Hi,
It's really none of my business, especially since I've apparently only
caught the tail-end of this conversation. But it's probably worth noting
at least two things:
First, as the Encyclopedia of Philosophy reminds us, "it is possible to
be a metaphysical idealist and an epistemological realist." So, we have
to be careful of the fallacy of black and white thinking in discussing
idealism and materialism.
Second - and related - it would be odd to say that to participate in "the
materialist project" is to deny the possibility of all concepts like love
and truth and so on. If that were so, wouldn't the materialist have to
deny the concept of 'materialist project'? Materialists don't simply
accept the existence of physical objects and reject all "extra material
realities," do they? Perhaps they reject the fundamentality of the mind
and the spirit, and such things, but that doesn't entail a rejection of
things like truth, love, or whatever.
Peace,
Blaine Rehkopf
Philosophy
York University
TORONTO
-------------------
In your message of 9:41 Feb 15 1998, you write:
> (This is a continuation)
>
> You're either a materialist or an idealist. If you're an idealist, if you
> believe in the existence of extra material realities such as "love",
> "truth", "right", then you do not accept the materialist project, to
> which Marx, Freud, Nietzsche, Deleuze and Foucault belong to.
> So please tell me Randall, tell us all, are you _a believer_, do you
> believe in extra material realities? Are you, to quote Paul Simon,
> "blinded by the light of god and truth and right?" Because if you are,
> you really don't have any business with Foucault. By F's standards you're
> just "wander[ing] through the night with out direction."
> -- David W.
--
It's really none of my business, especially since I've apparently only
caught the tail-end of this conversation. But it's probably worth noting
at least two things:
First, as the Encyclopedia of Philosophy reminds us, "it is possible to
be a metaphysical idealist and an epistemological realist." So, we have
to be careful of the fallacy of black and white thinking in discussing
idealism and materialism.
Second - and related - it would be odd to say that to participate in "the
materialist project" is to deny the possibility of all concepts like love
and truth and so on. If that were so, wouldn't the materialist have to
deny the concept of 'materialist project'? Materialists don't simply
accept the existence of physical objects and reject all "extra material
realities," do they? Perhaps they reject the fundamentality of the mind
and the spirit, and such things, but that doesn't entail a rejection of
things like truth, love, or whatever.
Peace,
Blaine Rehkopf
Philosophy
York University
TORONTO
-------------------
In your message of 9:41 Feb 15 1998, you write:
> (This is a continuation)
>
> You're either a materialist or an idealist. If you're an idealist, if you
> believe in the existence of extra material realities such as "love",
> "truth", "right", then you do not accept the materialist project, to
> which Marx, Freud, Nietzsche, Deleuze and Foucault belong to.
> So please tell me Randall, tell us all, are you _a believer_, do you
> believe in extra material realities? Are you, to quote Paul Simon,
> "blinded by the light of god and truth and right?" Because if you are,
> you really don't have any business with Foucault. By F's standards you're
> just "wander[ing] through the night with out direction."
> -- David W.
--