Well done, Edwina. S *@stephencrose <https://twitter.com/stephencrose>*
On Mon, Jun 9, 2014 at 8:46 AM, Edwina Taborsky <[email protected]> wrote: > I think that it was a naive and ignorant article and as such, because it > was written out of ignorance, not worthy of 'total despair'! > > I think that the author is unaware of the difference between a tribal and > a civic society. The former, and China fits in here, operates within the > network and ties of kinship obligations. The latter, which the West moved > into centuries ago, operates, legally at least, by rejecting the privileges > or lack of kinship bonds and focusing instead as per the Magna Carta and > Declaration of Independence, on human equality. > > This has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with 'pragmatism'. It's pure > tribalism; you claim the surgeon, for example, as a member of your clan by > your financial tribute to his skill; his accepting the tribute shows that > he accepts the patient into 'his tribe'. Both become members of the same > family clan. Nothing, nothing, to do with pragmatism, which would be > viewed, I think, as unethical because pragmatism shows no respect for 'the > clan', for 'the family obligations'. > > Absolutely nothing to do with the notion of 'god' as the author tries to > claim: "By contrast American ethics (and foreign policy) is still too > religious in its perspective, and even our democratic traditions are > asserted with dogmatic gusto. As it's been pointed out many times, someone > who thinks he has God on his side is capable of almost anything." > > Then, another aspect is missing. The Chinese, for the most part, are still > deeply superstitious and, in a way, quite nominalistic! The words you use > are considered important in effecting the result; that's not pragmatism; > that's superstition and suggests, if I may say, a lack of Thirdness!!!. The > colours you use, the sounds, the location of a house or window....all have > 'power' to make things happen. > > And another aspect - corruption. You don't get anything done in China > without that red envelope. That's not merely in the hospitals - and in this > communist socialist nation you pay for your medical care - but to get a > bureaucratic result - a form, a registration, a visa, a...you must take the > Boss Man out to dinner and hand over that red envelope. Corruption can't be > redefined as pragmatism. > > Edwina > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jon Awbrey" <[email protected]> > To: "Phyllis Chiasson" <[email protected]> > Cc: "peirce-l@list iupui. edu" <[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, June 09, 2014 8:00 AM > Subject: [PEIRCE-L] Re: NYTimes : From China, With Pragmatism > > > > Yes, thankfully few of them saved me from total despair. >> >> Jon >> >> http://inquiryintoinquiry.com >> >> On Jun 9, 2014, at 1:05 AM, Phyllis Chiasson <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Did you read the comments following the piece? >>> >>> Jon Awbrey <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> good grief, what tripe ... >>>> >>> >> > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > -------------------- > > > >> ----------------------------- >> PEIRCE-L subscribers: Click on "Reply List" or "Reply All" to REPLY ON >> PEIRCE-L to this message. PEIRCE-L posts should go to >> [email protected] . To UNSUBSCRIBE, send a message not to PEIRCE-L >> but to [email protected] with the line "UNSubscribe PEIRCE-L" in the >> BODY of the message. More at http://www.cspeirce.com/ >> peirce-l/peirce-l.htm . >> >> >> >> >> >> > > > > ----------------------------- > PEIRCE-L subscribers: Click on "Reply List" or "Reply All" to REPLY ON > PEIRCE-L to this message. PEIRCE-L posts should go to > [email protected] . To UNSUBSCRIBE, send a message not to PEIRCE-L > but to [email protected] with the line "UNSubscribe PEIRCE-L" in the > BODY of the message. More at http://www.cspeirce.com/peirce-l/peirce-l.htm > . > > > > > >
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