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percy-l - RE: [percy-l] Kramer's new book

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Subject: Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion on Walker Percy

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  • From: Robert Eckert <rgeckert AT yahoo.com>
  • To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion" <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [percy-l] Kramer's new book
  • Date: Sat, 25 Jun 2005 21:33:01 -0700 (PDT)

His use of Peirce's ontology is where he is often gotten wrong.
 
"A Semiotic Primer of the Self" in _Lost in the Cosmos_ is a good introduction.
 
As to why, the subject matter of metaphysics is difficult so any description of it is necessarily going to be difficult.
 
Robert Eckert 

Bryon McLaughlin <BMclaughlin AT nazarene.org> wrote:
If Percy is often "gotten wrong," can someone on the list explain what areas is often gotten wrong, and possibly more importantly, WHY? Why is he gotten wrong? Is it that he is hard to understand, that he was at time cryptic? Why? Thanks.

________________________________

From: percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org on behalf of Robert_Pauley AT oxy.com
Sent: Fri 6/24/2005 5:26 PM
To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: RE: [percy-l] Kramer's new book


"However, to me he gets Percy quite wrong."

Everybody does. Percy is the most "gotten wrong" writer in American letters. With the exception of this fine list, of course.

-----Original Message-----
From: percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Robert Eckert
Sent: Friday, June 24, 2005 8:01 AM
To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [percy-l] Kramer's new book


Dear List,

Peter Kramer, the author of _Listening to Prozac_, recently published _Against Depression_.

The last chapter of _LP_ is "The Message in the Capsule" and deal extensively with Percy. Kramer corresponded with Percy at some point.

However, to me he gets Percy quite wrong.

On p.265 of _AG_ Kramer writes:

"...Percy's position blurs distinctions we might want to make. It overstates the case only slightly to say that for Percy, there is no difference between treating epilepsy and treating
alienation. Both are best approached via faith and revelation, not technology."

It amazes me that Kramer could have read Percy's nonfiction, which he states he has (e-mail), and miss Percy's use of the Dyadic/Triadic distinction, especially:

"I can even visualize the hospital of the future in which the first signs the patient sees in the corridor do not read INTERNAL MEDICINE, SURGERY, OB-GYN, DERMATOLOGY, PSYCHIATRY UPSTAIRS, but rather two big signs just inside the front door, one pointing left, one right (I won't say which is which), but one reading DYADIC DISORDERS; the other, TRIADIC DISORDERS."

To Percy, the distinction is so profound that he feels the very architecture of the hospitals of the future could be based upon it!

It is a shame that Kramer has broadly disseminated such a profound and fundamental misreading of Percy's work.

Robert Eckert
Rochester, New York



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