Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2002 12:54:20 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Re: HAB: Left in division (does Habermas have a solution?)


--- Ralph Dumain <rdumain-AT-igc.org> wrote:
> These statements are reactionary on the face of it.  But they also
> reveal 
> the Achilles heel of alienation, wherefrom liberalism, always unable
> to 
> ground itself in anything substantial, seeks escape into something 
> else--always authoritarian--and is always gullible in the refuges it
> takes.

I rather enjoy being an ungrounded authoritarian - I'm the author of my
self, writing from my own ungrounded imagination..

Good philosophy helps people to develop this ability.

> It takes an exceptionally alienated and clueless person to exercise
> himself 
> to death over the non-question of finding an empathetic basis for
> concern 
> with others outside of religious metaphysics, or for finding an
> externally 
> sanctioned ground, whether it be religion or secular law.  Sin and
> guilt, 
> what foolishness!

To each his own experience!


> At 10:26 AM 03/08/2002 -0800, Thomas McDonald wrote:
> >In this quote, I see Habermas trying to address the difficult
> question
> >of how a secular ego can see injury to others as 'wrong' from within
> >it's own heart, by it's own will, and not merely because it is
> demanded
> >by an externally (socially) rationalized and enforced constraint of
> >law.
> >
> >Pragmatists like Rorty (no proponent of religion) don't shy away
> from
> >pointing out that 'the secular emperor is wearing no clothes' -
> there
> >is simply no non-metaphysical way to ground the belief that one
> >shouldn't harm another.
> >
> >"Secular languages that simply eliminate what was once there leave
> >behind only irritation.  Something was lost when sin became guilt. 
> The
> >desire for forgiveness is, after all, still closely connected with
> the
> >unsentimental wish to undo other injuries as well."
> >-JH
> >
> >The text of Habermas's whole speech can be found here:
> >
>
>http://amsterdam.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-0111/msg00100.html
> 
>
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> 
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