dear all,
Given the periodic reoccurance of the RBS/IBG-Shell connection, i
thought the following would be of interest to members of the forum.
It comes (i believe) from the Observer of March 8, 98.
If one looks beyond the (rather cheap) humour, it raises very serious
issues which are very similar to the ones faced by many of us in the
forum. Beyond the "Hegelian" vs "Logical Positivist" labels, the
various positions certainly evoke a sense of deja vu.
I have edited this somewhat in the interests of brevity. Does anyone
have any further information on this issue?
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"Angry philosophers balk at thought of Shell"
John Vidal
Britain's leading centre for public philosophy is in moral turmoil over
a real world question: Is a State of Non-Being better than Existence
Courtesy of Shell?
The world's second biggest company is the sole sponsor of the Centre for
Philosphical Studies at King's College London. But resentment that a
corporation with a much-debated human rights record in Africa should be
able to capitalise on pure thought boiled over this week -- a group of
40 undergraduates, lecturers and post-grads has demanded that the centre
should drop Shell sponsorship next year.
The problem of what to do with Shell's #60,000 grant is tangled. All
students, says one observer, are in a state of "entzauberung", or
philosphical disenchantment, with Shell. The Kantean fundamentalists
say it is morally imperative to return the cash immediately, even if it
means the end of the centre. Hegelians and Post-Structuralists argue it
is better to take Shell's money and use it to campaign against the
comany. The centre's Logical Positivist directors argue that these
options are irrational and that the laissez-faire monetarist status quo
would be maintained.
....
But the centre has found some difficulty attracting top-line
philosophers to a forthcoming conference on ethics because of its
association with Shell.
"Without the credibility to attract suitable speakers, it is hard to
imagine how the centre hopes to fulfil any commitment to addressing
environmental and human rights issues," said one undergraduate....
No one from the university's philosphy department was prepared to
comment yesterday.
-30-
rhys evans
School For Policy Studies
U. of Bristol
Rodney Lodge
Clifton, Bristol BS8 4EA
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