Once upon a time in a small village nestled in the heart of a dense forest, there lived a young girl named Luna. Luna was no ordinary girl, for she possessed magical powers that she had inherited from her ancestors. However, she was different from any other witch in the village, for Luna was a parentless witch. No one knew how Luna came to be parentless, as she was found abandoned at the entrance of the village when she was just a baby. The villagers, taking pity on the helpless infant, decided to take her in and raise her as their own. They did not fear her powers; instead, they saw them as a gift that could be nurtured for the greater good.
To begin, Campagna’s idea of Technic is by no means new. It is the latest in a long line of theories of the technological society. Indeed, to a select few writers in the twentieth century, the emerging landscape of high modernity presented itself not as an immense collection of commodities but an immense collection of technologies. The new machinery of the factory elicited a whole host of theories, from Oswald Spengler’s Man and Technics (1931) and Lewis Mumford’s Technics and Civilization (1934) all the way through Heidegger’s influential writings on technology and beyond to the writings of Ellul, Herbert Marcuse, and even Hannah Arendt. It should come as no surprise that this conception of the technological society (generally associated with the older model of industrial machinery) has made a comeback in our own period of cybernetic and information technology. The recent flood of books on the topic, both popular and academic, attests to this. But Campagna’s book distinguishes itself by offering an alternative system to the one that we live with today. Rather than merely understand the world, Campagna wants to change it.
It should go without saying that the concept of technology can never exist in isolation; the very act of naming it requires one to distinguish it from that enigmatic something else to which it is opposed, be it the ever-problematic and highly ideological categories of the natural or the organic. The two are similar in that they are not forms of organized revolt, dissidence, or resistance in any recognizable sense, but more individual acts of inner disobedience, which, when accumulated and undertaken by a large population, can add up to a significant amount of power.
They did not fear her powers; instead, they saw them as a gift that could be nurtured for the greater good. Growing up, Luna was a kind and gentle soul. She was always eager to help others and lend a helping hand whenever needed.
Technic and Magic
We take for granted that only certain kind of things exist – electrons but not angels, passports but not nymphs. This is what we understand as 'reality'. But in fact, 'reality' varies with each era of the world, in turn shaping the field of what is possible to do, think and imagine. Our contemporary age has embraced a troubling and painful form of reality: Technic.
Under Technic, the foundations of reality begin to crumble, shrinking the field of the possible and freezing our lives in an anguished state of paralysis. Technic and Magic shows that the way out of the present deadlock lies much deeper than debates on politics or economics. By drawing from an array of Northern and Southern sources – spanning from Heidegger, Junger and Stirner's philosophies, through Pessoa's poetry, to Advaita Vedanta, Bhartrhari, Ibn Arabi, Suhrawardi and Mulla Sadra's theosophies – Magic is presented as an alternative system of reality to Technic. While Technic attempts to capture the world through an 'absolute language', Magic centres its reconstruction of the world around the notion of the 'ineffable' that lies at the heart of existence.
Technic and Magic is an original philosophical work, and a timely cultural intervention. It disturbs our understanding of the structure of reality, while restoring it in a new form. This is possibly the most radical act: if we wish to change our world, first we have to change the idea of 'reality' that defines it.
Technic and Magic is divided into two sections, split down the middle through a brief intermezzo. The book forms a mirror image of itself, where the first reality-setting described (our hegemonic episteme of Technic) is reflected in its opposite, the more wholesome cosmology that Campagna calls Magic. It is important to underscore that Technic does not describe technology—the objects and devices that make up the infrastructure of world—as an isolated concept per se, but, following Heidegger, names a sort of totality. Technic is, as Campagna sees it, the logic of our current system. This technical totality manifests itself in the degradations of lived experience in the advanced capitalist countries. The accumulation of such degradations (such as the rise of homo economicus, the objectification of subjectivity, the triumph of the quantitative over the qualitative, and so on) has resulted in a ‘crisis of imagination’. But for Campagna this is something like a spiritual crisis, one whose solution cannot be found with a mere political fix (both socialism and capitalism are beholden to the logic of Technic, according to Campagna) but requires a more subtle, interior shift within the subjects and citizens of Technic’s world.
The village elder, who was also a powerful witch, saw great potential in Luna's magical abilities and took her under her wing. She became Luna's mentor, teaching her the ways of magic and guiding her in understanding and controlling her powers. As Luna grew older, she became more adept at harnessing her magical abilities. She could control the elements, heal the sick, and even communicate with animals. Luna's magical prowess soon became well-known among the villagers, who regarded her with awe and admiration. Despite her magical powers and the acceptance she received from the villagers, Luna still yearned for the love and presence of her biological parents. She often wondered who they were and why they had abandoned her. The unanswered questions weighed heavily on her heart, but she refused to let it define her. Instead, Luna chose to channel her energy into positive actions. She used her powers to protect the village from evil entities and helped those in need whenever she could. Her selflessness and compassion endeared her to the villagers even more, and she became a symbol of hope and inspiration. As time went on, Luna realized that family was not solely defined by blood relation. The villagers had become her family, offering her the love and support she had craved for so long. Luna learned to embrace her identity as a parentless witch and take pride in her unique journey. In the end, Luna's parents' identity remained a mystery, but it no longer held power over her. She had found her place in the village, surrounded by people who loved and appreciated her for who she was. Luna had become the parentless witch who had found a family and, in turn, had become a cherished member of the community..
Reviews for "The Parentless Witch: A Heroine or Villainess?"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "The parentless witch". The characters were underdeveloped and lacked depth, making it hard to connect with them. The storyline was also predictable and felt like it was trying too hard to be magical and whimsical. Overall, I found the book to be quite boring and not worth my time.
2. Michael - 1 star - I found "The parentless witch" to be extremely dull and uninteresting. The plot was slow, lacking any real excitement or suspense. The writing style was also poor, with choppy sentences and awkward phrasing. I couldn't bring myself to finish the book as I simply couldn't get invested in the story or the characters. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
3. Emily - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "The parentless witch" but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The pacing of the book was off, with long periods of nothing happening followed by rushed and unresolved plot points. The world-building was also lacking, leaving me confused and disconnected from the story. While the concept was interesting, the execution was poor and left a lot to be desired. Overall, I was disappointed with this book.
4. David - 2 stars - "The parentless witch" had an intriguing premise, but it failed to deliver. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked any real development, making it difficult to care about their fates. The writing was also subpar, with cliched dialogue and repetitive plot points. The pacing was slow, and the story dragged on unnecessarily. I was left feeling unsatisfied and would not recommend this book to others.
5. Jennifer - 1 star - I really struggled to get through "The parentless witch". The writing was convoluted and confusing, with excessive descriptions that didn't add anything to the story. The plot was unclear and disjointed, making it difficult to follow along. Additionally, the main character was unlikable and made questionable decisions throughout the book. Overall, I found the book to be a chore to read and regretted picking it up.