----- Original Message ----- From: Stephen Date stephend999@yahoo.co.uk To: Lysator blakes7@lists.lysator.liu.se Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2001 11:33 AM Subject: Re: Re [B7L] Deliverance - keg marxist take (OT)
--- Una McCormack una@q-research.connectfree.co.uk wrote: > Stephen Date wrote:
Let me reprhase what I said. Primitive (I use the word very
loosely)
societies can be dangerous. Life is often cheaper
than
in technological situations.
Stephen, could you clarify that point? You seem to be suggesting that technological advancement leads to or carries with it some degree of moral advancement.
I think that it often does.
Ahem. So we're somehow more moral than the Inuit, the Australian aborigines and the Zulu? Steven, you *know* where that line of thinking leads.
There appears to be some
kind of correlation between what Karl Popper described as The Open Society and the scientific method.
Broadly speaking, in closed societies knowledge is handed down by tradition which may not be criticised. In open societies, free discussion and rational thought is both accepted and encouraged.
Unfortunately, though, Popper was a sociologist and as such had very little contact with "primitive" societies. Most anthropological accounts suggest that in societies in which knowledge is handed down by tradition there is far more discussion and reinterpretation than Popper and his lot think-- check out Bronislaw Malinowski sometime, especially his book called (I think) "Magic, Science and Religion."
Fiona
The Posthumous Memoirs of Secretary Rontane Available for public perusal at http://nyder.r67.net
_________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com