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<font size=3>I find a bit too much ad hominem in your response and it
keeps me from wanting to respond. <br><br>
I'm sure you're a bright and knowledgeable fellow, and I look forward to
reading that article of yours.<br><br>
CLS<br><br>
<br><br>
<br>
At 09:08 AM 10/9/2003, you wrote:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>I have been around this block too
many times, and I<br>
now find the topic dull for the most part. It's funny,<br>
btw, that you should object to my drawing the correct<br>
inference that you think the world is a text --that is<br>
putting words in your mouth -- while blithely accusing<br>
me of saying that himans are 'grounded in the real.'<br>
Now that is putting words in my mouth! Not only don't<br>
I think that, I have no idea what it means. Pomo,<br>
phooey, reactionary obscuranist claptrap.<br><br>
Yes, I think we can know things without words. <br>
Nonlinguistic animals know lots of things. My cat<br>
knows that I feed her, that this is her house, etc. <br>
Mo I don't think we can say things without words. We<br>
can, however, represent things without words. That's<br>
what pictures do. <br><br>
I actually have a paper on this: Propositional<br>
Attitude Psychology As An Ideal Type, Topoi, 1992.<br>
I'll send it to you if you like. What does the<br>
question of whether mental representation is<br>
linguistic have to do with anything?<br><br>
Will you knock off the sex-baiting, it's really boring<br>
and stupid. It doesn't add or detract the least little<br>
bit from the truth value of a proposition to suggest<br>
that it is maintained because its holder is in the<br>
grip of some sexist delusion. It's partl;y because of<br>
that sort of dumb ad hominem, aside from the<br>
relentlessly awful prose chock-a-block with glutinous<br>
hheartstopping jargon, and the gaps in the argument<br>
big enough to drive a semi through, that makes people<br>
in philosophy departments think that pomo is<br>
worthless.<br><br>
jks<br><br>
<br>
--- Cliff Staples <clifford_staples@und.nodak.edu><br>
wrote:<br>
> <br>
> >Ahhhhh, a crushing refustion of realism. That's the<br>
> >signifier of the Phallus! Veddy bad. Now you really<br>
> do<br>
> >sound like Brian S's caricature.<br>
> <br>
> I wasn't making any sort of theoretical point. I'm<br>
> just tired of the <br>
> ritualistic trashing of what ignorant people declare<br>
> to be "postmodern <br>
> thinking."<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> >But your particular move, that you<br>
> >can't say anything without using words, therefore<br>
> the<br>
> >world is nothing but a text<br>
> <br>
> Sigh. Not only do you put words in my mouth, you<br>
> put well worn ones at <br>
> that. I did say, in effect, that you can't say<br>
> anything without using <br>
> words.. you dispute this? It would seem self<br>
> evident. I did not say that <br>
> this means "...the world is nothing but a text..."
<br>
> That's your.. well, <br>
> borrowing. It does not necessarily follow, but it<br>
> serves the purposes of <br>
> those who would prefer not to deal with the<br>
> possibility that humans aren't <br>
> as grounded in the real as some wish to think (and<br>
> that's all it is: a wish).<br>
> <br>
> So, you want to have a discussion? Fine, let's<br>
> start with what I said <br>
> instead of your fantasy of what I said (Sort of an<br>
> odd position for a <br>
> hardboiled manly realist to find himself in, don't<br>
> you think? Making shit <br>
> up. How real is that?). So, you agree or don't<br>
> agree that we can't say or <br>
> know anything without words? Let's get that<br>
> straight before any more bs.<br>
> <br>
> CLS<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> ___________________________________<br>
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