>on the question of dilemmas: I once heard Richard Bernstein tell a story to
>Jacques Derrida, ... something about an old labor activism song which
>goes "which
>side are you on boys, which side are you on". Derrida insisted that he
>was on
>the side of "life" =97 well, almost always. A beautiful moment between a
>pragmatist and a deconstructionist.
>
>I tend to agree with bernstein. at a certain point, the reality of the
>situation,
>and the immediate dilemmas posed by present
>problems require us to say which side we are on, even though we may know
>that this
>reduction (either /or) is, in fact a reduction of more complex relations an=
d
>contradictions
>
>... I am completely willing to revise the position based on more
>information (which I
>hope Ian will provide), but I think sometimes circumstances are either/or.
Only if you INSIST on constructing them as such. There always are other
alternatives -- even if we cannot perceive them -- limited as we all are by
perception.
In the specific case of Kosovo one example is that more (aggressive)
negotiation/mediation could be ongoing. I make no claim "how" these could
be undertaken. I merely claim they "could" be undertaken.
>Jacques Derrida, ... something about an old labor activism song which
>goes "which
>side are you on boys, which side are you on". Derrida insisted that he
>was on
>the side of "life" =97 well, almost always. A beautiful moment between a
>pragmatist and a deconstructionist.
>
>I tend to agree with bernstein. at a certain point, the reality of the
>situation,
>and the immediate dilemmas posed by present
>problems require us to say which side we are on, even though we may know
>that this
>reduction (either /or) is, in fact a reduction of more complex relations an=
d
>contradictions
>
>... I am completely willing to revise the position based on more
>information (which I
>hope Ian will provide), but I think sometimes circumstances are either/or.
Only if you INSIST on constructing them as such. There always are other
alternatives -- even if we cannot perceive them -- limited as we all are by
perception.
In the specific case of Kosovo one example is that more (aggressive)
negotiation/mediation could be ongoing. I make no claim "how" these could
be undertaken. I merely claim they "could" be undertaken.