Science, Science & Marxism

Justin Schwartz jkschw at hotmail.com
Fri Jan 11 08:06:23 PST 2002



>
>CB: Indeed, in so many ways the Engels-Lenin theory of knowledge seems
>pragmatist, and their "metaphysics" realism.

So I've always thought.


>For pragmatists, isn't the test of a theory what "works" ?

It's not real specific to put it that way.


>For Marxists, practice is the test of theory too. Lenin defines materialism
>as belief in objective reality. I'm wondering how Quine's ideas differ from
>those in _Materialism and Empiro-Criticism_.
>

Variously: Lenin isn't expressly committed to epistemological holism, Quine rejected a "mirroring" theory of knowledge and a correspondance theory of truth, although he was a sort of scientific realist and wantws out theories to be true. Quine was also a right winger in his personal politics.

jks

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