Date: Sun, 8 Mar 1998 23:12:21 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re:  HAB: Understanding communicative action


Again, fellow list-members, due to actual constraints, I cannot follow all of
the postings, but after Gary's lengthy post regarding perlocutionary and
illocutionary effects, etc., perhaps the following problem might be relevant:

Suppose the setting is the Nazi era and one--as a confirmed "Aryan"--is
hiding a Jew in one's basement.  The Nazi's/SS come around asking you if
there are any Jews in the house, so you--in order to rescue the person in the
basement from the suffering that would quite likely ensue--tell the
troopers/officers that there are none in the house. . . .

I know that it might be irritating/disturbing to bring up such a scenario,
but I think it could be useful for drawing out some distinctions and for a
better understanding differences I see between, say, the views of Gary and
Ken.  The "why should I value understanding?" approach to making Ken-like
points plays too much into the hands the the churlish, terrible-two ("Just
say no") mentality one all-too-often finds among those of Derridian
persuasion, which is all-too-easily dismissed, so that some substantial
points might easily be unheard.

Sincerely,
Erik Davis
Masters Candidate, Economics
California State Univ., Hayward
daviserik-AT-hotmail.com


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