There are times, remarkably enough, when problems do not call for
surgery, nor medicine, nor statistical verification. A place remains,
and I dare say will always remain, for poetry, literature, art, and
compassion. When I feel troubled, I would rather seek these than the
assistance of the empiricist. And at my work, I would rather offer them,
as best as I can, than pretend that multivariate analysis can explain
the dilemmas of human existence and relationship.
Paul Hamburg
Howard Eisman wrote:
> > Were I to require surgery, I would hope that the operation would be based on the
> > findings of that old nasty reductionistic empiricism. I'll bet that Dr. Hamburg
> > feels the same way. Were I to require a form of psychotherapy, should the
> > psychotherapy be based on looser standards that the surgery? Many Psychotherapists
> > would say, yes! it should. How would we feel if surgeons said the same thing.
> >
> > Howard D. Eisman, Ph.D.
> >
> > Paul Hamburg wrote:
> >
>
>> >> It is interesting to stop for a moment and speculate: would empirical
>> >> science offer us an explanation for the nastiness in its defenders that
>> >> has so obviously wounded many list members? Or would any exploration of
>> >> this interpersonal experience require recourse to precisely those
>> >> non-empirical insights that a discipline like psychoanalysis (or
>> >> literary critical theory, or philosophy) offer to any of us with some
>> >> remnant of openmindedness to receive them? It amazes me that the social
>> >> pseudo-science arguments still find advocates in the 21st century----the
>> >> cult of reductionist empiricism is as powerful as any other close-minded
>> >> belief system. Alas.
>> >>
>> >> Paul Hamburg MD
>> >> Harvard Medical School
>> >>
>> >> L Miller wrote:
>> >>
>>
>>> >>> Dr Eisman,
>>> >>>
>>> >>> There's no trick involved... nor is an ad hominem attack on you intended.
>>> >>>
>>> >>> What I am trying to communicate, as tactfully as possible, is my take on
>>> >>> your comments--that your comments about women social workers who have
>>> >>> undergone psychoanalytic training, who are supported by husbands, etc etc
>>> >>> etc are gross generalizations, and smack of misogyny, and other
>>> >>> negativeness to me. I sure don't know if there was some incident or
>>> >>> experience that stimulated these comments, maybe you could help us out with
>>> >>> that? I am curious as to the vehemence of your comments. I have not had
>>> >>> the experience that you describe and it is a mystery to me why/how you
>>> >>> would come to say the things that you have. Louise
>>
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