[xmca] Where is the boundary of the "inner" and "outer"

[Larry Purss <lpscholar2@gmail.com>]

Martin, in his 2008 article [in MCA] on the "crisis in psychology" was
contrasting the notion of "sublation" as it has become interpreted in the
west as "internalization"
Martin is questioning if the metaphor of internalization incorrectly draws
our attention towards a movement of consciousness FROM the external TO the
internal.. He suggests sublation as a Hegelian term is pointing in another
directon.  The movement of consciousness from "in iself" TO "for itself"
[by moving THROUGH consciousness WITH others.  Martin points out that it is
this movement THROUGH others that is primary. A child's gesture starts out
as a movement in the direction of an object [this is not conscious].
Next others interpret this gesture as "intending" a  purposeful direction
and RESPOND to the gesture AS IF it is conscious. The child learns to
anticipate this reponse and becomes conscious of "moving others". In other
words consiousness begins as con-scientia [consciousness with or knowing
with].  Next the child takes the transformative step of directing
consciousness towards self as if self were other.  This is the
transformative step of SELF-consciousness [as derived from other
con-scientia]. Egocentric speech is one aspect of this momentous
transformation. But Martin emphasises this movement of egocentric
directionality can be inferred to be either "internal" [directed toward
self] or "external" [being expressed objectively in the world].  The next
stage is for speech to become "inner" speech and in the final movement
"inner" speech becomes abbrevated.
[This is how I interpreted Martin's article articulating the concept of
"sublation"]

Contrasting the concept "internalization" [movement from external social TO
internal mind]  with the concept of "sublation" [movement of "in itself" TO
"for itself" THROUGH others] seems to be a key contrast when reading Rey's
and Shotter's and Martin's interpretations of Vygotsky's HISTORICAL
theory/method.  I wonder if the transfer of Vygotsky's legacy from Russia to
the West was a transfer of the notion of "internalization" as a movement
from the social TO the INTERNAL plane as a continuing dualism.  Does Rey's
exploring of the notion of "sense" another way of exploring the contrast
between the concepts of "internalization" and "sublation"

John Shotter, in his evolving metaphors [from "joint activity" to
"dialogical" to "chiasmic interweaving" to "INTRA-activity" [the
transformation from other directed to egocentric directed THROUGH others]
points to the RELATIONAL CONfigurations BETWEEN self and others as PRIOR to
self-consciousness and self-mastery.
This leaves me continuing to wonder what becomes of con-scientia as a
particular form of consciousness as the person develops "self-consciousness"
and "self-control" over one's conduct. I suspect that in the sublation and
transformation it does not disappear or become submerged and forgotten.  It
may move to the background as self-consciousness is UNDERLINED but with
Shotter I "sense" that it continues to INform all our practices within our
activity systems. Activity systems point to the ongoing OGANIZATIONS [that
already exist] but there is also a continuing movement of GENERATIVE
con-scientia operating [behind the scenes] in ALL organizations.

Larry
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