POSTPOSITIVISM AND THE LOGIC OF THE AVANT‐GARDE

The purpose of this article is to explore the conditions under which the postpositivist interest in rewriting or reinterpreting history could operate legitimately from a historical point of view. The first part of the article outlines and explains some of the key thematic elements of historical postpositivism. The second proceeds to investigate how these elements can be configured and related to each other within Arthur Danto's influential account of the development of contemporary art, and especially the avant‐garde. The intention is to acquire a sense of the working dynamics of postpositivist thought, so as to better understand its possible implications for the writing of history. In the concluding section an argument is proposed to the effect that, although the postpositivist interest in the rewriting of history can in principle be admitted as entirely legitimate, its legitimacy depends on introducing some substantive constraints on content, in addition to the formal considerations that postpositivist discourse generally tends to favor. It is further suggested that this constraint should take the form of a requirement on historical literacy whose meaning is, finally, elucidated by drawing a contrast with historical common sense.     

Toward redesigning national health systems

Four recent books on myth, like myth itself, range well beyond anthropology. One is a précis that defines myth as both ubiquitous and ultimately insoluble, regardless of one's disciplinary tools. It uses a single myth, that of Adonis, to show how interpretation can swing wildly from theory to theory. Giving us vertigo atop its intricate scaffolding of technical devices, a second book wrangles with creation myths as it ascends to a stellar interpretation of the biblical flood. The third and fourth books, with Job-like patience, take it upon themselves to thoroughly address all the points lightly aired in the first book.     

MATERIAL CULTURE and CHRONOLOGY of the MIDDLE NEOLITHIC of WESTERN FRANCE

Summary: The article is meant to update the sequence of the various 'cultural groups'making up the Middle Neolithic of the French west coast, and sets out a few definitions of the ceramic sets on which the periodization is based, between Normandy and Gironde, from 5500 BP to 4600 BP (4400-3400 BC Cal.).     

HYPOTHESES,GENERALIZATIONS, AND CONVERGENCE: SOME PEIRCEAN THEMES IN THE STUDY OF HISTORY

This essay examines the relationship among some key elements of Charles Sanders Peirce's general theory of scientific inquiry (such as final causality, real possibility, methodological convergence, abductive reasoning, hypothesis formation, and diagrammatic idealization) and some prominent issues discussed in the current philosophy of history, especially those pertaining to the role of generalizations in historical explanation. The claim is that, appropriately construed, Peirce's recommendations with respect to rational inquiry in general can provide a reasonable basis for formulating a productive critical method for a responsible philosophy of history. The essay further seeks to reduce the tension between Peirce's interest in epistemic convergence and the arguments that champion the value of historical distance and perspectival pluralism. On the account offered, the kind of methodological convergence envisioned by Peirce need not conflict necessarily with a responsibly construed historical pluralism. On the other hand, the critical perspective of an epistemically disciplined philosophical inquiry may prove indispensable in weeding out wishful but unrealistic ideological perspectives from the writing of history. Hence, the resulting proposal envisions the critique of historical imagination as one potentially viable modality for the pragmatist philosophy of history.     

LES NTIC ET LE DÉVELOPPEMENT DES RÉGIONS: UNE RÉFLEXION À POURSUIVRE

Les nouvelles technologies de l'information et de la communication (NTIC) touchent de plus en plus de gens dans leur quotidien. Quel effet leur déploiement a-t-il sur le développement des régions? Dans la mesure où ces technologies se diffusent rapidement, elles offrent de nouvelles possibilités aux acteurs régionaux, mais elles apportent aussi de nouvelles contraintes. Sont-elles universellement accessibles? Permettent-elles une stimulation de l'activitééconomique?À quelles conditions rendent-elles le secteur public plus dynamique? La production des contenus apparaît comme un enjeu de taille pour les régions. Cette production repose sur des expertises qu'il est stratégique d'ancrer dans les territoires. New information and communication technologies are spreading rapidly. What is their impact on regional development? They provide new opportunities, but also bring new constraints. Is access to these technologies wide? Do they have a multiplying effect on economic activities? Can they upgrade the delivery of public services? Being able to feed the webs with original content appears to be one of the major challenges for regional agents. Territorial anchoring of the specific knowledge developed in the regions is strategic in meeting this challenge.     

4. NEOLIBERALISM THROUGH FOUCAULT'S EYES

Michael Foucault's 1979 lectures at the Collège de France on the birth of biopolitics are increasingly read as the most lucid introduction to neoliberal policies. This article invites us to be cautious about such claims by exploring one rather obvious point: these lectures also—and perhaps most important—reflect Foucault's very distinctive and contemporary preoccupations. In 1978, Foucault wrote and thought about three topics that were, in his view, crucial: the idea of “critique” and the influence of Kant; Foucault's project for an “analytical philosophy of politics”; and the crisis of disciplinary society, notably as it related to sexuality. This paper shows that these preoccupations had a profound impact on Foucault's interest in neoliberalism. As a result, the interpretation of the neoliberal revolution proposed in these brilliant lectures is, if not idiosyncratic, at the very least highly partial.