Anxious class snobbery while democracy tends to incease.
On 10/19/06, David Preiss <davidpreiss@uc.cl> wrote:
>
> bb,
>
> That's exactly what I've been wondering since I went to the USA for a
> ph.d. and landed in the middle of the evolutionary fad. I really felt
> like an alien when talking Vygotsky, Bruner and others. Many
> classmates never heard of Bruner and Vygotsky indeed. Ah hard
> solitude of those days!
>
> The fad seems to be compatible with the political conservative air of
> these days in the US, I guess. And, maybe, to some sort of uncritical
> attitude to anything coming from scientists, similar to the reception
> showed to the jensenian attitude to race diferences in iq, which was
> relaunched by hernstein and murray, which at the same time links to
> other harvard guy: S. Huntingon. But I really have no answer. The 70s
> and 80s were more open to a critical science in the US, so it seems.
> What is clear for me is that these are "weird" times, and it shocks
> me how this neglect of anything "cultural" in the elite is compatible
> with the nationalism of the masses. But maybe I am mixing too many
> things.
>
> In Chile, evolutionary psychology is laughed by intellectuals (as it
> is Huntington) (which sometimes places me at the opposite side and
> pushes me to teach evolution seriously to my students, but not
> Huntington, of course).
>
> David
>
> On Oct 18, 2006, at 11:38 PM, bb wrote:
>
> > What I'm wondering about is the nature of cultural processes that
> > make this kind of (I'll reserve judgment , but insert whatever
> > adjectives you think should fit here , in place of this comment )
> > theory news-worthy?
> >
> > bb
> >
> >
> > -------------- Original message ----------------------
> > From: David Preiss <davidpreiss@uc.cl>
> >> I am not so sure, Martin, this is a fair comparison. For Vygotskty
> >> the way culture shapes biology is by means of the internalization of
> >> tools and symbols. For this guy, what culture does is triggering
> >> changes in our sexual preferences and weakening our immune system.
> >> Very different, I guess.
> >>
> >> On Oct 18, 2006, at 10:00 PM, Martin Packer wrote:
> >>
> >>> But this is precisely an example of a theory in which socio-
> >>> historical
> >>> evolution is seen as shaping biological evolution, no? As David
> >>> (Kellogg)
> >>> said a couple of days ago:
> >>>
> >>>> I think that Vygotsky's position on the connection between
> >>>> learning and
> >>>> development, and also the connection between ontogenesis and socio-
> >>>> historical
> >>>> development, and even the connection between socio-historical
> >>>> development and
> >>>> biological evolution is that all of these things are indeed
> >>>> linked, but
> >>>> nevertheless distinct. Linked but distinct.
> >>>
> >>> Martin
> >>>
> >>> On 10/18/06 6:02 PM, "David Preiss" <davidpreiss@uc.cl> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> I wonder if the guy REALLY thinks this or is just seeking
> >>>> publicity.
> >>>> I am astonished how many evolutionary theories make it to the press
> >>>> these days. What is making these theories so fashionable is
> >>>> beyond my
> >>>> understanding. Is like a postmodern, late capitalism state of mind
> >>>> Any guesses?
> >>>> David
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> On Oct 18, 2006, at 9:55 AM, bb wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>> "Humanity may split into two sub-species in 100,000 years' time as
> >>>>> predicted by HG Wells, an expert has said.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Evolutionary theorist Oliver Curry of the London School of
> >>>>> Economics expects a genetic upper class and a dim-witted
> >>>>> underclass
> >>>>> to emerge. "
> >>>>>
> >>>>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6057734.stm
> >>>>>
> >>>>> ---------------
> >>>>>
> >>>>> In the year 2525
> >>>>> If man is still alive....
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> From: "Mike Cole" <lchcmike@gmail.com>
> >>>>> Date: October 14, 2006 9:55:13 PM GMT-04:00
> >>>>> To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
> >>>>> Subject: Re: [xmca] interweaving
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> _______________________________________________
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> >>>>>
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> >>>>
> >>>> David Preiss, Ph.D.
> >>>> Profesor Auxiliar / Assistant Professor
> >>>>
> >>>> Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
> >>>> Escuela de Psicolog�a
> >>>> Av Vicu�a Mackenna 4860
> >>>> Macul, Santiago
> >>>> Chile
> >>>>
> >>>> Fono: 3544605
> >>>> Fax: 3544844
> >>>> e-mail: davidpreiss@uc.cl
> >>>> web personal: http://web.mac.com/ddpreiss/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html
> >>>> web institucional: http://www.uc.cl/psicologia
> >>>>
> >>>>
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> >>>
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> >>
> >> David Preiss, Ph.D.
> >> Profesor Auxiliar / Assistant Professor
> >>
> >> Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
> >> Escuela de Psicolog�a
> >> Av Vicu�a Mackenna 4860
> >> Macul, Santiago
> >> Chile
> >>
> >> Fono: 3544605
> >> Fax: 3544844
> >> e-mail: davidpreiss@uc.cl
> >> web personal: http://web.mac.com/ddpreiss/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html
> >> web institucional: http://www.uc.cl/psicologia
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
> >
>
> David Preiss, Ph.D.
> Profesor Auxiliar / Assistant Professor
>
> Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
> Escuela de Psicología
> Av Vicuña Mackenna 4860
> Macul, Santiago
> Chile
>
> Fono: 3544605
> Fax: 3544844
> e-mail: davidpreiss@uc.cl
> web personal: http://web.mac.com/ddpreiss/
> web institucional: http://www.uc.cl/psicologia
>
>
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