Re: [OPE] Science and scientology

Jerry wrote:

"It's a
history of thought question which, by itself, doesn't shed any light
on the actual scientific subject."

This is a very useful distinction, and one that clarifies the importance of
accurately understanding Marx. He still manages to shed enormous light on
actual scientific subjects of immense concern.

howard

howard engelskirchen
he31@verizon.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "GERALD LEVY" <gerald_a_levy@msn.com>
To: "Outline on Political Economy mailing list" <ope@lists.csuchico.edu>
Sent: Monday, June 08, 2009 7:51 AM
Subject: RE: [OPE] Science and scientology

>> You are right. But what Darwin thought is no longer crucial for the
>> progress of the Darwinian research program. A new researcher can enter
>> and contribute to it without ever having read Darwin or Huxley in the
>> original.
> I have just been reading Darwin's 'The expression of the emotions' and
> I am amazed at how 'Lamarkian' it is.
> It has quite a sophisticated theory of reflexes and of what we would now
> call conditioned reflexes ( he calls them habitual reflexes). But what
> is striking is that he asserts that reflex actions were all originally
> voluntary, then became habitual and as such were then fixed by
> inheritance. Looks very like the inheritance of acquired characteristics
> which standard presentations of Darwin having him rejecting.

Hu Paul C:

OK, but evolutionary biologists wouldn't accept the idea that what
Darwin's perspective was on this question could be taken as evidence
either for or against a particular perspective on reflexes. It's a
history of thought question which, by itself, doesn't shed any light
on the actual scientific subject. At most, it can shed light only on
what Darwin's perspective was or wasn't - a hermeneutic and
secondary question.

A danger of over-reliance on the perspectives of an founding authority
figure is the possibility of a cult emerging. since there have been
many Marxist cults in the past, this is a danger that Marxists - and
socialists who don't like to be called Marxists - should be aware of
and take active steps to avoid.

In solidarity, Jerry_______________________________________________
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Received on Mon Jun 8 11:38:59 2009