Dogma

Dogma: that’s what we should call our intellectual movement, we agree. Dogma should have many rules, we agree. We should never break them!

The first rule, says W.: Dogma is spartan. Speak as clearly as you can. As simply as you can. Do not rely on proper names when presenting your thought. Do not quote. Address others. Really speak to them, using ordinary language.

The second rule: Dogma is full of pathos. Rely on emotion as much as on argument. Tear your shirt and pull out your hair! And weep – weep without end!

The third rule: Dogma is sincere. Speak with the greatest of seriousness, and only on topics that demand the greatest of seriousness. Aim at maximum sincerity. Burning sincerity. Rending sincerity. Be prepared to set yourself on fire before the audience, like those monks in Vietnam.

And the fourth rule? Dogma is collaborative. Write with your friends. Your very friendship should depend upon what you write. It should mean nothing more!

W. reminds me of the collection, Radical Thought in Italy. Paolo Virno! Mario Tronti! They’ve always been a touchstone for him. It's pure Dogma, he says. They're all friends. Their essays have no quotations, no references, they all have the same ideas and write about them as though they were world-historical. Oh yes, that's another rule: always write as though your ideas were world-historical. And always steal from your friends. Steal from everyone! In fact, that should be compulsory: Dogma plagiarises. Always steal other people’s ideas and claim them as your own.

(from Dogma)