A second-half band...<div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR5ApYxkU-U">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR5ApYxkU-U</a></div><div><br></div><div>Now who was the min, thereind? .....<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">
On Thu, Jan 24, 2013 at 5:57 AM, alice wellintown <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:alicewellintown@gmail.com" target="_blank">alicewellintown@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
Several critical studies examine Pynchon and the American Pragmatists.<br>
<br>
I think a good place to turn is to Aristotle. Here in an Introduction<br>
we see a basic difference in Aristotle from Plato and Socrates, and<br>
specifically, on Ethics. The wisdom of Aristotle is that he accepts<br>
the idea that it is wise to examine or explore a topic only so far as<br>
the topic permits, that there is an exhaustion point, and that in<br>
Ethics, and in Politics, the topic does not allow for examination as<br>
it does in other sciences.<br>
<br>
Is the application of math to Ethics and Politics Fascist? Maybe.<br>
Maybe something in that GR....<br>
<br>
Is Plato a Fascist?<br>
<br>
No, but the math....<br>
<br>
The main difference between Plato and Aristotle is this: Plato thought<br>
ethics was an exact (theoretical) science; Aristotle thought precision<br>
was extremely difficult in a science such as ethics. Please note that<br>
"science" is being used in its ancient sense of knowledge in general.<br>
<br>
THE PROPER METHOD FOR ETHICS (Bk. I, Sec. 3)<br>
<br>
>From ethics one can expect only as much precision as the subject<br>
matter allows. This is opposite to Plato's belief, because it does not<br>
allow for any mathematical exactness. Does this mean, then, that moral<br>
rules are "conventions," made up or created by humans? No, they are<br>
natural, but they are not like Plato's immutable forms. Aristotle<br>
avoids ethical relativism because of his confidence in human reason<br>
and experience to decide on general courses of action.<br>
<br>
Plato approached ethical questions with a formal, abstract approach,<br>
analyzing each just as he would analyze a math problem. Aristotle,<br>
though, believed that because of all the human variables found in<br>
ethics (but not found in the formal sciences), mathematical precision<br>
was impossible.<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/103/aristotle.htm" target="_blank">http://www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/103/aristotle.htm</a><br>
</blockquote></div><br></div>