freedom & responsibility (2)

From: Diane Hodges (dhodges@ceo.cudenver.edu)
Date: Fri Sep 08 2000 - 19:36:01 PDT


i wrote -
>i think the problem is what we all mean by "freedom" and
>"responsibility"... -
>freedom can mean so many things - nate, you don't say anything about
>responsibility.
>where does responsibility fit in your scheme of freedom?
>diane

and am now, ha ha, responding to myself, i guess, rather, what i meant to
say, or what i mean here is that i agree with you nate, that
freedom-internalization-consciousness are implicated in kinds of political
systems - but i also agree with alfred, that freedom and responsibility
are "qualities" that can be cultivated, not transcendent ways of "being"
(a la sartre sense of the words)
but as specifically material activities, social practices, active ways of
re-thinking the ways we behave as social people in a context where these
are, yes, highly politicized throughout the kinds of historical structures
that manifest in our speech and behaviour,
judgements, assumptions, misinterpretations, and so on -

i do think it's more interesting to consider the ways freedom and
responsibility operate here,
and that consciousness implies nothing of quality,
nor does transcendence, really - but alfred's reference to a "quality" was
- to me - an important modifier in his suggestion.

so, while i agree with you in terms of the how these are political
activities (freedom-internalization-consciousness) in ways that make them
kinda silly, like fictive idealisms,
the idea of freedom and responsibility, and accountability, - something
alfred also mentioned - suggest kinds of activity that respond to
politics, rather than being manifestations of politics.
does that make sense?
diane
   **********************************************************************
                                        :point where everything listens.
and i slow down, learning how to
enter - implicate and unspoken (still) heart-of-the-world.

(Daphne Marlatt, "Coming to you")
***********************************************************************

diane celia hodges

 university of british columbia, centre for the study of curriculum and
instruction
==================== ==================== =======================
 university of colorado, denver, school of education

Diane_Hodges@ceo.cudenver.edu



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Oct 01 2000 - 01:00:49 PDT