dmb said to Matt:
.., you and/or Bernstein are characterizing an idea that I basically agree
with; that our philosophical positions are psychologically motivated. And yet I
shudder at the characterization of it as "just cover" on a par with "belching".
When I read stuff like that, I detect a certain kind of misanthropic cynicism
and nihilism and that makes me shudder. A perfectly good idea is suddenly
transformed into something I hate, that produces a slight feeling of nausea.
Steve replied:
dmb, ..concludes that Matt must think that belching and philosophy are on a
par, i.e., that doing philosophy is no better than belching. Matt said that for
pragmatists, beliefs are habits of action therefore philosophical positions are
covers for sets of habits. dmb, with his usual difficulties in reading
comprehension, concludes that Matt thinks that philosophy itself is just cover.
dmb says:
It's not that I don't get what Matt is saying. Like I said, James was already
expressing this idea before Bernstein was born and I very much like the idea.
I'm talking about the spin, the characterization of it, especially as it was
depicted by the phrase "just cover" for habits and by including burps (along
with philosophy and prayer) in our response to life. Why even mention
"belching" in that context? That's what I'm complaining about. It suggest that
philosophy enjoys absolutely no rank or status above anything. If you don't see
how provocative that is, then your ear is even tinnier than I thought.
Why are our philosophical positions "just cover" for habits rather than, say,
James's notion of visions that suit our temperament and sensibilities? Doesn't
the word "just" imply that it's "merely" a cover? And doesn't the word "cover"
characterize it as something slightly dishonest?
Why characterize it that way? What does that sort of thing not bother you?
Seriously? Let's talk about this. I'll bet it's the source of almost all our
other differences. When it comes right down to it, you just naturally love the
things that make me sick. And vice versa, I suppose.
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