Re: [xmca] Re: Math Question

From: Mike Cole (lchcmike@gmail.com)
Date: Wed Jan 03 2007 - 16:53:26 PST


Great source, Catherene, thanks!
Cognitive Pluralism is a staple in the class that includes the work on
narrative
and FACADE! Small world (view?)

Just came across a great article by Sarbin on "Narrative as the root
metaphor for contextualism" in
a book by Hayes et al entitled Varieties of Scientific Contextualism. 1992.
that is definitely relevant
to this micro-thread. But not for my undergrads, who would need a whole
class to set it up as meaninful
to them.
mike

On 1/3/07, Cathrene Connery <ConneryC@cwu.edu> wrote:
>
> Hi Ed and everyone,
> Thanks for the note. I put together a web site for Vera John-Steiner a
> few years back that includes some of her more difficult to find
> articles. You can access it at www.unm.edu/~vygotsky. If you scroll
> down the list of publications on her vitae, those that are listed in
> blue can be directly accessed and printed off. You would especially be
> interested in her work on Cognitive Pluralism where she writes about the
> difference in thought processes between various types of mathematicians.
> (There is an interesting article posted on Hungarian mathematicians as
> well.) Vera is also just finishing a book with Reuben Hersh called
> Loving and Hating Mathematics.
>
> Along those lines, if your comment about technology is an offer to
> balance my checkbook monthly, I accept.
> Best wishes,
> Cathrene
>
> M. Cathrene Connery, Ph.D.
> Assistant Professor of Bilingual & TESL Education
> Central Washington University
>
> >>> Ed Wall <ewall@umich.edu> 1/3/2007 1:41 PM >>>
> Cathrene
>
> By the way, thanks for the John-Steiner references. I just took a
> look at some reviews. The one thing that concerns me is that, for
> example, Explorations of Thinking seems to focus on the exceptional
> where I am interested, I think, in something a bit more prosaic.
> However, it does seem like a possible place to start. In any case,
> keeping a checkbook is not necessarily a minor mathematical matter
> although technology has considerably simplified things.
>
> Ed
>
> >Cathrene
> >
> > This may be what I am talking about (I say this with some
> >sureness since I'm not sure what I'm talking about). Ramanujan
> >refers to the goddess Namakkal in possibly a like manner. Yes, I
> >know Hersh's writing. About the most relevant and least readable in
> >this regard is the thesis of Eric Livingston "An Ethnomathematical
> >Investigation of the Foundations of Mathematics." He makes the
> >argument that for a mathematician it must always (my
> >interpretation), in a sense, be this way. [Hmm, not I think merging
> >as much as reinforcing, but, perhaps, that is a form of merging]
> >However, I think he would be uncomfortable with psychological and
> >prefer sociological.
> >
> >Ed
> >
> >>Hi Ed and everyone,
> >>What an interesting question. It is true that so many writers and
> >>artists as well have stated that they felt the ideas they mediate
> >>cross a line in the creative process where mind and activity and
> >>object seems to blurr and the work seems to create itself so to
> >>speak. Michelangelo wrote that his sculptures spoke to him as he
> >>carved the marble. Sometimes when I am painting, the same
> >>phenomenon occurs. From a Vygotskian perspective, this experience
> >>has interesting appeal when considering the inner voice. Vera
> >>John-Steiner's Notebooks of the Mind and Creative Collaborations
> >>document this psychological activity.
> >>
> >>To apply it to mathematics is a fascinating question. Being
> >>someone who can barely balance a checkbook, I am not sure how it
> >>would apply.......however, I suspect different domains in
> >>mathematics would reflect variations of this experience as they
> >>each depend or are derived from various forms of cognitive
> >>pluralism. have you looked at Reuben Hersh's work?
> >>Best,
> >>Cathrene
> >>
> >>
> >>M. Cathrene Connery, Ph.D.
> >>Assistant Professor of Bilingual & TESL Education
> >>Central Washington University
> >> >>> Ed Wall <ewall@umich.edu> 01/02/07 5:06 PM >>>
> >>Mike and all
> >>
> >> This is not quite on the topic (and, thus, I have held back a
> >>bit), but given the amount of expertise that people are bringin I
> ask
> >>a question I have asked elsewhere (I apologize for how it is
> phrased,
> >>but something like this was appropriate in that particular
> community):
> >>
> >> > I had a question and wonder if you might point me in a
> useful
> >> >direction(s). The situation is such: It has been argued of late
> that
> >> >the work mathematicians do - proof and the such - proceeds within
> the
> >> >mathematics being created. That is, without going into a lot of
> >> >detail, the mathematics one does is both circumscribed and
> supported
> >> >by the mathematics one is doing. This is not exactly a matter of
> >> >prior knowledge or the hermeneutic circle per se although it
> might
> >> >have something to do with being an 'expert.'
> >> > The reason why I am asking is that, the other day in a
> somewhat
> >> >philosophic discussion around a novel, a participant noted that
> some
> >> >authors describe the authoring process as open-ended in the sense
> >> >that what finally takes place may differ from what was originally
> >> >intended. That is, in a certain sense, the writing writes itself.
> As
> >> >this sounded somewhat parallel to the phenomenon I mentioned in
> >> >mathematics, I was wondering if you knew of someone(s) who makes
> >> >remarks about a similar phenomenon re writing.
> >>
> >>Ed Wall
> >>
> >> >Hi David--
> >> >
> >> >There is a LOT of material on the topic of writing systems.
> >> >Two interesting places to start are:
> >> >
> >> >D. Schmandt-Besserat, Before Writing:. U of Texas Press. 1992 (two
> volumes)
> >> >
> >> >R. Harris. The origin of writing. Open Court. 1986.
> >> >
> >> >David Olson has written extensively on this topic, primarily from
> secondary
> >> >sources.
> >> >
> >> >I am unsure of best sources that delve into origins of writing in
> China
> >> >which were more or less co-incident with
> >> >events in Euphrates area.
> >> >mike
> >> >_______________________________________________
> >> >xmca mailing list
> >> >xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> >> >http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
> >>
> >>_______________________________________________
> >>xmca mailing list
> >>xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> >>http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
> >
> _______________________________________________
> xmca mailing list
> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
> _______________________________________________
> xmca mailing list
> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>
_______________________________________________
xmca mailing list
xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Feb 01 2007 - 10:11:30 PST