File spoon-archives/bhaskar.archive/bhaskar_1997/bhaskar.9711, message 22


From: "Doctor Spurt" <SPURRETT-AT-mtb.und.ac.za>
To: bhaskar-AT-jefferson.village.Virginia.EDU
Date:          Mon, 3 Nov 1997 11:11:31 GMT +0200
Subject:       Re: BHA: Re: More on "Plato Etc."


Hello again,

(1) I did not caricature _anything_ as the '"non-critical exegesis" of 
DPF.' I said that in my experience "exegetic activity of an 
essentially non-critical sort" was a more pleasant experience on 
this list than criticism. This I maintain to be the case.

(2) Explanation is one thing. Explanation which seems to be premissed 
on the assumption that there will be some set of statements which 
make any of Bhaskar's utterances acceptable or which refute any 
criticism is another. I don't think it was fair of Colin to accuse 
Ralph of deciding in advance that "P&C" was garbage, and I would 
oppose anyone who decided in advance that anyone who did so think 
had to be wrong/over hasty/uncharitable/etc. 

(3) There are indeed passages of very good writing in more recent 
Bhaskar, and more of them in DPF then P&C. The style question is not, 
however, unproblematically and simply removed from the content one. I 
have suggested a number of ways in which this is the case, and would 
be willing to discuss the matter again, but see no need to rehash 
earlier remarks now. I understand perfectly well how the academy 
functions, but recognising ways in which criticism of style can be 
abused does not prohibit me from attempting to pursue significant 
philosophical issues which require me to take a writer to task for 
his/her style. (In the same way, for example, I may hold it against the 
British Government that they tasted chemical weapons on their own 
troops at Porton Down without thereby being required to commit 
myself to an endorsement of Nazism. This is so _even_if_ Nazi 
sympathisers are at the task of using the tests as propoganda.)

Regards,
David

Department of Philosophy,
University of Natal, Durban, 4041, South Africa.
Tel: +27 (0)31 260 3248. Fax: +27 (0)31 260 3031.
----------------------------------------------------------
"People who feel no need for transparency in their
arguments are lost for philosophy."
- Wittgenstein.


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