Las Aventuras en el Abismo Estrecho

Adventures on the Narrow Straights:
an analysis of the stretched abyss

22.11.08

19.11.08

Dualism

I've been reading analyses of Descartes, and it seems there's a recurrence of the Cartesian doubt lately. One book in particular, by Susan Bordo, is really making me question a lot of things about the way the world is structured. Cartesian dualism is both a product of rationalism, and a denial of something else, that somehow we're searching for once again. Bordo is defining it as the female side of life... in other words, the emotional, the intuitive... the one that doesn't try to objectify each situation. Which is, in a certain sense, true. The past centuries since Descartes have been trying intensely to figure out universal truths, to find out how science can solve everything, to place things on a scale from black to white, left or right, true or false. The intuitive side, a more subjective opinion, would be a bit more about thinking of what shoes another is standing in, acknowledging the difference in each situation, but also knowing that there is something greater that unites all. This is a more spiritual side, I guess, but in reality these terms for "new age" or "spiritual" are all words once again trying to put beliefs, conclusions, in their proper place. I think balance between this objective rationalism and the subjective intuition is essential. I wonder if Bordo, as a feminist writer, brings it to this point. Because actually, classifying each as a masculine or feminine is again rationalizing, which is what we've done enough of already.
Don't get me wrong, nothing against thinking things through. But somehow being humble to acknowledge that nothing is definitive, more like Descartes' Meditations rather than the Dissertations.
I also liked discovering that there is a developmental theory related to this, which says that guys are stimulated to detach themselves from their mothers, and therefore success is measured by the detachment factors of independence, self-sufficiency, and ability to rationalize any situation. Something to think about. (Both rationally and...)

11.11.08

The Bernacular - coming soon!

My new website:

http://www.thebernacular.com.

Coming soon, but I put up some thumbnails!