This whole controversy

[UDUT, KENNETH]

     It would seem that American scholarship treats each case as
     individual, self-referencial, and as a closed system.

     But there are other forms of scholarship which see works as more
     global, 'other'-referencial, and as an open system.


     One seems to imply the question, "How does this writing compare,
     firstly - to itself and secondly - to other texts of the same
     nature?"

     The other seems to imply the question, "How does this text affect
     what I know about the world?  What does this text bring in from the
     outside world?  How do these things that are brought in from the
     outside world relate to what I know of the world?", etc.

     One viewpoint is more individualistic, and the other is more
     holistic.

     Of course, the first system says to the second, "Why must you drag
     all of this and that into this text?".  The second system asks to
     the first, "Can't you see how these things are related?"


     But I could be wrong :)  I'm no scholar :)


     -Kenneth
     kenneth.udut at spcorp.com