[OPE-L:7147] Re: Re: Re: "Quaderni di Operai Contro" (Vitale) v. Paolo Giussani

From: Rakesh Bhandari (rakeshb@stanford.edu)
Date: Fri May 10 2002 - 14:06:40 EDT


Born and raised in the US, I am now learning that there was a 
substantial literature developed in so called classical India about 
how to conduct a rational debate (see Bimal Matilal The Character of 
Logic in India, Jonardon Ganeri Philosophy in Classical India: The 
Proper Work of Reason). While the rudiments and tricks of rational 
debate were intensively analyzed by Buddhists, Jainis and others, the 
topics of debate seem to have tended towards  metaphysical questions 
rather than those of ethics and politics as in Ancient Greece. Yet 
there may be some lessons from the past  which may prove useful in 
developing a new logic and ethics for internet debate in particular.


One shining example to me of ethical argumentation was Allin's 
discussion with me of the transformation problem a long time ago. As 
it was becoming clear that I had not really grasped what many thought 
the problem was, Allin then contrived an example so I could 
understand what the problem was thought to be. That is, Allin knew 
that in a reasonable debate, one has to give criticisms in such a way 
that the opponent can grasp them.

Of course, after having grasped this (putative) problem of the 
maintainence of two equalities, I as a stubborn ass did conclude the 
whole problem is a pseudo problem (the inputs are not in the form of 
values or direct prices as Fred and Alejandro say; and even if they 
were, the second equality should not be postulated as an invariance 
condition in that bizarre kind of fixed point iteration in which the 
technical conditions are imagined to be fixed period after period, 
and the second equality does not have to be regarded as invariance 
condition to maintain the Marxian bedrock thesis that unpaid live 
labor alone creates surplus value, anyway) but my understanding was 
considerably raised by the way in which Allin proceeded.

I imagine that Allin is a very good teacher.

Another topic: I think David Y will find enough revisionism to occupy 
him for quite some time in Meghnad Desai's Revenge of Marx (Verso, 
2002)--an exasperating (albeit massively erudite) book as Desai 
doubtless intended.

Will someone on OPE-L play Luxemburg to Lord Desai's Bernstein?
I sure hope so...

Rakesh



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