It's a Battlefield Out There

[Jim heartfield]

In message <366E18A7.31B5CCCA at uswest.net>, Charles Miller
<bautiste at uswest.net> writes
>James Heartfield writes:
>
>I'm often infuriated by the argument that somehow science is inherently
>'western'. This is an attitude that mirrors the Eurocentric prejudice
>that those ignorant folk sitting in darkness won't understand modern
>science, and could not be expected to work a complex machine or handle a
>vaccine syringe.
>
>James,
>
>The Greeks, Aztecs, Incas, and Chinese made scientific discoveries. The usual 
>distinction drawn by
>historians of science is that between science as expounded by Descartes amd 
>Positivists, as opposed to
>the scientific world-view of say, Aristotle. If you compare the world-views you 
>will see the differences.
>Heidegger has some interesting things to say about this.
>
>chuck miller
>
>

Heidegger was a paid up member of the NSDAP from the 1930s right to the
end of the war. As rector of Freiburg University he wanted to
subordinate the study of the sciences to the principles of national
socialism. In that he was supporting the argument of the far-right wing
of the NSDAP (which was strongest in the Universities) which polemicised
against free enquiry as 'a myth'. With the suppression of the
Strasserites Heidegger's wing of the Nazi party was restrained. Business
pressurised the NSDAP to stop trying to politicise scientific research
in the Universities, for fear that their madcap prejudices would get in
the way of making money.

Yes, he has a lot to teach us about the way that scientific enquiry can
be crushed under the iron heel of fascist ideology, but not much to
teach us about science itself.
-- 
Jim heartfield