Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 05:02:22 -0100
Subject: Re: Mystify me!  -  Benefits of Philosophy


All,

This is, for me, an excellent statement on the benefits of recent decades of
philosophy, especially the second paragraph.


Steve wrote:

> Julie
>
> The reason I believe that even the most arcane and ifficult philosophy is
important
> is for two reasons - both of point towards why your heartfelt quote, which
is often
> necessary in that it reminds us of the importance of addressing everyday
life -
> which recently intruded into the G8 countries in an horrible way.
>
> The first reason is that alone of the western discourses philsophy took on
the
> burden of the appalling acts of Auschwitz, Belson and other places and
decided it
> was guilty. None of the other discourses-science, the military,
politicians,
> historians and so on all walk forward into the abyss knowing that they are
innocent.
> Philosophy uniquely accepted the social/political crimes of the century
and said yes
> this is a problem for philosophy and felt guilty. (Rightly or wrongly is
not the
> issue and of course I mean western philosophy...)
>
> The second reason relates to the importance that the invention of (new)
concepts has
> for us as we wander down the increasingly chaotic and unstable streets of
our PM
> everyday life (both of which are new and outrageuosly difficult concepts
to
> understand). I say this not because I am hopelessly lost in a halcyon
dream of
> earlier days but rather because post the first reason I think that iot is
necessary
> to continue the philosophical process of analysing and struggling with the
miseries
> and slavery of a society that has extended its dominion over the whole
planet - that
> is to say the 'control society', the 'development society', the 'society
of the
> spectecle', in which we live...
>
> This note may appear superfically to be indifferent to mothers and
children but I'd
> take my direction in this instance from Irigaray and Kristeva (whose work
on
> strangers and love seems very appropriate at the moment)... who argues for
'enriched
> and enhanced secular values' as necessary above all else if we are to
achieve a
> humane society.
>
> regards
> sdv
>