Ecumenism/'Identity Politics'/'Single-Issue Movements'(Re:religion)

[Wojtek Sokolowski]

At 01:37 PM 6/4/98 -0400, Kenneth Mostern wrote:
>[Kenneth Mostern]  What you say here is accurate, but inadequate, because
it assumes a basically rationalist model of identification.  That white
students assume my competence, and black students do not, is correct; what
psychoanalysis in particular attempts to do is explain the irrational
grounding of that assumption, 

Kenneth:

Thanks for your reply.  I do not think  the status rationalization process
I referred to is based on a rational discourse.  It is based on intuitive
identification and attribution of ceratin characteristics, a process which,
if framed in a rational discourse, would dot simply do not hold water.
Just think about, who other than an entrenched racist would think like "Mr.
Mostern is a white male.  All white males are competent people.  Therefore,
Mr. Mostern is a competent person."  Instead, people tend to intuitively
identify with those whom they highly regard, and give them a blank check in
most of what they are doing or saying.

My main objection to psychoanalysis is not that it cannot muster
corroborating evidence, but that there is no way to empirically falsify its
propositions.  Each time the 'subject' does not react they way the theory
predicts, a new 'defense mechnism' or kindred mental contraption is thrown
in to explain that inconsistency.  So the theory is always true, no matter
what the empirical data show.

Regards,

Wojtek Sokolowski