Re: epistemic violence

Diane,

Ah, I was waiting for this. So, some discourses are not commensurable. Care
to elaborate on this? or does it simply function as an institutionalised
assumption which serves to butress your own theoretical/ideological account
of the world against criticism. 'It's my view and you commit epistemic
violence if you critise it from any discourse other than it'. On one level,
of course, some discourses are certainly not commensurable. I mean the rules
of football (soccer) are clearly incommensurable with those of cheesemaking.
but do I really need to point out how trivial this is. Go back and read your
Kuhn and Feyerabend, to see what they really meant and about the possibility
of translation. And as for bringing Lyotard up in this context, well, I
simply despair. I can, if required, elaborate on Lyotard's own unthematised
foundationalism, but I thought everyone knew this already.

Thanks,

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Colin Wight
Department of International Politics
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Wales
SY23 3DA

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Folow-ups
  • Re: epistemic violence
    • From: D. Diane Davis
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