Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 17:59:10 +0200
From: artefact-AT-t-online.de (Michael Eldred)
Subject: Re: Epistemology & Politics


Cologne 18-Sep-2003

Stuart Elden schrieb Thu, 18 Sep 2003 11:13:42 +0100:

> Well I guess we may have to agree only that we are coming at this from
> utterly different perspectives.
>
> No I don't believe in some mindless sense objective reality, which
> historians then deploy. But equally I don't think that anything can be done
> with the kind of utter relativism which you espouse, as you did with issues
> of textual scholarship, translation, etc.
>
> To my mind both the outright rejection of Heidegger and the apologetics are
> useless in getting to the heart of the question of Heidegger's politics. I
> am not interested in rejecting him outright, nor of saving him. But I am
> interested in seeing how the thought and politics interrelate, how the
> politics intrudes into his thought, and how his thought offers new
> perspectives on the politics. All that is, to my mind, only possible if one
> step beyond your position is taken, otherwise we get nowhere - as it seems
> to me you do, in your refusal to actually answer the question...
>
> My work on Heidegger and politics upsets both sides - the critics and the
> defenders... reason enough I think to suggest that I am doing something a
> bit different, perhaps even worthwhile in some way. But it's not especially
> original as an approach, even if different or unusual in the context of the
> literature as a whole. Dominique Janicaud's The Shadow of that Thought was
> the inspirational book for me. But ultimately it seems to me that it's just
> good history of ideas work.
>
> Stuart
>

Stuart,

Sitting uncomfortably between the chairs (as they say here: 'zwischen allen
Stuehlen sitzen') is probably a productive, 'stimulating' position. One then
cops it from all sides, or one is snubbed from all sides. That is a sign that
one may even be breaking new ground.

Ultimately, the only loyalty to a thinker is disloyalty -- conscientiously
learn from a thinker and then fearlessly criticize, in that order.
Those who  fearlessly criticize without learning are dull-witted.
Those who conscientiously learn without ever risking the critique that leads
beyond (into the abyss above which all questioning hovers) end up only
remouthing and apo-logizing (weg-reden).

Best wishes for your project,
Michael
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-  artefact text and translation _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- made by art  _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
http://www.webcom.com/artefact/ _-_-_-_-artefact-AT-t-online.de _-_
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Dr Michael Eldred -_-_-
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_






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