Pragmatism & Amerikkka Uber Alles

[Paul Mackin]

On Sun, 7 May 2000, Terrance wrote:

> 
> When I turn on the Tube or page through popular magazines
> here in the States, I often hear or read the term
> "rationalization." Talk show and arm-chair psychologists
> seem to like the term.  What they mean by "rationalization"
> is not always clear, but I think that the term
> "rationalization" surfaced sometime between W.W.I and W.W.II

A powerful concept of sociology as used by MOX VAY-BEAR (Max
Weber). Simply a more efficient way of doing things. Can be conscious or
unconscious and be applied to any field of human endeavor: science,
religion, language, even, you guessed it, SPIRITUALISM (a better seating
arrangement around the seance table for example). Though not a wholely
zero sum game the improvements in performance are more often than not
accompanied by losses in traditional values and alienation. An important
concept in understanding Pynchon one might say.

			P.