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Author props up a straw nihilism so restrictive such that, if one held it, one would never communicate that fact (or anything else) to anyone. Author is then s
by thebooktocome 5y ago
Author props up a straw nihilism so restrictive such that, if one held it, one would never communicate that fact (or anything else) to anyone.
Author is then surprised that it has no proponents among academics.
The reference to uncanniness is also kind of strange. That has a pretty specific meaning in philosophy (starting with Freud) which doesn't seem to apply here.
Oh, well. The rest of the book might be an interesting read.
- floe 5y agoI think the target audience is 'people who believe that they have to believe the strawman', if that makes sense. Pointing out that certain statements are self-defeating and (by definition) have no proponents can help someone escape a dangerous psychological process ('stance'). As a personal example, when I deconverted from evangelical Christianity, I was disturbed for a long time by the idea that I now had no reason to act morally. Even though that's obviously self-defeating (being disturbed was in itself a sign of morality), I didn't realize that for quite some time.