rational animals

[Lisa Rogers <eqwq.lrogers@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Chris B wrote:
One might be able to grasp the concept of human beings as  "rational
animals" -- but a deeper understanding of human beings  involves
also, a grasp of the conditions within which human beings exist
(material conditions) and a grasp of the relationship of human beings
to  one other, to the social world, to the material world, within
historically  specific cultures and periods, etc.
*****
Chris, I wonder why you think that all these things are contrary to
the concept of a "rational animal"?  I don't.  I hold all these
things to be inseparable.  Would it be 'rational' to not pay
attention to one's social relations and specific, local, contemporary
factors?  I don't think so.

This is why I'm always on about any organism's 'environment' to which
one might respond as being material/social.  Why separate any of
these things, when trying to understand why people do what they do?

Maybe it is more specifically the way in which we think that human
behavior is related to all these factors that is key, that can be
regarded as rational or not.  Maybe my concept of rationality is a
little different that the one you were criticizing in the quote
above...

Lisa



     --- from list marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ---

     ------------------