Actually I have been posting a lot on alt.philosphy, atheism vs christianity and Political Forum. The activity on this NG is much less so don't often visit.
On Nov 8, 4:51 am, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > Nice to see you posting again chaz!! > > On Nov 7, 10:04 am, chazwin <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > For me this event seems to represent the passing of something greater. > > His generation of Frenchmen and those that followed him such as > > Derrida, Foucault, and others. > > In the post war period France was seized by an anti-authoritarian zeal > > that is wonderfully expressed by Derrida's concept of the tyranny of > > the text, and an extreme reaction to the sort of logical positivist > > certainty that had justified the extreme ideologies of the early part > > of the century that had enslaved the earth and occupied France. > > This in turn informed the post-structualist and post-modern approaches > > to social theory. > > But what of now. Social theory is now emasculated by feminism, but > > worst by toleration and consensus. > > Any attempts at a radical approach has been muted by the tyranny of > > inclusion. > > That worst fear of the linguist turn and post-modernism was a hopeless > > relativism has now been superseded by something much worse. Now we > > have inclusiveness. History has accommodated Church History. THe > > Enlightenment, once portrayed as anti-religion is now the a religious > > phenomenon. > > Forst we had the enlightenment - a group of French philosophers deists > > and materialists. Then we had the Scottish E, then the Dutch E, then > > we have the Christian E. Hume gets ejected from the Scottish E just as > > Rousseau gets ejected from the French E. Then, once church history has > > colonised the Enlightenment, why append the adjective Christian at > > all? Now the 5 volumes of Blair's Sermons is now heralded as the > > greatest achievement of the Enlightenment. So how did we get from an > > atheist and deist materialist philosophy to a firebrand Calvinist > > minister who rejects materialism, deism and the struggle for liberty > > in the US and France - in 15 years? > > It is political Correctness gone mad. Religion continues to colonise > > the terminology of the past and present to justify its existence. > > > On Nov 3, 6:51 pm, nominal9 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE5A24HT20091103 > > > French anthropologist Levi-Strauss dies at 100 > > > Tue Nov 3, 2009 1:22pm EST > > > Email | Print | Share| Reprints | Single Page[-] Text [+] By Estelle > > > Shirbon > > > PARIS (Reuters) - French intellectual Claude Levi-Strauss, the > > > founder > > > of structural anthropology, has died at the age of 100, his > > > publishing > > > house Plon said on Tuesday. > > > > Levi-Strauss, who was known to a wider public thanks to his 1955 > > > memoir and masterpiece, "Tristes Tropiques," died on Saturday. He > > > would have turned 101 on November 28. > > > > "He was France's greatest scientist," said writer Jean d'Ormesson, > > > fellow member of the Academie Francaise which brings together the > > > elite of the country's intellectual establishment. > > > > A brilliant student who excelled at geology, law and philosophy, > > > Levi- > > > Strauss was posted to Brazil as a professor in 1935. It was there > > > that > > > he found his vocation for anthropology. > > > > He conducted several expeditions into remote areas of the Amazon > > > rainforest and the Mato Grosso to study the customs of local tribes, > > > starting to develop theories and methods that would later have a > > > profound impact on his field. > > > > He returned to France and was drafted into the French army at the > > > start of World War Two. After the defeat of France by the Nazis, he > > > realized that being Jewish had now become dangerous and he moved to > > > the United States until 1944. > > > > Over the following years, he held a number of prestigious scientific > > > posts in Paris and New York and started to churn out his influential > > > scientific volumes. > > > > "I HATE VOYAGES" > > > > In particular, he used tribal customs and myths to show that human > > > behavior is based on logical systems which may vary from society to > > > society, but possess a common sub-structure. > > > > These findings, which challenged the notion that Western European > > > culture was somehow unique or superior, resonated with the ideas of > > > opponents of colonialism and Levi-Strauss gained a following beyond > > > the circle of professional anthropologists. > > > > He argued that linguistics, communications and mathematical logic > > > could be used to reveal fundamental social systems. > > > > Exceptionally erudite, Levi-Strauss was not the most accessible of > > > thinkers and many of his works are impenetrable to laymen, but he > > > managed to transcend the esoteric bounds of science with "Tristes > > > Tropiques." > > > > A detailed account of social behavior among Brazilian tribes, > > > "Tristes > > > Tropiques" was set apart from the author's other writings by its > > > autobiographical content. > > > > While the work's opening sentence -- "I hate voyages and explorers" > > > -- > > > was hardly designed to win the approval of his scientific peers, > > > lovers of literature considered it a triumph. > > > > The academy that awards France's most prestigious literary prize, the > > > Goncourt, announced the night before making public their choice that > > > year that they regretted being unable to choose "Tristes Tropiques" > > > because it was not a novel. > > > > He achieved France's highest recognition for a scientist in 1973, > > > when > > > he was elected to the Academie Francaise. He also received numerous > > > honors from foreign universities and governments, including Brazil.- Hide > > > quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Epistemology" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/epistemology?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
