At 11:44 AM 03/10/2000 -0500, Bertvan@aol.com wrote:
>Freud, Darwin and Marx have been suggested as examples of twentieth century
>materialism. I have posted what I believe to be similarities between
>materialist psychology and Darwinism, but what else does Marxism have in
>common with Darwinism?
This was a nice summary of similarities between these disparate ideologies,
but it doesn't indicate anything significant. There are also similarities
between Christianity and Darwinism, Christianity and Marxism, and
Christianity and Fruedian theory. There are also similarities between
Marxism and the experimental method in science, as well as between the
experimental method and Darwinism and Freudian theory. The discernment of
similarities between different entities is an endless exercise, because
similarities can almost always be located somewhere. What is this supposed
to demonstrate?
>By now we realize we had nothing to fear from communism. It consisted of
>na•ve, impractical formulas. I suppose those who feared communism suspected
>it might be some mysterious concept with real, hidden value, something that
>worked and people would come to prefer. Materialists who fear
"creationism"
>seem to fear someone is going to try to impose some religious belief upon
>them.
No doubt there were folks who "feared" communism. But there were many
others (the majority, it seems to me) who soberly recognized the "naive,
impractical formulas" in communism, and simply rejected it. It also seems
to me that there are many (the majority, perhaps) who also soberly
recognize the naive, impractical (or theologically impoverished) features
of "creationism," and likewise reject that ideology. It has nothing to do
with fear. Your argument has no force against the latter group.
A personal note: About six weeks ago I sent a note to this list on the
question of atheism and the Probelm of Evil, and Stephen E. Jones kindly
invited me to introduce myself. Since then, I have been out of town on a
couple of occasions, and quelling academic chaos in my department in the
intervals; my failure to respond is not an indication of indifference or
reluctance, just the usual overload that we all experience. So let me
respond briefly now.
I am an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Texas-Pan
American, in Edinburg, Texas, located right on the border with Mexico. I
teach courses in philosophy and religion. My areas of speciality are
ethics, and religion & science. My published work has been in social and
professional ethics, and in the relationship between ethics and theology.
I am also the director of the Center for Professional Studies, a small
think tank of sorts, focusing on ethical issues in the professions.
Without question, the most important influence on my own philosophical
outlook and interests is my Lutheran background. I have become
increasingly aware of how powerfully the idiosyncratic emphases of the
Lutheran tradition have shaped my very perceptions and attitudes; and I've
also come to recognize how different, in a few critical ways, the Lutheran
perspective is from that of other Christian faith communities, espcially
from certain Protestant traditions. Any eccentricities I am likely to
exhibit on this list will probably arise from some Lutheran quirk. This
would include comments I may make on the aforementioned topic of atheism
and the Problem of Evil -- a subject I'd like to return to, and respond to
Stephen Jones' questions, at some point in the future.
Tom Pearson
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Thomas D. Pearson
Department of History & Philosophy
The University of Texas-Pan American
Edinburg, Texas
e-mail: pearson@panam1.panam.edu
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