MiT--a "flawed" work??

[John Raymaker]

Dave Oyler recently wrote on this site that MiT is  "flawed". Rather,  I would say that it is a seminal, exploratory, unfinished work which provides for SPECIALIZED forms of exploration that compllement and are to be wedded to the generalized  implications developed in Insight. One might argue that Lonergan's publications after MiT justify the claim that I am here making. We should avoid shooting ourselves in the foot, John

[David Bibby]

Dear John,

I agree with your sentiment, and I would add what Lonergan himself had to say about his method in his introduction to MiT:

"In general, what we shall have to say, is to be taken as a model. By a model is not meant something to be copied or imitated... It is simply an intelligible, interlocking set of terms and relations that it may be well to have about when it comes to describing reality or to forming hypotheses..."

He goes on to say:

"However, I do not think I am offering merely models. On the contrary, I hope readers will find more than mere models in what I shall say. But it is up to them to find it..."

I think this indicates the novelty of his approach - he offers an invitation to accompany him on an exploratory journey of the interior structure of the human mind, not as an uncharted territory, but a region we are intimately familiar, though not necessarily conversant, with.

Best wishes,

David

On Saturday, 24 January 2026 at 07:54:17 GMT, 'John Raymaker' via Lonergan_L <loner...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Dave Oyler recently wrote on this site that MiT is  "flawed". Rather,  I would say that it is a seminal, exploratory, unfinished work which provides for SPECIALIZED forms of exploration that compllement and are to be wedded to the generalized  implications developed in Insight. One might argue that Lonergan's publications after MiT justify the claim that I am here making. We should avoid shooting ourselves in the foot, John

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Lonergan_L" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to lonergan_l+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/lonergan_l/1584517332.1461582.1769241223153%40mail.yahoo.com.

[re...@yahoo.com]

I amnot denying that. Perhaps i shoild have said the two chapters on history may benefit from a critical appraisal in light of the. Discussion of history inTopics in Education. Make up your own mind.

Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/lonergan_l/61481828.6877433.1769363798953%40mail.yahoo.com.

[PIERRE WHALON]

It was Phil who pointed out the flaws in MiT. L wrote it sub specie æternitatis. Nevertheless it is also a masterpiece.

Bach didn’t finish the Art of the Fugue. Doesn’t mean it’s not a masterpiece…

Pierre

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/lonergan_l/17752142.4072929.1769376535103%40mail.yahoo.com.

[re...@yahoo.com]

Thank you for the clarity Pierre. So where should the gist of the two chapters on history go? In the future work "Method in History". Just a suggestion.

Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/lonergan_l/8E34D682-772B-47D5-9483-34A2CAF758BC%40aol.com.

[PIERRE WHALON]

Who’s that writing?

Pierre

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/lonergan_l/787804193.4619092.1769524134235%40mail.yahoo.com.

[re...@yahoo.com]

Dave Oyler

Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer

On Tue, Jan 27, 2026 at 8:41 AM, 'PIERRE WHALON' via Lonergan_L

<loner...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/lonergan_l/02F0EB8F-A018-436F-85FB-D4756A718A10%40aol.com.

[PIERRE WHALON]

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the ID!

As for the history chapters of MiT, someone could rewrite them. That’s what Phil McShane said. He didn’t like the chapter on communications. either.

Pierre

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/lonergan_l/1414067800.4658228.1769529708761%40mail.yahoo.com.