Re: MD Access to Quality

From: Sam Norton (elizaphanian@kohath.wanadoo.co.uk)
Date: Fri May 13 2005 - 20:22:53 BST

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    Hi Matt,

    Thanks for a couple of excellent posts, most of which I am in complete
    sympathy with. If I get a chance (been a busy week) I'll engage more
    explicitly, but I wanted to articulate one thing, where I think you've
    (slightly) misread me. You say:

    > Matt:
    > I think Sam's right that Mark still holds to modern, Enlightenment
    > philosophy for philosophical justification and, with Sam and MacIntyre,
    > that
    > this is bad. However, I think Sam and MacIntyre are wrong that
    > Enlightenment philosophy provides the "main justification" for liberal
    > practices. To my mind, the reason why Enlightenment philosophy is wrong
    > is
    > because it was looking for philosophical justification in the first place.
    > And I think Sam and MacIntyre are subsequently wrong to think that the
    > failure of Enlightenment philosophy means the failure of Enlightenment
    > politics.

    I wouldn't say that Enlightenment politics 'fails' - I'm in complete
    sympathy with the human rights/democracy/free speech process etc. My
    position is that these can't ultimately be sustained in secular terms. In
    other words, the fourth level - which they guarantee - needs to rest upon a
    solid foundation in the third level. As I see the third level as the realm
    of mythology and narrative, the question is one of which is the best
    narrative to sustain those political institutions/ static patterns. In my
    ever-so-humble opinion they can best be grounded in the Christian story, viz
    that a state which executes the free thinker is in the wrong - and
    established as wrong by God. I don't think the secular story is strong
    enough to withstand human evil, and I take that as one of the main lessons
    of the twentieth century.

    If I get a chance I'll try and unpack that later.

    Cheers
    Sam
    PS glad I can respond on cue :o)

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