Greetings Economists,
Yoshie writes,
(quoting the German Ideology) A very cheap method to produce the
semblance of being profound and speculative in the German manner.
For example:
Fact: The cat eats the mouse.
Reflection: Cat — nature, mouse — nature, consumption of mouse by cat =
consumption of nature by nature = self-consumption of nature.
Philosophic presentation of the fact: Devouring of the mouse by the cat
is based upon the self-consumption of nature.
Doyle,
My guru, Martha Nussbaum, has been writing some about that in her new
book on "Frontiers of Justice, Disability, Nationality, Species
Membership" 2006, Belknap, Harvard press, where she considers the
Locke, Hume, style social contract versus the more Marx-like
'capabilities' social structure. What the disabled community refers to
as able bodied bias is reflected in the sense that the social contract
represents a 'rational' human being.
Cats produce knowledge for human companions. If one regards a cats
life amongst humans like farm animals the cat is penned up most of the
time so that the cats knowledge production can be utilized at will. We
usually don't recognize this knowledge because it falls outside the
social contract of rational knowledge. But the emotion structure of a
cats relationship with a human is clear enough. The cat is capable of
such brain work. Marx's point about luxury still holds in what the
rich can do which does not relate to social need. But as ordinary
workers can attest an animal does produce important social goods.
Nussbaum's latest book is directly targeted to address the question of
justice for animals and disabled people. In both cases the historic
liberal 'rational' social contract exemplified by persons like John
Rawls, elide those matters that fall outside 'rational' understanding.
I see computing as breaching this barrier as well.
thanks,
Doyle
