Interesting thoughts. If I were still a young man working in the
Engineering/Scientific community I might be interested in reading Popper
in China but in these retired days and especially taking a serious look
at my library and considering what I might truly be interested in
spending time with during a cold winter in Idaho, I have leaned toward
Wittgenstein, first of all, and as you suggested him more than those who
interpret him. But in Heidegger's case I have read quite a lot of him
and then turned to interpreters found them much more interesting.
Although I must admit that I was first an admirer of Gadamer and only
became interested in Heidegger because Gadamer admired him and I didn't
and probably still don't understand that very well. Thus, the idea of
reading of French interpretations has lot of appeal.
But before Gadamer there was Anthony Thiselton.
https://www.amazon.com/Two-Horizons-Hermeneutics-Philosophical-Description-ebook/dp/B004GHO3BA/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485014054&sr=1-5&keywords=anthony+thiselton
I was deep into theology back in the 80s and Thiselton opened me up to
Wittgenstein and Gadamer. It's been so long ago, I should probably
reread Thiselton -- assuming I ever do make it to Idaho -- or even if I
don't.
Lawrence
On 1/21/2017 12:15 AM, Donal McEvoy (Redacted sender donalmcevoyuk for
DMARC) wrote:
Three thoughts:
1. The article uses the high-sounding expression "French thought today". A read of Sokal and Bricont and it becomes clear how shambolic and lacking in standards many of these high-ranked thinkers are.
2. There is the interesting question of the receptivity of ideas and of resistance to them, especially philosophical ideas. The two cases I know better than Heidegger's are that of Popper and Wittgenstein and they are both highly interesting. There is little doubt that Wittgenstein's greater reception than Popper's has much to do with how Wittgenstein appears to offer something central to most professional philosopher's preoccupations [sense/nonsense; language-analysis] rather than a challenge to these preoccupations.
3. Among the many interesting things is how the receiver misinterprets the source according to their own prevailing philosophy [hence the misinterpretation of Wittgenstein as a some standard form of positivist, behaviourist etc, and the misinterpretation of Popper as a positivist-with-a-falsificationist-twist]. The level of misinterpretation is almost pathological - and where there is not misinterpretation there is sometimes only bland and inconsequential interpretation.
(For this reason, among others, you are much better reading Wittgenstein or Popper than reading their interpreters.)
4. In the case of the French tradition, that philosophical tradition still owes to the influence of religious-based philosophy [e.g. Thomism] and to an attitude to metaphysics that is very liable to get carried away in a theological vein - and Heidegger has plenty of this kind of appeal.
5. The question is whether that kind of appeal is a siren voice or not. And this is most difficult a question. It was Kant who tried to offer a break from the impasse between a narrow positivism [a la Hume] and outlandish metaphysics, but the break has never been wholly successful - there hasn't been a kind of 'grounded metaphysics' that answers all our metaphysical concerns [Popper's doesn't] and so there is plenty of scope for outlandish metaphysics and still a problem (unless we subscribe to a narrow positivism) of deciding whether a brand of metaphysical thought is worthwhile or not.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From:* Lawrence Helm <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*To:* lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Sent:* Saturday, 21 January 2017, 4:24
*Subject:* [lit-ideas] Re: Heidegger in France
Julie,
Just got around to reading this review. You are right. It is interesting, especially the implications that some French philosophers misunderstood Heidegger but still produced "valid" philosophical insights of their own. As part of a process for a "possible" move to Idaho I've been weeding out my library, but I kept all my books by and about Heidegger -- even though I no doubt misunderstand him myself. :-( In any case I sent for this book.
Thanks,
Lawrence
On 1/17/2017 3:03 AM, Julie Campbell wrote:
http://ndpr.nd.edu/news/heidegger-in-france/
Interesting review. I should take a look at the book.
--
Julie Campbell 573-881-6889 https://juliesmusicandlanguagestudio.musicteachershelper.com <https://juliesmusicandlanguagestudio.musicteachershelper.com/>
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