Comments on: the philosophical roots of sectarianism

By: SOCIALIST UNITY » THE HERITAGE OF TROTSKYISM - MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU

SOCIALIST UNITY » THE HERITAGE OF TROTSKYISM - MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:00:37 +0000

[…] the impact they have on the already existing body of mature scientific theory. (Follow the link here if you want more philosphical justification) In defence of scientific realism … we must say that theories that explain the empirical evidence […]

By: SOCIALIST UNITY » WESTERN MARXISM AND THE USSR

SOCIALIST UNITY » WESTERN MARXISM AND THE USSR — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:01:04 +0000

[…] theories. The philosophical question is how we decide which theories are more truth-approximate. In defence of scientific realism we must say that theories that explain the empirical evidence must also conform to theoretical […]

By: Edie

Edie — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 16:48:10 +0000

Thank you for the comment and link to this post. I want to reply at my own blog.

I find the SWP’s post-modernist influences to be most repellent at times.

By: AN

AN — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 10:31:45 +0000

Hard to beleive you have really forgotten :o)

When i was a punk, I had a “punk name” but I have never had a political alias

(I also have a journo alias I use sometimes when writing about something where if I used my real name my confidential sources would be obvious)

By: Louisefeminista

Louisefeminista — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 10:18:39 +0000

Nah, I doubt Chris Knight is a member but he is part of the Radical Anthropology Group (which organised the Communist University). In the 80s I’m sure I remember him being around Labour Briefing but may be wrong.

Well, think most groups use false names to inflate numbers (my old group did and oh, what fun we had thinking them up.I can’t remember what mine were including “party names”, too long ago…..)

By: AN

AN — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 09:56:47 +0000

If he is not a member that explain the lack of an alias. In the case of the CPGB the use iof alaiases seems simply to make it seem like there are more of them!)

But he has adapted well to their flowery house style

By: Louisefeminista

Louisefeminista — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 09:44:17 +0000

I used to write under my real name for WW (don’t know whether that’s embarassing or not)just believed it was silly to use a false name. Seems like only their members use false names for whatever reason.

Don’t think Chris Knight is a member either.

By: AN

AN — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 09:18:06 +0000

I can’t get used to the idea of people writing under their real names in WW

By: Louisefeminista

Louisefeminista — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:55:34 +0000

"“Lenin” argues that the truth of concepts such as atoms is unknowable, then all truth is unknowable, and all we have is language."

“Lenin” could possibly be confusing knowledge and truth.

Truth is largely independent of people's perception when you make an observation of social phenomena.

While knowledge changes through debate, or whether it is being disproved or proved though it is never static. Social phenomena is different ‘cos people act on their perceptions and the choices they make are often influenced by their material interests.

It is still the case that any observed phenomena are going to be independent of whatever statements are made about it by observers.

It seems to "Lenin" that perception is everything and therefore he is ditching materialism.

Maybe he should read Terry Eagleton’s After Theory. I also find Lenin’s arguments reminiscence of Wittgenstein (“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world”.)

The revolutionary left is like any other social process. The empirical basis people use is narrow and the resources they use are limited. And therefore, of course. they are conditioned by their own group.

Like Agent Mulder from the X Files, the truth is most definitely out there.

Btw: “Chris Knight” is not a pseudonym it is his real name.

By: AN

AN — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 15:50:00 +0000

I should point out that I use the word “metaphysical” in the above comment in the technical sense it is used by non-Marxists, to denote a theory of being.

Unfortunetely Engels started a traditiona among Marxist to use the word Metaphsyics to denote static non dialecticalk thinking. This particularly eccentric use of the word has been followed by nealy all Marxists since, but is most unfortunate. Ii am not using it in the usual Marxist sense.

sorry to anyone who presevered this far and was confused by that.