Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2001 08:52:07 -0800 (PST)
From: Gary D <gedavis1-AT-yahoo.com>
Subject: HAB: Re: Linking Theory & Practice



--- matthew piscioneri <mpiscioneri-AT-hotmail.com> wrote:
 
> .... what is the impact of Habermas's professed fallibilism and
[work-in-progress research program] on the validity claims his own
theoretical speech acts raise; and doesn't the fallibilism
realistically present in much practical discourse diminish the
*moment of unconditionality* JH is so fond of?

G: Arguments are contestable, but Habermas uses language carefully in
his arguments (very consistently across arguments). He's not making
speculative generalizations (contrary to what FvG seemed to say,
since his comment about generalizations was supposed to be an
objection to Habermas' work). The "unconditionality" you allude to is
too vague to address. Themes about our form of life and
quasi-transcendentality of formal pragmatic suppositions are not
motivated by fondness (as if being self-serving or frivolous or
secretly metaphysicalist).
______________________________________________________________________
 

MP:.... If - as Gary suggests - education is the key to the
achievement of the Enlightenment dreams, what's to argue against the
Huxleyan (_Brave New World_)application of a bit of biotechnology
here & there!!!! After all, an ideologically-driven education agenda
is a form of social engineering, the objective of which, finally, is
to change the brain states of people. 

GD: It's not the case that "The ethical implications of AI research
are rarely given serious academic attention"
(http://www.ethics-of-technology.net/). Analytical philosophy of mind
often seems to be about nothing else. The postmodernist critique of
cyborgian dreams is an industry.

To advocate the importance of educational processes for a good
society is not even prima facie to pretend that any given educational
agenda is satisfactory without critically focusing on that as well.
But if advocacy of education processes can transpose focus from
pathologization of the underprivileged to the politics of curriculum,
then I can live with the appearance of not having heard of ideology
critique. 

MP: .... a quasi religious notion of *free* volition seems to be
important.

GD: Ghost in the machine?

Best regards.

Gary

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online!
http://photos.yahoo.com/


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