The Culture of Abstraction Export

@article{citeulike:3056661, abstract = {Focusing especially on Science and the Modern World, this article explores Whitehead's understanding of the social contexts and repercussions of mathematical and scientific abstraction. It investigates his remarks on the need to offset pernicious practices of abstraction in the context of a renewed concern with the link between conceptuality and materiality in social theory. Whitehead's inquiry into the problematic legacy of Galileo and scientific materialism is then contrasted with a different diagnosis of the abstractive maladies of modern society, the one put forward under the Marxist rubric of `real abstraction'. While both stances allow us to explore the social repercussions of abstractive practices, it is argued that an understanding of the practically abstract character of capitalism permits us to identify the limits of Whitehead's pedagogical wish to reform our culture of abstraction. 10.1177/0263276408091983}, author = {Toscano, Alberto}, citeulike-article-id = {3056661}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0263276408091983}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://tcs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/25/4/57}, day = {1}, doi = {10.1177/0263276408091983}, journal = {Theory Culture Society}, keywords = {abstraction, cultural\_criticism, culture, modernity, postmodern, toscana, whitehead}, month = {July}, number = {4}, pages = {57--75}, posted-at = {2008-07-29 13:29:46}, priority = {1}, title = {The Culture of Abstraction}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0263276408091983}, volume = {25}, year = {2008} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:3056661 L3 - citeulike-article-id:3056661 N2 - Focusing especially on Science and the Modern World, this article explores Whitehead's understanding of the social contexts and repercussions of mathematical and scientific abstraction. It investigates his remarks on the need to offset pernicious practices of abstraction in the context of a renewed concern with the link between conceptuality and materiality in social theory. Whitehead's inquiry into the problematic legacy of Galileo and scientific materialism is then contrasted with a different diagnosis of the abstractive maladies of modern society, the one put forward under the Marxist rubric of `real abstraction'. While both stances allow us to explore the social repercussions of abstractive practices, it is argued that an understanding of the practically abstract character of capitalism permits us to identify the limits of Whitehead's pedagogical wish to reform our culture of abstraction. 10.1177/0263276408091983 IS - 4 JF - Theory Culture Society EP - 75 TI - The Culture of Abstraction VL - 25 SP - 57 KW - abstraction KW - cultural_criticism KW - culture KW - modernity KW - postmodern KW - toscana KW - whitehead AU - Toscano, Alberto PY - 2008/07/01/ UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0263276408091983 ER -