Re: Happy Positivism

That is interesting Nathan, In my first reply I forgot to note possibility
in the "The Discourse on Language" (or "Order or Discourse") and so I went
and checked the translation included at the end of A/K. The Sheridan Smith
translation. The passage you provided is as follows in A/K version, p 234.

"Let us call these domains of obects positivist and, to play on words et
again, let us say that, if the critical style is one of studies casualness,
then the genealogical mood is one of felicitous positivism."

Perhaps "felicitous" and "happy" present no great difference but I thought
it was intersting to pass on.

Brodie


----- Original Message -----
From: "Nathan Widder" <N.E.Widder@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 5:43 AM
Subject: RE: Happy Positivism


> The phrase is used in the "Order of Discourse," at least in the
> translation found in Language and Politics (ed. Mike Shapiro) and
> Untying the Text (ed. Robert Young). Page 133 of in Language and
> Politics (penultimate paragraph of section VII) reads:
>
> "Let us call these domains of objects positivies, and let us say, again
> playing on words, that if the critical style is that of studious
> casualness, the genealogical mood will be that of a happy positivism."
>
> Nathan
>
>
> Dr. Nathan Widder
> Lecturer in Political Theory
> University of Exeter
> Exeter EX4 4RJ
> United Kingdom
> Web page: http://www.ex.ac.uk/shipss/politics/staff/widder/
> Genealogies of Difference:
> http://www.press.uillinois.edu/s02/widder.html
> MA in Critical Global Studies:
> http://www.ex.ac.uk/shipss/school/ma/cgs.htm
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:owner-foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Brodie
> Richards
> Sent: 07 October 2004 04:54
> To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: Happy Positivism
>
> Hi Mark,
>
> I do not recall Foucault using the exact phrase "happy positivism" not
> at
> least in the English translation of Archealogy of Knowledge. What he
> does
> say about it is on page 125 of A/K and what I think leads to the phrase
> being created by commentators is the following passage. He says: "If,
> by
> substituting the analysis of rarity for the search for totalities, the
> description of relations of exteriority for the theme of transcendental
> foundation, the analysis of accumulations for the quest of origin, one
> is a
> positivst, then I am quite happy to be one." This is referring back, on
> the
> same page, to his "willingness" to use the term "positivty" to describe
> the
> emergence of a discursive formation. So, unless I am wrong, F. himself
> does
> say he is employing a "happy positivism". In this sense, the term
> positivity is more important to his argument and to any argument about
> what
> he meant than the phrase "happy positivism." "Happy positivism" has a
> polemical usfulness but not much else in my opinion.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Brodie
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "psicopr" <psicopr@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2004 10:55 PM
> Subject: Re: Happy Positivism
>
>
>> The statement is proclaimed at Archeologie du Savoir
>>
>> Mark Kelly <mgekelly@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> Hi list
>> Numerous authors (Han, Simons, Habermas) make reference to Foucault's
>> self-proclaimed "happy positivism", but without telling me where he
>> proclaims this. I can't find it - could anyone help me?
>> Mark
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "Por entre as filas o Atrida corria, dando ordens diversas:
>> 'Sede homens, caros amigos, e ardor demonstrai combativo!
>> Possa o respeito recíproco a todos na pugna dar ânimo.
>> São mais poupados na guerra os que sabem morrer briosamente,
>> ao passo que os fugitivos nem glória obterão, nem defesa'"
>> Ilíada, canto V
>> http://www.geocities.com/bernardorieux
>>
>> ---------------------------------
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> agora!
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