NY Times: Norman Brown, Playful Philosopher, 89, Is Dead

Kelley jimmyjames at softhome.net
Mon Oct 7 21:52:00 PDT 2002



>Actually I didn't take it as negative snipe. Brown might not have minded
>it. I haven't read B in more than 25 years, but from my dim recollections,
>it was a _lot_ like taking drugs. In my case it didn't lead to tenure
>though. Wolfe has drifted to the right. I expect Kells to rose to his
>defense again. But then, Posnerphile that I am, I can hardly complain
>about my friends' favorite right-wingers. Still, I'll take Dick over Alan
>any day. jks

What i defended was his use of the social science literature in a responsible way, against criticisms on the part of those who don't understand ethnography or its aims, let alone understand the limitations of ethnography and how best to go about critiquing ethnographic research. There is _plenty_ to critique in his work on that ground, but to criticize it against a positivist model of research is not particularly appropriate, especially in an absence of any understanding of the wider literature within which Wolfe's work was being done.

I do NOT defend his political views.

kelley



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