sociogensis continued

Mike Cole (mcole who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu)
Wed, 14 Jul 1999 17:06:55 -0700 (PDT)

Thanks Nate, David, et al for the continuing, enlightening, and difficult
discussion. It is especially helpful, David, that you have put out
on xmca the page I was pouring over yesterday.

I want to flag a problem. There is dramatic non-linearity in the
citations of Vygotsky being used by everyone. Here is an example

Thus as Vygotsky
(1979) himself put it, "the social dimension of
consciousness is primary in time and in fact.
The individual dimension of consciousness
is derivative and secondary" (p. 30).

Vygotsky, 1979, is from the talk that LSV gave in 1924 that got
Luria all interested in him. It preceeds the articulation of cultural-
historical psychology.

Nate has been citing the Psychology of Art. A fascinating book. Also
very early, most of it pre-Moscow. Once upon a time we had a discussion
of his overall view of base and superstructre in the opening essay which,
if I recall (its been a while) is out of Plekhanov and has been the
subject of a ton of criticism.

I am NOT arguing for a "correct interpretation" but I am concerned that
there is a lot of quote choosing from different phases in Vygotsky's
thinking which add confusion to an already-difficult interpretive
task.

more to come
mike