info (english)
monochrom is an art-technology-philosophy group having its seat in Vienna and Zeta Draconis. monochrom is an unpeculiar mixture of proto-aesthetic fringe work, pop attitude, subcultural science, context hacking and political activism. Our mission is conducted everywhere, but first and foremost in culture-archeological digs into the seats (and pockets) of ideology and entertainment. monochrom has existed in this (and almost every other) form since 1993.
A Farewell to Alms: Gregory Clark’s Brief Economic History of the World
Why are some parts of the world so rich and others so poor? Why did the Industrial Revolution–and the unprecedented economic growth that came with it–occur in eighteenth-century England, and not at some other time, or in some other place? Why didn’t industrialization make the whole world rich–and why did it make large parts of … Read more
Institutions progress but human beings don’t
Institutions progress but human beings don’t, and their capacity for cruelty and violence is infinite. A pessimistic thought, to be sure. But British philosopher Roger Scruton is rather optimistic about pessimism. Indeed, in The Uses of Pessimism he prescribes “a dose” of that very tendency as the tonic for the kind of utopian thinking indulged … Read more
Jack Sargeant recommends monochrom #26-34
Mr. Sargeant posted a nice review of monochrom #26-34… An epic at some 500 pages long, the weight and length of this volume is like a fucking telephone book. Do you remember journals / ‘zines’ such as Vague or Semiotext(e)? This has the feel of publications like that. And amongst many other pieces, it features … Read more
Expert Scientific Testimony in Courts: The Ideal and Illusion of value-free science
The field of law, as a consumer of scientific knowledge, should be of particular interest to those who study science and argue about the role of values in scientific work. In agencies and legislatures (and in administrative and committee hearings), science is used to produce or support policy decisions; “scientific” conclusions about risk or harm, … Read more
Chase Madar on the violation of the laws of war
In Le Monde diplomatique‘s August podcast Chase Madar, a civil rights lawyer in New York and author of “The state versus a boy soldier”, talks to George Miller about the laws of war and the different ways in which they are violated. Link
monochrom: How does the Internet work?
In order to successfully approach people via the Internet you have to speak the language of the Internet fluently. Learning this procedure is not easy. This page serves as a brief introduction to the process. Link