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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I dont "guess" that Ulan Bator is the capital of
Mongolia. I learned it once by looking at a map as I recall. I remember what I
learned.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>You are a strange person. Do you guess or have
pre-scientific knowledge that Ottawa is the capital of Canada?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>And you mean to say you have to take out a tape
measure before you know the distance from Toronto to Windsor? Why wont an
accurate road map do with those things at the side that tell you distance
between major cities? Even saves you doing any math. If you really must have
your tape measure to have discursive knowledge or scientific knowledge isnt
there the problem of determining exactly where the border is of Windsor and
Toronto, problems about Metro versus Toronto proper...what point u are
imaginging you start at and end up with in each city.and on and on....</FONT>Oh
this is all so complicated it makes my head spin.....lol We will need to fund a
summer project for student scientists to get discursive knowledge on this. Is
this Habermas or Alice in Wonderland talking?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Cheers, Ken Hanly</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>----- Original Message ----- </FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>From: Kenneth MacKendrick <<A
href="mailto:kenneth.mackendrick@utoronto.ca">kenneth.mackendrick@utoronto.ca</A>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>To: <<A
href="mailto:lbo-talk@lists.panix.com">lbo-talk@lists.panix.com</A>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2001 3:35 AM</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Subject: Re: Ethical foundations of the
left</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>> At 09:40 PM 7/25/01 -0500, you
wrote:<BR>> >Sounds as if you are geographically challenged if you think
Ulan Bator is<BR>> >the capital of Mongolia is hypothetical knowledge. By
the way what is<BR>> >hypothetical knowledge? Is it knowledge of
hypotheses or knowledge of<BR>> >propositions of the form "if x then y"
ie. hypotheticals?<BR>> <BR>> From a theoretical perspective,
hypothetical knowledge is knowledge that <BR>> is assumed in a prescientific
situation (like my total ignorance of <BR>> geography yet my determination to
supply directions). In other words, <BR>> knowledge only counts as knowledge
if it has been discursively determined.<BR>> <BR>> How far is it from
Toronto to Winsdor?<BR>> About 385km.<BR>> That's prescientific knowledge,
it is hypothetical in the sense that I <BR>> haven't actually done the math
and geography.<BR>> It takes about 2 hours by car.<BR>> That's
prescientific knowledge too.<BR>> <BR>> Until we hire the tapemeasure
brigade to sort out the distance... we're <BR>> stuck with a guess.<BR>>
<BR>> I believe the distance is about 385km.<BR>> The government knows
that the distance is 383km.<BR>> I intuitively think that it takes about 2
hours by car.<BR>> The police know that it takes just under four
hours.<BR>> <BR>> And I'm still working on that Searle and Austin
post.<BR>> <BR>> ken<BR>> <BR>> </FONT></BODY></HTML>