[lbo-talk] What are you reading now?

[Miles Jackson]

Eubulides wrote:
> Tayssir John Gabbour wrote:
>   
>> >From his chapter entitled "Corruption in Evidence Presentations:
>> Effects Without Causes, Cherry-Picking, Overreaching, Chartjunk and
>> the Rage to Conclude":
>>
>>     "Making a presentation is a moral act as well as an intellectual
>>     activity. The use of corrupt manipulations and blatant rhetorical
>>     ploys in a report or presentation -- outright lying, flagwaving,
>>     personal attacks, setting up phony alternatives, misdirection,
>>     jargon-mongering, evading key issues, feigning disinterested
>>     objectivity, willful misunderstanding of other points of view --
>>     suggests that the presenter lacks both credibility and
>>     evidence. To maintain standards of quality, relevance, and
>>     integrity for evidence, consumers of presentations should insist
>>     that presenters be held intellecutally and ethically responsible
>>     for what they show and tell. Thus /consuming/ a presentation is
>>     also an intellectual and moral activity."
>>
>>   
>>     
> =======================
>
> What does deploying the term morality add to any of what he's asserting? 
> Dealing with the above problems has no more to do with so-called 
> morality than non-marital sex between consenting adults has anything to 
> do with morality. The pejorative casting of rhetorical ploys is itself a 
> rhetorical ploy....
>   
>>   
>> The consumer/producer relationship is clear to me. Unfortunately I
>> can't evaluate your claim why it's incoherent, since you haven't
>> offered your reasoning to me.
>>   
>>     
> =======================
>
> I don't see any argument that it is a consumptive relationship.
>
> What does it mean to say I've consumed 2+2=4? A hammer? A theatrical 
> performance?
>
> One could offer lots more examples of the above......................
>
>
> Ian
>   
I agree with Ian here: our language games with the word "consume" relate 
to tangible objects, not information and knowledge.  I consume hot dogs; 
I do not consume the central limit theorem or the general theory of 
relativity.  In addition, when I'm teaching, I'm not "producing" any 
information or knowledge; I'm encouraging students to develop their 
understanding.  The use of the production/consumption metaphor here is 
very misleading.

Miles