[lit-ideas] Re: Is 'All men are mortal' unscientific?
- From: "John McCreery" <john.mccreery@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:54:26 +0900
On Mon, Mar 17, 2008 at 3:56 AM, <wokshevs@xxxxxx> wrote:
> Let's try and
> remember that insofar as we're engaged in philosophy, we're all pulling in
> the
> same direction.
>
In _Conditions Handsome and Unhandsome: The Constitution of Emersonian
Perfectionism_ , Stanley Cavell contrasts Platonic and Emersonian varieties
of the endless search for improvement rooted in dissatisfaction with the
less-than-perfect states in which we always find ourselves. In the Platonic
variety the Good is One. It can be envisioned as located at the peak of a
mountain, such that, while climbers may follow different paths, they are all
aiming to reach that same peak. In the Emersonian variety, however, the good
may be as varied as the people who pursue it. The image shifts to a great
plain, criss-crossed by travelers moving in different directions. At times
they may travel together. At others they may travel in parallel, or their
paths may diverge. That all either can or should wind up in the same place
is not a given.
Cheers,
John
--
John McCreery
The Word Works, Ltd., Yokohama, JAPAN
Tel. +81-45-314-9324
http://www.wordworks.jp/
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