From: onstott@a.cs.okstate.edu (ONSTOTT CHARLES OR)
Subject: Re: Philosophical Influence 
Organization: Oklahoma State University
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 92 04:55:54 GMT

From article <1992Aug14.124501.14732@husc3.harvard.edu>, by zeleny@husc9.harvard.edu (Michael Zeleny):
> 

> COO: 
>>Oui, Soit.  

MZ:
> 
> So why are you still arguing?
> 

  I wasn't aware that we had begun.  I'm still playing the
petulent-child game with you of which you are quite a master and
I a student..'

Despite the fact that your discussion seems to lend itself to
the typical petulent-child stuff we expect from you, I find that
you seem at least quasi interested in a discussion on Heidegger.
Now, you have claimed him to be a sophist; an example of those
who try to deflate philosophy; a kitchen philosopher(which either
means you never got past Heidegger's discussion on Idle Talk or
you fail to recognize his claim that the rest of philosophy is
contrived).  These are absolutely uninteresting and unfruitful
claims against Heidegger, despite your attempt to redirect your
personal fruitlessness against myself.  Now, I will ask you a
simple question and hope that you will answer it:  In what way
do you find Heidegger to be any of these things?  Do you not
understand the methodology that he, among others like himself
such as Ortega Y Gassett and Kierkegaard, employ?  Or is it that
you find that that sort of methodology is an unfruitful one?  If so,
in the latter, how?  I can not respond to your claim because I can not
beigin to understand in what fashion you arrive at such a conclusion.

Further you claim that Heidegger is philosophically devoid of methodology
and at the same time claim him to be a Nazi--now if I have my Derrida
right, these two are mutually exclusive.  So you, alas, are the
one without justification.  Further, I find Heidegger's withdrawl
from the Nazi party a sufficient message as to his feelings about it
despite unspoken words.  Further, I find myself fascinated by his
ideas and rather bored by his political life.

Last, the reason why I find representational theories to be "crap"(and
I leave it to you to determine the precise meaning of this--am
I really refering to feces?) is that it attempts to categorize and
as such remains bound to the ontical.  Further, I can not accept
your thesis that the first task of philosophy is to find the "structure of
reality" as I believe the first task of philosophy is 'to find.' 
Second, it comes as no surprise that you find the
second task of philosophy as that which concerns meaning--this point
and your first task go hand in hand.  It turns out, Mikhail, that the
two tasks you have set forth, as divided in two, can not
be seperated.  Confused?  Always look to the function of the sign,
the function of the sign is to structure.  Since it was the structure
you were looking for, and since the sign is to structure, your first
task should have stated "find meaning."  And finding meaning, Mikhail,
is the purpose of philosophy--See...Heidegger isn't so bad, now is he?
Your next question is probably "so what's wrong?"  The answer is:
nothing, so long as you don't pressupose reality in the finding of meaning
and here I say "reality" not "being" because being is always presupposed..
 
>>>>-- 
>>>mikhail zeleny@husc.harvard.edu
>>>who will be in Paris two weeks from today!
> 
> COO:
>>Ah, now he is trying to make me jealous.  First he argues with me,
>>then he pulls this one--really below the belt Mikhail.  I was
>>supposed to be in Bretagne for this month...
> 
> Tough titty, mon vieux, but it's every man for himself.
 Yeah??  Well, Je m'en fiche.   And just think, I would not be here
talking with you...

> 
> MZ:
>>>"Un de mes plus grands plaisirs est de jurer Dieu quand je bande."
> 
Ca, c'est vrai et tres evidement.
> 
> cordially, (I never understood this part..)
> mikhail zeleny@husc.harvard.edu

BCnya,
  Charles O. Onstott, III

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Charles O. Onstott, III  Account at Oklahoma State University for summer.
Graduate Student in Religious Studies           onstott@a.cs.okstate.edu
University of Chicago
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