Date: Mon, 17 Nov 1997 11:39:46 -0800 From: hugh bone <hughbone-AT-worldnet.att.net> Subject: Re: Query Mark Bower wrote: > > >seems that whoever you are, you are certainly not much of a critic. . . > >at least have the guts to back-up your judgement with a substantive > >argument of sorts. . . > > This exchange might be an occasion to take up the question of what Lyotard > means when he says that we ought to judge without criteria. Any thoughts? > > Mark -AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT- Mark, Couldn't find such a statement in "Le Differend". Did find some words about vengeance and other tribunals/criteria which a vengeful person might seek. Also some words about Kant, aesthetics, and moral judgements. The Kantian assumption of a priori knowledge in matters of morals, as I read it, means this sort of judging can be reflexive - like knee-jerk or batting the eyes against oncoming objects, i.e. fast and instinctive behavior without time for, or consideration of criteria. Watching nature movies, one sees some animals instruct/discipline their young with noises, facial expressions, etc. to avoid danger. Is this a a primitive example of a priori morals built into genes? Would an animal parent who had never experienced danger instruct its offspring in this manner? Animals also use scent, claw marks on trees, etc. to define territories. Do these acts involve judgements or criteria. Non-human animals presumably have no religious experience, morals, or awareness of divinity. Other thoughts: Being "non-judgmental" about the sins of other humans seems to have some value in calming passions, correcting error etc. Then there is forgiveness, which, like love, may benefit the addressor more than the addressee. Could it also mean the forgiver, with or without criteria, has been judge, jury and hangman, but forgoes the penalty in an orgy of self-congratulation? I think Lyotard wanted to free people from domination by relatively recent historical narratives: Religions, ideologies, as Marxism, Nationalism, etc., which are the basis for so many judgements. Opinions anyone? Hugh
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