Do you have Lektorsky's book. I am jealous. I just saw it on Books Com
and said "I want that book", and they said "no". It seems its already out
of stock and not to be republished.
Nate
----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Barowy <wbarowy who-is-at mail.lesley.edu>
To: <xmca who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 1999 1:32 PM
Subject: socio/(onto-meso)genesis
Came across the following this morning simultaneously with the sociogenesis
discussion. Nikiforov's concern seems to link ontogenetic and mesogenetic
developments, with no meaningful separation between inner mental life and
outer social practices. Unfortunately the words he uses parses the world
that way. Could this be described as an 'emergent' view?
"In particular, a description of activity only in terms of activeness of a
social subject makes it impossible for us to understand human creativity or
to indicate the source of the new. I believe that N.S. Zlobin raises
exactly this problem.
Indeed, if the subject of activity is no more than personified society,
i.e. if he acts only in accordance with social norms and standards, then
where do changes in these standards come from and how do new norms appear?
We cannot answer this question if we do not turn to the personality of the
acting subject, if we do not recognize that he is more than just a product
of social relations. Zlobin believes that goal-setting constitutes the
source of the new, i.e. not the conditions, but a freely acting subject
himself determines the choice of a goal. I fully agree with this view and
would even go further to say that, when the subject analyzes the
circumstances, selects his goal, elaborates a plan of action, or chooses
his means, although he relies on socially accepted norms and standards, he
is nonetheless guided by his own understanding of the situation, his tastes
and preferences. That is why different individuals perform in different
ways even one and the same activity and the result of an activity carries
the imprint of the personality of the agent. Society cannot generate the
new. It is generated only by the individual who violates existing social
norms and standards, puts features of his individuality into action, often
makes mistakes, fails to attain his goals, sometimes even perishes, but
sometimes is successful and creates new models of activity and behavior.
That is why no matter how important it is to describe activity in terms of
the social relations it embodies, it is no less important to describe it as
creative self-expression by an individual. "
A.L. Nikiforov,
The Common and the Individual in Activity,
In 'Activity: The Theory, Methodology, and Problems.' V.P. Lektorsky ed.
Bill Barowy, Associate Professor
Technology in Education
Lesley College, 31 Everett Street, Cambridge, MA 02138-2790
Phone: 617-349-8168 / Fax: 617-349-8169
http://www.lesley.edu/faculty/wbarowy/Barowy.html
_______________________
"One of life's quiet excitements is to stand somewhat apart from yourself
and watch yourself softly become the author of something beautiful."
[Norman Maclean in "A river runs through it."]