RE: RE: Re(2): ilyenkov-ideal: synopsis >>> "consciousness", freedom

From: Nate Schmolze (nate_schmolze@yahoo.com)
Date: Fri Sep 08 2000 - 20:07:10 PDT


Diane,

Its central. Especially in the U.S. it would allow us to see how what he
see as freedom silences. If we really included Native Americans in history
the freedom fiction would not make any sense would it. Our historical
sense of freedom is totally based on silencing, de-humanizing, racializing a
group of people who lived here. In general I don't think we acknowledge
what is often taken as freedom silences or exploits another. Really against
this notion of freedom that ignores the consequences. We so often assume I
think that there is this freedom with responsibility - liberal ideal -
without really problemitizing the consequences that are part of it.

Again I think we need a perspective - whose freedom - and not feeding into
empty sigifiers. I also think if we accept, which I do, that freedom -
desires, interests, needs, motivations, are not outside history, culture,
and the social it is rather complicated. Frankly I fully accept that I am
actively determined which is why I go out of my way encultrate myself in
multitude of literature. I even raise my kids that way send em to church
with my mom, visit the pagans with my ex, read Marx to em at bedtime.
Freedom to me I guess is the awareness that comes from competing
determinations.

Nate

-----Original Message-----
From: Diane Hodges [mailto:dhodges@ceo.cudenver.edu]
Sent: Friday, September 08, 2000 7:50 PM
To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
Subject: Re: RE: Re(2): ilyenkov-ideal: synopsis >>> "consciousness",
freedom

Alfred sez,

>>No, in my view, freedom and responsibility are better candidates for
>>crucial qualities of humans in culture than anything else. Will you
>>readers now call me an idealist?

and nate replies
>Internalization, consciousness, freedom are centerally a form of politics
>and it seems wrong to give them a transcendental quality that puts
>politics
>outside that process. In this sense they are all material - they occur and
>get meaning from social practice. To say or pretend there is a natural
>state
>called freedom where there are no masters just seems wrong.

perhaps i missed something - but where in alfred's remarks is the
indication that the "qualities of a human culture" such as freedom are not
material? it seemed to me that alfred was placing these notions of freedom
in material contexts of interactions -
i think the problem is what we all mean by "freedom" and
"responsibility"... -
freedom can mean so many things - nate, you don't say anything about
responsibility.
where does responsibility fit in your scheme of freedom?
diane
   **********************************************************************
                                        :point where everything listens.
and i slow down, learning how to
enter - implicate and unspoken (still) heart-of-the-world.

(Daphne Marlatt, "Coming to you")
***********************************************************************

diane celia hodges

 university of british columbia, centre for the study of curriculum and
instruction
==================== ==================== =======================
 university of colorado, denver, school of education

Diane_Hodges@ceo.cudenver.edu



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