Mind in Action: 1

nate (schmolze who-is-at students.wisc.edu)
Mon, 7 Sep 1998 09:41:47 -0500

Below I a summary of how I interpreted the first chapter of Mind in Action.

James Wertsch begins his first chapter with the famous example of the 3
blind mice. He argues disciplines, like the three blind mice, argue their
account of human nature is true. Wertch then states this analogy has its
limits because the fragmentation in the social sciences has in part come
about because of the large bureaucratic organization. Wertsch uses the
example of the American Psychological Association, which has over 49
divisions, to make his point. Wertsch argues one of the consequences of
specialization is what Burke referred to as terministic screens that impair
ones vision. The terministic screens can eventually lead to a severe case
of "learned incapacity" (Socialization in owns professional discourse),
which can make communication across diciplines impossible. Wertsch argues
this fragmentation makes it impossible for the social sciences to deal with
some of the most important issues of our time, Soviet Union, Yugoslavia,
etc. even when there is a desire to do so.

Wertsch then argues that two issues need to be considered to address the
fragmentation of the social sciences. The first of these issues is to link
perspectives without reducing one to another. Wertsch argues one of the
most widely used approaches to divide perspectives in the social sciences is
to have a distinction between individual and society. One can take the
assumption society or social phenomena can be found in studying individual
mental functioning, or individual mental functioning can be found with
studying social phenomena. Wertsch argues that because the debate on how
humans should be studied goes on and on without any resolution it
demonstrates there are deeper issues at stake. Wertsch then offers a quote
by Elias to make his point about the individual / social antinomy.

One says, "Everything depends on the individual," the other, "Everything
depends on society". The first group says: "But it is always particular
individuals who decide to do this and that." The others reply , "But their
decisions are socially conditioned"." The group replies: "But what you call
"social conditioning only comes about because others want to do something
and do it" The others reply: "But what these others want to and do is also
socially conditioned." P. 54

Wetsch sees Burke as offering some important insights in avoiding the
individual/ social antinomy. Burke, as well as Vygotsky, Bakhtin, Mead etc,
sees human action as the basic phenomenon to be analyzed. Burke sees human
action as only to be stood by taking multiple perspectives. Burke argues
for a pentad of act, scene, agent, agency, and purpose. Burke felt, to use
the three blind mice example, that the social sciences usually relied on one
or two aspects of the pentad. The "terministic screens" were over
socialized, over psychologized etc. To use the example of the elephant each
element of the pentad is only a part of the elephant.

Wertsch mentions that throughout the book the focus he will take is mediated
action as a unit of analysis. In Burkean terms that is two of the elements
of his pentad, the dialectic between agent and instrumentality. He defends
his choice of only using two of the pentads in the spirit that too much that
happens in the social sciences is focused on the agent in isolation.
Wertsch then attempts to criticize what he calls the copyright age. A view
that focuses on the individual's contribution rather than the conventions
used. Wertsch quotes Resnick who argues,

"Don't underestimate the role of the environment in influencing and
constraining behavior. People often seem to think of the environment as
something to be acted upon not as something to be interacted with. People
tend to focus on the behaviors of individual objects, ignoring the
environment that surrounds (and interacts with) the objects". (1984, p. 239)

In looking back on chapter 1 these are the ideas that stood out for me. A
few of the things that really stood out for was terministic screens /
learned incapacity, individual / society antinomy, the pentad, copyright
age, and mediation. The learned incapacity is a discussion I have heard
XCMA members share in the past in reference to feminism and sociocultural
theory. The language or discourse of each discipline making it difficult to
transfer information back and forth. One member mentioned awhile back
(Diane I believe) needing to use a whole different language and vocabulary
in translating sociocultural research to feminist theory and vice versa.
Burke's pentad reminded me of the different level of analysis in Activity
Theory. Burke put a strong emphasis on motive which is also an important
aspect of Activity Theory. Burke mentioned the danger of focusing on only
one or two aspects of the pentad and that is exactly what Wertsch has
proposed to do. I also found the section on the copyright age very
interesting.

Nate

NATE SCHMOLZE
http://www.geocities.com/~nschmolze/
schmolze who-is-at students.wisc.edu

People with great passions, people who accomplish great deeds,
People who possess strong feelings even people with great minds
and a strong personality, rarely come out of good little boys and girls
L.S. Vygotsky