[OPE-L:8258] Re: the 'starting point'

From: gerald_a_levy (gerald_a_levy@msn.com)
Date: Wed Jan 01 2003 - 08:03:06 EST


Re Michael E's [8250]:

> (snip, JL) I  am indeed going beyond the capitalist-bourgeois epoch
> as it emerged from the  medieval period, but only back to the beginning
> of the West with the Greeks -- a  highly _specific_ beginning which is
> part of the tradition that binds us and  which can be thought about.
> The West dates from about two-and-a-half millennia  ago, not much
> considering how long humans have been around, and this specific
> beginning of Western history is to be distinguished from other historical
> ways  of human living in other parts of the world. (snip, JL)
> The starting-point (_archae_) of the West, including modern capitalism, is
> the ancient Greek beginning.

Happy new year, Michael (and everyone else).
If the subject is (an abstraction called) "the West", then -- from a
historical perspective  -- the 'starting point'  could be traced to the
"ancient  Greek beginning".  That, however, is a very different subject
than capitalism which requires for its comprehension in thought a separate
'starting point'.  Put simply: different subjects require different starting
points (a variation on "different horses for different courses", I guess).

In solidarity, Jerry


This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Jan 03 2003 - 00:00:00 EST