My inclination is the CHAT site is based on the Artistotlian division that
Bruce mentions. In reference to Friere I would be curious if "praxis" was
Freire's word or what it was translated from. I see Freire, Activity
Theory, Pragmatism for better or worse attempts at dealing with this
dualism. Freire's notion of "praxis" would be closer to what Newman and
Holzman refer to as "tool and results" than a "tool for results" in my
opinion. Theory or Freire's "praxis" emerges within practice not a priori
to it. Dewey, pragmatism and all that "wonderful" stuff that ocurred with
progressiveism is how I have tended to see "praxis" (action) in that theory
(that ivory tower) was a priori to practice.
Some of the more "post" stuff is questioning the whole division itself and
the progressive assumptions that theory should influence practice. The
argument goes like the so called theory that occurs in "institutions of
bourgeois development" is also a practice, but ought not be put in a
position to have answers for other practices. In constrast to activity
theory which I see as attempting the synthesize the division of practice
and theory, the post perspective questions the whole aristotian division in
the first place. Rather than creating a synthesis of two polor opposites
it questions if the division in the first place is useful.
> my first thought on this was, under what conditions is any
> action NOT theorized, or any practice not influenced by theory?
To use another comment of Freire's one cannot have a revolution for the
people, but only with the people. For me this points toward a theory and
practice, rather than a theory for practice. So much stuff in the
progressive era was an attempt at theory for practice in which it
transformed others, but wasn't willing to be transformed. On one level as
Vygotsky hinted at theory should be in a subordinate position to practice
rather than the other way around. Theory emerges within practice as a way
to understand and transform it, rather than something seperate from and a
priori to practice itself.
Nate
> """"""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> When she walks,
> the revolution's coming.
> In her hips, there's revolution.
> When she talks, I hear revolution.
> In her kiss, I taste the revolution.
> (poem by Kathleen Hanna: Riot Grrl)
> ******************************************
> diane celia hodges
> university of british columbia
> centre for the study of curriculum and knowledge
> vancouver, british columbia, canada
>
>