Date: Tue, 21 Mar 95 17:42:41 GMT
From: I.P.Wright-AT-cs.bham.ac.uk
Subject: Positions


Q. What is the relationship between Nietzsche and scientific discourse?

I'd like to put forward a few preliminary positions that people
can attack, criticise, agree with.

(a) Nietzsche was essentially `pro-science' because he realised
that scientific methodologies can provide knowledge that is
efficacious in the world, i.e. increases an agent's causal powers.

(b) Nietzschean perspectivism destroys the idea of Scientific
Truth (i.e., immutable knowledge of `things-in-themselves'),
and points towards a perspectival epistemology that can
produce perspectival ontologies, which, in the `hard' sciences
at least, can become socially agreed upon and coalesce into
a true (note small `t') body of knowledge.

(c) The ascetic ideal (the revenge of the symbol upon the
symbolised) can be seen as Nietzsche warning us against
devaluing transitory or partial or partially incorrect
perspectival truth. Any devaluation, e.g. truth is _only_
perspective, implies a comparison between perspectival
truth and a God's eye perspective, i.e. knowledge of
`things-in-themselves' or objective knowledge. In other
words, the devaluer is looking for an `ideal' truth -
for certainty - and is therefore suffering from the
ascetic ideal (expecting reality to conform to his/her
ideological illusions).

(d) In any subsequent discussion it will be useful to
distinguish between different branches of science. For
example, a very rough distinction between the natural
sciences (physics, chemistry, biology etc.) and the
human sciences (psychology, sociology, politics etc.)
will be useful, as the former are less prey to
`ideologies' (i.e., distortion due to competing
social perspectives). (Other people will be able to
express this distinction in a clearer manner I'm sure.)

There are many other points I would like to make,
but that will do for now. My main concern is to try
and reclaim science, and the knowledge it provides,
within a `postmodern' context. I agree with J. Elson
that progress (as opposed to Progress -- an unfolding
dialectic that approaches objective Truth) is
still possible, and that Nietzsche wanted philosophy
and science to build the conditions conducive to
the flourishing of an unbridled individuality (Zarathustra).

-E.