[lit-ideas] Re: The raw and the cooked and the half-baked

> > When it is claimed that Claude L-S was a philospher,
> what does this mean?

That he was a philosopher.

Now we have the meaning out of the way, was he?

Or:
 
> Qui est un philosophe? C'est une question philosophique,
> bien sur.

For Popper the answer is simple enough: it is a philosophical question because 
it cannot be decided by an observational test; we are all scientists insofar as 
our knowledge is 'based' on observational tests and our theories or 
speculations about the world are metaphysical or philosophical where they are 
presently not testable by observation. So L-S would be a scientist or 
philosopher according to how we analysed his work as being testable by 
observation [which analysis may not be straightforward or uncontroversial]. 

Of course, the mutilating self-definition of philosophy as something narrower 
and more specialised than non-scientific speculation about stuff, a 
self-definition prevalent in professional philosophy, might dismiss him as 
irrelevant to the philosopher - though this self-definition generally has the 
effect, perhaps desired, of making philosophy appear irrelevant to 
non-philosophers. P belongs to the school [Socrates is arguably a founder 
member] that thinks we are all philosophers, though many of our philosophies 
are perhaps not worth very much. 

Of course, not many thinkers produce a work whose title can be adopted by a 
best-selling pop group, and for this at least Levi-Strauss should be remembered.

D
Watching Tom Cruise in a movie darkly satirical of LRonHubbardism, where the 
scientologists are portrayed as bloodsucking vampires - it's hilarious [though 
perhaps not as profound a critique as "Battlefield Earth"]
O look: Brad's just deliberately set fire to some curtains, hope he..It's ok. 
Tom's turned up again. Safe now. But their home insurance must cost a fortune.  




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