Does the sun spin around the world or does that world spin around the sun?

Somewhat useful, then . . . as a disclaimer, i don't claim to be an historian, just a student of history. That's an idle pursuit, much like philosophy. It can be useful if it leads one to avoid making mistakes that others have made in the past. I suggest, though, that that is pretty rare.

My class load is 10 hours a week and I get 5~5 1/2 months paid vacation annually. I'm going with full-on "useful."

And then there's the fact that Aristotle really sorta got the whole ball rolling with regards to empirical science. Then there's logic and the formalization of logical fallacies, which keeps science on-target and helps us out the woo-pushers.

But I'd be the first to admit that there's no paucity of in Philosophy, particularly in the last century, and particularly with Derrida. What a wankstain.

Don't flatter yourself into thinking that an aggressive pedantic old fogy like you is worth "hurting" !
You are just shooting your mouth off here and indulging in your predictable displacement activities when you are called out. On a recent ESL thread you attempted to pull rank on the basis that you have taught ESL students. The irony here is that I have taught A-level physics and mathematics, (and post graduate psychology, linguistics and philosophy) yet I do not consider such experience worthy of broadcasting when attempting to fulfill the A2K mission statement of "expert responses".
As for the anti-philosophers, I (following Rorty) have every sympathy with those of them who are familiar with the subtle points made in recent iconoclastic literature, and none with those who show ignorance of it.

It might be worth reconsidering Derrida's aporia, in the light of Hegel's dialectic, which some might argue is a basis for genetic epistemology (Piaget) or paradigm shifts in science (Kuhn).

Instead, I consider Pyrrho of Elis (as represented by Sextus Empiricus) and suspend judgement. As a result, I'm not much bothered by much. Neither am I much impressed by word-wrangling of the sort that Derrida engaged in. Feyerabend is interesting, but nevertheless dogmatic in his own way, and therefore deserving of skepticism.

Thanks for the Feyerbend reference.

Yup.

I've now scanned references to him regarding "anarchism in scientific methodology" and "eliminative materialism". At first glance, I think both can be criticized from a "social systems" viewpoint. If so, this would implicate "language" as a focal issue rather than epistemology per se, and some aspects of Derrida (obscure though he may be) may have some significance in that respect.

I haven't yet found a sound criticism of the (first-person) epistemological approach. Theists rely so heavily on circular reasoning and whatnot. The pragmatic approach works (har), and language is much less reliable than calculus, though it engages the individual much less with regards to how to live the best life possible. Linus Pauling (Vitamin C) and Einstein (rejection of QM) are sad examples of how vulnerable even the greatest scientists are as vulnerable to cognitive bias and similar pitfalls as anyone else. Better, in my experience so far, to just admit when and what you don't actually know.

Agreed...with the proviso that the word "know" has its own problems !

Got that right. A Gordian knot, that.

Wait till some guy, splitting hairs, comes here and cuts that Gordian knot with the sword of Damocles..

Could happen, but I'm not holding my breath. There are plenty of sharp cookies here at A2K, but I suspect the theists would be the quickest to object to what we've said. Only problem is, I don't know any of them who would be able to follow our obscure references. I could be proven wrong, of course, but...

Yep, I've often observed that culture is inversely proportional to faith...

You didn't get your urrent employment specifically because of philosophy, though. You got it because you have a university education and are a native speaker of English.

What a sad, hateful old bastard you are. I am reminded, by the way, of a philosophy wanker of my acquaintance who taught "A-level" astronomy, and who was completely wrong about the speed of light.

It really is a shame that you're so petty, and so worried about your statements from authority.

It would be insane for me not to mark this one!

Nurse! They're both out of bed now !

Here is Setanta at his most paradigmatic: trying to tear down this fellow's ego
and to damage his self-esteem.