Hooray! I can agree with something Derek says! Yet...if reality can only be known by means of description, scientific or imaginative metaphor, then those descriptions are mainly socially constructed. Something does remain, I suppose, and that's the "individual reality" Derek mentions. I shy away from "spiritual" and such words but what else can we call it?
WC --- Derek Allan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Re: ' Reality is socially constructed,' > > This is one of the sacred cows of contemporary > thought. > > But once again what is meant by 'reality'? In my > view the most important > 'reality' for each of us, as individuals, has > nothing to do with the > categories of social thought. It is not ''socially > constructed' at all. > > Hence indeed the importance of art... > > > DA > > > On Fri, May 9, 2008 at 8:08 AM, Frances Kelly > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > Frances to members... > > > > This notice is from a website list called HOPOS or > "A Forum for > > Discussion of the History of the Philosophy of > Science" on the > > internet. The specific subject is entitled > "Sources of Ideology > > and Discourse: Psychological Interpretation of > Ideology and > > Discourse" posted by Richard A. Koenigsberg > recently. The remarks > > on "reality" may be of particular interest here to > aestheticians. > > > > > > WHY DO SOME DISCOURSES BECOME DOMINANT? > > > > Reality is socially constructed, but constructed > based on what? > > People > > continually construct various forms of reality, > but only a very > > few take > > hold and become structures of society. Is it > possible to explain > > why some > > discourses become dominant and not others? > > > > Writing about the Holocaust, Hannah Arendt claims > that > > anti-Semitism > > "explains everything and therefore nothing." One > may suggest that > > concepts > > like "discourse" and "narrative" similarly explain > everything and > > therefore > > nothing. What requires explanation is why certain > discourses or > > narratives > > become salient and significant. To comprehend the > meaning of an > > ideology, we > > pose the question: "Why does it exist?" > > > > My studies on Nazi ideology > > began by identifying recurring images and > > metaphors in the rhetoric of political leaders > such as Hitler, > > Himmler and > > Goebbels in order to ascertain the ideology's > underlying meaning. > > Hitler > > conceived of the German nation as a living > organism invaded by > > Jewish > > bacteria. Genocide enacted an immunological > fantasy: killing the > > pathogenic > > microorganisms in order to prevent the death of > Germany. > > > > IDEOLOGY AS SHARED FANTASY > > > > Hitler's ideology derived from a coherent fantasy > projected into > > reality. > > Nazi ideology was articulated through the vehicle > of language, > > but language > > was not the source of Nazi ideology. Nazi ideology > was > > constituted by a > > shared fantasy projected into the external world. > Ideologies > > represent > > symbolic structures functioning to contain and > shape primal > > desires, > > anxieties, and conflicts. Ideologies are cognitive > structures > > that permit > > unconscious fantasies to become shared--and > articulated as social > > reality. > > > > Ideologies or discourses become established as > elements of > > culture to the > > extent that they represent unique "solutions" to > fundamental > > psychic > > dilemmas. An ideology that is significant in > society is one that > > has served > > as the modus operandi for the expression of > powerful desires, > > conflicts and > > fantasies. Ideologies capture energy bound to > latent fantasies, > > bringing > > forth this energy into society as the basis for > collective forms > > of action. > > > > THE UNCONSCIOUS CONTAINED WITHIN THE TEXT > > > > An ideology is conveyed through rhetoric presented > by political > > and social > > leaders--people on the public stage who have > embraced the > > ideology and seek > > to persuade others of its validity. We uncover > the roots of > > ideologies by > > analyzing the writings and speeches of leaders who > have been > > instrumental in > > bringing forth their ideologies into reality. > Identification of > > recurring > > images, metaphors and figures of speech reveals > the unconscious > > contained > > within the text. > > > > Once we understand the meaning of a discourse or > ideology--what > > it seeks to > > express or convey--we are on our way toward > explanation. > > Explanation > > consists of revealing the psychological functions > that the > > discourse or > > ideology performs for members of a given society. > By asking the
