Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2000 13:33:27 -0800
From: Michael Staples <michael-AT-intersubjectivestudies.com>
Subject: Re: Dreyfus' pragmatic reading of being msp




Kenneth Johnson wrote:

> I would very much appreciate if anyone might be able to make clearer
> Michael's answers below in terms I could understand.
>

and,

> Or are my questions too basic, something any H list member should already
> know, so not worth the trouble? I'm asking this nonrhetorically.

The answer to many of your points require highly technical answers that
call for an
understanding of the issues involved, the language which has been
developed to deal
with these issues, and a lot of grunt-work in trying to understand the
landscape.
Some years ago Anthony lashed out by pointing out that trying to
understand
Heidegger is like doing calculus... in other words, it takes a lot of
ground-work
(algebra, geometry, trig... etc.). When Michael points out that language
cannot be
traced back to the brain, and you rebut with "what about evolution", you
are
demonstrating that you have not made your way too far down the Heidegger
road. A
more appropriate rebuttal would be something like, "How's that?" or
"What do you
mean by that?" or "That's an interesting point of view...what do you
think language
is?" I think these kinds of responses would probably bring you good
results.

The last thing I want to do is come across like I am preaching or being
hypercritical. But I think it is important to recognize that some of
these guys
(Michael, Gary, Henry, Henk, Alan, and so on) are operating at a very
high level.
Just a touch of this recognition will go a long way. It is a real gift
for any of
them to take the time to back up all the way to "No...language cannot be
traced
back to the synapses of the brain" and lay that out. I'm only saying
this because
you seem to be hanging in there and genuinely interested. If you like,
you can reply to me directly off line :-)

Michael Staples
michael-AT-intersubjectivestudies.com


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