Date: Mon, 18 May 1998 11:48:10 -0700
Subject: Re: Foucault and Lyotard


Lois Shawver wrote:
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Hi Lois,

In general, I share your thoughts about Foucault and Lyotard.

I think Foucault's narrative (in several books) described the
development
of large, impersonal, faceless, powerful institutions with an 
insight not equalled by anyone else I've read.

And while much of it is still relevant, Post WWII, and especially
Post-Cold-War developments have accelerated accumulation by the rich
and disparity with the poor with incredible swiftness.

In this context I find Lyotard's concern with justice, the links of
justice/injustice with lanaguage, the mystery of what language is and
how it works, much more interesting than looking backward to Foucault.

I wish Lyotard had told us more about the mystery of language and also
the mystery of obligation.

His observations on Post-modern knowledge and technology, and their
control by the wealthy as sources of power were a step beyond Foucault,
and have proven prophetic in decade of so since he formulated them.

I just hope that somewhere, somehow, some philosopher will pick up the
threads such speculations and explore them in the context of the 
current social disasters round the globe.

Best,

Hugh Bone
 




> I would like to invite you to visit a new website of mine that contains a
> summary of Foucault's book, The Birth of the Clinic, and relates it to
> Lyotard's definition of postmodernism.
> 
> http://www.california.com/~rathbone/foucbc.htm
> 
> ..Lois Shawver