From: Matt the Enraged Endorphin (mpkundert@students.wisc.edu)
Date: Mon Oct 21 2002 - 03:03:05 BST
Scott,
One clarification first. I previously said, "Metaphysics, by a
conventional definition, falls into an appearance-reality distinction
because it assumes something is "beyond" reality (by strict definition, if
reality were gleaned by physics)." Scott thought I was imputting something
about physical reality, but I was simply describing the literal etymology
of the word. Strictly speaking, metaphysics is called such because those
of Aristotle's books referred to as Metaphysics came after his Physics.
SCOTT:
"Ultimate" reality is distinguished from "contingent" reality. The
signigicance of doing so is that it reminds the thinker that whatever he
or she senses, thinks, etc, is contingent. The contingent can be called
"real" since it has effects, but what it affects is also contingent.
MATT:
I think, after what you say here and then later, the only thing I would
argue is that Rorty's narratives are better suited to self-transformation
and the eschewment of a correspondence theory. I don't see what the use is
of retaining an ultimate reality as opposed to a contingent reality, when
all we need is a contingent reality, particuarly when we won't ever know if
we are corresponding with this ultimate reality. The use of a
sanity-insanity metaphor for reaching back behind the contingent reality is
symptomatic of the appearance-reality distinction. At one root (besides
our differences about the need for a foundation), our disagreement is one
of an essentialist vs. an antiessentialist. You find self-transformation
into sanity to be essential, while an anitessentialist like myself and
Rorty can only suggest that self-transformation is better than
correspondence. For this very reason, I don't think Rorty's secularism
ignores transcendence. It merely places it as a private activity so
everyone may choose their own path towards self-perfection.
Matt
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