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Re: [xmca] Dynamic Assessment in L2



Thanks for that Jim.
Rather than divert the list from discussion of the important issues of L2 and SCT/CHAT, can I just refer to
http://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/t/r.htm#truth
which reflects where I'm coming from. A Google search revealed "practice is the criterion of truth" even in my own writing, but in fact it is not at all that simple. The entry refers to Engels, Lenin, Ilyenkov and Spirkin. Marx never actually talks about a criterion of truth.

Andy

James P. Lantolf wrote:
2. With regard to the 11th Thesis and the centrality of praxis in Vygotsky theory, we are not suggesting that theory/philosophy is unimportant or should be abandoned. Indeed, many of us in applied linguistics are rooted in the humanities as much (or perhaps more) than in the social sciences. We continue to read and rely on modern philosophers, especially philosophers of language to inform our work. Lantolf and Thorne (2006) integrate Wittgenstein's notion of "language game" as well as Voloshinov's notion of utterance and sign in theorizing language. Most recently, the new monograph by Searle "Making the Social World" has some very important things to say about the role of language in social formation that we think resonates well with Vygotsky's views on thinking and speaking. Having said this, we don't agree with Andy's comment to the effect that practice is the truth criterion of theory is not Marxism. Rather than launch into a lengthy explanation, we will mention some interesting works written in the 1970s that address the topic far better than we could here: Adolfo Sanchez Vazquez (1977). "The Philosophy of Praxis." Richard Bernstein (1971). "Praxis and Action." Alan Buss (1979). "Dialectic Psychology." We also find support for our position in the more recent writing of Anna Stetsenko.


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