Tuesday, January 28, 2014

"The Pluralism Wars" (hat tip to Critical Animal blog)

Link covering a cross-blog exchange, HERE.  I smiled fondly at Critical Animal blog pointing out the "process versus object" wars of times since past.  I don't think there was ever a final verdict on that.

In any case, included among the links is my contribution "Orientational Realism" (HERE) which is a very rough sketch of a post/thought - a very *lengthy* one that may deter readers from making it through the whole thing.  But my thesis is the following:
It is my view that each object of the universe lays an implicit claim to the validity of its own assertion to life.  That assertion is countermanded, of course, by any and all rivals. [However] because reason is by its very nature universal, the claims of rational philosophy, too, must be universal and one.
While there are many beings and many perspectives or "orientations," when it comes to realism (especially concerning knowledge), I think Kant is on the right path: "One reason, one philosophy."

Looking to reason I think we can recast the "pluralism: is it realism or is it relativism?" debate by reframing the epistemological context in which the debate finds itself, this while keeping the pluralist ontology intact.

Hopefully I'll find some time to say more about what I take "reason" to be, etc. etc.  But I did hint at some things discussing natural semiotics in my post linked above.