1. Any account of human development posits (often quite implicitly) some
telos, or ideal end point of development. Indeed, for the term
"development" to make any sense, there must be some idea of development
_toward something_. In outlining theories of human development we often
overlook or are silent about the assumptions we make about this issue,
but they always manifest themselves at some point or another.
2. In much of his writing Vygotsky clearly posited a telos of some sort
of abstract rationality. I take this to be a reflection of his being
socioculturally situated in a set of discussions that made strong
assumptions about this telos (Spencer, Marx, etc.). However, there are
also several indications in Vygotsky's writings that he sometimes took
at least one other telos as important in human development. In this
connection, he sometimes wrote about aesthetic reactions and the harmony
of the imagination. In the end, therefore, I argue that Vygotsky posited
different ideal endpoints of development in different areas of his
writings. This is part of what makes him complex and powerful, and it
gives us a better picture of how he conceptualized human development and
human nature.
A lot to cover and a lot to claim, I know, but I have found tracking all
this down extremely interesting.
Jim Wertsch
Department of Education
Box 1183
Washington University
One Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130-4899