File spoon-archives/bhaskar.archive/bhaskar_2001/bhaskar.0109, message 51


Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 12:29:08 -0400
From: Richard Moodey <moodey001-AT-mail1.gannon.edu>
Subject: BHA: correction


Phil

Blackwell was the publisher of Lemert's Postmodernism is not what you think.

Dick Moodey

At 09:51 PM 09/20/2001 +0100, you wrote:
>Dick,
>
>Your post is very provocative and alive, but I'm not sure I accept that the
>West's global influence is declining.  I don't know anything about Charles
>Lemert.  Did he write that in a book?  Can you give details of the source?
>Once again thank you for picking up my thread.
>
>Phil Walden
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-bhaskar-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
> > [mailto:owner-bhaskar-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu]On Behalf Of Richard
> > Moodey
> > Sent: 21 September 2001 18:50
> > To: bhaskar-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
> > Subject: Re: BHA: RE: Is (C)reality wrestling with ideology
> >
> >
> > Charles Lemert recently wrote POSTMODERNISM IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK.  He
> > means postmodernism is not simply a way of thinking, but a
> > condition of the
> > world.  Some major aspects of this condition are cultural
> > fragmentation and
> > the decreasing dominance of "the West."
> >
> > Dick Moodey
> >
> > At 07:14 PM 09/19/2001 +0100, you wrote:
> > >Bwanika,
> > >
> > >I don't understand all of your English but I want to try to
> > respond to the
> > >issues you are raising.  The American intellectual Fredric
> > Jameson wrote a
> > >1991 book called POSTMODERNISM: OR THE CULTURAL LOGIC OF LATE CAPITALISM.
> > >In this book Jameson attempts to show (I think convincingly) that
> > >postmodernism is a "condition" that Marxism has so far
> > completely failed to
> > >face up to.  Jameson lays down the challenge to Marxism (and his
> > own work is
> > >pathbreaking here) to philosophically confront postmodernism and to
> > >undermine postmodernism by doing what his 1991 book does - taking
> > >postmodernism seriously.  His point is that postmodernism is not
> > a passing
> > >ideology that is fading away or a game being played by
> > postmodernists in the
> > >universities - a game which they are supposed to be losing - but rather
> > >postmodernism has a real material basis in contemporary Western society.
> > >One of the obvious sources of this real material basis is that
> > the mass of
> > >the population receives its information about the world through the
> > >television.  Thus abstract images are imposed by the bourgeoisie onto a
> > >population which, in the absence of a viable communist party, is
> > gradually
> > >losing its critical capacities.  This is a problem Marxism in
> > the West has
> > >so far completely failed to confront because there was, and still is, a
> > >presumption that postmodernism was a fad and would simply go away.  In my
> > >opinion even Bhaskar's work has only scratched the surface of the problem
> > >because although he strongly defends dialectics he fails to show how
> > >dialectics needs to be developed in order to challenge postmodern
> > >consciousness.  Or, at least, I can't see how he faces up to this in his
> > >work.  Hope this is interesting to you.  Can you tell me what do you mean
> > >when you say "Is time elastic and are choices infinite
> > justice?".  It might
> > >help to say that I believe that the universe had no beginning - it has
> > >always existed - but that there is objective historical time, and choices
> > >(being mental activity) are part of the real material world.  I
> > believe that
> > >the latter assertion has been demonstrated by the dialectical
> > materialism of
> > >Joseph Dietzgen.  In my view where Bhaskar might be making a
> > contribution in
> > >FEW, amongst all the mumbo-jumbo, is in presenting the possibility of a
> > >reconciliation of faith and reason which Hegel started but which urgently
> > >needs to be developed.
> > >
> > >Phil Walden
> > >
> > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: owner-bhaskar-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
> > > > [mailto:owner-bhaskar-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu]On Behalf Of
> > > > DBBwanika-AT-netscape.net
> > > > Sent: 20 September 2001 09:54
> > > > To: bhaskar-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu; psn-AT-csf.colorado.edu
> > > > Subject: BHA: Is (C)reality wrestling with ideology
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Sociologist Erving Goffman wrote a book called (I think) The
> > > > Social Creation of Reality in Everyday Life .This title
> > > > encapsulates the issue:
> > > >
> > > > People and their societies grown up to believe in things that
> > > > seem to make alot of common sense. What is the truth ? Is time
> > > > elastic and are choices
> > > > infinite justice
> > > >
> > > > The facts of matter are more complex than ideology- virtual
> > > > reality is not neccessarily reality. Is this  only the beginning
> > > > of Demasking the world
> > > > shrouded in naivity?
> > > > --
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ____________
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Bwanika
> > > >
> > > > url: http://www.uganda.co.ug
> > > > e-mail: dbbwanika-AT-netscape.net
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > __________________________________________________________________
> > > > Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and great gift
> > > > ideas. Experience the convenience of buying online with
> > > > Shop-AT-Netscape! http://shopnow.netscape.com/
> > > >
> > > > Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at
> > >http://webmail.netscape.com/
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >      --- from list bhaskar-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >      --- from list bhaskar-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >      --- from list bhaskar-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> >
>
>
>
>      --- from list bhaskar-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---




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

   

Driftline Main Page

 

Display software: ArchTracker © Malgosia Askanas, 2000-2005