The stage of capitalism that occurs in Empire disseminates production power throughout society but also extends this production to the reproduction of identity and social relations. The system not only creates economic value but also social value which allows for new dispersed forms of control to be initiated.

 
Kurt Vonnegut is one of the voices of sanity that exist in the literary world that is able to speak in public affairs. It is an old-fashioned voice influenced by the New Deal. But it is still relevent in these times as a way to speak truth to power in a clear way.

 
This article reviews a book that looks into how office and school shootings do not appear out of nowhere but are caused by the socio-economic conditions of the last quarter of the 20th century. These are not random acts but failed revolts that arose from individual stress and alienation, and were acted out individually.

 
Slavoj Zizek as a philosopher has spoken about the nature of law. For him, every establishment of law is an act of physical or ideological violence that causes those under the law to internalize its commands. Following the details of the law allows individuals to escape the superego and engage in various acts of desire channeled through law. Law does not occur in a vacuum and it does not leave subjects untouched.

 
The book Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon is one of the greatest works in the last part of the 20th century. It is epic in its scope and broad in its intellectual foundation. One wonders if it could ever be made into a movie, but if it was it surely would win the Oscar for Best Picture.

 
The exploration of the creation of concepts results in various theories. These include concepts as the average or most common of real things, concepts as a particular example of real things, and concepts as explanations of real things. The best definition of concepts that incorporate all these theories is one where concepts are the activation of perception that is within memory.

 
The anti-globalization movement is unique in that it opposes corporate globalization while offering a new type of political organization. Instead of the traditional party coalitions that form within the nation-state, this new movement is a constellation of diverse and independent groups that interact beyond borders. By creating a horizontal network that allows direct exchanges with organizations that agree and indirect exchanges for those who do not, autonomy and solidarity can exist at the same time for a better world for different populations.

 
The idea of alienation is explored in the Matrix movies by its use of virtual reality and how the characters relate to it. However, there are multiple levels of alienation where one was alienated within the society in the virtual reality, alienated because of the virtual reality itself, and alienated by the imposition of technology in the real world. This demonstrates the power of these films to explore critical theory.