File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1998/marxism-international.9802, message 414


From: brumback-AT-ncgate.newcollege.edu
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 1998 00:25:39 -0800
Subject: Re: M-I: Ecology and "value free" Marxism


>Nancy:
>
>1. Thank goodness you do seem to believe that an external reality exists.
>
>2. I didn't bring Kuhn into the discussion -- you did: "James, I hope you
>have (but I guess you haven't) read The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
>by T.S. Kuhn. This was a ground-breaking work..." etc. So then I respond by
>posting an essay in which I critically discuss Kuhn. So now you say: "Do we
>really need Kuhn...?" etc. 

I read your essay. But you said in your post that you criticized Kuhn
because he didn't show how social science was biased. I was saying that we
don't need him to know that social science is biased -- to people who call
themselves Marxist, the bias of social science should be a given.
>  
>3. I do not "hang labels": I characterize.   

What is the difference?

I'm afraid that I have to
>characterize your comments -- on this topic, in this exchange -- as dreary
>post-modern relativism. Prove me wrong.

Post-modern relativism holds that one idea is as good as another. I
explained that I did not believe that.
>
>4. I did address your ideas -- by sending a 40,000k essay which responds to
>your concerns about science.
>
>
I read it. You have your views, and I have mine. I don't see how yours
proves mine wrong.

5. If you were really saying that we don't need the scientific method and
>the search for reliable knowledge, I would -- yes -- have to characterize
>that as stupid, stupid, stupid.
>
No, I wasn't saying that. I was saying that we need to be aware that science
doesn't give us perfect knowledge in every instance in which it is used. I
think the problem is that because science works well in some specific
instances, we glorify it and expect it can solve all of our problems. Among
environmentalists, for example, instead of trying to stop the capitalists
from ruining the world, many people trust in technology to solve all our
problems.

But I am feeling very tired by this whole conversation. Somehow I feel
disrespected by your response, and I think you know what disrespect is. If I
feel disrespected by you again, I'm simply not going to reply.



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