From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Sat Jun 08 2002 - 15:22:04 MDT
Lee Corbin wrote:
> Samantha writes
>
>>>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.
I was not elaborating because it is truly quite difficult to
both put into words all the nuances that I believe go into and
are necessary for fruitful discussion and it is also difficult
to get the attempt to do so actually heard here at times.
What I worry about is the ways I have seen "rational" used to
bludgeon certain types of opinions, certain topics, ways of
speaking and sharing. I have seen "rational" used to disown
emotion, to "spockify" discussion and exploration, to disown all
that cannot be scientifically validated and to cast discussions
with deep real-life implications and aspects into an
over-intelllectualized parody that misses the life within what
is talked about all too easily.
I say these things as one who as used rationality in all the
negative aspects mentioned at one time or another myself.
>
> 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.)
>
I would be more interested in saying what I believe is required
for such a discussion (and many others besides) to be more
fruitful. And I will get into that a bit when I have more time
than I do at the moment.
>
> 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
>
Well, speaking in general of course, there are very common
"men's ways" and "women's ways" of discussion and exploration of
questions. That is part of what the hypothetical topic is about
after all.
- samantha
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