----- Original Message ----- From: Carrol Cox <cbcox at ilstu.edu> To: <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com> Sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2000 2:45 PM Subject: Re: Zizek's Lenin
> Doug, it would be nice if some day, even once, you could treat a
> disagreement as a disagreement and respond to it rather than attack
> the character of anyone who disagrees with you. I call these
> abstractions empty because, as far as I can see, they all represent
> attempts to avoid talking about actual people living actual lives.
> The Subject replaces the acting human person (and hides history
> as a by-product). Desire replaces honest confrontation with human
> desires. Social construction substitutes metaphysics for history. The
> Phallus trivializes the oppression of actual women. Neurosis is, for
> intellectuals, the 20th century repalcement of the 18th century
> entertaniment of watching the nuts at Bedlam on Sunday afternoon.
> Discourse is what Marx meant by vulgar economics.
>
> Carrol
>
>
>
> Doug Henwood wrote:
>
> > Carrol Cox wrote:
> >
> > >Perhaps there is not all that much difference. As far as I can see what
> > >is called "Theory" (with the uppercase T) consists primarily with the
> > >manipulation of abstractions generated by mindless empiricism. Where
> > >would Theory be without such mindless empiricist abstractions without
> > >social or historical content as: Desire, The Subject, Social
Construction,
> > >Neurosis, Discourse, The Phallus.
> >
> > Whew. Good thing we don't have to talk about those anymore. Makes
> > everything so much simpler. Now we can get on with such self-evident
> > tasks as Organization and Revolution, and Building Socialism.
> >
> > Doug
>