Re: ' Yet...if reality can only be known by means of description, scientific or imaginative metaphor, then those descriptions are mainly socially constructed.'
Taking 'imaginative metaphor' to mean art (I assume this is what you have in mind?) I don't recall any 'socially constructed' work of art. DA On Sat, May 10, 2008 at 12:47 AM, William Conger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > 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.
