Re: [xmca] A funny quote: Luria, A.N. Leontiev, & Velichkovsky :)

[David Kellogg <vaughndogblack@yahoo.com>]

Bella--
 
Yes, it's hard to imagine. But consider this account of Leontiev's work from Luria:
 
"Social labor and the division of labor result in indirect behavior which is subject to social as well as biological stimuli. It is precisely these factors which give rise to new nonbiological human needs. Thus are formed those specifically human forms of mental activity. This activity can give rise to intiating stimuli and goals which in turn lead to specific acts. These acts are carried out by the appropriate set of operations. The structure of the complex forms of human activity has been worked out in detail in Soviet psychology by A.N. Leontiev. We will not, therefore, dwell on this question in greater detail here."
 
What does that LAST lukewarm sentence really mean, here on p. 26 of a 246 page book entitled "Language and Cognition"? (1981, New York: Wiley).
 
To me it can only mean one of two things:
 
a) Leontiev's account of activity is okay as far as it goes, but it does not go as far as language or cognition.
 
b) Leontiev's account of activity does go far as language and cognition, but it is not a scientifically valid account.
 
Of course, what ARL really says is a) and not b). But that would mean that ARL considers that neither language nor cognition are specifically human forms of activity. So perhaps a) is simply a diplomatic way of saying b)?
 
David Kellogg
Seoul National University of Education
 
 


--- On Tue, 1/6/09, Bella Kotik-Friedgut <bella.kotik@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Bella Kotik-Friedgut <bella.kotik@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [xmca] A funny quote: Luria, A.N. Leontiev, & Velichkovsky :)
To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
Date: Tuesday, January 6, 2009, 7:50 AM

As far as I knew ARL I can only say  that it is hard to believe he would use
such a harsh language speaking about Leontjev.

On Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 3:36 PM, Steve Gabosch <stevegabosch@me.com>
wrote:

> Interesting anecdotal story.  It raises a question I am very curious
about.
>  What is known of Luria's assessment of Leontiev's activity theory
and
> theory of animal psychic evolution?
> - Steve
>
>
>
> On Jan 5, 2009, at 10:54 PM, Anton Yasnitsky wrote:
>
> I just came across this text and thought this might be of some interest to
>> some people out there. In his interview about A.N. Leontiev taken on
>> September 12, 2002 Boris Velichkovsky mentioned inter alia  that
"Alexander
>> Romanovich [Luria] once quite harshly put it in my presence that he
did not
>> consider as related to scientific research anything that Leontiev was
doing
>> from the beginning of the 1940s onwards". Literally, --
>>
>> Алек сандр Ро ма но вич од на ж ды до
воль но же ст ко ска зал в мо ем при
>> сут ст вии,
>> что не счи та ет то, что де ла ет Ле он
ть ев с на ча ла 40‑х го дов имею
>> щим
>> от но ше ние к нау ке (
http://www.anleontiev.smysl.ru/vospomin/i-velich.htm
>> )
>>
>> Just I guess some food for thought about the school of
>> Vygotsky-Leontiev-Luria (not sure about the canonical order of the
names)
>> and the theoretical foundations of the so-called CHAT :)...
>>
>>
>>
>>     __________________________________________________________________
>> Yahoo! Canada Toolbar: Search from anywhere on the web, and bookmark
your
>> favourite sites. Download it now at
>> http://ca.toolbar.yahoo.com.
>> _______________________________________________
>> 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
>



-- 
Sincerely yours Bella Kotik-Friedgut
_______________________________________________
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