[FRIAM] McCarthy v Peirce

[Nicholas Thompson]

Dear Colleagues,

Jon Z and Frank have me reading Cormac McCarthy.  I have started with his
last book, Stella Maris  (?Star of the Sea?).  It is the dialogue that each
of us has always wished we had with our psychiatrist . It is witty, often
funny, makes lots of references to Los Alamos, is always engaging, and
sometimes deep.  I am enjoying it and may have to read it a second time.

In the following lines, the patient character expresses an opinion on the
central issue of Pragmat[ic]ism.

 *Patient:] …The world you live in is shored some up by a collection of
agreements.  Is that something you think about?  The hope is that the truth
of the world somehow lies in the common experience of it.  Of course the
history of science and mathematics and even philosophy is a good bit at
odds with this notion.  Innovation and discovery by definition war against
the common understanding.  One should be wary.  What do you think? [pp
91-2]*

I am not going to comment.  I just thought you might like to have the quote
to mull over.

Nick
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