(Rescher in the Context of Rescher. An Answer to Lorenz Puntel)

Hans-Joachim Niemann:  Rescher im Kontext - Eine Antwort auf Lorenz B. Puntel , CONCEPTUS XXX (1997) No. 76, p. 67-98. 

Abstract: My paper "Populism in Philosophy" was a target of some harsh criticism. So I give lots of evidence (i) that the article of Nicholas Rescher I criticised was not taken out of context. A first version was initially published as an article in a philosophical journal. Then it was printed in five different collections of papers and delivered as a speech. After having revised his article several times within eight years Rescher finally enclosed it to his opus magnum, so one can regard it as being independent, important and representative. (ii) Opposing my critic I give prove that Rescher is not an objectivist as conventional wisdom has it. He characterised himself as an "anti-realist". (iii) Rescher's "scientific relativism" interpreted by my critic is based on comparing culture A which is interested in causal explanations and culture B which is not. So I have no reason to withdraw my thesis: This kind of relativism is both trivial and without any importance.  

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