Re: Patriarchy: Re: What Matriarchy?

William Edward Woody (woody@alumni.caltech.edu)
Sat, 03 Aug 1996 12:49:32 -0700

In article <32028668.2C7D@byu.edu>, Shannon Adams <shannon_adams@byu.edu> wrote:
> Bryant wrote:
> > Please explain (or "deconstruct" or whatever) how each of the following are
> > expressions of political or social bias:
> >
> > 1. E=mc^2
> >
> > 2. Newton's second law
> >
> > 3. the identification by Francis and Crick of the structure of DNA
> >
> > 4. the identification of medicinal alkaloids in plant tissues
> >
> > 5. Cell theory
> >
> > Bryant
>
>
> All of these are example of the Western cultural context. Some
> assumptions of this context are :
>
> 1. The natural world (I think it might be more appropriate to say
> *universe*) follows laws.
>
> 2. These laws can be discovered and explained through obversation.

*sniff*

While this is certainly true (and Logical Positivism is certainly
a Western construct, not an Eastern one), you can certainly do better
than this.

Hint: the first two theories come from the male need for dominating
the universe, and the last three come from the male need to dominate
and control life on the planet. Secondly, if you examine the history
behind the discovery of the first theory above, you can trace
many of the historical elements which also lead to World War II.
And the second theory is so tied up with the church that it is
arguably impossible to separate from events that lead to church
repression of independant thought.

Oh man, with a dictionary, an encyclopedia, and a good history book
and a little bit of imagination, you can argue that *everything* has
polistical and/or social bias! You can also argue that *everything*
has inherent gender bias and/or is the instrument of minority repression!

Just use your imagination.

- Bill

Who still thinks though that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar....

-- 

William Edward Woody  |  e-mail: woody@alumni.cco.caltech.edu

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