1. African philosophy. A real Jesuit scholar, Y. Mudimbe has written some very helpful volumes. And I think what he has to say about Levy-Bruhl's theory of primitive mentality and Evan-Pritchard's witchcraft studies is thought-provoking. Sorry for no complete cites-- the books are in my companion the professor's office. Suffice to say, there is a substantial body of philosophical work on the nature of anthropology and anthropological discourse (including a a study written in the analytical philosophical mode which is touted by Anthony Appiah). Ato Sekyi-Oto Fanon's Dialectic of Experience has been recommended to me, and Ernest Wambab-dia-Wamba's essays on the African palaver are interesting. If I remember correctly, John StC's collegue Kwasi Wiredu has written thoughtfully about violence in African political thought; so I hope John keeps us abreast about the volume KW is editing.
2. American philosophy. I have only read Charles Peirce's "Evolutionary Love", which is a beautiful wonderful essay. In the years ahead I would like to learn about Peirce whom (I understand) Habermas counts as America's greatest philosopher. Written by a leading French scientist whose name I cannot recall and trans. into the English, *The Creative Power of Chance*, a Peircean meditation on the philosophical implicatons of Darwin's discovery of chance variation and Boltzmann's use of statistical explanation, seems to be a very interesting book which I have only read chapters of in the bookstore as of yet. This book, based on Peirce, seems to me much more interesting (and coherent) than what Rorty has written. Moreover, Patrick Murray's *Marx's Theory of Scientific Knowledge" argues that Marx's work is rooted in a Peircean kind of pragmatism; I like Murray's book quite a bit, so this seems promising.
3. 20th century pragmatism (Hook, Dewey, Rorty, West). Enjoying the discussion immensely. A very young Paul Mattick wrote a critique of Hook's Korsch inspired Towards and Understanding of Karl Marx. The critique had the unfortunate title (which Mattick repudiated, I understand) *THe Inevitability of Communism* (1935). I would love to know what Korsch thought of Hook's development and what Dewey thought of Mattick's critique.
4. Unionization. What role have they played in stabilizing capitalist rule? I will have to reread the following essays from *Root and Branch: a libertarian socialist journal*: "The CIO: From Reform to Reaction" (Elisabeth Jones); "(Anton)Pannekoek on Trade Unions"" and "Union Myths"--all from issue no. 6. The sort of left communism expressed here finds expression in the website of Collective Action Notes: www. geocities.com/Capitol Hill/Lobby/2379. The debate over the nature of unionization is serious one, and I am ill-prepared to commence it.
5. I accept much of Rob's eloquent arguments. It was my great blunder to respond to Alterman's criticism of the abstract nature of much theory. In the form Rob has giventhe argument, I accept it. Thanks, Rakesh