From: "Karl Carlile" <joseph-AT-indigo.ie> Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 21:53:48 +0000 Subject: Re: M-I: Althusser A KARL CARLILE MESSAGE KARL: Hi Andrew! ANDREW:There is no real humanist-scientist dichotomy. Much of science is admittedly deeply humanist in its assumptions and rightly should be. Sciences which deny humanity are alienated sciences. KARL: If as you seem to be suggesting there exists what you call "alienated sciences" then ipso facto you are. paradoxically, claiming that science is not necessarily humanist and that consequently there is such a thing as a "humanist-scientist dichotomy". You hoist yourself with your own petard Andrew. ANDREW:Social science is as scientific as any other set scientific disciplines yet remains humanistic through and through. KARL: As I have indicated in a previous posting to you, which interestingly you apparently failed to reply to, humanism is a form of metaphysics that shares nothing in common with the materialist conception of history. Hegelian like you seek to constrain marxism and science within the Procustean bed of humanism. In short you seek to subordinate scientific actvity, marxism and thereby revolutionary politics to a particular philosophy called humanism. How very catholic indeed! ANDREW: Where historical materialists transcend societal boundedness is through their self-reflexive methodology that permits critical theory and method to be analyzed by the same criteria as all other socially produced categories. KARL: The above interesting remarks of yours essentailly makes the argument that the materialist conception of history transcends capitalism. According to you through this transcendence the materialist conception of history can validly criticise itself. In other words, the materialist conception of history by mystically transcending history and thereby Hegelian-like assuming the form of the Absolute Idea marxism can engage in self-criticism. So for you only god, the Absolute Idea of Hegel's, can criticise her/himself. Yours etc., Karl Yours etc., Karl --- from list marxism-international-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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