Latin American Structuralism
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
David Suchoff Family Resemblances: Ludwig Wittgenstein As a Jewish Philosopher the Admonition to Silence with Which Wittgenstein
David Suchoff Family Resemblances: Ludwig Wittgenstein as a Jewish Philosopher The admonition to silence with which Wittgenstein ended the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1922) also marks the starting point for the emer- gence of his Jewish philosophical voice. Karl Kraus provides an instructive contrast: as a writer well known to Wittgenstein, Kraus’s outspoken and aggressive ridicule of “jüdeln” or “mauscheln” –the actual or alleged pronunciation of German with a Jewish or Yiddish accent – defined a “self-fashioning” of Jewish identity – from German and Hebrew in this case – that modeled false alternatives in philosophic terms.1 Kraus pre- sented Wittgenstein with an either-or choice between German and Jewish identity, while engaging in a witty but also unwitting illumination of the interplay between apparently exclusive alternatives that were linguistically influenced by the other’s voice. As Kraus became a touchstone for Ger- man Jewish writers from Franz Kafka to Walter Benjamin and Gershom Scholem, he also shed light on the situation that allowed Wittgenstein to develop his own non-essentialist notion of identity, as the term “family resemblance” emerged from his revaluation of the discourse around Judaism. This transition from The False Prison, as David Pears calls Wittgenstein’s move from the Tractatus to the Philosophical Investiga- tions, was also a transformation of the opposition between German and Jewish “identities,” and a recovery of the multiple differences from which such apparently stable entities continually draw in their interconnected forms of life.2 “I’ll teach you differences,” the line from King Lear that Wittgenstein mentioned to M. O’C. Drury as “not bad” as a “motto” for the Philo- sophical Investigations, in this way represents Wittgenstein’s assertion of a German Jewish philosophic position. -
Can Family Resemblance Determine a Concept?
Sonia Micu Can Family Resemblance Determine a Concept? What is known as the history of concepts is really a history either of our knowledge of concepts or of the meanings of words. Often it is only after immense intellectual effort, which may have continued over centuries, that humanity at last succeeds in achieving knowledge of a concept in its pure form, in stripping off the irrelevant accretions which veil it from the eyes of the mind1. – Gottlob Frege Abstract This short essay analyses the notion of ‘family resemblance’ and investigates its ability to determine a concept. I explore the topic starting from Frege’s definition of a concept and I imagine possible criticism of the shortcomings brought by the lack of boundaries of this notion. I argue against such an objection and I try to show how a concept can be determined through family resemblance. Introduction In his exploration of the essence of language, Wittgenstein introduced the idea of a web of resemblances that would explain how certain objects are connected through overlapping similarities, rather than through one common feature. The notion of ‘family resemblance’ has created controversy ever since it was introduction in Philosophical Investigations (1953). The main criticism brought to the idea has been its lack of boundaries and the way it prevents this notion from determining a concept. In what follows, I will try to show that failing to determine a sharply defined concept does not make family resemblance incapable of determining a concept altogether. I will start by describing the notion of ‘family resemblance’ and the context which led to its introduction. -
The Anti-Essentialism Paper
The New Pragmatism, Anti-essentialism, and What is Universal: It’s The Situation All The Way Down C. F. Abel Stephen F. Austin State University [email protected] The New Pragmatism, Anti-essentialism, and What is Universal: It’s The Situation All The Way Down C. F. Abel Stephen F. Austin State University [email protected] A well-known scientist once gave a public lecture on astronomy. He described how the Earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around the center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little old lady at the back of the room got up and said: "What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise." The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, "What is the tortoise standing on?" "You're very clever, young man," said the old lady. "But it's turtles all the way down!" Introduction “New Pragmatism” attacks the very foundation of pragmatic thought by denying that we may ever have any definitive experience. As what we are experiencing is up for grabs, we can never know any situation that we may encounter, and we are left to ground both our knowledge and our values in our language games alone. This paper argues that this set of claims is founded on two errors, one regarding the nature of language games and the other regarding the nature of deconstruction. The “Old Pragmatism,” by way of contrast, is non-essentialist but not anti- essentialist, and it resolves the problem of how we might know “the situation,” given the subjectivity of our observations and the contingencies of our language games, by suggesting that our experiences can be understood as existing in, and constituted by, the totality of their particular instances or modes at the time of inquiry. -
Dialogical Grammar: Varieties of Dialogue in Wittgenstein's
ISSN: 2325-3290 (online) Dialogical Grammar: Varieties of Dialogue in Wittgenstein’s Methodology Dorit Lemberger Bar-Ilan university Abstract The dialogical character of Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations has received scant attention in the literature, given the work’s status in his total oeuvre, and is dismissed as a marginal as compared to the other differences between the Tractatus and the Investigations. The main lines of interpretation that have been proposed see dialogue as a rhetorical technique intended to present erroneous positions and then refute them, as an exemplification of what can be expressed in language (McGinn 1997; Rhees 1998), or as a reflection of Wittgenstein’s informal teaching method (Malcolm 2001; Savickey et al. 1990). The present article adopts the perspective that Wittgenstein’s use of dialogue makes it possible to track the various modes of language-acts, consonant with his directions to examine the daily use of language (Wittgenstein 2009, §116 and esp. §132), “when language is, as it were, idling.” In his later inquiries, Wittgenstein frequently considers the nature of mental states, accompanied by an attempt to characterize the differences between them while at the same time dealing with the cases in which it is difficult to distinguish them. In this process he made a variety of uses of dialogue, each of which embodies a different aspect of language action. Subsequently I will demonstrate that these different uses are not haphazard. A scrutiny of the nature of the dialogue can help us understand the nature of the activity carried out of the state of consciousness. Finally, I propose a distinction among three main types of dialogue: technical, conversational, and reflexive. -
Family Resemblances and the Structure of Spatial Relationships
Corela Cognition, représentation, langage 3-2 | 2005 Vol. 3, n° 2 Family resemblances and the structure of spatial relationships Claude Vandeloise Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/corela/514 DOI: 10.4000/corela.514 ISSN: 1638-573X Publisher Cercle linguistique du Centre et de l'Ouest - CerLICO Electronic reference Claude Vandeloise, « Family resemblances and the structure of spatial relationships », Corela [Online], 3-2 | 2005, Online since 27 December 2005, connection on 19 April 2019. URL : http:// journals.openedition.org/corela/514 ; DOI : 10.4000/corela.514 This text was automatically generated on 19 April 2019. Corela – cognition, représentation, langage est mis à disposition selon les termes de la licence Creative Commons Attribution - Pas d’Utilisation Commerciale - Partage dans les Mêmes Conditions 4.0 International. Family resemblances and the structure of spatial relationships 1 Family resemblances and the structure of spatial relationships Claude Vandeloise 1 The notion of family resemblance features or traits was first introduced by Wittgenstein (1953) with the category game. According to the more extreme interpretation of family resemblances, no member in a family possesses all the traits shared by the members of the family and no trait of the family is shared by all the members. As a consequence, two members in a family resemblance category do not have to share a single trait in order to be in the same category. This structure is represented in figure 1, in which the circles represent the extensions of the members of a family resemblance category satisfying a trait (a), a trait (b) and a trait (c) respectively: Figure 1 Figure 2 Corela, 3-2 | 2005 Family resemblances and the structure of spatial relationships 2 2 This extremely loose structure would fit perfectly Wittgenstein's intention since the philosopher wanted to demonstrate that a word is not explained by a further mysterious entity called meaning but is directly justified by its use in language-games. -
Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations a Critical Guide
CRITICAL NOTICE Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations A Critical Guide Edited by Arif Ahmed, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2010, pp. 280, £ 50.00 ISBN: 978-0-521-88613-0 (hardback) Reviewed by Derek A. McDougall Collections of essays on the Philosophical Investigations have regularly appeared since the 1960’s. The early classic volume with George Pitcher as editor, his Collection of Critical Essays from Doubleday Anchor, New York in 1966, contains, amongst other good things, original reviews of the Investigations by Malcolm and Strawson, the famous debate between Ayer and Rhees - all from the 1950’s - and some prevalent interpretations of the argument concerning a ‘Private Language’. Later on, Irving Block edited Perspectives on the Philosophy of Wittgenstein from Blackwell in 1981. More wide-ranging in its content, this grew out of the Wittgenstein Colloquium held in London Ontario in 1976, and is marked by its inclusion, in its UK edition, of Saul Kripke’s paper ‘Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language’, which at that time appeared without its later Postscript ‘Wittgenstein on Other Minds’. Ian McFetridge, in a review (of seven Wittgenstein volumes), showed particular foresight when he had occasion to comment: The important thing to say here is that Kripke’s article is by far the most impressive piece of work in the books under discussion. Its exemplary clarity evinces an intellectual passion which repeatedly drove this reader, with an anticipation of pleasure, back to Wittgenstein’s text (as relevant a test, surely, of the philosophical expositor as it ought to be of the literary critic). An assessment of Kripke’s claims is out of place here: they should and will be given extended discussion. -
New Structural Economics Meets European Transition Erik Berglofa a Institute of Global Affairs, LSE, London, UK Published Online: 17 Jun 2015
This article was downloaded by: [Professor Judith Clifton] On: 18 June 2015, At: 08:38 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Journal of Economic Policy Reform Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/gpre20 New structural economics meets European transition Erik Berglofa a Institute of Global Affairs, LSE, London, UK Published online: 17 Jun 2015. Click for updates To cite this article: Erik Berglof (2015) New structural economics meets European transition, Journal of Economic Policy Reform, 18:2, 114-130, DOI: 10.1080/17487870.2015.1013543 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17487870.2015.1013543 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. -
Record of the Istanbul Process 16/18 for Combating Intolerance And
“Building Consensus for Fair and Sustainable Development: Religious Contributions for a Dignified Future 2018 ARGENTINA SUMMARY REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................................. 3 INAUGURAL SESSION: ............................................................................................................................ 5 PLENARY SESSIONS ............................................................................................................................... 11 RELIGIONS AND EMERGING GLOBAL CHALLENGES ............................................................... 11 THE FUTURE OF WORK AND THE URGENT CHALLENGES OF INEQUALITY AND THE VULNERABLE ...................................................................................................................................... 24 CARING FOR THE EARTH: CLIMATE CHANGE’S MULTIPLE CHALLENGES AND RELIGIOUS ROLES .............................................................................................................................. 31 RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, RELIGIOUS VITALITY, AND RELIGIOUS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE G20 AGENDA ........................................................................................................................................ 36 ADVANCING THE WORK OF RELIGIOUSLY-AFFILIATED HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATIONS ............................................................................................................................... -
Being Economic: Perspectives on Risk and Rationality
Social Contexts and Responses to Risk Network (SCARR) Working Paper 2007/18 Being Economic: Perspectives on Risk and Rationality Judith Mehta 1 Being Economic: Perspectives on Risk and Rationality Mehta Contact: Author: Judith Mehta Address: School of Economics, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ EMail: [email protected] ESRC priority network ‘Social Contexts and Responses to Risk’ (SCARR) School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR) Cornwallis Building NE University of Kent at Canterbury Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NF, UK http://www.kent.ac.uk/scarr/ 2 Being Economic: Perspectives on Risk and Rationality Mehta 1. Introduction Austrian economics, behavioural/experimental economics, black political economy, critical realism, ecological economics, ersatz economics, evolutionary economics, feminist economics, historical economics, institutional and new institutional economics, Keynesianism/s, Marxism/s, monetarism, neoclassical economics and neo-neoclassical economics, new classical economics, postcolonial economics, postmodern economics, rhetorical economics, social economics, social constructivism, structuralist economics, transaction cost economics, … The list isn’t exhaustive; but it suffices to demonstrate that economics is characterised by a multitude of schools of thought, or methodological approaches to economic phenomena. Some schools of thought overlap and cross-fertilise one another, while some are openly in antagonistic relation; some schools of thought operate across a broad terrain of subject matter, while -
G20 Interfaith Forum Policy Recommendations for the G20
Organizing Committee Prof. Mohammed Abu-Nimer Senior Advisor, KAICIID Dialogue Centre Vienna, Austria Dr. Brian J. Adams Director, Centre for Interfaith & Cultural Dialogue, Griffith University, Australia Rev. Prof. Dr. James Christie Director, Ridd Institute for Religion and Global Policy University of Winnipeg, Canada Prof. Pieter Coertzen Faculty of Theology University of Stellenbosch, South Africa Dr. Ganoune Diop Director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Seventh-day Adventist Church, Maryland, USA Prof. W. Cole Durham, Jr. Founding Director, Int’l Center for Law and Religion Studies, BYU Law School, USA B U E N O S A I R E S Prof. Cristina Calvo Director, Int’l Program on Democracy, Society, and New Economies, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina HE. Metropolitan Emmanuel of France Ecumenical Patriarchate and KAICIID Board Prof. Alessandro Ferrari Director, Center on Religion, Law and Economy in the Mediterranean Area, Insubria University, Italy Prof. Marie-Claire Foblets Director, Department of Law & Anthropology Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Germany Prof. John Kirton Co-Director, G20 Research Group, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, Canada Dr. Elizabeta Kitanovic Executive Secretary for Human Rights, Conference of European Churches, Belgium Prof. Asher Maoz Dean, Peres Academic Center Law School, Israel Policy Recommendations for the Prof. Katherine Marshall Senior Fellow, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs Georgetown University, 2018 G20 Summit Washington, DC Rev. Yoshinobu Miyake Superior General, Konko Church of Izuo, Japan This Document’s Recommendation Clusters Midori Miyazaki Purpose Director, International Shinto Foundation (for Dr. Haruhisa Handa), Washington, DC The G20 Interfaith Forum, 1 Protecting the dignity of labor, Prof. -
An Essay on Late Structuralism
An Essay on Late Structuralism Bill Gibson¤ March 2002 Abstract This paper traces the evolution of structuralist thought from the early European and Latin American structuralists through the late structuralism of Taylor and his followers. The genesis of the structuralist method is located in the writings of the early structuralists and necessarily leads to what neoclassicals call ad hoc theory. It is argued that simulation models are the logical outgrowth of the structuralist methodological trajectory and the validity of structuralist method is established by it scope as well as its realism. 1. Introduction In this essay I examine the scope and method of the structuralist school in an attempt to identify precisely how it di¤ers from the neoclassical system, in both its mode of analysis and its criteria for validity. There are four conclusions reached: …rst, the work of Taylor and his followers can be seen as a coherent outgrowth of not only Latin American Structuralism, as is often observed [25], but also the European or Early Structuralism of Levi-Strauss, Godlier and Piaget [27], [22] Piaget [37]. The early work, both Latin American and European, focused on rigidities and frictions in local economies [5] while in the late structuralism of Taylor and his followers, theory not only must account for the “macrofoundations” of behavior, but also global foundations, that is the constraints the evolution of the global system itself imposes on the players. Third, late structuralism is often criticized as ad hoc theorybecauseisnotgroundedinoptimizationmodels ¤Department of Economics, University of Vermont, Old Mill Burlington, VT 05405 USA 413-548-9448 e-mail: [email protected]. -
For a Modest and Heterodox Mainstream Economics
FOR A MODEST AND HETERODOX MAINSTREAM ECONOMICS Luiz Carlos Bresser-Pereira Paper presented to the Coimbra Conference 2010 “The Revival of Political Economy – Prospects for a Sustainable Provision”, sponsored by the Faculty of Economics of Coimbra University, October 21-23 2010. Suddenly, in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, the king turned naked. Or we all realized that he was naked. Neoclassical economics was dominant since the late 1970s, but proved unable to explain and predict the behavior of economic systems. Mainstream economics, based on the homo economicus and on the rational expectations assumptions, concluded from them that markets were efficient and self-regulated. They were not. It also concluded that the existing market failures were eventually minor and did not questioned the logic of that revealed truth. It would be enough to guarantee markets, to protect property rights and contracts, to defend competition, and to keep public finances balanced, that the rest – financial and price stability, fast growth, and fair income distribution would in place. But this was also false. Although hypothetical- deductive economic models may show that income is distributed according to the marginal productivity of factors, non-regulated markets were never just or even fair; although market competition was supposed to automatically cause fast growth, historical experiences of catching up were always combined with active state action; although inflation was supposed to be under control provided that budget deficit and the supply of money were under control, these two implicit correlations were not confirmed by regression analyses; although deregulated financial markets were supposed to guarantee financial stability, the enormous increase of asset bubbles and financial crises, or, in Kindleberg’s wording, the recurrence of euphoria, manias and panics after the collapse of the Bretton Woods agreement, proved that this was just not true.