[lit-ideas] Sounds right to me
- From: "John McCreery" <john.mccreery@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: ANTHRO-L <ANTHRO-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Lit-Ideas <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:37:03 +0900
Courtesy of Grand McCracken at
http://www.cultureby.com/trilogy/2008/12/bunges-symptoms-of-truth.html
> What matters now that post-modernism doesn't? Now that we have escaped the
> wrecking crew, how shall we proceed?
>
> We could do worse that say that we want to author "propositions" about the
> world. And if this is what we want to do, I suggest we say that on balance
> these propositions would be better if they satisfied Bunge's "symptoms of
> truth."
>
> According to Bunge, propositions should be:
>
> 1. exact, so that no unnecessary ambiguity exists
>
2. economical, so that we oblige us to make the minimum number of
> assumptions
>
3. mutually consistent, so that no assertion contradicts another
>
4. externally consistent, so that it conforms to what we know about other
> things in the world
>
5. unified, so that assertions are organized in a manner that subsumes the
> specific within the general, unifying where possible, discriminating when
> necessary
>
6. powerful, so that it explains as much of the data as possible without
> sacrificing accuracy
>
7. fertile, so that it suggests new ideas and opportunities for insight
>
> I am not saying we do not want to care about post modern topics (messy
> cultures, multiple selves, destablized elites, etc.). But clearly, we are
> now obliged to distinguish between post modern topics and methods. The
> methods have been a disaster. They have cost us knowledge.
>
> Dumbing down was something to be feared, after all. But it came not from
> popular culture, but the intellectuals and academics who appointed
> themselves our guardians.
>
> References
>
> Bunge, Mario. 1961. The weight of simplicity in the construction and
> assaying of scientific theories. Philosophy of Science. 28 (2): 120-149.
>
--
John McCreery
The Word Works, Ltd., Yokohama, JAPAN
Tel. +81-45-314-9324
jlm@xxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.wordworks.jp/
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