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. --- from list bhaskar-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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