Universals

[Noel Rude]

Howdy,

        Don't know exactly where you're coming from--linguistics,
neuroscience--but I take it that what you're disputing is the existence
of 'universals'.  I appreciate the cock-sure attitude, but I wonder how
I can really know that this matter has finally been laid to rest.  Our
school--as I understand it--defines universals as existing on the
functional level, as also I believe that most of us would not deny the
"existence" of propositional logic.  Ours is a "communicative theory of
language" and it is at this level that we define universals.  How
particular languages code them is another matter.

        Now I wonder--if we in the humanities or social sciences or
neurosciences or whatever think we have finally laid to rest the
millennia old debate between formalists and Platonists, then can we
assume that our softer fields are about to usurp the prestige of the
hard sciences and mathematics?

        Am just a naive by-stander here, but one always suspicious of the
utterly sure.  No offence intended.

        Cheers,

        Noel