Mike
Here goes!
Here are a couple of quotes from Yrjo's Learning by Expanding (Chapter 4 pp 19-20)where he is talking about and criticising cognitive theories of concepts -- i think the same analysis can be applied to the data analysis activity.
"any two entities can be found arbitrarily similar or dissimilar by changing the criterion of what counts as a relevant attribute. There is always an infinity of features in terms of which two objects may be compared. There is no ontologically given, theory-neutral arbiter of projectability. Thus, there is no pure induction. Abstraction and concept formation is always theory-driven."
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"This conclusion implies that theory is no more seen as a self-sufficient entity within the idividual mind but rather as a social activity system in itself. In this view, theories and concepts can only be understood as the representational, secondary aspect of sensuous, material activity systems. This has nothing to do with the mechanical idea of theories as somehow direct copies of material objects. But theories live and develop only integrally embedded in activities. Theories may be separated from activities - forgotten and hidden in obscure books, for example - but contrary to Popper's view, this means that they are in effect dead or frozen, barren from life and development at least temporarily."
From Bernstein the 'theory' of the 'native perspective' lies in the possibilities afforded (not determined)by the code -- this arises, is produced in and through the social structures of interaction regulated by specific relations of power and control. The interesting theoretical and empirical question is as to how something endures when individuals and or groups shift between activity systems and institututions or perhaps more complexly when activity systems change their relation to each other within institutions.
??
Harry
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Cole [mailto:mcole@weber.ucsd.edu]
Sent: 08 July 2003 23:12
To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
Subject: RE: help please/rising to the concrete
Sounds right to me, Harry. How would you relate these findings to the
dual questions of "native perspective" from bb and enduring social
structures of interaction from victor and jay's discussion?
mike
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