Hi Neil, You throw names about like shit, trying to hit the fan. Why the hell should one hear about Bourbaki sets? It's bullshit, like all failed trials to found maths in discreteness, only more conceited. Same for others, with exception of Bachelard, who came here astray and whom you don't seem to understand.
Say that established education is bullshit; that one has to earn his three meals, so you teach bullshit which yourself you don't understand, as there is nothing there to understand - and I'll say that you are sincere. Else I don't say anything and wish you lots of fun. Georges. --- On Wed, 11/11/09, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > From: archytas <[email protected]> > Subject: [epistemology 10979] Re: Claude Levi-Strauss dies > To: "Epistemology" <[email protected]> > Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 9:36 PM > > I honestly suspect business schools were more radical 20 > years ago > than the whole academy now. We are 100 years after > Veblen though and > much more distanced from Nietzsche's 'On Truth and > Lies in a Moral > Sense' - which he kept secret. Bachelard is > under-used here in the > 'rupture tradition'. I'd guess none of the kind of > people you > describe will have heard of the work of Joseph Sneed, > Günther Ludwig, > and Erhard Scheibe; or Bourbaki sets. And also that > they ooze Kuhn, > paradigms and root metaphors. And no doubt you'll be > up to your arse > in the quadri-hermeneutic. > The following is filched from 'Philosophy of History' in > Stanford > Encyclopaedia of Philosophy online. It obviously > tells you nothing I > haven't heard you say. I'd just offer it with the > question 'what the > fuck would we make of academe now under even this > apparently benign > heuristic'? > > 'Finally, a new philosophy of history will be sensitive to > the variety > of forms of presentation of historical knowledge. The > discipline of > history consists of many threads, including causal > explanation, > material description, and narrative interpretation of human > action. > Historical narrative itself has several aspects: a > hermeneutic story > that makes sense of a complicated set of actions by > different actors, > but also a causal story conveying a set of causal > mechanisms that came > together to bring about an outcome. But even more > importantly, not all > historical knowledge is expressed in narratives. Rather, > there is a > range of cognitive structures through which historical > knowledge is > expressed, from detailed measurement of historical > standards of > living, to causal arguments about population change, to > comparative > historical accounts of similar processes in different > historical > settings. A new philosophy of history will take the measure > of > synchronous historical writing; historical writing that > conveys a > changing set of economic or structural circumstances; > writing that > observes the changing characteristics of a set of > institutions; > writing that records and analyzes a changing set of beliefs > and > attitudes in a population; and many other varieties as > well. These are > important features of the structure of historical > knowledge, not > simply aspects of the rhetoric of historical writing'. > > We might also wonder what the plain English of this is and > how we > taught some version of it. I could say 'I told you so > mate' - but you > can be assured I won't. I haven't seen an genuine > innovation in > academe outside laboratory and mathematical puzzle solving > in a long > time. Sue always regarded academics as smug bastards > not far removed > from the political scum only fit to vomit on in torrents of > gut felt > swearing, and this only at most. I sailed a bit > closer to the wind > than that. You could sort of expect to find someone > not too bothered > if they could catch your drift. Now I suspect they > are all too thick, > products of the pathetic dilution themselves. I'm off > to Cameroon > again, by the way. > > > On 11 Nov, 12:18, chazwin <[email protected]> > wrote: > > On Nov 11, 10:35 am, archytas <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > Foucault would no doubt have gleaned his BA by > using those buses on > > > which French radicals gave out course credits > saying the credits are > > > real but the university imaginary. In my class > I would have responded > > > by offering you the MA there and then as it's so > damned obvious we > > > never fail anyone. > > > > Okay let us accept that F might have got his BA on the > basis that they > > fail no one these days. I was wrong. However, given > the state of the > > establishment's grip on the balls of free-thinking and > radical, new > > and novel ideas F would not now have been given a > position of power > > inside a university. Neither would Chomsky or any > thinker whose urge > > it might be to refrain from supporting the status > quo. > > The top rung of the university ladder is moribund, > ossified and its > > noses are brown - by sniffing the gravy train. > > > > You would be able to rejoin the course at any time > > > > > by ripping up the gleaming certificate, an > interesting admission > > > procedure! Nominal would probably find it > harder to get banned from a > > > British university MA than from > 'alt.twatcuntdiscourse'. > > > ME is a much sadder place without you Chaz. > Given the increase in > > > godswank since you were chucked it's clear you > were the best moderator > > > in the place, working by stealth and cudgel. > > > > Thanks. But sometimes you just need to let rip. I also > managed to get > > busted out of alt. atheists and freethinkers too - by > a stupid bitch > > called 'Trance Gemini" on a "debate" concerning the > death penalty. > > Obviously freethinking is not the same as free > speech. > > > > > Must be good to have a few critical minds about > you though mate? > > > Having taught the shit, at least as 'research > methods', I have to say > > > the academic well is dry. Your analysis above > of the current idiots > > > in government is far better than we could manage > held down by academic > > > pretensions. Something in the crap does work > though Chaz, at least for > > > the few who don't just toss off the tutors for > good marks. I like to > > > think I didn't ask for that, but one or two did > remind me that I sort > > > of taught them strategies of working out what the > hidden agendas were, > > > and consequently that they hadn't tossed me off > in order to do so. > > > > I am in a bit of a dilemma at the moment. I had every > intention of > > finding an interesting topic for a thesis whilst on my > MA, but have > > been shocked by how 'establishment' most of the tutors > are in the > > Dept, led by a sever Scandinavian who hob nobs with > Divinity > > Professors as they re-write the Scottish Enlightenment > to serve the > > status quo. > > Right now Foucault seems attractive because he seems > to realise that > > history is not a seemless ribbon of learning and light > but has > > irruptions and breaks. It can be understood by power > relations, > > exploitations and conflicts. > > My dilemma is that I do not think they are ready to > allow for radical > > re-rhinking of their precious cosy topic. It is early > says though and > > I am still hoping they might be better than they > look. > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 10 Nov, 18:07, chazwin <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > > Yeah I followed you recommendation to go > there - thanks. > > > > I've been busy telling idiot Americans the > difference between a rights > > > > based approach to health and they respond by > participating in their > > > > own exploitation by calling public medicine > "socialist" > > > > Blimey - banned? > > > > I know it is moderated but you have to go > the extra mile to get > > > > banned. > > > > > > On Nov 10, 4:07 pm, nominal9 <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > > > Actually I have been posting a lot on > alt.philosphy, atheism vs > > > > > christianity and Political > Forum..../Chaz > > > > > > > Political Forum?.... the one that I > suggested to you a while > > > > > back?..... Hell, Chaz, I got "banned" > from there , myself, not too > > > > > long ago. Damned their "moderators" to > an eternity in hell with their > > > > > heads up their asses and with shit for > brains... relegated them to > > > > > Nominal9"s Censorship Hall of Shame.... > maybe you shouildn't mention > > > > > that you know me, there.... if you like > the place... > > > > > nominal 9 > > > > > > > On Nov 9, 2:18 pm, chazwin <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > > > > 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 > > > > ... > > > > read more » > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ > 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 > -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Epistemology" group. 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