About
I’m Ben Woodard. From 2017-2020 I was a post-doc researcher at Leuphana University in Luneburg, Germany. I received my PhD in Theory and Criticism from Western University in 2015. I received my masters from EGS and my BFA in English and Sexuality Studies from the University of Arizona.
I’m currently writing three books:
1-Nature Itself Philosophizes – which is on naturalism and formalism in 20th century thought.
2-Bloodless – an extended analysis of the role of idealism in the life sciences from 1700-2000
3-Contacts – a shorter text on the relationship between colonialism and science fiction.
Older things:
My first book Slime Dynamics: Generation, Mutation and the Creep of Life (2012) is out from Zer0 books.
My second book On an Ungrounded Earth: Towards a New Geophilosophy (2013) is available from Punctum Books.
My third book Schelling’s Naturalism: Motion, Space, and the Volition of Thought (2019) was published by Edinburgh University Press.
I am a member of the philosophy collective P.S. which is based at the Performing Arts Forum (PAF) in St. Erme, France.
If you would like to contact me by email my address is woodardbenjamin@gmail.com
Twitter: @naughtthought
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Naught Thought 
While archiving your post “A Capitalistic Sublime?”, I came across the stubborn and annoying fact you don’t identify yourself for author attribution.
I think you should reconsider the anonymous aspect of your blog, a proposition discussed at length and persuasively by Dan Cohen here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DanCohen/~3/132311390/perils_of_anonymity.
Best,
Johnnie Wilcox
aka mistersquid
I’m intrigued by your ‘incoming student at EGS’ notation. With that said, and you may have an unwritten policy against EGS inquiries, but I was hoping we could establish a brief e-mail correspondence concerning EGS and other related matters?
best wishes,
Nathan A. Franklin
Dear Ben Woodard,
My name is Darin Robbins and I am a member of the Web Committee of the Green Party Of New York State. In December we began a theory blog called A Green State Of Mind at http://www.journal.gpnys.com. We are currently discussing adding a blogroll and I have recommended Naught Thought. Naturally if we add your blog we would like a reciprocal link, so please take a look and let me know what you think. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Darin Robbins
Green Party Of New York State
I’d love to know the name of the artist who is responsible for “Civilization and Its Discontent”; I’ve credited the website at my blog, but am unable to find the artist’s name.
Please get back to me so that I may give credit where it is richly deserving.
Thanks.
SF
🙂
wow, ben
i love yr site.
2 am discussions of objet petit a
are exactly what i need.
(that sounds like i/m being snarky,
but i/m perfectly seriously.)
so, i/d love to talk more.
Watch out of the Lacanian nonsense (‘object petit a’) – La – con also equated the erect penis to the square root of negative one. Lacanians, please!
why should people read your blog if you don’t interact with their comments and criticisms? It seems self-refuting to have a blog and refuse to interact with your readers
Ryan,
Things happen and I fall behind
Understandable…I just didn’t see many, if any, responses to reader responses….perhaps this says more about our responses, that is…perhaps they don’t warrant a time consuming response.
Hey Ben, Taylor Adkins here. Did Nick perchance send you the Laruelle files that I gave him? I finally completed the Laruelle and Deleuze if you want a copy. Just let me know or email me at tadkins613@hotmail.com.
Hi Ben,
enjoyed your recent entry on the Batman movie…I would like to correspond/speak with you about EGS if that’s okay.
I’m happy to explain my interest to contact you.
my email is interpunct@interpunct.org
Thanks,
Dennis
Hi Ben,
I’m not sure how you responded to those requests to correspond about EGS. If positively, then I’d also like to ask you a couple of questions.
nielsen.cj@gmail.com
Thanks,
Chris
Ben,
I found your blog through the search engine with the words ( zombie capitalism ).
I’m claiming to be the renaissance genius of the 21st century, who witnessed two enlightenments and who can now reform education into the Interdisciplinary perspective.
Cheers!!!
Hello. I noticed you lived in Brooklyn, and I thought I might ask if you could put up a little blip on your blog about the upcoming Slavoj Zizek speaking event in NYC on Oct 14. It’s not like Zizek needs your plug, but the event is a big opportunity and fundraiser for us at The Brecht Forum, a very worthy lefty cultural/community organization, and your blog might get some New Yorkers who’d be interested in the event. I’m an intern at the Brecht and a longtime reader of your blog–I think you’d like us here at the Brech. I don’t want to take up too much space assuring you that we are a perpetually broke, non-profit organization that hosts events for radical cultural and activist groups worth your support, so I’ll just say you should check us out at brechtforum.org. Here’s our event info. Feel free to email me back at patrick.w.harrison@gmail.com. Thanks!
Slavoj Zizek “First as Tragedy, Then as Farce”
Wed Oct 14 @ 7pm
Cooper Union, The Great Hall, 7 East 7th St, Astor Place, New York
Sliding Scale $10-15, $15 tickets include a free copy of Zizek’s new book
Sponsors: Verso Books, The Brecht Forum
Tickets: http://brechtforum.org/zizek
For more information, call the Brecht Forum (212) 242-4201
Hi, Ben:
Your posts on dark vitalism have helped consolidate a lot of thoughts that have been crossing my mind as I’ve pondered the Speculaltive Realist works of late… I’ve added a few posts on my blog and have started a short story incorporating some of your ideas… thanks, for your interesting blog and keep up the great work!
Spectral Musings: http://earth-wizard.livejournal.com/44420.html
On Ben Woodward: http://earth-wizard.livejournal.com/43168.html
Hey Steven,
Thanks very much for the posts – your site looks very interesting.
Shoot me an emial if you want to talk philosophy, horror, etc.
woodardbenjamin@gmail.com
Hi Ben
The readers of Nought Thought might like this talk with China Miéville (audio podcast)
The Weird: a discussion of fiction and politics with China Miéville
which took place in London on 2 March 2011
http://backdoorbroadcasting.net/2011/03/the-weird-a-discussion-of-fiction-and-politics-with-china-mieville/
Why didn’t I notice your blog before? We write for different imprints of John Hunt Publishing.
I was struck by the name: Naught Thought. My recently published book is all about “nothing”: “Nothing Matters – a book about nothing” (iff-Books). I begin my book by stating that it is impossible to think about nothing (to think nothing).
Thank you Ben your essay has been very helpful to me I am a fine artist doing an MFA qaulification at Cambrige Univ .UK and writing about Lacan. I look forward to reading your book in the future
Hello fascinating website
HI IM NOW WRITING ABOUT TEMPORAL BLUR AND YOUR ESSAY WAS VERY HELPFUL TO ME
Hi. I’m reading a digital copy of your “Slime Dynamics” from Zer0. It’s very interesting. But it’s also poorly edited, with a lot of punctuation errors. Do you know why? Is it that the publisher just prints submissions without proofreading first in order to save money? Are print versions better?