Incommensurability

Colin Wight wrote on March 25th:

>of course, some discourses are certainly not commensurable. I mean the rules
>of football (soccer) are clearly incommensurable with those of cheesemaking.

Why not Colin? They use different vocabularies because they refer to
different phenomena but that doesn't make them incommensurate. Surely, to
be incommensurate, two discourses need to proceed from incompatible sets of
assumptions or epistemi principles - such as those of law and psychiatry,
individualism and communitarianism, anti- and pro-abortion discourses,
etc..


>I can, if required, elaborate on Lyotard's own unthematised
>foundationalism, but I thought everyone knew this already.

This is a bit smug. "Everyone" doesn't know this already, as I am sure you
realise, but if you have the time to provide an "elaboration" you will have
made suitable reparation!

Colin to Colin

PS: Sorry if another version ofthis has already arrived - computer/modem
problems.

The Holmes Family,
16 Gungurru Street,
Orchard Hills,
New South Wales 2748
AUSTRALIA




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