Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2001 23:25:04 -0100
Subject: Re: Local determinism?


Glen,
See Eric's recent post referencing "Le Differend".  You find L. speaking of
language as something pratically independent of its users.  The way language
works determines how and what we can think.  Different communities,
different
languages, or different "games" in the same language, perhaps result in
local "patches.

HB
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


> Hi,
>
> Something that has always bugged me in TPC:ARoK is found in his section:
>
> "Thus the society of the future falls less within the province of a
> Newtonian anthropology (such as structuralism or systems theory) than a
> pragmatics of language particles. There are many different language
games -
> a heterogeneity of elements. They only give rise to institutions in
> patches - local determinism."
>
> What do you guys think Lyotard means by 'local determinism'?
> What would be really cool is if anyone could point me in the direction of
> relevant texts to read.
>
> I have my own ideas, particularly relating to the extralinguistical
> construction of everyday life...
> The 'institutions in patches' I grasp, but the word 'determinism' has
> connotations that are just plain scary.
>
> Cheers,
> Glen.