Re: [xmca] Jones on Learning under capitalism

[Larry Purss <lpscholar2@gmail.com>]

Andy,  you wrote

And nor could capitalism operate for a day without the production of
healthy, sane workers by means of the loving care of collaborative working
classs families. I think Activity Theory should pay attention to the
systematic investigation of these different modes of collaboration.
Altogether we need a more differentiated approach.

The way Zygmunt is writing about the loving care of healthy sane working
families, I wonder if there is a danger of even this level of intimacy and
collaboration unravelling.  Zygmunt is suggesting that the valuing of
"aesthetic interests" as basic points of reference and orientation
[attributes such as excitement, satisfaction or pleasure] is devaluing
moral commitments that support continuous shared engagements. He refers to
this unravelling as the loss of the public sphere or in my terms a search
for a "new commons"  [page 34 & 35]

Andy, I wonder if we as a culture(s) can continue to nurture and sustain
"the loving care of collaborative working families" within the fragmentary
disruptive social arrangements that Zygmunt is charting in his concept of
liquid modernity. He is suggesting the newer forms of identity reforming
within these fluid arrangements are of necessity valuing aesthetic
interests because we have lost our basic trust in the more durable
valuing of a shared commons.  Zygmunt's writings, because they are
explicitly referencing and developing "moral values" that attempt to
construct "lasting networks of mutual duties and obligations" is helping me
to understand the depth of the struggle that is required. His perspective
requires our imaginations to envision alternatives that are not fragmentary
and PROVISIONAL.

Larry




On Tue, Nov 1, 2011 at 7:11 PM, Andy Blunden <ablunden@mira.net> wrote:

> Larry, though there is a basis for the conception of "personality types"
> and they have some role to play in the description of the social changes
> taking place, I don't think they are the main analytical tool. I can see
> two ways to go here. (1) the approach of Regulation Theory, which points
> out that while capitalism is a globally hegemonic mode of production, every
> country and period solves a number of problems in different ways in respect
> to each of a number of functional aspects of social life, e.g., the wages
> system, the social welfare system, the state/political system, the market
> system, the education system, and so on. In general, these are not
> indifferent in their ramifications and need to be theorised separately, and
> (2) the theorisation by means of Activity Theory of the finite range of
> different relations. In my opinion these relations can be grouped into
> purchase-and-sale, command-and-obey and critical cooperation (or
> collaboration properly so-called). No capitalist firm can operate, for
> example, without using the ancient system of hierarchical direction. And
> nor could capitalism operate for a day without the production of healthy,
> sane workers by means of the loving care of collaborative working classs
> families. I think Activity Theory should pay attention to the systematic
> investigation of these different modes of collaboration. Altogether we need
> a more differentiated approach.
>
> Andy
>
>
> Larry Purss wrote:
>
>> Andy, if Zygmunt's analysis is accurate, then gathering pessimism is a
>> reasonable response to our current arrangements where more and
>> more relationships are provisional as an adaptation to capitalist rule.
>> How
>> do we move beyond these liquid arrangements to form personality "types"
>> which are expressive of yearnings for ONGOING connection and shared
>> purpose.  The answer cannot be merely epistemological or merely
>> practical/functional but MUST engage with alternative social ETHICS which
>> constitute new personality "types".
>>
>
>  ______________________________**____________
> _____
> xmca mailing list
> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/**listinfo/xmca<http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca>
>
__________________________________________
_____
xmca mailing list
xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca