From: HDespain-AT-aol.com
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 1997 19:41:01 -0400 (EDT)
To: bhaskar-AT-jefferson.village.virginia.edu
Subject: BHA: Re: Help 


i don't know of the specific context of the meaning ... but i take decentered
to mean something like 'anti-hermeneutical'.  Void of the "social text" in an
hermeneutical sense and at the same time 'anti-individualistic'.

Usually in pomo stuff there is not necessarily a denial of a "social text"
nor necessrily an essence to human nature ... but social science cannot begin
from such a conceptual construction because it distorts the real.  So you
only have the behavior itself, or practice itself ... and in Kantian-like
form cannot really say anything concrete specific about the socia text based
on these practices ... and to do so is to tend toward producing false,
conservative ideas ... ideology by defination.

Please, understand i am not advocating this view, just suggesting this as a
possible context in which to interpret the meaning.

Now, what is interesting about it, is that some pomos will argue it is
anti-relativistic in that the "hermeneutical circle" is escaped.  But of
course this to me seems to be wishful thinking ... we are committed to
constructing ontologies, and false ones before we can start practicing
(social) science.  Which brings us back to critical realism:-)

hans d.


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