Re: impenetrable communities

From: Molly Freeman (mollyfreeman@telis.org)
Date: Fri Jan 18 2002 - 13:05:41 PST


My experience with the 'concept of community' is rooted in courses from
Robert Nisbet..........many years ago. You may find one of his books
useful in this regard: The Social Philosophers: Community and Conflict
in Western Thought (1973). Thomas Y. Crowell Company, Inc. New York.

Molly

Cunningham, Donald wrote:

>After reading some of the recommended articles on community, I am beginning
>to feel a little like Alice in "Through the Looking Glass". I hope we are
>paying the word "community" a little extra.................djc
>
>***************************************
>`When _I_ use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, `it
>means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.'
>
>`The question is,' said Alice, `whether you CAN make words mean so many
>different things.'
>
>`The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, `which is to be master - - that's
>all.'
>
>Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute Humpty Dumpty
>began again. `They've a temper, some of them -- particularly verbs, they're
>the proudest -- adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs --
>however, _I_ can manage the whole of them! Impenetrability! That's what _I_
>say!'
>
>`Would you tell me, please,' said Alice `what that means?`
>
>`Now you talk like a reasonable child,' said Humpty Dumpty, looking very
>much pleased. `I meant by "impenetrability" that we've had enough of that
>subject, and it would be just as well if you'd mention what you mean to do
>next, as I suppose you don't mean to stop here all the rest of your life.'
>
>`That's a great deal to make one word mean,' Alice said in a thoughtful
>tone.
>
>`When I make a word do a lot of work like that,' said Humpty Dumpty, `I
>always pay it extra.'
>
>`Oh!' said Alice. She was too much puzzled to make any other remark.
>
>
>



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