Re: Beethoven's 5th Symphony

From: Matthew Fields (spam_at_uce.gov)
Date: 02/06/05 

Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2005 23:29:31 GMT

In article <cu3mmm$fe0$1@ctb-nnrp2.saix.net>,
Peter H.M. Brooks <peter@new.co.za> wrote:
>Uncle Al wrote:
>> "Peter H.M. Brooks" wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Aesthetics is still an important study carried out by clever, erudite
>>>and well informed people.
>>
>>
>> Nonsense. It is nothing deeper than cultural bias.
> >
>If you are a relativist (and, maybe a post-modernist) then that is fine
>for you.

One can be an aesthetic relativist without being anything like a factual
relativist or a post-modernist.

> You are forced, by your position, though to accept that I too
>have an alternative reality, just as valid as yours. In mine sound
>aesthetic judgement is important, valid, real, on the button and so forth.

This is nonsense based on the mistaken notion that aesthetic
relativism entails factual relativism. Beauty is not a form of truth,
no matter how many ways you try to argue from the mistaken assumption
to the contrary. I regret to report that your arguments have amounted
to exactly the bull*** you'ved accused others of making. 

-- 
        Matthew H. Fields http://personal.www.umich.edu/~fields
                         Music: Splendor in Sound
To be great, do things better and better. Don't wait for talent: no such thing.
    Brights have a naturalistic world-view. http://www.the-brights.net/