CONTROVERSIES AND SUBJECTIVITY (Controversies)

Annotation This collective volume focuses on two closely connected issues whose common denominator is the embattled notion of the subject. The first concerns the controversies on the nature of the subject and related notions, such as the concepts of I and self . From both theoretical and historical viewpoints, several of the contributors show how different and incompatible perspectives on the subject can help us understand today s world, its habits, style, power relations, and attitudes. For this purpose, use is made of insights in a broad range of disciplines, such as sociology, psychoanalysis, pragmatics, intellectual history, and anthropology. This interdisciplinary approach helps to clarify the multifaceted character of the subject and the role it plays nowadays as well as over the centuries. The second issue concerns the subject in inter-personal as well as in intra-personal controversies. The enquiry here focuses on the ways in which different aspects of the subject and subjective differences affect the conduct, content, and rationality of controversies with others as well as within oneself on a variety of topics. Among such aspects, the contributors analyse the subject s emotions, cognitive states, argumentative practices, and individual and collective identity. The interaction between the two issues, the controversies on the subject and the subject of controversies, sheds new light on the debate on modernity and its alleged crisis Controversies and Subjectivity......Page 2 Editorial page......Page 3 Title page......Page 4 LCC data......Page 5 Table of contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 10 1. Controversies on the subject and the subjects in controversies......Page 12 2. An epistemological excursus......Page 14 3. De-dichotomizing traditional philosophical dichotomies......Page 18 4. The subject and its social dimension......Page 22 5. Perspectives on "the first person''......Page 26 6. Philosophical thought and inner debate......Page 32 7. The subject against itself?......Page 34 References......Page 39 Discussing with oneself......Page 42 Debating with myself and debating with others......Page 44 1. Introduction......Page 45 2. Varieties and sources of self-debate......Page 46 3. Intra-personal and inter-personal debates: Metonymic relations......Page 54 4. Inter-personal and intra-personal debates: Metaphorical relations......Page 58 5. Towards a typology of intra-personal debate: The Aristotelian clue......Page 61 6. Self-deception and the splitting of the self......Page 65 7. Towards a typology of self-debate: 'Hard' and 'soft' rationality......Page 67 8. A soft-partitioned self?......Page 77 Notes......Page 80 References......Page 82 2. Plato: Psychic health as a metaphor of being in accordance with oneself......Page 86 2.1. The parts of the soul (Republic)......Page 87 2.2. Reflexive inconsistency (Gorgias)......Page 91 3.1. Being a friend to oneself......Page 95 3.2. The right way of `self-love' as an issue of self-controversy......Page 98 4. Final remarks......Page 100 References......Page 101 1. Relations......Page 102 2.1. Semiotic structures......Page 103 2.2. Temporal structures......Page 104 3.2. Representations of identity......Page 105 4.1. An example of intra-subjective controversy: Die Blendung......Page 106 4.2. Chess......Page 108 4.3. The self as theatre......Page 109 4.4. Monologues and dialogues......Page 111 5.1. Conversion, controversy, and psychodynamics......Page 112 5.2. William James' interpretation of conversion......Page 114 5.3. Accessing the mind......Page 116 6. Stories......Page 117 6.1. Selves, bodies, names......Page 118 6.2. Miguel de Barrios......Page 119 6.3. Fucan Fabian......Page 120 7. Conclusion......Page 122 Notes......Page 123 References......Page 124 1. Introduction......Page 126 2. Towards a model of scientific inquiry......Page 127 3. Scientific controversies and the practice of science......Page 129 4. Scientific controversies, subjectivity, and the objectivity of science......Page 131 5. A case of scientific controversy......Page 133 Notes......Page 135 References......Page 136 1.1. The constitutive nature of polemicity for philosophy......Page 138 1.2. The roles of subjectivity within internal and external controversy......Page 139 1.3. Defining 'internal' polemic from a discursive point of view......Page 141 2.1. From someone to someone else: Philosophical dialogue as a kind of speech of the soul with itself and of the souls with each other......Page 143 2.2. From self to self: The practice and writing of soliloquy as interior dialogue in Saint Augustine......Page 146 2.3. First person narration: The writing of the self in Augustine's Soliloquies and Confessions......Page 151 2.4. To speak to the other as to myself: Stoic diatribe and conversation (Epictetus' Conversations)......Page 154 2.5. To address oneself as another: "Thoughts'' or "To myself'' by Marcus Aurelius......Page 155 2.6. Speaking from oneself: The first person and interior monologue in Descartes' (metaphysical) meditations......Page 158 2.7. To be addressed by God and to dialogue with him: Malebranche's (Christian and metaphysical) meditations......Page 159 3. The relation between controversy and subjectivity: A pragmatic paradox?......Page 161 Notes......Page 165 References......Page 166 1. Subjectivity and truth......Page 168 2. Self-agreement and disagreement......Page 171 3. The philosophical principle of critique......Page 173 4. Self-deception......Page 177 Notes......Page 178 References......Page 180 The first person......Page 182 Intersubjectivity in controversy......Page 184 References......Page 194 Subjectivist and objectivist interpretations of controversy-based thought......Page 196 1. A historical outline of the two-logoi tradition......Page 197 2.1. The philological problem......Page 199 2.2. The epistemic trouble: Pro two-logoi or against two-logoi?......Page 201 3. From first person singular to first person plural......Page 204 4. Concluding remarks......Page 206 Notes......Page 208 References......Page 210 1. Introduction......Page 212 2.1. The status of thinking......Page 214 2.2. The emergence of the concept of phenomenon......Page 215 2.4. Appearances in society......Page 216 2.6. The emergence of the subjective attitude in poetry......Page 217 3.1. First phase of the controversy: The problem of teaching practical ethics......Page 218 3.2. Second phase of the controversy: Appropriating the Socratic tradition......Page 219 3.3. Third phase of the controversy: The Academy takes over the initiative......Page 222 3.4. The problem of appearance in the conception of the cognitive phantasia......Page 223 3.5. The Arcesilean answer to the stoic apraxia argument......Page 224 4.1. Chrysippus and the problem of reference......Page 226 4.2. The temporalization of the cognition process I......Page 227 4.3. Fifth phase of the controversy: Lacydes and the criticism of the exactitude of memory......Page 228 4.4. The temporalization of the cognition process II......Page 229 4.5. Chrysippus and the double nature of phantasia......Page 230 5.1. The Carneadean criticism of the stoic conception of phantasia......Page 231 5.2. The weakening of the reference relation and the theory of probability......Page 234 6. Seventh, closing phase of the academic-stoic controversy: "Opening the gates''......Page 236 7. "Time remaining in soul'': The Chrysippean philosophy and its Carneadean criticism as the basis of Augustine's conception of time......Page 238 8.1. A controversy rich in turning points from the viewpoint of the theory of controversy......Page 239 8.2. Temporalization and reification as dimensions of the foundation of subjectivity......Page 240 Notes......Page 241 References......Page 243 1. Introductory remarks......Page 246 2. On reading 17th century texts......Page 247 3.1. Justifying one's entering into a controversy......Page 249 3.3. First person hedging......Page 250 3.4. Contrastive (emphatic) uses......Page 251 3.5. Self-praise and self-advertising......Page 253 3.6. Presenting one's own observations and experience......Page 254 3.7. Misunderstanding and self-interpretation......Page 256 3.8. Claiming incomprehension......Page 257 4. Conclusion......Page 258 References......Page 259 1. Introduction......Page 262 2. "Reports'' and "appeals''......Page 263 3. Berkeley's "tree argument''......Page 265 4. Experiments with the imagination......Page 267 5. Conclusion......Page 268 Notes......Page 270 References......Page 272 1. Introduction......Page 274 2.1. Function and evaluation of controversies......Page 275 2.2. Entering into a controversy and answering points: Rights and duties......Page 277 2.3. Person-related moves......Page 278 2.4. Meaning and understanding: Individual and ordinary language use......Page 281 3. Principles of communication......Page 283 3.1. Principles governing the repertoire of moves......Page 284 3.2. Principles about communicative attitudes of controversialists......Page 285 Notes......Page 286 References......Page 290 1. Introduction......Page 294 2. Some preconditions of "controversy''......Page 296 3. Epistemic function......Page 297 4. Three types of growth of knowledge......Page 299 5. Externalism and narrow content......Page 300 6. Externalism and self-knowledge......Page 302 7. Knowledge of content and self-knowledge......Page 303 8. Knowledge of content and comparative knowledge of content......Page 305 Notes......Page 309 References......Page 310 The politics of subjectivity......Page 312 1. Introduction......Page 314 2. Restricting the scope of `liberalism' and `communitarianism'......Page 316 3. Individualism and communitarianism......Page 317 4. Choices and choosers......Page 322 5. Morals and the concept of "order''......Page 324 6. Conclusions......Page 328 Notes......Page 329 References......Page 333 1. Introduction......Page 336 2. Definitions and assumptions......Page 337 3.2. The second case......Page 338 3.3. The third case......Page 339 4. Human identity vs. group identity......Page 340 5. De-dichotomization......Page 341 5.1. De-dichotomization in reflection......Page 343 5.2. De-dichotomization in action (relation)......Page 344 6. Moral de-dichotomization......Page 346 References......Page 347 The role of subjectivity in public controversy......Page 348 1. Enola Gay: A political controversy......Page 350 2. Recombinant DNA: A controversy between science and society......Page 353 3. Spontaneous generation: A controversy within science......Page 355 4. Defining the social emotions......Page 357 5. Epistemological consequences......Page 360 References......Page 361 The Sokal affair......Page 364 1. Setting the stage......Page 365 2. Subjective evaluations of the outcome of the hoax......Page 370 3. Objective and subjective views of science......Page 371 5. Genuine subjective views......Page 375 6. Non-genuine subjective opinions......Page 378 Notes......Page 380 References......Page 381 Archaic subjectivity and/as controversy in psychoanalytic thinking......Page 382 References......Page 403 The contributors to this volume......Page 406 Name index......Page 412 Subject index......Page 416 the series Controversies......Page 423