I fully agree with Martin and Ana's last post.
Don writes, "we are working to clarify our "things", increase the precision
and/or range of the relationships we are trying to describe, all with
the goal of explaining things to a level where we understand, predict or
even control."
No, not control. Predict, understand, yes, but that does not necessarily imply a desire to control. It's a question of morality, as I understand it, that sets some social scientists apart from others. In respect for the autonomy of others (and I don't mean to suggest that we are autonomous, either, but that we allow one another the privilege to do otherwise than what we ourselves might want), we do not seek to control, but to make possible.
I guess I fall into the latter of Don's hypothetical categories: "whether we are uncovering (either) fixed and immutable laws or schemes that move us along for the time being. Are we better served converging on the fact of the matter or by opening up new ways of looking at some phenomena?"
But I don't think those categories square with the issue I articulated above.
Judy
-----Original Message-----
From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu]On
Behalf Of Cunningham, Donald James
Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 7:04 PM
To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
Subject: RE: [xmca] uncertainites
Ana, did Rosa Parks refuse to give up her seat because of her thoughts?
Or were there experiences, endowments, events, people, etc. - definable,
observable, describable, relatable "things" that converged at that
moment? Can we make sense of those "things? (I'm leaving things
undefined for the moment).
I think science by definition is deterministic. It seeks to identify
things that cause, are related to, constrain, predict, explain other
things. If the word determinism is objectionable, I can offer others,
but the heart of the matter is that we assume things happen for a
reason, we (collectively as scientists) attempt to identify those
reasons and they are, at a minimum, useful(in the pragmatic sense) in
helping us understand what's going on.
Every time we, on this list, strive to define our terms (as in the
discussion of zoped), identify _a_ or _the_ unit of analysis, and so
forth, we are working to clarify our "things", increase the precision
and/or range of the relationships we are trying to describe, all with
the goal of explaining things to a level where we understand, predict or
even control. Isn't that what sets us as scientists apart from those who
merely opine?
Our interesting differences emerge when we start considering what
constitutes good science, whether we are uncovering fixed and immutable
laws or schemes that move us along for the time being. Are we better
served converging on the fact of the matter or by opening up new ways of
looking at some phenomena?
This may go to the core of the question I raised at the AERA workshop.
How would you know a CHAT researcher if you saw one? Would they behave
differently than other researchers?
P.S. to Donna - Mike HATES that quote about my good friend Humpty. It
never fails to set him off!
Don Cunningham
Indiana University
-----Original Message-----
From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu]
On Behalf Of Ana Marjanovic-Shane
Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 12:55 AM
To: mcole@weber.ucsd.edu; eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
Subject: Re: [xmca] uncertainites
I think that Luria was not right in that and that people-kind proved
many times that "a shadow can carry stones" indeed.
In fact I think that our whole science (social sciences) exists because
we believe that thinking (shadow) has some force in it.
Don't you think?
Ana
Mike Cole wrote:
> I believe the issue was constraints and free will, donna and don.
Sorry for
> the distraction of too many words.
>
> These were the one's I was focused on. If you are interested in
persuing the
> issue beyond snuffing it, lets.
>
> Are constraints a way of avoiding the issue of free will? And will?
Luria
> wrote:
>
> "Many observations support our view that the consideration of the
voluntary
> act as accomplished by "will-power" is a myth and that the human
cannot by
> direct force control his behavior any more than "a shadow can carry
stones".
>
>
> Sniff.
> mike
>
> On 4/21/06, Russell, Donna L <russelldl@umkc.edu> wrote:
>
>> Hi Don
>>
>> --for more word fun--
>>
>> " When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said,
>> "It means just what I choose it to mean--neither more nor less."
>> "The question is, said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so
many
>> different
>> things."
>> "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty,
>> "which is to be the master--that's all."
>>
>> Lewis Carroll
>> THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
>>
>> Donna
>>
>> Donna L. Russell, Ph.D.
>> Assistant Professor
>> Instructional Technology
>> Curriculum and Instructional Leadership
>> School of Education
>> University of Missouri-Kansas City
>> (email) russelldl@umkc.edu <mailto:russelldl@umkc.edu>
>> (website) http://r.web.umkc.edu/russelldl/ <
>> http://r.web.umkc.edu/russelldl>
>>
>>
>> "Quasi-Bedurfnisse" is the sound I make when I sneeze. But I love
>> learning new words!
>>
>> Don Cunningham
>> Indiana University
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> xmca mailing list
>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>>
>>
> _______________________________________________
> xmca mailing list
> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>
>
>
>
-- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ana Marjanovic'-Shane,Ph.D.151 W. Tulpehocken St.
Philadelphia, PA 19144
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