adversarial discourse vs. communication

Angel M.Y. Lin (mylin who-is-at oise.on.ca)
Thu, 23 Nov 1995 15:50:28 -0500 (EST)

I resonate with Genevieve's feeling that an adversarial premise does not
help progress in thoery and thought... e.g., I had been in courses
where some students just wouldn't let one another finish their sentence,
and so much self-pride and "face" have been involved such that it's not
any easy atmosphere for sincere communication and respectful disagreement...

However, I think there can be a difference between genuine respectful
disagreement and working to improve what one finds to be inadequacies in
current theories on the one hand, and doing something that looks like
this but with a focus on "fame and face" on the other... it's difficult
sometimes to tell which is which... but I think the key difference
perhaps is a willingness to be self-critical and to listen to others'
very different pespectives even when that means putting one's own ideas
under very critical scrutiny... this is more easily said than done
though, but no harm trying!

Happy Thanksgiving for those of you in the States!
(It's a grey gloomy cold winter day in Toronto!)

Best,
Angel

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Angel M.Y. Lin
Doctoral Candidate
Modern Language Centre
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
252 Bloor St. W., Toronto, ON M5S 1V6, Canada
E-Mail: MYLIN who-is-at OISE.ON.CA
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Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When ... we stand face to face in the cyber space? ...
--Adapted from: The Ballad of East and West, Rudyard Kipling
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