Practising Theory in the Anthropocene A Postcolonial Quest for Reliable Knowledge

Economic & Political Weekly, Vol lII, No 14, 2017

3 Pages Posted: 7 Jun 2017 Last revised: 16 Jun 2017

See all articles by Sudhir Chella Rajan

Sudhir Chella Rajan

Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Date Written: April 8, 2017

Abstract

Why resort to theory at all? William James has an answer which is helpful: "theories are instruments and hooks to interpretation, not answers to enigmas, in which we can rest… Pragmatism unstiffens all our theories, limbers them up and sets each one at work." (James 1907).

Our best guess is that allowing for pluralism, eclecticism, "making do" with the materials we find, and sharing them widely in conversation might actually give us productive results. At least, we can all claim as our common legacy a vast stock of conversational knowledge since antiquity. If nothing else, it sets up a form of democratic practice, which can at least give us the reassurance of having tried.

Keywords: Anthropocene, theory, Latour, William James

Suggested Citation

Rajan, Sudhir Chella, Practising Theory in the Anthropocene A Postcolonial Quest for Reliable Knowledge (April 8, 2017). Economic & Political Weekly, Vol lII, No 14, 2017, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2982279

Sudhir Chella Rajan (Contact Author)

Indian Institute of Technology Madras ( email )

Sardar Patel Road
Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600036
India

HOME PAGE: http://www.iitm.ac.in

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