------------ Forwarded Message ------------
Date: 29 November 2006 08:47 +0000
From: "A.D.M.Rayner" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc: "A.D.M.Rayner" <[log in to unmask]>, Jack Whitehead
<[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: your clarity and natural selection!
Dear Brian,
That's good to hear!
Given the suppressive influence of peer review and commercial interest,
there are relatively few 'formal' publications 'out there' regarding my
critique of natural selection theory. Also, I keep finding new angles of
approach, such as likening selection theory to a theory of degenerative
de-evolution or cancerous vampirism (whereupon I have to restrain my
language for some audiences!).
Probably the most significant, citable publication is my paper in
Philosophica 73 (2004) 51-70 (attached). This includes reference to some of
my earlier works, including the book 'Degrees of Freedom - Living in Dynamic
Boundaries' (Imperial College Press, 1997), where I first spoke about
'Selection Vacuum' and 'Evolutionary Playtime', which I these days speak of
inclusionally in terms of inductive influence (receptivity/natural
inclusion) and creative possibility within a dynamic, space-including,
non-Euclidean natural geometry of 'nested holeyness' or 'natural fluid
dynamic neighbourhood'.
A lot of my work can be found at http://people.bath.ac.uk/bssadmr, and I
have also been working on two books. The first of these, 'Inclusional
Nature: Bringing Life and Love to Science' is not 'properly published', but
is available free of charge on CD for anyone who asks me for a copy (I am
also happy for anyone to copy and distribute it to others who may be
interested). Let me know if you would like a copy, along with a note of your
mailing address. A copy of the introductory 'chapters' is attached. The
second book, based on my 'Life, Environment and People' course is about 80 %
complete (but I currently have no commercial publisher in sight - no-one as
yet seems to think the dissolution of Darwinism and the grounds for human
conflict is likely to 'sell', especially given my abstruse use of language
and lack of a famous name...). A copy of the key chapter on 'Evolutionary
Creativity' is attached. You may find some of this uncomfortable reading,
but I really do think it has the potential to 'heal the splits' that have
provided the unnecessary grounds for human conflict via the abstract logic
of opposition.
Many thanks for your interest!
Warmest
Alan
PS Would you mind forwarding this to the BERA list, as messages written on
my home computer get rejected by the listserver? Thanks.
----- Original Message -----
From: Brian wakeman <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 28 November 2006 21:16
Subject: Re: your clarity and natural selection!
> Hi Alan,
>
>
> As usual I have enjoyed your clarity and touches of
> humour!
>
> Could you direct me to your thinking about a critique
> of natural selection?
>
> Regards
>
>
> Brian
> --- Alan Rayner <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > Dear Yaqub,
> >
> > Yes, as you may imagine, in many ways I warm to this
> > theme too. It is
> > consistent with my critique of natural selection in
> > particular and
> > rationalism in general as 'concrete
> > block-headedness' with a cancerous
> > potential (natural selection and associated selfish
> > gene theory is an
> > excellent model for cancerous degeneration, but not
> > for evolutionary
> > co-creativity).
> >
> > As you also might expect me to say, I have two
> > issues with regard to the
> > possibility of enhancing the influence (not
> > spreading it like a cancer) of
> > the awareness you are expressing. One concerns the
> > use of 'anti', as in
> > 'anti-racist'. Antiness tends as you know to up the
> > antiness in vicious
> > circles rather than bring about transformation.
> > Personally I would describe
> > myself (hopefully) as non-racist, non-selectionist,
> > non-Darwinian,
> > non-white/light supremacist, non-perfectionist,
> > which means that I cannot
> > accept the premises of those ways of thinking, even
> > though I may understand
> > the human fear and associated desire (for absolute
> > freedom/security)from
> > which they arise. Non-acceptance, however, is not
> > (though it may be
> > perceived to be, from a rationalistic standpoint)
> > the same as absolute
> > rejection (absolute rejection is a product of
> > fearful rationalism, not
> > receptive-responsive inclusionality). It always
> > holds out the possibility
> > for acceptance once violating definition has been
> > lovingly (mindful of its
> > fearful and desirous foundation)loosened or
> > punctured (if needs be,
> > painfully). It implies a receptivity, which can only
> > be fulfilled when it
> > is itself acknowledged rather than abused (it's not
> > too life-affirming to
> > be receptive to cancerous potential!). It is a
> > receptivity which is
> > 'unconditional yet provisional' as in the following
> > lines from one of my
> > 'poems':
> >
> >
> > So, if you try to close me in
> > Or close me out
> > In your Manly human quest for Godly immortality
> > I cannot love you as you stir within my womb
> >
> >
> > The second issue does indeed concern the use of
> > 'whiteness'. Personally I
> > think there should be no problem with this as long
> > as it is used to imply
> > 'a frame of mind' ('Light supremacy'/'concrete
> > blockheadedness'!)
> > historically and culturally associated with
> > white-skinned people, but not
> > necessarily a (genetically determined)
> > characteristic of white-skinned
> > people per se. So there is a need (as you generally
> > do) to make this
> > intended usage abundantly clear if it is not to be
> > interpreted as
> > 'anti-racist racism'.
> >
> >
> > I say all this as ever in a spirit of neighbourhood,
> > not telling you or
> > anyone else how to suck eggs, dear granny.
> >
> >
> > Warmest
> >
> >
> > Alan
> >
> >
> > --On 28 November 2006 00:50 +0000 Paul Murray
> > <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > For our sake and for those of generations to come,
> > women must play a
> > > central role in articulating a vision for an
> > evolved society in which the
> > > ugly remnants of racialized inhumanity and
> > barbarism are finally
> > > discarded. In doing so, Americans should not
> > strive for the delusive
> > > "melting pot" but for a coexistence in which human
> > beings are recognized
> > > for our experiences, character, skills, talent and
> > cultural/ethnic
> > > backgrounds -- Excerpt from Erasing Whiteness, The
> > Nation,
> > > http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060403/talvi
> > Retrieved 27/11/06
> > >
> > > I warm to this theme. It carries hope for the
> > future of humanity in
> > > difficult times. My scholarship and my practice
> > of freedom focused
> > > teaching have been influenced in the past few
> > years by my deepening
> > > appreciation of the political and philosophical
> > projects of Hannah
> > > Arendt. I embrace Arendt's thinking that the
> > unique horror of
> > > totalitarianism is in creating a system in which
> > "all men have become
> > > equally superfluous". I imagine that as you read
> > this you will, like me,
> > > become acutely aware of a personal discomfort as
> > you frame a question --
> > > how do I remain complicit with totalitarian
> > regimes as an educator? I
> > > really love the way Patricia Hill-Collins the
> > Black Feminist writes about
> > > that moment when she realized that she had two
> > choices -- to teach the
> > > status quo or teach for change. I'm sure each of
> > us will have wrestled
> > > with the consequences of such choices for
> > ourselves and our students. Of
> > > course I am bound to be interested in discursive
> > practices, language,
> > > words and 'moves' that are totalitarian because
> > they seek to, or have the
> > > consequence of, reducing people to superfluity. I
> > have chosen to give my
> > > life as an educator to the pursuit of those
> > practices that seek to affirm
> > > the unique existent (Caverrero, 2000) not reduce
> > the unique person to
> > > superfluity.
> > >
> > > In this way my teaching practice is guided by a
> > revolutionary standard of
> > > judgment that I hold in my political activism as
> > an anti-racist. I
> > > consciously bring my teaching practice and my
> > political social practice
> > > together in an action aimed at undermining the
> > terror of totalitarian
> > > regimes of thought, practice and 'deed' in
> > contemporary British society.
> > > According to Villa (1999, Philosophy, Politics,
> > Terror: Essays on the
> > > thought of Hannah Arendt) Arendt was moved by a
> > fear of a future world in
> > > which human dignity no longer exists, in which
> > 'masses of people are
> > > continuously rendered superfluous'. (p.13). I feel
> > and live within
> > > Arendt's fear. Today in the 'here and now' world,
> > I am acutely aware
> > > that whiteness as privilege and as hate is an
> > example of a totalitarian
> > > regime that contributes to the superfluity of
> > people of colour, and other
> > > less than centered human beings, too.
> > >
> > > It is for this reason that I am campaigning to
> > have 'Critical Whiteness
> > > Theory' included in teacher education curricula at
> > all levels. At my
> > > transfer seminar for progression to PhD write up,
> > I was asked by a
> > > professor of the education faculty -- 'and if you
> > were asked to envisage
> > > the extra mile that you could go beyond your
> > doctoral thesis what it
> > > might it be' -- I didn't have it in me to respond.
> > Now I know: my extra
> > > mile is to influence the social formation of
> > teacher training, which in
> > > the UK is devoid of a critical appraisal of
> > whiteness theory, and as such
> > > remains implicitly raced. For this reason alone
> > I'd imagine that
> > > colleagues in this BERA list would be concerned,
> > as was Susie Goff, to
> > > include within our riff-like postings a critical
> > focus on whiteness as
> > > privilege, and critical whiteness theory. To
> > expose the implications of
> > > whiteness as privilege and hate does not seem to
> > be a racist enterprise
> >
> === message truncated ===
>
>
> Brian E. Wakeman
> Education adviser
> Dunstable
> Beds
>
>
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