Re: MD Undeniable Facts

From: Steve Peterson (peterson.steve@verizon.net)
Date: Tue Apr 15 2003 - 13:55:04 BST

  • Next message: Platt Holden: "Re: MD Undeniable Facts"

    Hi Matt,
     
    > Steve said:
    > It seems to me that pomos say, "there are no true essences to words" and
    > then conclude that we are hopelessly stuck in words, as if to be forced to
    > have concluded that words are what we get instead of reality. Matt, I
    > hope you will tell me that it would only be a "bad postmodernist" who would
    > make that mistake.
    >
    > Matt:
    > I think the above uses confused language. Antiessentialists don't use a
    > distinction between reality and words, essences and accidents, or
    > substances and properties. "They are trying to replace the world pictures
    > constructed with the aid of these Greek oppositions with a picture of a
    > flux of continually changing relations. One effect of this
    > panrelationalism is that it lets us put aside the distinction between
    > subject and object, between the elements in human knowledge contributed by
    > the mind and those contributed by the world, and thereby helps us put aside
    > the correspondence theory of truth."

    ...and to do this, all we need to do is sacrifice reality! No, wait. I
    think I understand what you are saying. This fits in with your "stop
    playing metaphysics" thing. As I see it, you are exchanging words for
    reality, but from your perspective, you're just not making a distinction
    between the two because that would be "playing metaphysics." Am I right?

    Is this decision to not make a distinction between words and reality done
    for the purposes of moving conversations along, or is it a hat your try to
    wear all the time to help you cope with reality?

    >("A World without Substances or
    > Essences") I see Pirsig attempting the same thing with his metaphor,
    > Quality.

    Since Pirsig considers himself "a Zen person," it is doubtful to me that he
    would see "being trapped in words" as anything other than a corruption of
    experience.

    Thanks,
    Steve

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