reluctantly discarded lines from an essay introduction, take 1

[cimorene]

"this book is a lamentably clear and thorough example of the bad, bad things that happen to the scientific process, to logical thinking and writing, and even to grammatical clarity when attractive but fuzzy ideas from the realm of literary criticism--such as postmodernism--are allowed to be applied to the purportedly scientific investigation of an empirical question."

reason: essay is meant to be on the content¹ and not primarily the form of the book.

1. Q: what content?  A: find some.

Comments

[frahulettaes.livejournal.com]

*hates on pm*
Yes, yes, I too hate the PM. Also, the literary crit talk of exclusion.
Ken Wilbur has a really good opening chapter in Sex, Ecology and Evolution on his distain for the litcrit take over of academia.
Another reason I love him.
I feel your pain.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

i don't suppose you happen to have a quote handy? i'd be delighted to see one.

[frahulettaes.livejournal.com]

Briefly:
What had happened in my ten-year writing hiatus, and to which I had paid unsufficient attention, is that extremem postmodernism had rather completely invaded acedemia in general and cultural studies in particular--even the alternative colleges and institutes were speaking postmodernese with an authoritarian thunder. The Politically correct were policing the types of serious discourse that could, and could not, be uttered in academe. Pluralistic relativism was the only acceptable worldview. It claimed that all truth is culturally situated (except its on truth, which is true for all cultures); it claimed there are no transcendental truths (except its own pronouncements, which transcend specific contexts); it claimed that hierarchies or value randkins are oppressive and marginalizing, (except its own value ranking, which is superior to the alternatives); it claimed that there are no universal truths (except its own pluralism, which is universally true for all peoples).

Ken Wilber, Sex, Ecology and Spirituality, Shambala Press, 2000, ISBN: I-57062-744-4 Page one of the preface, para two.

The rest of the page is good too, it's just long and may not support your point.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

ohhh, burn. i so want to read that now! *makes a note of publication information*

[frahulettaes.livejournal.com]

It's huge. 850 pages. And it's only book one of like, nine.
But a really interesting read.
Postmodernism is only a very small part of the book.
It's quite good.

[aeslis]

Niiiice icon, my dear!

[cimness.livejournal.com]

i know, isn't it! i simply cropped down a very stunning source image supplied by a friend with a good eye.

[aeslis]

She must be very pleased!

Speaking of icons, I created this icon with your style in mind, as I'm quite smitten with many of your SGA icons<3 Though of course it doesn't hold a candle to the femme in yours.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

heeee. i like it! i've always been partial to the name in the background. i think i first nicked the idea from callmecayce a couple of years ago.