Miles Jackson wrote:
>
>
> The individual--even an independent person with empathy!--
> is a product of a constellation of social relations.
I agree with the whole of Miles's post, but I want to point out that there is a difficulty of wording here that offers a wedge for those who want to sneak "the individual" (autonomous and prior to social relations) back in. (I'm not about to suggest a better wording but merely to indicate the problem.)
The individual... is a product of a constellation of social relations
or, aliter,
The individual... IS a constellation of social relations
The degree of truth in a vulgar materialism (the body, including the brain -- separate from any other body) limits the reach of the second formulation. The separation of "product" from "producer" limits the reach of the first formulation, opening it up to the charge of a mechanical determinism.
I would argue that arguments against _either_ formulation are false in that rather than constituting objections to the position they merely point to the difficulties within it. The position is true because any other position is simply absurd.
Carrol