Ethical foundations of the left

Ian Murray seamus2001 at home.com
Tue Jul 31 20:45:44 PDT 2001



> >Yes we can analyze grammar without looking at 'ideal' cases.
> >Grammarians do it all the time.
> >Ian
>
> Right. But ideal cases are invaluable, right? I mean, really - I
shutter to
> think of surgery without someone using an 'ideal' case as a guide.
Imagine
> cutting someone head open to find a splinter in their foot. Ouch.
>
> ken
========= Ah, the paradox of 'invaluable'. Where's my pocket Neitzsche? :-) Surely an ideal case is not the same as learning successful technique via intergenerational trial and error . Remember Greek medicine or the origins of surgery? We didn't get from there to here because of some non-realizable ideal [although maybe the physicians quest to beat death has something to suggest as an analogy with what you and H are getting at--but then again do we really need to have the medical triumph over death be the reason for pushing all medicinal/surgical techniques?]

Ian



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