Establishment

Roberto, Bryan, etc.

We should be sensitive to the ways in which establishment modes of inquiry
can pervert even thoroughly anti-establishment conclusions. If you
revolutionize moral philosophy with new categorical principles, then you've
merely replaced one establishment with another. Roberto's point is that
Aristotelian modes of thought are inherently establishmentarian - that they
always seek establishment.

I think an example is the way Bryan is addicted (I don't mean this
pejoratively) to "objective" principles and "transcendental" norms. Bryan
tends to reduce ethical behavior to obedience of certain laws. I would agree
that we need to stand against homophobia in order to fight it (obviously)
but I don't see why we need to claim that Reality (or God) somehow prefers
that homophobia not exist. Why can't YOU prefer that homophobia not exist?
Why not oppose it because it bothers you?

It's kind of like filling a totalitarian regime with new people. Contrary to
what Marx says in the Manifesto, class struggle takes place between elites -
not masters and slaves. Foucault argues pretty effectively that it really
doesn't matter who's ruling if the precise mechanism of rule is preserved.

~Nate


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