[xmca] 1982 paper on schooling

[Andy Blunden <ablunden@mira.net>]

I just had a read of Mike's 1982 paper with Roy D'Andrade on 
the influence of schooling on concept formation:
http://lchc.ucsd.edu/Histarch/ap82v4n2.PDF

Great paper!

It occurred to me that Luria is in agreement with many 
others that a hierarchical system of categories,  a 
taxonomy, is the archetype of the "abstract" concept. 
Luria's conception of how this relates to prior forms of 
concept (affective and concrete) is the main point of 
interest in the article, but I would like to question 
whether this taxonomical idea is valid as the archetype of 
the "true" concept. The article claims that taxonomical 
practices ("true" or not) are archetypal school practices, 
and this is an interesting and different question.
An interesting counterpoint to this is Hegel's 
classification of 3 different components which he thinks 
must *all* be present in the formation of a true concept:
The subject is (a) ascribed certain qualities; (b) seen as 
having having a certain place in a system of social 
practice; and (c) taken under its genus, as belonging to a 
certain living whole.
Further, I think (c) does not actually amount to the kind of 
Linnaean hierarchical family tree, but could also be 
interpreted like genre and archetype without the implied 
underlying totality. Also, there is all too much room for 
subsuming (c) under (a) as almost all of present-day 
philosophy and natural science are wont to do.
Mike, you have done a lot of work on the role of this 
"taxonomical activity" in and out of school. Davydov on the 
other hand, emphasises (b) as opposed to (a). It would be 
interesting to investigate concept-formation on this wider 
frame.
Andy

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*Andy Blunden*
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