Paul, I think you conceptualized the levels very well, and, since I'm
bogged down with papers right now & haveb't yet read chapter 3, I
appreciated your distinction between YE's Level III and IV.
The only quibble I'd have is with a definition of Learning III that allows
complex forms of Learning II to pass as Learning III -- but that's a tricky
distinction, since I believe that each "level" entails a proto-version of
the higher level, and, correspondingly to the "levels" of
subject-in-activity, that what is learned at one level can 'sink' or
'harden' into patterning at a lower level.
I like to think of Level III as that mode of individual learning that
re-integrates individual consciousness (a supposed endpoint of development)
with a wider system -- realized when the subject is no longer invested in
being recognized as such....
Paul wrote:
>Learning 0 - no learning, even the most elaborate of the wonderful
>mechanical machines exhibits no learning, it doesn't change its behavior
>under any circumstances. Darwinian evolution occurs at this level since
>survival is predicated upon accidental modifications of the material base
>that confer survival advantage in given conditions
>
>Learning 1 - conditioned behavior, behavior is modified in relation to a
>specific stimulus-response pattern. Skinner learning, Pavlov's Dog.
>
>Learning 2 - learning to recognize the conditions in which behavior becomes
>modified and using these as framework. modification of the conditions as a
>meta-level for modifying responses. Bateson thought all of these patterns
>were organized into systems, call them cultures. People of a given culture
>learn specific "frames" that serve them to understand and interpret the
>conditions and thereby learn to control the reponses.
>
>Learning 3 - learning multiple systems for interpreting conditions. At the
>minimal level, any development of intercultural competences, learning
>another language (fluently). At the highest level, as you say, the
>characteristics attributed to a spiritual master who sees the conditions of
>interpreting any conditions/frames and thereby is liberated from all of
>them. The kind of learning humans need to employ as a whole to avoid
>self-destruction as a species.
>
>Learning 4 - a hypothetical level of learning sometimes seen in science
>fiction or Lamarckian biology whereby learning extends to the material
>basis--a kind of phylogenetic/ontogenetic transformative learning in which a
>species modifies its own physical constitution in relation to the insights
>(?) of Learning 3.
>
>What do you think?
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue May 01 2001 - 01:01:58 PDT