[lbo-talk] Race

[BrownBingb at aol.com]

Miles: I think it's important to contextualize this.  In a society that
values science as we do, the only acceptable answer is a scientific
one, I agree.  But do you really believe that people can only have
what they consider biological knowledge if they do science?  A
great deal of cross-cultural and historical data challenges this.
Biological knowledge is common in many societies without
scientific activity.  If people were taught by tradition and cultural
practices that skin color does not reflect important categories,
that would be valid knowledge in their society, as assessed by the
truth standards in that society.
CB:  I get the feeling you are reflecting Levi-Strauss' _ Les Pensee 
Sauvage_, the logic of the concrete, impressive botanical knowledge among the 
____people, etc. I don't know.
I admit that I think today's scientific and biological knowledge has 
surpassed those, though this may be to the ultimate detriment of humanity , 
because this knowledge is owned by the bourgeoisie , and they are highly and 
increasingly irresponsible all around. They are not tending toward using 
knowledge of things-in-themselves as things-for-us, rather as 
things-against-us, like anthrax, and the like.


> 
> 
> Miles: I stress this point because doing science is neither sufficient
> nor necessary to eliminate race in human societies, despite CB's
> claims.  I agree that science is a useful rhetorical tool in our
> society, but it's hardly necessary.  Let me control the mass media
> and parenting practices for a few generations, and race would be
> gone, even if all the biological research on the myth of race was
> lost.

CB: Practically speaking the scientific community is more likely to remain 
more influential in forming mass opinion than you, so why not take advantage 
of the fact that by and large we are winning the fight on race in the 
scientific community.

With due respect, I'm a little nervous about letting you control the mass 
media and parenting practices for a few generations if you don't believe in 
objective reality, materialism and the scientific method as the best way we 
have to get to the best level of relative truth today. Or do you believe in 
objective reality ? What are some of the other things you believe besides 
that race is a bad thing ?  What method did you use to decide that race isn't 

 "real" (?) or that it's whatever you think it is ? absolutely and solely 
socially constituted , perhaps ?


> 
> 
> 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <../attachments/20030506/4bc9808b/attachment.htm>