On Thu, Dec 30, 2010 at 10:22 AM, Ralph Dumain <rdum...@autodidactproject.org> wrote: > This is a commonplace analysis of Descartes & critique of the whole > epistemological tradition that came out of this. However, the disavowal > of scientific realism is childish. Speaking of childish, It's worth > contemplating the symbiosis between Rosa's juvenile Wittgensteinianism > and sectarianism. He differs from Henry Ford in declaring that, not > history, but all philosophy, is bunk. And if this doesn't show you that > the British far left--if that's what he is--is not at the end of its > rope, what does? > > Now I'm reminded that I need to take a look at Plekhanov & see if he's > as bad as I'm told he is.
^^^^^^^ CB: Well, Plekhanov opposed the 1917 October insurrection. That's pretty stupid sectarian. > > On 12/30/2010 10:10 AM, c b wrote: >> That project was exemplified in Descartes' Meditations, and it laid >> two demands on any account of knowledge and the means to knowledge, >> demands that set the standard and defined the adequacy of any account. >> There had been urgent reasons for making those demands but the reasons >> were historical rather than philosophical and came from the >> individualistic model of humanity that played such a pivotal role in >> the era's project of eliminating feudalism's remnants in thought and >> social institutions, and the project of justifying the conceptions and >> arrangements that were replacing them. That story needs to be >> elaborated, and will get some elaboration in the next chapter. What is >> important here is that those demands have been accepted since without >> serious critique or examination of alternatives. >> >> >> >> The first of the demands, describable as a "democratic" or >> "individualistic' one, was that a method be found that was available >> to each separated individual to apply privately and severally in the >> search for knowledge. The second, relating to the knowledge thus >> found, was that the method would lead all who conscientiously applied >> it to the same, objective and timeless true view of things. >> >> ^^^^^^^^^^ >> CB: This point on "individualistic" method is a good one. This is how >> I define positivism. >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Marxism-Thaxis mailing list >> Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu >> To change your options or unsubscribe go to: >> http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis >> > > _______________________________________________ > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
