From: Unleesh-AT-aol.com
Date: Fri, 29 Jan 1999 11:40:00 EST
Subject: Re:  RE: dialectic (can clumsy pragmatists read?)


My understanding is that the need to deconstruct Hegel had to do with wanting
to extricate the Hegelism within Marx so that Marx could be vindicated and the
good kernal extracted. This was part of a general critique of Leftism and
especially post-Stalinist critique that went further and wanted to know
whether there were faults perhaps even in the basic marxist theory. The idea
of historical necessity, oppositionalism, etc. were identified (correctly or
incorrectly) with Hegel.

I think Hegel is fascinating and provides much thought.

My very very very superficial, very unread critique of what I know of Hegel
(please keep that disclaimer in mind) is that it seems like the notion of
contradiction implies oppositions that are alike inasmuch as they are on the
same "plane" but opposing each other, rather than tensions whose tensions
aren't necessarily even on the same plane, but co-here or pull together like a
strange attractor tensions on multiple planes, virtualities which may have
nothing to do with each other yet through ambivalence vie for actualization.