BHA: Lurker suggests caution

["Erik Weissengruber" <epweissengruber@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think the LAST thing the list should do is take up FEW

I am a theatre historian and literary scholar.  I need a solid epistemological framework to guide my historical and hermeneutic work.  DFP and RTS help me with this, and Archer's work as well.  The last thing I want to deal with is occultism, the persistence of the soul, and other matters.

Does god exist?  I don't care.

Do we reincarnate?  I don't care.

That is why I suggested turning the lists' attention towards Archer's new book, and tie it to DPF or other Bhaskar themes.

I want to hear about the good work on CR being done by the participants on the list.  Lets keep the spirits out of this.

>From: Jan Straathof

>Reply-To: bhaskar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

>To: bhaskar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

>Subject: Re: BHA: Delivered up to the world

>Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2001 01:50:01 +0100

>

>Hi All,

>

>Howard, you wrote:

>

> >I wonder if this is a Eurocentric view:

>

>yes, i think you're right about this, Adorno wrote his Minima

>Moralia (between 1944-1951/dedicated to Max Horkheimer)

>with an europian/western audience in mind; and the 9 theses

>against occultism, which comprise only a small part (6 pags.)

>of the book, are illustrated by commonly know (but, by no

>means exclusive) europian/western occult practices like, as

>he mentions: "astrology, crystal-gazery, visionaries, animism,

>number-mysticism, terrestrial radiation, dansing tables, psychic

>media, astral bodies". [The fact that Adorno doesn't offer any

>formal definition of occultism in his piece might indicate that

>his objective was not scientific scrutinity, but a sign of warning

>or contemplation? -- afterall the whole aforistic composition of

>the Moralia is typically in style of western culture-critique --

>it bites, it's like reading a Nietzschian from a Marxist/Freudian

>Universe :-)

>

> >Also, I get the impression that in the third

> >world progressives are much more comfortable to consider themselves at once

> >communist and voodoun, etc. I have no doubt there are deeply reactionary

> >strains of occultism. They are not hard to find. I wonder if we always

> >want to paint with as broad a brush. Compare, for example, the way

> >traditional medicine has been so often suppressed by the west. This was

> >not Marx's way. If there is in the old worth preserving, you do it. Or

> >imagine taking marxism to indigenous people anywhere without being ready to

> >make some fine discriminations.

>

>i agree, but could (should) we, in line with Bhaskar's usages of

>power1 and power2, try to distinguish between occultism1 and

>occultism2, whereby occultism2 is the regressive/oppressive form,

>and occultism1 the one found speculatively implied, and elaborated

>on, in the scope of EW ?

>

>yours,

>Jan

>

>

>

>

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