Re: wholes in synthesis

diane celia hodges (dchodges who-is-at interchange.ubc.ca)
Sun, 20 Sep 1998 12:05:42 -0700

At 7:55 PM 9/19/98, Jay Lemke wrote:
> But we are very far
>from having an adequate logic of relative "vagueness" to deal with the
>study of systems/processes on many extensional and durational scales which
>develop new kinds of properties, not just in the sense of new for all
>systems and all times, but even just in the sense of newly meaningfully
>applicable to themselves. I am currently discussing such issues with a
>group of developmental and evolutionary biologists interested in the study
>of complex dynamical systems. JAY.

Indeed this is the problem - it is "relatively" easy to identify systems,
but the work of deciding where the boundaries are, for me, is the trick,
primarily because the historical character of our existence tends to
entangle much of the analysis.

Deleuze & Guattari's "rhizome" metaphor fairly well describes the networks
which connect such (activity) systems; but by the same token, the infinite
relations
mean that the researcher must - *in*variably - choose the boundaries.

Articulating a rationale for those boundaries is supremely difficult, I find.
but by GOLLY what a good discussion this!
diane

"Every tool is a weapon if you hold it right." Ani Difranco
*********************************************
diane celia hodges
faculty of education, centre for the study of curriculum and
instruction,
university of british columbia
vancouver, bc canada

snailmail: 3519 Hull Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada V5N 4R8