[Xmca-l] The Learning Sciences in the era of U.S. Nationalism

[mike cole]

In following  the perezhivanie thread I encountered the note I re-membered.
And interestingly mis-remembered. A translation into my focus on
mediational means. He places the starting point of the process of
transformative action at the emergence of quasi-needs (from Kurt Lewin).
That seems correct to me. The new mediational means emerge under
environmental presses. Ever functionalist ego need a goal(!). (The problem
with functionalism)
In David's words,

Perhaps the place we should look for "exaptations" that can save both our
personalities and our environment is not in our evolved needs, but in yet
to be designed quasi-needs. Artificial organs, after all, always suggest
new and ever more artificial functions, like chess and language.

This point seems worth keeping in mind as we look at where this group of
critical scholars who work within the Learning Sciences disciplinary
framework would like to lead us.

mike