From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@tsoft.com)
Date: Sat Jun 08 2002 - 10:17:42 MDT
Samantha writes
> Lee Corbin wrote:
>
> > Suppose someone started a new thread entitled "The Differences
> > Between Men and Women", one of the goals of which was to have a
> > completely rational discussion of a potentially explosive issue.
> >
> > 1. Would it be likely that it to remain "entirely rational"?
> > (where you interpret that phrase however you prefer).
>
> I don't agree that what many people consider "rational" is
> either rational or particularly reasonable. Too many notions of
> "rational" leave out too much I consider of critical importance.
> So a discusion based on those views of "rational" would already
> disown much of what would be fruitful to discuss.
Well, just specifically what does the term (as customarily used)
leave out? I really want to know, and cannot understand why
you aren't elaborating.
Also, (though this is much, much less important), perhaps you
would like to suggest what we should mean by "rational". (I'm
not proposing that we debate it---I'm only curious.)
> > 3. Should people contributing to the thread express their
> > *feelings* as opposed to conjectures & criticism (the PCR
> > norm)?
> If not then the discussion is worthless imho.
This itself might be a Difference Between Men and Women :-)
and could be discussed, though there now arises the awful spectre
of having to first debate in what manner The Differences Between
Men and Women be debated, namely, in Men's ways, or Women's ways lol
(Please, no flames: in no way am I suggesting that I
would view, or anyone else would view, women as less
rational: this was a joke. Only a joke. Really.) :-)
(And so were the repeated over-denials!)
> > 4. Would you think such a discussion off-topic for this list?
>
> I would certainly hope not. It hardly seems possible we can
> build a future that does not come to terms with feeling and
> other not-strictly PCR aspects of our being.
yes, and being able to talk it through.
Lee
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