Eros and Irony: A Prelude to Philosophical Anarchism

585 Pages·1983·1.36 MB·English

by  David L. Hall

Eros and Irony : A Prelude to Philosophical
title: Anarchism SUNY Series in Systematic
Philosophy
author: Hall, David L.
publisher: State University of New York Press
isbn10 | asin: 0873955862
print isbn13: 9780873955867
ebook isbn13: 9780585057705
language: English
subject Methodology, Culture.
publication date: 1982
lcc: BD241.H29 1982eb
ddc: 149
subject: Methodology, Culture.
Page i
Eros And Irony
Page ii
SUNY Series in Systematic Philosophy
Robert C. Neville, Editor
Whether systematic philosophies are intended as true pictures of the
world, as hypotheses, as the dialectic of history, or as heuristic devices
for relating rationally to a multitude of things, they each constitute
articulated ways by which experience can be ordered, and as such they
are contributions to culture. One does not have to choose between
Plato and Aristotle to appreciate that Western civilization is enriched
by the Platonic as well as Aristotelian ways of seeing things.
The term "systematic philosophy" can be applied to any philosophical
enterprise that functions with a perspective from which everything can
be addressed. Sometimes this takes the form of an attempt to spell out
the basic features of things in a system. Other times it means the
examination of a limited subject from the many angles of a context
formed by a systematic perspective. In either case systematic
philosophy takes explicit or implicit responsibility for the assessment
of its unifying perspective and for what is seen from it. The styles of
philosophy according to which systematic philosophy can be practiced
are as diverse as the achievements of the great philosophers in history,
and doubtless new styles are needed for our time.
Yet systematic philosophy has not been a popular approach during this
century of philosophical professionalism. It is the purpose of this
series to stimulate and publish new systematic works employing the
techniques and advances in philosophical reflection made during this
century. The series is committed to no philosophical school or
doctrine, nor to any limited style of systematic thinking. Whether the
systematic achievements of previous centuries can be equalled in the
twentieth depends on the emergence of forms of systematic
philosophy appropriate to our times. The current resurgence of interest
in the project deserves the cultivation it may receive from the SUNY
Series in Systematic Philosophy.
Page iii
Eros And Irony
A Prelude To Philosophical Anarchism
David L. Hall
State University of New York Press
Albany
Page iv
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
© 1982 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
For information, address State University of New York Press, State
University Plaza, Albany, N. Y., 12246
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Hall, David L.
Eros and irony.
(SUNY series in systematic philosophy)
Includes index.
1. Methodology. 2. Culture. I. Title II. Series.
BD241.H29 149 81-16579
ISBN 0-87395-585-4 AACR2
ISBN 0-87395-586-2 (pbk.)
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Page v
For my mother, Julia
Page vii
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Prelude: What Anarchy Isn't xi
Part One The Archaeology of Theory
1. The Cultural Sensorium 3
2. Utopia and Utility 43
3. The Myth of Consensus 73
Part Two The Irony of Eros
4. The Ambiguity of Order 113
5. The Metaphoric Muse 149
6. From Otherness to Emptiness 183
7. Eros Descending 211
Notes 253
Index 263
Page ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have not always enjoyed the discipline of writing. The fact that I did
so in the preparation of this work is largely because of the solicitation
of a number of individuals who helped to sustain my enthusiasm and
commitment. Robert Neville, editor of this series in systematic
philosophy, has both explicitly and by example challenged me to re-
think many of the issues central to this book. His own works in
systematic philosophy have set the standard which all others who wish
to perform that activity must strive to meet. I am grateful to Roger
Ames and Wu Kuang-ming who, from their quite different
perspectives, gave me some assurance that my understanding of
philosophic Taoism is not altogether beside the mark. I am, of course,
solely responsible for the manner in which I have employed that
sensibility. Donald Crosby and Eliot Deutsch read the work in
manuscript and provided forthright criticisms which enabled me to
make some final improvements in the text. The University of Texas at
El paso Faculty Development Fund and University Research Institute
gave material assistance in meeting the expenses associated with
travel, research and manuscript preparation. I am especially pleased to
express my gratitude to Diana Natalicio, Dean of the College of
Liberal Arts at my institution, whose sensitive and imaginative
administration helped to provide the sort of academic environment
conducive to sustained intellectual endeavor. I am particularly
indebted to students in my Plato seminar and Chinese Philosophy
classes who helped me in the formulation and refinement of many of
the ideas contained in this book. Finally, I must give special thanks to
Debra Tischler. Without her I doubtless would have written a book,
but certainly not this one. For it is from her that I learned of the
profounder dimensions of eros. And of its many ironies as well.
DAVID L. HALL
HONOLULU, HAWAII
OCTOBER, 1981