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Re: [xmca] Peter Smagorinsky on concepts
Hi Huw,
I was distinguishing two forms of using a 'systems concept' - happy to go
to another thread with that. 'Using' the notion systems in two different
ways.
When you mention 'perceive systems', is where I find useful to bring in
distinction of 'life-world' . Here in our cognition we somehow 'see' the
world as if 'outside' , yet as a fruit of science and philosophy, we can
become aware that this is 'an appearance' our cognition creates. ( There is
much mainstream discussion of this 'trick' of mind). I encountered this
through Maturana's work in science, following upon my study of an enquiry
approach identified as in the 'footsteps' of Husserl through Checkland at
Lancaster ( both Maturana and Checkland are UK Systems Society medallists).
Now I am identifying resemblances of this distinction ( of Maturana's) in
Vasilyuk's writing, in the pages Andy posted in 'varying definitions of
perezhivanie' thread. You can read through and on p86 second last para
'"If, then, we consider the formula that the motive of activity is an
object which corresponds to a need of the individual as an attempt to*generalise
* from the entire fund of empirical observations on stimulation of
activity - then it would appear that the formula will not stand up to
criticism.
But the whole point is that this formula is of quite another order. Its
claims are quite different, its statud in logic is quite different, from
those attributed to it by criticisms of the sort just described. That is to
say: it does not claim to take in the full variety of possible facts
pertaining to stimulation of individual activity; its logical nature is
that of an abstraction, and an abstraction of a fairly high order at that,
i.e. a statement from which a long road of theoretical 'ascent must be
travelled to bring us to concrete cases. That is not to say that the
statement itself, before any 'ascent' is made, does not contain some
concrete truth; the formula under discussion, like any abstract law, does
coincide with the actual or concrete state of affairs, but only when
certain conditions are fulfilled'" ( my italics)
The 'whole point of another order' here is set out on Vasilyuk p85 2nd para
' The most direct cause of this lack of acceptance was that commentators
saw the thesis not as a *meaningful* abstraction [ i.e. in lived-world my
italic] but as a generalisation from empirically observed facts on
stimulation of activity, to be verified by direct reference to those facts."
This is the distiction that Maturana makes between 'objectivity without
parenthesis' and his 'objectivity with parenthesis' in my earlier weblink,
i.e the without parenthesis is subject and object separate as entities .
Maturana's scientific work expands his argument from a different
perspective - his claim is that the domain of 'living' is not accessible to
us and our nervous 'system' is 'closed', although psychic 'systems' are
open and in the domain of our relational 'observing'. So here naming
'system' does not 'correspond' to a separate entity 'in the world' - the
domains 'relate' but our naming does not reduce to pysiology - even though
achieved through physiological living they are two different domains.
Here you comment:
> Just to say that this does
>> not reduce to the domain of our physiological living, actuality is
>> experienced 'in between'.
>>
>
On this I disagree.
>> Second on systems: I find helpful that 'system' as notion is in our
>> 'thought experiment domain' , not existing 'in the world' , so I'm
>> confused
>> trying to interpret
>>
>> "All systems comprise of material relations".
>>
>>
Because the "thought experiment domain" takes place within such a system.
So - on Maturana's work on cognition - 'through' rather than 'within' and
we have no direct access. System has significance which 'collapses' into
explanation. p38 Maturana expands this
"
1. Since a scientific explanation is the proposition of a generative
mechanism that gives rise as a consequence of its operation to the
phenomenon to be explained in a different phenomenal domain than the one in
------------------------------
*Page 38*
which it takes place, a scientific explanation constitutes and validates
the existence of completely different nonintersecting phenomenal domains
that are intrinsically not reducible to each other.
..........Both the phenomenon to be explained and the generative mechanism
proposed are proposed by the observer in the flow of his or her praxis of
living, and as such they happen to him, and he or she lives them as
experience that arise in him out of nowhere. In his or her actual living,
the observer brings them forth *a priori*, even if afterwards he or she can
construct rational justifications for them.....
In fact, scientific explanations do not explain an independent world, they
explain the experience of the observer, and that is the world that he or
she lives. "
http://www.enolagaia.com/M88Reality.html#Conversations
So - someplace in these 'explanations' - which I'm open - or affirm- and
use criteria of acceptability with - there is perception of situation ( our
created/imagined 'real') and perception ( as thought experiment) of a
corresponding 'generative ' explanation. There is also the biological
somatic feeling 'physiology' , with another sense of 'actuality' closely
related to that ( before analysis of awareness).
As this unravels like spaghettis and macaronis, it might help to return to
Peter's video talk and think about azaleas he was killing in sunshine... I
will 'think it through' before I sketch it out - I 'kill many plants, but
am not too familiar with azaleas as they like acidic soil and in my bit of
Warwickshire that's another 'necesity' for flourishing in life they would
lack....
Christine.
On Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 1:32 PM, Huw Lloyd <huw.softdesigns@gmail.com>wrote:
> On 19 January 2012 12:32, Christine Schweighart <schweighartc@gmail.com
> >wrote:
>
> > Hello Huw, Andy
> >
> > I'd use 'generate' rather than 'works' - and I wouldn't use 'mirror'.
> The
> > two domains ( of the thought experiment and that of actuality in praxis
> > ,living) are relate not through 'complete description of particulars of
> > actuality' (we cannot fully capture all detail of living) corroborating
> > some image 'mirrored' -; but the relation is through 'operational
> > coherences' ( to use Maturana's expression) of praxis of living , or
> > 'criterion of acceptability' that we use in listening to accounts in our
> > 'languaging' in conversations about experience. Just to say that this
> does
> > not reduce to the domain of our physiological living, actuality is
> > experienced 'in between'.
> >
> > Second on systems: I find helpful that 'system' as notion is in our
> > 'thought experiment domain' , not existing 'in the world' , so I'm
> confused
> > trying to interpret
> >
> > "All systems comprise of material relations".
> >
> > I am distinguishing a 'static' use of system , where to talk of parts and
> > whole is not a dynamic analysis ; and a relational use - where relations
> > afford identity ( not parts ). Is the identify affording capacity
> > 'material' in your sense?
> >
>
> I am referring to all systems, Christine. Distinguishing between them
> would probably be another thread.
>
> We use and perceive systems because we have finite minds. If we were
> omniscient we wouldn't need them, but then we wouldn't need words either.
>
> I am not sure in what sense you're using identity here. A sensible way to
> proceed in identifying parts is to examine how they change over time with
> respect to other parts, if this is your drift?
>
> Huw
>
>
>
> >
> > Apologies for the interruption both..
> > Christine
> >
> > Relevant Maturana paper:
> > http://www.enolagaia.com/M88Reality.html
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 11:49 AM, Huw Lloyd <huw.softdesigns@gmail.com
> > >wrote:
> >
> > > On 19 January 2012 11:33, Andy Blunden <ablunden@mira.net> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Mmmm, hard to keep track of whatever it was we disagreed about here,
> > Huw,
> > > > but my reaction to what you say would be that an abstract concept
> also
> > > > mirrors reality, but in a different way. The task of the thinker is
> to
> > > > "reconstruct the real in thought" and that begins from an abstraction
> > > which
> > > > best encapsulates the whole Gestalt, but lacks concreteness, and must
> > > > therefore mark the beginning point of a mental reconstruction of the
> > > real.
> > > > Yes?
> > > >
> > > > Andy
> > >
> > >
> > > The abstract system, in the sense portrayed by Marx, could not be
> > > implemented. It would not work. It would not be a system in its own
> > > right.
> > >
> > > Thought inheres within a material system. One is never outside
> > > materiality. Although the system of thought allows us to mentally
> > > construct pseudo systems that would not work if implemented.
> > >
> > > I think there can be value in beginning with abstractions (in this
> > sense),
> > > although Marx in the passage quoted seemed against it.
> > >
> > > Huw
> > >
> > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Huw Lloyd wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> My understanding is that a concrete conception, as referred to here,
> > by
> > > >> Marx, refers to conceptions that authentically mirror the concrete,
> > the
> > > >> material, the phenomena.
> > > >>
> > > >> All systems comprise of material relations.
> > > >>
> > > >> I refer to material here because this is directly related to
> > structure.
> > > >>
> > > >> Concrete is not merely a concentration of abstractions, it is a
> > > >> concentration that mirrors the phenomena of interest in the concrete
> > > world.
> > > >> Alternatively if we were to implement our concrete conceptions we
> > would
> > > >> also have a concrete system.
> > > >>
> > > >> Huw
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >
> > > >
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