“This point may seem trivial, or unnecessarily sophistic. But if it is allowed to develop, it changes the entire conceptual order of modernity. That is my claim.”
I almost burst out laughing when I read this hyperbolic statement. How wonderful it must be to think one is ‘changing the entire conceptual order of modernity’, especially when all that is required is to swap a few words around. Then just allow it to develop. Right.
Who is this quote attributed to?
oh, to give that away wouldn’t be cricket….
Mainly because I feel like a bad journalist quoting someone out of context. My impression is that the argument of the essay is very well developed and it didn’t need this sort of slap-stick scholarly grand-standing about ‘modernity’.
I use the essay in my lecture introducing the seminar for this week. When my employer gives me access to the online part of the course (so I can upload the lecture for the students) then I’ll also post it here too.