umwelt and context

From: Mike Cole (mcole@weber.ucsd.edu)
Date: Wed Jun 11 2003 - 15:06:44 PDT


Hi Don--

The fact that you equate context and environment vis a vis standard
academic discourse places you among those like Mc Dermott (in the Chaiklin
and Lave volume) who beat on the "context as container" metaphor and
the later Bateson who insists on relation understandings of context.

I believe I think of context more or less the way you use the term,
umwelt, although parts of your discussion vis a vis human raise flags
for me. The definition of culture seems pretty externalist, in that you say
it has an impact on people.

And when you write: Words, pictures, bodily movements and the like generate signs
for objects which need have no basis in the real world and which can be
manipulated independent of that world.

another flag goes off. Assumed real world and an organism whose signs need
have no basis in it?

Am I wrong, Ana, in thinking that your way of thinking about context
is like Don's use of umwelt?

Pondering in So Cal where the sun has reappeared.
mike



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