. Cancer is the result of a self-renewal or
self-rejuvenation which has gone wrong. It is a bit like
the evolution of an ancient or alien life form inside of the
own system which is normally prohibited, and cancer
development is a remarkably similar to the process
of embryonic development and evolution itself.
-J.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nicholas Thompson" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, September 05, 2009 12:09 AM
Subject: [FRIAM] Fascism and ettiquette
Have we come so far?? Who is Eco and where is that discussion taking
place?
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