-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Henry Rosenberg <rad at gte.net>
>Angela seems to be implying that Chomsky somehow agrees with those he
is
>criticizing, particularly right here:
>
>> >i think he wants to make a distinction between the formal rules of
>> >speech and the propositions/judgements, as if the formal rules
>> >themselves are a good thing and only need to be applied more
>> >rigorously, as if they can be (or should be) separated from the
>> >propositions themselves.
>
>(1) Implicit in this, I suppose, is the notion that rationality
itself
>is oppressive. Well, if you really believe this, what's the point of
>criticizing anything? Nuclear weapons trump any possible argument.
oh come off it Paul, i argue that you cannot distinguish between the form and content, and you read this as an assault on rationality, or as a charge that Chomsky agrees with those he is arguing against? implicit here was not an argument against rationalism, though I'll make one if you want (just remember to read rationalism as distinct from rationality), but an argument against a neo-kantian philosophy, and a critical stance that arises from that. nor was there implicit here an argument that Chomsky agrees with his target - i don't see how you get this implication.
>So what's going on here? Is Angela defacto denying the EXISTENCE of
>propositional logic?
if you explain this to me, then I'll see whether i think it had any bearing on what i was arguing. maybe we are talking about different things, maybe not. maybe i just write badly. if you say calculus again, my head will hurt.
>I think what she means (whether she realizes it or not) is simply
that
>Chomsky is capable of bracketing an argument, and treating it as if
it
>were true. In one form or another this is deeply a part of rational
>argumentation that I don't see how one could possibly do without it.
>This same habit of mind is, of course, the foundation of all art and
>literature.
and what he bracketed in this case were the methods used in establishing a science for IQ testing, that is, the method.
angela
(I'm overlimit, but I'm blaming time differences and catching up after the server went down.... that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it. just this once....)