various

Mike Cole (mcole who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu)
Tue, 29 Dec 1998 14:55:18 -0800 (PST)

er Veer and Valsiner *Vygotsky Reader*. I'll leave it
to those confident that they know the truth of the real history to tell us how
it really was. My reading is summarized in *Cultural Psychology*.ot translated at present.

Concerning evolving triangles. This topic invites confusion on lots of grounds.
In the first article LSV published in English on the cultural development of the
child he used A-X-B (in triangular form). In tool and symbol he used both S-X-R
and other symbols depending upon the particular relationship.

As I have written elsewhee, in the 1960's when I first encountered these formulations
I interpreted LSV as a variant of the then-popular S_R mediation paradigm derived
from American behaviorism. I believe this was a bad mis-reading. If folks want
to pursue this topic, I believe it needs to be done with reference to common
texts, page numbers, etc. Otherwise we will get caught in a tangle non-common
referents FOR SURE (we probably would anyway!).

Of one thing I am pretty sure. LSV never assumed a passive subject. But,
neither did Skinner and look what history has done to/for him!

Could there be a division of labor here if the project is to be pursued? Or
some mechanisms for assembling some common texts that could be made commonly
available?

Edouard. In an article by Clyde Kluckhohn on ritual from the 1920's I found
this quotation from Kenneth Burke, currently one of the voices in socio-
cultural-historical discourse. Seems relevant to your point about fear.

Human beings build their cultures, nervously locquacious, upon the edge
of an abyss.

mike
PS- Sorry if this sounds gloomy, Eva. It must be the relentless Southern
California sunshine that is driving my mood. :-)