HOW TO THINK LIKE A KNOWLEDGE WORKER
A guide to the mindset needed
to perform competent
knowledge work.
William P. Sheridan
Thinking involves the separation of relevant information from
irrelevant information. Knowledge consists of concepts that are
available to process information and guide action.
So, thinking
requires knowledge. The Human Knowledge MindMap presented
herein will give you that knowledge - the thinking is up to
you!
Available on the United Nations Public Administration Network at
http://unpan1.un.orglintradoc/groups/publicidocuments/unpan/unpan031277.pdf
Frontpiece: The Firebird - Russian Iconographic Art
"Firebird symbolizes the marriage of human wisdom and divine
power."
-Mike Leslie, THE MAGICAL PERSONALITY
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
HOW TO THINK LIKE A KNOWLEDGE WORKER
A guide to the mindset needed to perform
competent knowledge work
William Patterson Sheridan
Advisor on Knowledge Management
Informetrica Limited
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
The United Nations Public Administration Network
Two UN Plaza, Room DC2-1756
New York, NY 10017, USA
Printed and bound in Ottawa, Canada
the author at work
Copyright©William Sheridan
First edition 2008
The copyright to this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by
William Patterson Sheridan.
ISBN: 978-0-9810814-0-3
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
Preface
The Human Knowledge MindMap, the core construct of this book, was
developed over a 35-
year period. It was begun while I was an undergraduate in the
interdisciplinary program
Technology/Society/Environment (TSE) at Carleton University in the
early 1970s. It has been
ruminating in the back of my mind ever since I read Clarence Irving
Lewis’ book MIND AND
THE WORLD ORDER.
By that time (the early 1970s), the transition to a Knowledge
Society was well underway,
although the naming of that phenomenon had to await the coming of
the personal computer and
the Internet. Based on what we now know, it is obvious (to me at
least) that the systematic
application of knowledge to standardize social processes began
during the First World War, to
facilitate component compatibility and supply
logistics. The major impact of this early
knowledge engineering was in product and process
design.
With the coming of the personal computer and the Internet, work
organization and workflow
began to be modified on the job, and simultaneously personalized
products led to successive
alterations in lifestyles. We went through phases of evolutionary development,
from technology
management, to data management, to information management, and most
recently knowledge
management. In
each of these phases however, most of the expertise behind both
consulting and
publications referred to organizational applications.
For their individual use,
people either tried
to apply what they learned on the job to their home computers, or
they learned by reading
manuals and by trial-and-error.
In most
cases however the on-the-job training was only partially
transferred — the way most people manage their own technology, data
and information is quite
amateurish and sloppy. As for knowledge management, whether on-the-job or
on a personal
basis, many people still ask “What’s that?!”
So what is it? Knowledge consists of concepts available to process
information and guide
action. Knowledge Management refers to “smart use of
know-how.” In a knowledge economy
more and more tasks involve “think work.” Thinking involves the
separation of relevant
information from irrelevant information.
Therefore, “think work™ is a component of
“knowledge
work,” specifically the information processing part — the other
part is the “informed action” part.
What the Human Knowledge MindMap offers to the Knowledge Economy is
similar to what
W. Edwards
Deming offered to the Industrial Economy.
Just as Deming developed a
method for
quality assurance for industrial output, the Human Knowledge
MindMap is a method developed
to provide quality assurance for knowledgeable
output. When
the United States shunned Deming’s
approach, he was invited to Japan where he taught the kind of
quality control that enabled Japanese
manufacturers to successfully challenge the American domination of
the global automobile and
electronics markets. The knowledge-based start-up companies everywhere
in the world are looking
to provide the same kind of challenges in the future, and having a
workforce trained in knowledge
work skills will be part of their strategy!
William Sheridan
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
How To Think Like A Knowledge Worker
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION. ...ttt 1
How to Use the MindMap.
MindMap Methodology
MindMap Rationale
MindMap Diagram....
Realism — Tolerance — Pragmatism .
PART I: PERSPECTIVITY.
Epistemology
Empiricism..
Rationalism .
Constructivism
Practice in Using Epistemologies.
Ontology
Materialism .
Idealism....
Behaviourism
Practice in Using Ontologies.
Kineology
Determinism
Existentialism
Functionalisi
Practice in Using Kineologies
PART II: METHODOLOGY
Homology
Macro.
Meso..
Micro.
Analogy
Fagade
Performance.
Outcome
Dichotomy...
Location...
Occurrence
Uses of Methodology
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PART III:
Personal
Hedonism.
Egoism .....
Entrepreneur
Social
Altruism
Collectivism
Elitism
Transcendental
Theism...
Humanism
Environmentalism.
Practice in Using Axiology
AXIOLOGY
PARTIV: SEMIOLOGY .
Romanticism ..
Improvisatior
Morale. .
Genre.
Populism .
Inspiration
Entertainment.
Catharsis
Formalism...
Comedy.
Tragedy.
Uses of Semiology
PART V: QUINTESSENTIAL QUESTIONS .....cccccooiiiiiiiiiiiniiee et
70
Who?. .
What?
When?
Whether?
Which'
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PART VI: INFERENTIAL OPERATOR!
Arrange .
Authenticate
Choose...
Confirm.
Designate..
Explicate
Foretell ..
Generalize
Invent
Judge
Particularize
Relate .......
Replicate
Revise
Sugges
Summarize ..
Taxonomize.
Typologize ..
PART VII: THE GESTALT FRAME ......cccocooiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiec et
102
Phenomenology.
Morality....
Plausibility
Preferentiality
Practice in Using the Gestalt Frame.
Following Implications
The Practice of Following Implication
Managing Yourself
Life Lessons on Managing Yourself.
Coordinating Conclusions.
Considerations in Coordinating Conclusions.
Putting it all together to make it work for you!
Evaluate Your MindMap Learning Now.
Comprehension Checks.
Rectification REQUISIEES. ......c.euiurieiieuieiietictiet et ettt ettt s s
e
MINDMAP BIBLIOGRAPHY.
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Don’t miss this
INTRODUCTION
This book is about HOW to think, not WHAT to think.
Let me clarify
that. This
book
does not deal directly with the issues or concerns you will
encounter and deal with during
your education, on the job, or in your life.
But no matter what you are
doing, you ability
to deal effectively with your issues or concerns will depend on how
you approach them.
Let me give an example. If at any point you have an issue or concern about
what you or
anyone else has learned and/or knows, what that is about is what is
called epistemology,
“theories of learning and knowing.” The implication of your issue
or concern is the
question “How does anyone learn or know anything?”
There are three generic forms of epistemology: (1) empiricism
(observe the facts);
(2) rationalism (think things through);
and (3) constructivism (formulate new
ideas). We
all do all three to some extent — but most people emphasize one of
the three, and de-
emphasize the other two. Those habits of emphasis and de-emphasis only lead
to partial
and inadequate learning and knowing.
After reading this book however, such
partiality is no
longer necessary. Herein the three epistemologies are explained and
illustrated. By the use
of the three epistemologies you gain cross-training in the concepts
needed to deal with the
complexities of the world you experience.
Henceforth every
epistemological issue or
concern will involve the recognition of, and need to blend all
three forms of learning and
knowing. With
this wider perspective, you are at an epistemological
advantage. Y
ou
can understand learning and knowing issues and concerns in a
comprehensive sense.
Epistemologically you will have become an effective
thinker.
In a similar way this book will provide you with an outlook on your
other beliefs and
values, as well as a deeper understanding of the processes of
asking questions, and
drawing conclusions. For instance, most people's concept of "Reality"
(ontology) is also
focused on only one of the alternatives (either materialism, or
idealism, or behaviourism).
Once you cross-train yourself to use all three versions of
ontology, you are then also at an
ontological advantage, with a comprehensive perspective on
reality.
It's the same for all the other concepts that are displayed on the
Human Knowledge
MindMap. But for this to work,
you have to keep the concepts in mind (or the diagram in
front of you) whenever you do knowledge work.
If you were a high-level
knowledge
worker, you would be doing a lot of this intuitively already, but
probably not explicitly.
However, to be really competent in knowledge work you must not only
be able to use the
techniques, but be a reflective practitioner.
Everything I have said above can be reduced to one theme: Ideas
without context are like
people without responsibility — you just can’t trust
them. Ideas
have a history,
implications, and consequences, all of which should be borne in
mind when you
encounter them or use them. Otherwise you are simply sleep-walking through
the
knowledge society, going through the motions without ever being
self-conscious about
what you are doing. As a result your narrower perspective will
cognitively disable you
from working at the leading edge of creativity and
productivity.
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Benjamin Franklin’s Response to a Request for Advice
To Joseph Priestly London, September 19, 1772
In the affair of so much importance to you, wherein you ask my
advice, I cannot for want
to sufficient premises, advise you what to determine, but if you
please I will tell you how.
When those difficult cases occur, they are difficult chiefly
because while we have them
under consideration, all the reasons pro and con are not present to
the mind at the same
time; but
sometimes one set present themselves, and at other times another,
the first being
out of sight. Hence the various purposes or inclinations that
alternately prevail, and the
uncertainty that perplexes us.
To get over this, my way is to divide half a sheet of paper on a
line into columns; writing
over the one Pro, and over the other Con.
Then during three or four
days consideration, I
put down under the different heads short hints of the different
motives, that at different
time occur to me, for or against the measure.
When I have thus got them
all together in
one view, endeavour to estimate their respective
weights; and
where I find two, one on
cach side, that seem equal, I strike them both out.
If I find a reason pro
equal to some
two reasons con, I strike out the three.
If I judge some two reasons con equal
to some
three reasons pro, I strike out the five;
and thus proceeding I find at length
where the
balance lies; and if; after a day or two of further consideration nothing
new that is of
importance occurs on either side, I come to a determination
accordingly. And, though the
weight of reasons cannot be taken with the precision of algebraic
quantities, yet, when
each is thus considered, separately and comparatively, and the
whole lies before me, I
think I can judge better, and am less liable to make a rash
step; and in
fact I have found
great advantage from this kind of equation, in what may be called
moral or prudential
algebra.
Wishing sincerely that you may determine for the best, I am ever,
my dear friend, yours
most affectionately,
Ben Franklin
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HOW TO USE THE MINDMAP
What is it?
Knowledge consists of concepts available to process information and
guide action. The core
concepts of human knowledge are depicted in a series of lists
organized as a MindMap. As Tony Buzan
(THE MINDMAP BOOK, BBC Books, London, 1993), the inventor of the
MindMap concept explains,
this display technique gives a graphical integration of knowledge
that words alone cannot provide.
How to use it?
Read the book through once - it is short, modularized, and will
provide a sense of the content of the
message, and of how it is presented.
Using reference sources on any topics
under consideration will
also likely prove helpful; then apply the concepts and consider the
implications henceforth.
Who should use it?
Anyone whose job requires knowledgeable processing of information
(students, intellectuals, support staff,
managers, service staff, professionals, operational staff, experts,
etc.) will find the MindMap useful.
It
enables a person to sort experience into conceptual categories, the
basis of thinking. Every situation can be
‘deconstructed’ into the concepts on which it is based or which it
incorporates. You can use the MindMap
construct to explore situations, or find issues elsewhere and
assess them with MindMap concepts.
What are the implications?
The core premises for the design of the MindMap are Conceptual
Pragmatism and Cognitive Economy
i.e., our ideas should have maximum use-value and minimum
complexity. The concepts in the MindMap
allow the user to triangulate the issues that are involved in
whichever situation is encountered.
If your
question is "How do I know?" then it will involve some combination of elements
of empiricism,
rationalism, and constructivism.
Such cognitive amalgamations do what
makes "knowing" possible;
other aspects of experience can be deconstructed and reconstructed
just as readily using the MindMap.
Once concepts are identified and categorized, what
then? In the
process, one often finds that issues appear
incommensurable because the ideas on which they are based seem
incompatible. In such cases, there are
three ways of negotiating commensurability: (a) reduction (to a
common standard, i.e., money, energy,
votes, etc.); (b) separation (into distinct dimensions/judgments,
i.¢., beliefs, values, prefqrences, etc.);
and
(c) innovation (synthesize an encompassing alternative, i.e.,
bisociation‘, lateral thinking , thunks , etc.).
Innovation has the highest commensurability
potential.
References
1. Arthur
Koestler 2. Edward de Bono 3.
Jerry
Rhodes
ACT OF CREATION LATERAL THINKING CONCEPTUAL TOOLMAKING
Arkana, London, 1989 [1964] Penguin, London, 1971 Blackwell,
Oxford, 1991
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1. Conduct
an Inventory of Your Own Cognitive Processes
In Systems Analysis, the place to begin a project is to inventory
the existing arrangement(s) that
you are trying to improve or replace.
The same principle applies to adopting
or improving your
own approach to personal knowledge management.
(a) as you read through the outline of each concept in the MindMap,
note when and how you
currently use that concept, AND how you might revise or extend its
use in the future —if it’s
empiricism (see section on Epistemology), do you get and assess the
relevant facts about a task
before moving on “to do something™?
Could you do better in this respect in
the future? Ifit’s
behaviourism (see section on Ontology), do you clarify “how people
do things™ in the relevant
context before assuming you know what is and is not
acceptable? Could you do better in this
respect in the future?
(b) in the description of each concept in the MindMap it will be
possible to formulate similar
questions about how you presently might (or might not) use it, and
what you could do to either
begin to use it, or to more effectively use it in the
future. The
goal is to begin monitoring
yourself on what concepts you engage when you begin to think, AND
to prompt yourself to
either start to use the relevant concepts or to use them more
effectively.
2. Conduct a
Similar Inventory of Incoming Messages
Other sources of information are NOT, in all likelihood, monitoring
the use of concepts as
described above. So, incoming messages will likely have large
conceptual gaps in them, which
is something you should also notice and monitor.
(c) messages can be interpreted as “information packets” that
function to persuade you of
something — some facts, or principles, or propositions, or
proposals or whatever. The questions
to ask yourself are: What is the topic of persuasion?
How is the persuasive case
being made
(what evidence is being presented)?
What evidence is NOT being presented
that is, nevertheless,
relevant?
(d) the aim here to is to track the persuasive intent of the
incoming messages, so as to discern any
shortcomings and/or hidden agendas.
If the messages contain misinformation
(insufficient
evidence) or disinformation (incorrect assertions or assumptions),
and they may very well, then
the next question is, Does it matter?
That is to say, are there egregious
errors that should be and
can be confronted? “Speaking out” may or may not be feasible, but it
is good practice to be on
the alert for deficient messaging so that you will be able to
recognize it and take appropriate
action when that is necessary.
3. Audit
Your Inventory to Clarify Your Thinking
Reflect on your cognitive inventories to see if your thinking is
(i) comprehensive; (ii) coherent;
and (iii) consistent — use the MindMap for
comparison. Decide which parts of your thinking you
could work on, and make some effort to align your conceptual
framework so that you develop a
more effective capability for processing information and guiding
action.
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
A Generic Strategy For De-coding Issues and Messages
All of human culture is written in code — this is the conclusion of
Structural Anthropologists based on
their numerous case studies of all types of cultures throughout the
20" century. The “code of culture”
consists of deeper semantics and pragmatics than are apparent based
on a simple interpretation of the
explicit meaning of the signs and symbols that are
communicated. The purpose of the Human
Knowledge MindMap is to crack that code.
The Human Knowledge
MindMap can be divided into two
columns (recall Ben Franklin’s technique), with the concepts on the
left (Perspectivity, Methodology,
Axiology and Semiology) labelled Divergent Strategies, and the
concepts on the right (Quintessential
Questions and Inferential Operators) labelled Convergent
Strategies.
DIVERGENT STRATEGIES
CONVERGENT STRATEGIES
The overall strategy with the use of this list is to
look for, and recognize opportunities to expand
upon the use of these concepts when assessing
incoming information.
The overall strategy with the use of this list is to
look for, and recognize opportunities to narrow
down the use of these concepts when assessing
incoming information.
The reason you are trying to expand upon the use
of these concepts when assessing information, is
that conventional thinking in these areas is only
partial, i.e., it does not take into account all of the
aspects needed to assess the full range of
experience.
The reason you are trying to narrow down the use
of these concepts when assessing information, is
that it is both unnecessary and counter-productive
to try to ask every question or make every
inference about a situation, i.e., inquiries and
inferences must be prioritized.
An example may be helpful: If you are trying to
assess an aesthetic (artistic) experience, it is
important to keep in mind that there are three
premises for artistic appreciation, not just one, i.e.,
romanticism (the artist’s self-expression),
populism (the audience’s response), and
formalism (the technique of the art form).
All of
these considerations are required to provide an
adequate assessment.
An example may be helpful: If you are trying to
discover how a process or mechanism works, it
will NOT be relevant to ask who the operators
are, or where they were born, or what they do in
their leisure time, or why they were selected to do
the job in the first place. These questions should
be excluded, because the focus of inquiry is the
configuration of the procedure or mechanism
itself.
How does one decide which concepts are
intrinsic to any particular issue or message?
Intuition will usually generate a preliminary
categorization — if the topic is learning or knowing,
it’s about epistemology; if the topic is right or
wrong, it’s about ethics, etc.
If there is too much
ambiguity, use a dictionary, thesaurus or reference
book for guidance, or confer with someone.
How does one decide which questions or
inferences are intrinsic to any particular issue?
Intuition will usually provide a preliminary sense
of “what I want to know”, “what I need to ask”,
“where all this is going”, and “what I can
reasonably conclude”. Follow up by balancing
costs (time and effort) and benefits (reducing
uncertainty and clarifying implications).
How does one decide which concepts to apply to
which issues or messages? Begin with intuition -
then refer to this list. Every concept on this
list
represents some aspect of every topic — you have
to choose which aspects to prioritize — there are
always perspectival, valuational, categorical, and
appreciative aspects to every issue — which aspects
will you focus on, and why? Within a category,
deal with ALL aspects!
How does one decide which questions or which
inferences to apply to which issues or messages?
Begin with intuition — then refer to this list.
Focus on what you need to know, rather than on
what you want to know, when asking questions.
Focus on the purpose of the outcome when
deciding which inferences to make.
In both cases
cognitive resources are limited, so pursue the
strategy of satisficing (set reasonable limits).
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
What is the larger purpose?
What can a user of the Human Knowledge MindMap expect to be able to
accomplish that would
otherwise not be possible? That will be the capability to THINK
EFFECTIVELY. Most peoples’
thinking, most of the time, is not clear enough, focused enough, or
systematic enough to perform
“knowledge work” competently.
The purpose of the Human Knowledge
MindMap is to give users
the wherewithal to do exactly that.
Whether during education, or on a job,
effective thinking
consists of a set of components as depicted below.
EFFECTIVE THINKING: parallel tracks and alternate tacks
Topical Processes Integral Processes
1. clarifying premises ' ‘ 1.
checking assumptions
(why premises?) (whose assumptions?)
2. inferring
explanations ii. asking questions
(inferring how?) ‘ ¢ (which questions?)
3. following
implications iii. coordinating conclusions
(following where?) (what conclusions?)
The Topical Processes are applicable to the subject matter under
consideration. The Integral Processes
are intrinsic to the thinking activity itself.
What effective thinking
requires is tacking back and forth
between these parallel tracks so that both sets of considerations
are covered in the larger endeavour.
The elements to do this are available in this
document.
This Human Knowledge MindMap document has been written to cover
appropriate sets of assumptions,
questions, premises, and inferences, together with the implication
and coordination techniques that are
needed in thinking. The pages taking the user through this material are
organized in a particular
sequence, although the reader may read the material in any
order. For
the practice of EFFECTIVE
THINKING the requirement is to go through the topical and integral
processes comprehensively.
Here too, there is no necessity order in which to do
this. One
may encounter, contrive, or be assigned
a concept, problem, or situation to which any one of these
processes may be applied to begin with, but
regardless of the starting point, all of the other processes have a
contribution to make to the eventual
outcome. The
arrows in the table above suggest one sequence through the thinking
processes, but the
order can be varied to fit alternate styles of thinking, different
individuals, and changing circumstances.
The contrast to the sequential approach might aptly be called "The
Pinball Methodology" - bounce the
concepts and constructs around until you create an effective
ensemble - history confirms that it works!
References
(Conceptual Pragmatism) (Cognitive Economy) (Pinball
Methodology)
Clarence Irving Lewis Nicholas Rescher James Burke
MIND & THE WORLD ORDER COGNITIVE ECONOMY THE PINBALL
EFFECT
Dover Books, Mineola, 1991 Pittsburgh UP, Pittsburgh, 1989 Little,
Brown & Co., Boston, 1996
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
Original Construction Deconstruction
z R z
>
\ \ q P w
X—w
X y
R\ /z
Reformulation X2 —— q—X2 —p
Reconstruction
W/\
MindMap Methodology: Concept R&D
As encountered in messages from a variety of sources (conversation,
text, etc.), a construct may
consist of several concepts, related to each other in a variety of
ways, depending on the context.
Various views may be vague, or inconsistent, or both.
Deconstruction consists in
separating and
clarifying each of the component concepts as to their individual
etymology and their pragmatic
use. One (or
more) of these concepts may then be reformulated to enhance its
inclusiveness,
exclusiveness, range, or whatever.
Whereupon
this newly reformulated concept may then be
used as a basis to reassemble the entire construct, but in a way
that brings new order, generality,
explication or whatever to the entire ensemble of
ideas.
This idealized version presents the process as a somewhat formal,
public sequence - however it
can just as easily occur informally and intuitively in the mind of
a practitioner. In either case
the process is an art rather than a science.
The definitions in the
deconstruction phase may be as
wide or narrow as the practitioner prefers, the choice as to which
one(s) are to be reformulated
is also up to the practitioner, as is the configuration of the
reassembled construction. Two
different individuals or groups, using the same original
construction, may then settle on
alternate definitions, reformulations, and reconstructions, yet be
entirely correct within the
logic each has employed. Good craftsmanship requires only consistency and
transparency.
Application of Concept R&D
Read the entire Human Knowledge MindMap through once.
Pick a situation, problem, challenge, decision or choice of
interest or concern to you (on whatever
basis you regard as appropriate).
Then proceed
with the following steps:
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1. Identify
which aspects are of most interest or concern to you.
2. Prioritize (rank) your interests or
concerns.
3. Using
the Human Knowledge MindMap as a visual guide, apply the relevant
concepts to the
most important (prioritized) aspects of your interest or concern
(limit it to the top three
aspects on your list to begin with).
4. Ifyou
don’t recall whether or nor a particular concept is relevant,
refresh your memory by
re-reading the one-page outline.
5. From this
point apply the methodology as outlined above (this may, in
addition to other
things, require reading more materials to acquire the necessary
depth of
understanding in the issues you are trying to deal
with).
Initially this may be a slow and somewhat cumbersome
process. Learning to think by applying
the right tools to the right circumstances often is an initially
slow process! With practice
however the process will become intuitive, and you can begin to use
the MindMap for periodic
refreshment, and to plan for some more in-depth study of concepts,
if this interests you. A good
way to proceed with this more expanded goal, is to read the
reference books mentioned in each of
the concept pages, and then begin using your new insights to find
additional materials, and/or to
apply your accumulating schemata to what you read or otherwise
find. Do not
regard any of the
references suggested as being "the gospel" on a topic - each is
simply recommended as "food for
thought".
Concept R&D is a dynamic process, but the key to its successful
use is to recognize that the
responsibility for the dynamic aspect of the process lies with the
user. The
MindMap can inform a
user about the conceptual basis of knowledge, and about the way in
which it can be most
appropriately utilized. BUT, you gotta really wanna!
If your interests in, or concerns with
issues are not sufficient to motivate the cognitive effort to
master and apply the Concept R&D
methodology, then this MindMap is not for you — you will be wasting
your time with it. If you
decide this effort is worth your time and attention, this MindMap
should be helpful. If you think
that you can do any of this better than what you read herein, prove
it - do it!
Universal Disclaimer: Firstly, the author of this material is not
responsible for motivating
users to want to think — that is their
responsibility. Secondly, the author is not responsible for
any action whatsoever that users may take based on what they regard
as the implications of
this material. Users must always take responsibility themselves,
not only for deciding whether
or not to think, but also for choosing what action to take (or not
to take). The one claim which
the author does make irrespective of any situation or user, is that
being a knowledgeable
decision-maker or choice-taker is ALWAYS better than being an
ignorant one!
References
Edward de Bono Andre Kukla
THE HAPPINESS PURPOSE MENTAL TRAPS
Penguin Books, London, 1990 Doubleday Canada, Toronto, 2006
Wesley Vestal Gary Klein
MAPPING KNOWLEDGE WORKING MINDS
APQC Publications, Houston, 2005 MIT Press, Cambridge, 2006
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
THE MINDMAP RATIONALE
When receiving information (watching, reading;
listening, touching, or any
other kind of observation),
DO NOT JUST ABSORB PASSIVELY.
Some New Age Analysts have been known
to advise to “clear
the mind” while attending to incoming sense-data so as not to
impose one’s own categories or
standards. This is a profoundly foolish and counter-productive
piece of advice. The way to effectively
absorb information, to make it your own is through active listening
- by fitting it into what is already
known. What
the active listener needs to remember is to keep the attributed
characteristics and
categories TENTATIVE rather than PERMANENT.
Every incoming piece or
stream of information
has a context and implications.
Whether stated or not, such information
reflects or entails certain
beliefs (what is this, and how do we know?) and certain values
(what should we do, and why?).
Buried
in the incoming information are clues to help answer these
questions, but those answers will only be
revealed if the information recipient deconstructs the message and
categorizes its components. The
function of every message is persuasion, whether implicit (a
statement) or explicit (an argument),
whether intended (social source) or unintended (natural
source).
There are nine types of beliefs at the core of our sense of
reality, three types of methodology whereby
we categorize our experience, nine types of values we hold, and
three types of modes to our sensibilities.
Statements or situations are usually blends rather than being
composed exclusively of a single type, but
within such a blend one type tends to dominate.
Little or none of this may be explicit however
— it is the
task of the reflective practitioner to begin to deconstruct the
conversation in real time and identify the
premises as they are articulated.
In other
words, being an active listener takes some real, and
continuous effort, and considerable practice — you have to pay
attention, AND try and make sense of
the incoming messages. How is this done?
Start by paying attention to those
components of the
message that occur most frequently or are emphasized most
emphatically.
Why bother? Because the incoming information, no matter what
the source or content, has the effect of
controlling your behaviour, even if you ignore it.
But no matter what you do
as the result of that
incoming sense-data, you can make better decisions and choices if
you are capable of informed action.
Like informed consent, informed action involves a state of mind
that has aligned the content and
context of incoming messages so that you can understand and control
some of the aspects of your
experience [even adjusting your attitude to the prospect of the
inevitable is a form of empowerment —
and often there is considerably more that you can
do].
Use of the MindMap will foster an attitude of Contrarian Thinking:
there is no necessity to take
conventional wisdom at face value.
This is a way of positioning yourself
and what you know so that
incoming messages are not naively accepted as the truth, or the
facts, or just a description, or with
nothing more implied or intended.
Something more is ALWAYS implied and
intended. There is no
“unequivocal truth” or “straight facts” or “simple
description”. Every person and idea has a history,
implications, and consequences.
To the extent that you don’t think
about any of this, you don’t
understand what is going on, and you don’t know what you are
doing. The
Human Knowledge
MindMap helps you counter-act gullibility and
complacency.
Mortimer J. Adler Samuel C.
Wheeler
HOW TO SPEAK, HOW TO LISTEN DECONSTRUCTION AS
Touchstone Books, New York, 1997 ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY
Stanford UP, Stanford, 2000
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
cognitivity Phenomenology: (how we perceive experience)
attention
(1) presence vs. absence (2) parts vs.
wholes (3) unity vs.
diversity
fetnsion ™, Esiseni
Plausibility: construclvsm,
[
(how we oo onenr \ perspestvt The Expanded Human Knowiedge
MindMap
examine behavirs
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sttt insolog g
unctorsism When?
(1) theory vs. Whence?
practice - Quintessential Questions /=",
moso ™ Homdagy inetars
(2) correlate vs. ety R
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vs. fuzzy
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realism - tolerance - pragmatism /ensose
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itism Invory
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thelsm |\ Particuarize
umanism ™\ Transcandarts N
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comea
intention wony ™, Formaism,
vogesy
Gestalt
Framework
Morality: (how we evaluate experience)
(1) commands vs. conscience (2) inclusion vs.
exclusion (3) injunctions
vs. prohibitions
—————————————————————————————————————-
Gestalt
Framework
1 correspondenc{P
Preferentiality:
(how we
appreciate
experience)
(1) style vs.
statement
(2) expression
vs. impression
(3) attraction
vs. aversion
affectivity
Copyright of thi
s work is held completely, exclusively and in perpetuity by William
Patterson Sheridan
REALISM — TOLERANCE —~ PRAGMATISM
Conventional wisdom in philosophy and most other scholastic
subjects, raises a number of
objections to any attempt to create a new architectonic for
post-modern thought. I disagree.
1. There is no
methodology (or even guidelines) for such an
endeavor. Throughout this
project’s conceptualization, research, writing, and final
formatting, I “made up” the methodology
as [ went along (performing as an epistemological
constructivist). Only after I had completed
everything except the final editing did I read the book PHENOMONOGY
AND THE THEORY
OF SCIENCE by Aron Gurwitsch.
At one point Gurwitsch considers the
possibility of
undertaking a project like mine, and recommends the following:
Abiding by the plurality of
life-worlds entails endorsing a sociohistorical
relativism. For that relativism to be overcome,
the question may, and must, be raised of whether there is a world
common to all human beings
and all sociohistorical groups, a world invariantly the same over
and against the diversities of
the multiple life-worlds and in that sense “beyond” the
latter. To
attain that world, an abstractive
[i.e., conceptualizing] procedure is required.
Starting from any concrete
life-world, one disregards
specific interpretation and comprehension it receives in the
corresponding sociohistorical group
and retains only the remainder which is left after the abstraction
has been performed (Gurwitswch,
1974, pgs. 144-145). That was exactly how I developed the
MindMap.
2. Other
cultures, especially those from the “EAST” have a very different
philosophy of
life, and their categories of experience are so distinct from
“WESTERN” ones, that the two
traditions are simply “incommensurable” and not amenable to being
mapped one to the
other. As it
turns out however, these discrepancies are usually
overstated. In their book
EASTERN PHILOSOPHY FOR BEGINNERS, Jim Powell and Joe Lee give an
overview from
which it can be ascertained that both eastern and western
philosophy confront the same
phenomena but each sorts experience into somewhat different
categories. Dealing with all such
differences and negotiating commensurability between them are
covered by Edward De Bono in
his book THE USES OF LATERAL THINKING.
My approach concurs with these latter
views.
3. There is
no comprehensive, coherent, or consistent basis for thinking since
the rise of
Complexity and Chaos Theories.
Such claims confuse granularity with
generalizability. The
details of experience have ALWAYS tended to be overwhelming and
unintelligible when taken
in their particularity. It is the role of concepts to provide a basis to
prioritize certain features,
aspects or characteristics and then group the instances into
categories enabling consistence,
coherence, comprehension and creativity.
John Wilson explains
THINKING WITH CONCEPTS,
and in CREATIVE COGNITION Finke, Ward & Smith show that
"although the content of creative
ideas may indeed reflect a society's values and concerns to some
extent, the cognitive processes
that give rise to those ideas should still apply to any
society." Hence, Concepts in the MindMap.
Realism is an attitude, the attitude of assessing a situation
accurately rather than on the basis of
delusions or denial. Pragmatism is an attitude, the attitude of
appraising one’s prospects on the
basis of feasibility rather than wishful thinking.
Tolerance is an attitude
of forbearance towards
ideas and practices one disapproves of, within the limits of reason
- the reasonable limit being "no
consequential harm". On the charge of deliberately harboring these three
attitudes, I plead guilty!
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
PARTI
PERSPECTIVITY
What is perspectivity?
The meaning of perspective used herein is, a specific point of view
in understanding things or
events (one of a number of definitions in Webster's New World
Dictionary). Hence,
perspectivity is the mind-set for framing one's point of
view.
In philosophy this mind-set is called metaphysics.
In traditional approaches
to philosophy such
perspectives were regarded as essentials, the foundation of
thinking. Modern approaches
regard such perspectives as postulates (tentative premises),
without reifying (concretizing) any of
them. The
approach used herein will be the modern one.
There are three categories
used in
perspectivity: (1.) epistemology - how we know about
reality; (2.) ontology - what reality consists
of; and (3.)
kineology - how reality changes.
Each category contains three
concepts.
How is perspectivity used?
Within each category, there is usually a blend of the three
concepts involved in knowing
something. In any particular instance, one of the concepts is
likely to account for a larger
proportion of a person's perspective than the other two, although
the blend may shift between
different people, circumstances, and occasions.
Furthermore, the individual
blends are, more
often than not, implicit rather than explicit.
A person can begin by examining one's recent judgments in
retrospect, and with practice it is
eventually possible to be more deliberate in "managing" one's
perspective. Why? Because, as
Einstein said, what we believe determines what we see, and NOT visa
versa. People who are
unaware that what they believe determines what they see, often
assume that they are simply
observing "reality" for what it is.
This is both naive and
inaccurate. Most human perceptions are
labeled, and this labeling is governed by "the perspective" we
bring to each situation. As the
Torah stated some 2,500 years ago, "We see things not as they are,
but as we are."
Some phenomena have a "substantial" physical component (for
instance, rocks, machines,
animals, plants, etc.) and the terms and concepts which we use to
label them are just convenient
signs for reference. Other phenomena are either symbolic social entities
(contracts, conventions,
institutions, etc.), or symbolic scientific creations (the concepts
of gravitation, entropy, systems,
energy, etc.). In all cases though, conceptual thinking uses the
labels, and labels are based on
perspectives. We always know more than we can say, but even
knowing is largely conceptual.
References
John Searle
THE CONSTRUCTION OF SOCIAL REALITY
The Free Press, New York, 1997
James W. Davis
TERMS OF INQUIRY
Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2005
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
EPISTEMOLOGY
What is epistemology?
Epistemology is the part of perspectivity that deals with how we
know about reality. A
philosophical dictionary defines it as The branch of philosophy
concerned with questions of
knowledge, belief, opinion, certainty, doubt, etc.
Epistemology is sometimes
called theory of
knowledge but theory of cognition would be better (TALKING
PHILOSOPHY by
A.W. Sparkes). Conceptually speaking, there are three basic ways
whereby we can know about
reality: (1) empiricism - knowing based on observing
facts; (2)
rationalism - knowing based on
thinking or calculation; and (3) constructivism - knowing based on inventing
ideas. These
approaches are "ideal types" in the sense that Max Weber meant the
term - they are archetypes of
knowing that can be used to assess the different knowledge claims
that various people make. By
applying alternate epistemologies, the rationale for different
explanations becomes apparent.
How is epistemology used?
Some people have adopted a "public persona" regarding their
epistemology that emphasizes one
or another of the basic concepts.
Empiricism gets its name from an
ancient school of physicians
who claimed that all their rules of practice were derived from
experience alone. To say that a
philosopher is an empiricist is to say that he places particular
emphasis on experience,
observation, and perception in his account of knowledge and belief
(TALKING PHILOSOPHY,
A.W. Sparkes). In the modern age, such a person would both gather
information from existing
sources, and engage in experiments to discover information where it
was not recorded
previously. In speaking knowledgably, such a person would
always refer back to "the facts" as
the reference point from which to make any claims believed to be
correct.
Rationalism emphasizes the cognitive component of knowing -
thinking and calculation. This is
why Descartes is often considered the modern archetypal rationalist
- his maxim "I think,
therefore I am" seems to epitomize the rationalist
perspective. The rationalist doesn't deny the
use of information, but reserves the term "knowing" for those
cognitive processes that deal with
the information after it is received (i.e., thinking and
calculation).
Constructivism is an epistemology based on the recognition that all
of the signs, symbols,
concepts, and frameworks whereby human knowledge is stored,
retrieved, and manipulated, are
socially created and conventionally used.
In other words, the medium
for knowledge is invented
rather than discovered - so knowledge products are artifacts rather
than naturally occurring
entities. The implication of this approach is that when
different people define the same term
differently, they may be using the same words but meaning quite
different things. And, when
people attach different labels to the same things, they may be
assuming or implying different
characteristics or consequences regarding preferences or
policies.
References
A.W. Sparkes Nicholas Rescher
TALKING PHILOSOPHY REALISM AND PRAGMATIC EPISTEMOLOGY
Routledge, London, 1991 Pittsburgh University Press, Pittsburgh,
2005
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
EMPIRICISM
What is empiricism?
Empiricism is an epistemology (theory of knowledge) based on the
contention that knowing is
an evidence-based activity, the evidence being that of the
senses. Those convinced of the strong
version of this epistemology claim to rely solely on the
observations of experience and
experiment for their knowledge of reality.
Philosophers David Hume
and John Locke were
famous 16" century exponents of this claim, viewing it as a modern
alternative to both mysticism
(intuitively ineffable) and rationalism (synthetic a
priori).
In other words, there is no knowledge intrinsic to the human mind,
only what we learn from the
environment. This view was developed to counteract claims to
knowledge based on faith, divine
revelation, or spiritual insight.
Empiricists maintain that whatever
faith, divine revelation, or
spiritual insight might provide to the human mind, it was NOT true
knowledge. The implication
of their position is that the content of knowledge is the practical
wherewithal for control. What
their claim amounts to, is that the cognitive content that informs
the exercise of control requires
an exclusively factual basis.
Initially this seemed a plausible
claim, but as it turns out, even such
practical aims as control in the "here and now" requires more than
just the facts of the case --
additionally what is needed is some sense of the context AND an
awareness of the purpose for
which the control is being exercised.
How does empiricism work?
Initially modern empiricism was very liberating, summed up in that
famous Americanism "I'm
from Missouri, I've got to be showed".
It is most effectively applied to the
areas covered by the
physical sciences, or to be more exact, material
objects. But
even forces (i.e., gravity, etc.) or
processes (1.e., entropy, etc.) cannot be directly observed - only
their consequences. We can see
things fall so we hypothesize gravity, and we can measure the
decline in free energy so we
hypothesize entropy. Biological entities are still physical, but their
complexity complicates the
observational process to such an extent that hypothetical processes
and functions are a necessary
part of every description. Semiotic phenomena (involving symbols) add further
layers to this
complexity. Most human behaviours have hypothetical aspects as
basic parts of their very
existence and definition (i.e., money, marriage, meaning,
etc.).
In every case, there are still facts, but although what we know is
grounded in the facts, how the
facts are gathered, processed, and interpreted is as important as
the semantic content of those
facts. So,
in a comprehensive sense, what we know is partially empirical, but
not entirely.
Knowledge about the mass or density of a rock may be predominantly
empirical, but knowledge
about the size or density of a problem may be only marginally
empirical.
References
Alfred Ayer William N. Stephens
FOUNDATIONS OF EMPIRICAL KNOWLEDGE = HYPOTHESES &
EVIDENCE
Macmillan, London, 1951 Thomas Crowell, New York, 1968
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RATIONALISM
What is rationalism?
Rationalism has been used in two ways: (1) in a formal sense, it
refers to systematic thinking
(abduction, induction, deduction);
and (2) in an informal sense, it refers
to the practice of developing,
having, and using good reasons for actions.
Each of these refers to
the "rationality of means", but the
Ancient Greeks also had the concept of the "rationality of ends",
the idea that reason could guide the
choice of goals as well as the choice of the wherewithal or
instrumentality to achieve such goals.
Both
versions are epistemologies, theories of knowledge.
Most modern notions of
rationality tend to focus
exclusively on the means, either ignoring ends altogether, or
arguing that commitment to goals is not a
"rational" decision but rather an "emotive" one.
Toulmin and Searle argue
otherwise.
How does rationalism work?
Formal rationalism does not deny the role of sense-data in
informing knowledge, but insists that
"knowing" itself is the product of thinking rather than
perceiving. So, the distinction with
empiricism is that empiricism refers back to the grounds for
knowing (sense-data) whereas
rationalism refers to the cognitive processes of knowing
(thinking). Since both are essential for a
complete view of knowledge, the historical dispute between
empiricists and rationalists regarding
which is pre-eminent, is just an example of philosophical
chauvinism. The distinguishing feature
of systematic thinking is that elaborate rules and an esoteric
jargon are used, often over-used.
Informal rationalism, reasonableness, involves having good reasons
for both means and ends,
thinking things through to the extent feasible, anticipating
implications and consequences, and
inferring an explanation or action to the best of one's ability -
in other words, being mindful
of one's circumstances, and seeking and applying life-lessons
learned.
The older concept of "reason" covers both formal and informal
versions. In
ancient philosophy
one used reason by drawing on whatever relevant knowledge was
available to make decisions
and choices. In the case of technical subjects, algorithms for
processing variables were
developed, and are the basis for theory today.
In the case of ordinary
experience, heuristics that
serve as guidelines to clarification are often
sufficient. Knowing what kind of a situation you are
in, and when either formal or informal approaches are appropriate,
is the goal that all
practitioners strive for.
References
Stephen Toulmin
RETURN TO REASON
Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 2001
John Searle
RATIONALITY IN ACTION
MIT Press, Cambridge, 2003
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CONSTRUCTIVISM
What is constructivism?
Constructivism is the epistemology (theory of knowledge) that what
we know is based on the
ideas that we invent. From this perspective, knowing is more than an
awareness of facts
(empiricism) or thinking about facts (rationalism) - it is ideas we
create to interpret our sense-data
and thoughts. But since concepts and language are part of
everyone's mentality, some constructivists
make the claim that every aspect of all knowledge is invented
rather than discovered. The implication
is that if "we make it all up" then we could re-make it into
something quite different if that suited
the "knowledge-creation gatekeepers".
Is the epistemological enterprise
really so arbitrary? The
extent to which knowledge-creation can be arbitrarily controlled
depends on the context.
Because social behaviour is largely governed by convention,
multiple, discrepant interpretations
are possible and plausible - physical and biological processes are
more "factual”.
When technological procedures are invented and scientific
principles are discovered, the
processes of summarizing, systemizing, and synthesizing also have
constructivist components,
but in these cases facts and thinking have important involvement as
well. Those
who argue or
insist that science is largely or predominantly constructivist, are
confusing function with origins.
The institution of science was itself "invented", but the role of
science is to discover, explain, and
forecast phenomena, and the role of technology is to explain,
forecast, and control those same
phenomena for human purposes. Constructivism cannot account for all of
epistemology.
How does constructivism work?
Although empiricists were often fond of the claim that "the facts
speak for themselves", this was
never actually true, and has recently become demonstrably
false. If
reliable data are available, it
can be processed with spreadsheet software to identify "best fit"
to a curve representing a
particular pattern or principle.
However, one can choose to have the
software "interpret" the data
in a variety of ways, so that the same data will display "best fit"
to a number of different types of
curves - the configuration of these best fits can vary
considerably, demonstrating positive
correlation, negative correlation, linearity, non-linearity, etc
. So, one can
"invent" one's
preferred explanation, and get the software to interpret the data
accordingly. By examining
previous research we can now see that before the availability of
such software, scientists settled
on their own preferred explanations in their own minds, and
proceeded accordingly. Since some
basis for interpretation is always necessary, the construction of
knowledge will always be partly
arbitrary - and this is where deconstruction (see MindMap
Methodology in the Introduction) can help.
References
Arthur Koestler Jerry Rhodes
THE ACT OF CREATION CONCEPTUAL TOOLMAKING
Arkana, London, 1989 [1964] Blackwell, Oxford, 1991
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
PRACTICE IN USING EPISTEMOLOGIES
This section on Epistemology covers the three archetypes of
knowing, namely Empiricism,
Rationalism, and Constructivism.
Having read through them first (each
covered in a page),
then try some of the following suggestions (or do similar things
that will also illustrate the
desired points): Take any one of the postulates and apply it to an
issue of interest to you. The
issue might occur in a media story, in a book or magazine you read,
in a conversation you have,
or in a presentation you attend.
In the case of Empiricism, ask yourself “What evidence is presented
to support the facts or
theories or conclusions or propositions presented?” How was the
evidence acquired? Who can
vouch for it? Is the evidence accurately reported [how do you
know]? Is the
evidence plausible?
Is the evidence credible? Again, in any case, how do you know?
How does the source
know
about the viability of any of this evidence?
It is conceivable that a particular instance
of evidence
can meet all of the standards of good collecting and reporting that
one could hope for — but in the
vast majority of cases, not likely!
So instead, there is some
interpretation and some hype
involved in the presentation.
Whatever evidence is used may be for
limited numbers of cases,
over a short period of time, in situations where other intervening
variables are operating. So, be a
little skeptical, and don’t “bet the farm” until you have multiple,
independent, cross-confirming
sources for the evidence presented.
Let this be a rule for any claims of
evidence that you
personally have not examined and verified.
There are a
hundred-and-one ways that evidence can
be messaged, with virtually no traces left of who had their hands
in it!
In the case of Rationalism, ask yourself “What concepts are
included in the construct (theory,
principle, proposition) being presented?” Are the concepts being
used complementary to one
another, or contradictory? Are the definitions of terms conventional or
esoteric? Are the steps in
the thinking process arranged in a credible sequence, or was
something left out, or something else
arbitrarily included? Often there is hype in these presentations too,
consisting of the claim that
some argument proves some conclusion which infers some other point
and implies some action
on your part! These claims are often convoluted and a little
baffling. So
your best response is to
say “I’ll think about it.” Arguments are usually staged to either
get your agreement or your
action, which on further thought you may not want.
So ask yourself (or your
interlocutor) “What
does it matter whether “the argument” is correct or incorrect?” If
it doesn’t matter, then it
doesn’t matter! If it does matter, clarify what is at stake in “the
bottom line.”
In the case of Constructivism, ask yourself “Is some other
juxtaposition of concepts, or
principles, or theories, etc.
just as credible?”” Usually the answer
is yes — that is, some other idea
has also been invented which could just as easily express or
explain as the one being proposed.
In many cases you can still use the concepts or terminology being
suggested, but keep it clear in
the back of your mind that alternatives exist, and these
alternatives may also be useful at some
point. Most
constructs only cover part of the data, or emphasize part of a
problem or situation.
Other constructs may cover other parts of the date, or prioritize
other aspects of interest.
Next, take an issue and try all three epistemologies on
it. See how
the “look and feel” changes as
each of the different epistemologies is applied to
it. It all
depends on your perspective.
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
ONTOLOGY
What is ontology?
Ontology is concerned with the question "What does reality consist
of?"" The word 'ontology’
is derived from the Greek word for ‘exist,' 'is,'
etc. Ontology is concerned with questions about
existence and being. What kinds of things can be said to
exist? What
does it mean to say that
something exists? Are there different senses of the verb 'to exist",
different types of existence?
(A.W. Sparkes,
TALKING PHILOSOPHY).
It turns out that the answers that are provided to ontological
questions fall into three types of
approaches: (1) materialism - the belief that only things that have
physical substance are real;
(2) idealism - the belief that reality consists of the concepts
that underlie the facts of experience;
(3) behaviorism - the belief that reality consists of how things
(including people) behave. To
avoid getting stuck in "ontological fundamentalism" use all three
views on beliefs about reality.
How does ontology operate?
Although some people may claim to be predominantly or exclusively
convinced of one or another
of these ontologies, in practice they will blend these archetypes,
much as in epistemology.
Materialists will try to find the physical basis for any and all of
the phenomena of interest to
them. So
instead of accepting the terminology of conventional psychology for
human behavior,
they will look for genetic or physiological
explanations. And if they look hard enough, or are
patient enough, they will find (or discover) such explanations,
because for "materialist true
believers" this approach is the only credible one.
Idealists discern a "deeper reality" beneath the facts and foibles
of experience, because
appearances are so changeable, but their concept of reality is
"changeless". Plato saw ideal
"forms" as the basis of mundane experience, while Noam Chomsky sees
cognitive structures
behind human language capabilities, and Claude Levi-Strauss finds
kinship templates governing
all human cultures.
Behaviorists see human reality (the baseline for them) as
consisting of the accumulated habits
and traditions whereby societies condition people.
The mechanism of "classical
conditioning"
consists of associations that are built up between reinforcing
stimuli and subsequently acquired
routines. The
other mechanism is "operant conditioning", wherein behavior is
shaped through a
combination of (a) positive reinforcement of emergent behaviors
that are acceptable, (b) negative
reinforcement (benign neglect) of neutral behaviors, and (c)
aversive reinforcement of
unacceptable behaviors (discouragement).
The rationale behind this approach is
that reality is a
human construct, so reality consists of how humans
behave.
References
A.W. Sparkes
TALKING PHILOSOPHY
Routledge, London, 1991
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
MATERIALISM
What is materialism?
The conventional definition of materialism is an ontology (theory
of reality) based exclusively
on physical things. An alternative, and perhaps better statement of the
sense of this concept is
that reality consists only of facts (i.e., phenomena that have been
observed and recorded as data
points by appropriate methods).
This is the view that once premised a
particular version of science,
namely positivism. Those practicing positivistic science claimed that
science must have a factual
basis, so they either rejected idealist and behaviourist concepts
and labels, or tried to reinterpret
these other views in materialist terms.
Positivists regarded speculative
thought as long on theory
but short on results, something they were dedicated to
reversing. Those who have a materialist focus
to their lives are primarily concerned with the acquisition,
possession, and consumption of things
(goods and the services these provide), and that kind of lifestyle
becomes their major source of
gratification. The problem with a materialist approach is that
there is a limit to how much one can
consume, beyond which the acquistion of more becomes compulsive (a
form of psychopathology).
One of the implications of materialism that positivists drew, was
that many (perhaps most) of the
concepts in philosophy and psychology were hypothetical and
"unreal" - they rejected these as
nonsense, but to others this meant science was "cold and
mechanical". In hindsight it is apparent
that the problem was that positivists were trying to apply the
paradigm of classical physics to all
phenomena, whereas other concepts and other methods were needed for
other subject-matter.
How does materialism work?
Science can no longer be composed exclusively of "material" facts
because so many concepts
in all scientific disciplines are now "hypothetical" rather than
directly observable. Hence the
definition of science has expanded to include both facts and
principles. And human beings cannot
really live on things alone, because emotional needs must be
satisfied symbolically and socially,
not just with more things. Where does that leave materialism?
Material things can still
be distinguished
from other phenomena (ideas and behaviours).
Consumption of a certain
amount of material things
(food, clothing, shelter, etc.) is necessary to satisfy basic
physiological and social needs.
Beyond
certain levels however, compulsive searching for more "material
facts" (science) or material objects
(lifestyle) reaches a point where the additional utility gained is
no longer worth the effort expended.
So, materialism is one aspect of reality, but not the whole of
it.
References
Michael Brian Schiffer
THE MATERIAL LIFE OF HUMAN BEINGS
Routledge, New York, 1999
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20
IDEALISM
What is idealism?
Idealism is an ontology (theory of reality) that claims what
actually exists consists of the concepts
we use to understand our experiences.
According to the idealist perspective,
reality is more than our
behavioural patterns or the materials conditions of our existence -
our sense of reality is something
we achieve through active use of our minds, not something we simply
infer from the facts or acquire
through cultural conditioning.
The place where idealism is most
applicable is in the sphere of
human relations. Money is not a natural phenomena, nor is the idea
of money a reflection of natural
phenomena - the idea for this institution was developed by people
to serve certain purposes. Ina
similar way, all other institutions were contrived: the idea of
contracts was invented, as was that of
writing, government, trade, science, marriage, justice,
etc. These
things are "made-up" by defining
them (what they are, how they will work) and declaring them
(committing to such practices,
promoting compliance). All human folkways and mores are built in this
way.
The major problem with the idealist ontology is the attitude of
"reification" which often arises to
accompany the ideals in use.
Reification is what philosopher Alfred
North Whitehead called "the
fallacy of concretization", the assumption that the ideals in
current use are "real" in a material or
supernatural sense. However, social institutions are NOT things or
forms (like tools or
templates), and scientific principles are NOT facts or myths (like
data or parables). Rather, social
institutions are guidelines, and compliance is negotiable, so
gradual changes are occurring all the
time, and compulsive commitment is not a necessary implication of
idealism, but rather an
indication of a "fundamentalist" temperament.
How does idealism work?
One of the most enlightening lessons in idealism is to
"deconstruct” the social institutions in
everyday use, and see the large role that convention and constraint
play in human behaviour.
Most of our ends (goals) and means (methods) are based on
traditions and habits, NOT natural or
necessary processes. For instance, we do have to eat, but - what we eat,
what we don't eat, how
we eat, etc. are part of our folkways and mores, not physical
laws. Other
societies, in other times
and places have had somewhat different traditions and habits,
sometimes radically so. Hence, we
could change our traditions and habits for the better without that
necessarily subverting our
societies. If that were to become desirable, we might look for
guidelines to other examples of
social change, and to the experience with different traditions and
habits - life lessons on which
social ideals are worthwhile, and how to implement them, are
wherever you find them.
References
Pitirim A. Sorokin John
Searle
SOCIOCULTURAL CAUSALITY, SPACE, TIME THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION
OF
Russell & Russell, New York, 1964 [1943] OF REALITY
The Free Press, New York, 1997
Jean Baudrillard
FOR A CRITIQUE OF THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF THE SIGN
Telos Press, New York, 1981
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21
BEHAVIOURISM
What is behaviourism?
Behaviourism is an ontology (theory of reality) founded on the
premise that what appears to
exist depends on how people are conditioned to behave and not
behave. What
about non-human
reality? The
answer to that (according to the behaviourist perspective) is that
any "reality" that
people experience depends on what and how they observe (a type of
behaviour) and how and what
they understand (also a type of behaviour).
So, according to this
perspective, ALL reality, of
whatever type, depends on the content and pattern of human
conditioning.
The response of some to this perspective is one of incredulity and
scorn - these critics claim that
behaviourism implies that humans are little more than
automatons. But the terminology of
behaviourism can be changed to alleviate most of these
concerns. If
we replace "conditioning"
with "learning" then this seems to "round-off" and "humanize" the
perspective, BUT with largely
the same implications as with the original
vocabulary.
How does behaviourism work?
In a basic sense, there are two types of conditioning: (1)
Classical Conditioning was discovered
by Ivan Pavlov in the early part of the 20" century;
and (2)Operant Conditioning
was discovered
by B.F. Skinner in the middle of the 20"
century.
In classical conditioning of dogs, food was presented to a hungry
animal and a bell was wrung
simultaneously, after which the dog salivated.
Eventually through
"habituation" the ringing of
the bell would produce salivation in the dog even without the
presentation of food. Dogs could
be conditioned with a limited number of these routines - people
could acquire greater numbers of
more elaborate behavioural routines than other animals, and this is
what accounted for the
amazing human learning capacity.
The results of culture in general, and
teaching in particular,
were to condition people with all of the various habits and
traditions humanity displays.
With operant conditioning, the organism's behaviour was observed
and preferable instances of
performance were encouraged by positive reinforcement, while
neutral performance was ignored,
and undesirable performance discouraged by aversive
reinforcement. Through such conditioning
schedules of behaviour could be shaped into quite elaborate
routines, and then through random
reinforcement the behaviour could be sustained
indefinitely. In the case of operant conditioning,
humans were also capable of acquiring and retaining considerable
more routines, of a more
elaborate nature than other animals.
Between classical and operant
conditioning, most, if not all
of human behaviour could be accounted for.
Despite continuing criticism, this
perspective is still
credible to those who accept its premises.
References
Stephen Ray Flora
THE POWER OF REINFORCEMENT
SUNY Press, Albany, 2004
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22
PRACTICE IN EXAMINING ONTOLOGIES
This section on Ontology covers the three archetypes of being,
namely Materialism, Idealism,
and Behaviourism. Having read through them first (each covered in a
page), then try some of
the following suggestions (or do similar things that will also
illustrate the desired points): Take
any one of the postulates and apply it to an issue of interest to
you. The
issue might occur in
a media story, in a book or magazine you read, in a conversation
you have, in a presentation
you attend, or it might be something that just springs to
mind.
In the case of Materialism, ask yourself “What are the units of
analysis in the argument (or story,
or case history, or whatever)?” Is the claim that everything is
composed of atoms, or atoms and
energies, or what (else)? Or is the argument that reality consists of
“facts”. If
so, what kinds of
facts (physico-chemical, biological, sociological, psychological,
or what)? Whatever the
materialist unit of analysis in use, how are communication,
observation, and concepts explained
in this analysis? And how does a materialist analysis explain the
non-material assumptions in
materialist theories and explanations?
Think of the many aspects of human and
biological life
that a materialist account cannot explain (there are so many, and
they are so obvious), and ask
yourself why anyone would want to rely on an ontology that leaves
so much out. Then think
about the appropriate uses of materialism, and the inappropriate
ones, and remember that.
In the case of Idealism, ask yourself “Can I eat ideas, or sit on
them? Will
they provide shelter
from the cold, or heat, or nosy eyes?” You get the
idea. Ideas
help you organize your activities,
but in most cases they cannot satisfy the needs of the body, either
personal or social. So what is
their proper role? And why do we so often see their role in life blown
out of proportion? Think
about how they relate to, and complement material
considerations. For every idealist
explanation, think of some materialist aspect of the case as
well. And
for every materialist
explanation, think of some idealist aspect of the case as
well. Never
mind the “grand arguments”
but just ask yourself how long anyone would survive without both
materialism and idealism
working together all the time.
In the case of Behaviourism, ask yourself “What about those aspects
of reality that are not
susceptible to conditioning — such as gravity, or electricity, or
entropy.” Behaviourism applies to
any organism, because they can all, to one extent or another, learn
from interaction with their
environments — even plants bend towards the sunlight.
But non-animate entities
don’t learn, so
the concept of conditioning is moot in those cases.
Since the total mass of the
earth includes a far
larger non-animate proportion than animate proportion, Behaviourism
has important but very
limited spheres of use. Examine peoples’ behaviour, and ask yourself these
questions: To what
extent is their behaviour learned, and to what extent
innate. Does
everyone learn as easily [no],
or retain lessons to the same extent [no].
So, what schedules of
conditioning produced the results
we see? How
do ideas affect habits? How do material facts affect
behaviour?
Next, take an issue and try all three ontologies on
it. See how
the “look and feel” changes as
each of the different ontologies is applied to it.
What proportion of each of
the ontologies is
involved in accounting for different instances of
reality? It
all depends on your perspective.
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23
KINEOLOGY
What is kineology?
Kineology (from the root word kinetics, the study of motion) refers
to the processes by way of
which reality changes. According to the philosopher who makes the
rationale for this label,
kineology is that part of metaphysics which attempts to describe
the most general characteristics
of change in the universe (PHILOSOPHY, Ronald J.
Glossop).
The ancients conceived the
topic
in terms of "alpha and omega", the beginning and the end of all
things, and as such it included
Cosmology (the big bang) and Eschatology (heat-death of the
universe). Modern versions are far
less poetical, and consist of three basic processes: (i)
determinism - the rule of cause and effect;
(i1) existentialism - the occurrence of choice and
chance; and
(iii) functionalism - teleonomy
(implementing plans) and teleology (fulfilling
destiny). Here too reality consists of a blend, with
determinism applying to mechanical aspects, existentialism applying
to optional alternatives, and
functionalism applying to consequential trajectories.
It isn't necessary to
assume that one type of
change process fits or explains all instances of transformation -
reality is more diverse than that.
How is kineology manifest?
Change processes that are confined to mechanical aspects of the
universe operate on the basis of
cause and effect. Celestial systems (planets, asteroids, stars,
galaxies, etc.) have their masses and
orbits which usually display a high degree of regularity and
continuity. So do many geophysical,
ecological, and technological processes.
Since a variety of causes and effects
are operating
simultaneously, some of the effects may offset other in certain
respects - the rates and results
must be studied and measured very carefully to get an accurate
sense of their full dynamics.
Part
of the human condition is governed by cause and effect, in so far
as mechanics and energetics
govern life processes. Choices and contingencies operate within these
parameters, NOT outside
them.
Existential aspects of change are indeterminate in their outcomes -
things could go a number of
different ways. Even in physical processes, there are occasions on
which alternate outcomes are
probabilistically equivalent, so single occurrences could go either
way, and multiples could be
distributed approximately evenly.
Human choice, which some philosophers
find puzzling, occurs
because cognitive processing can (1) deal with alternatives, (2)
anticipate outcomes, and (3)
formulate plans, all of which could lead to different directions of
change.
Functionalism consists of processes wherein future results govern
current actions - either
something or someone is operating according to intention, or a
larger purpose is at work that is
guiding events. The kinds of "larger purposes" usually implied are
either supernatural (God) or
systemic (Nature). Intentions are either individual (goals) or
institutional (policies). Every
change objective is premised on anticipation, so functionalism is
the way we control the future.
References
William Sheridan©2006
Ronald J. Glossop
PHILOSOPHY: An Introduction to Its Problems and Vocabulary
Delta Books, New York, 1974
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
24
DETERMINISM
What is determinism?
All that is needed in order to maintain determinism in a general
sense is to hold the hypothesis
that events happen in one or more definite (determinate) ways, that
such ways of becoming are
not arbitrary but lawful, and that the processes whereby every
object acquires its characteristics
develop out of pre-existing conditions (Bunge, 1963).
The earliest version,
"cause and effect”" was
introduced with the celestial mechanics of Isaac Newton - a good
effort, but only the beginning.
As more complicated systems were eventually studied and described,
the causal model of
determinism (simple causes producing simple effects) required more
sophistication as probability
was included in explanations.
The outcomes of many events were
unpredictable, either because
existing methods were not capable of discerning complex causes, or
because the balance of
different causes lead to a range of outcomes rather than a single
type. Was the
probabilistic
calculus covered by causality or not?
Physical scientists couldn't
decide. Regarding social
phenomena however, other concerns rendered causality a moot point:
What could account for
the kind of situation where the same cause produced different
effects? And, what could account
for the other kind of situation, where different causes produced
the same effects? These
anomalies were dealt with in the Systems Approach by replacing
"causes" with "contributions",
and "effects" with "results".
The size, kind, and timing of
contributions can produce either
similar or dissimilar results in complex systems, so either
determinism is obsolete because it is
based on cause and effect, OR an expanded definition of determinism
is required, based on
contributions and results. If you opt for the second alternative, keep your
expectations modest.
How does determinism work?
The best results come with a flexible approach - think of
determinism as a systemic property
rather than an exact description of particular
occurrences. Look for both "causes and effects" AND
"contributions and results". Focus on careful observation and accurate
description, rather than single
causes or single effects. If past experience is any indicator, then even the
facts from a good study
can be interpreted in a variety of ways, sometimes contradictory or
inconclusive. Above all,
remember the three laws of forecasting: (1) forecasting is
difficult; (2)
methodology is over-rated;
and (3) foresight requires insight (Ascher and Overhold,
1983).
Reference
Mario Bunge
CAUSALITY
Meridian Books, New York, 1963
William Ascher & William Overhold
STRATEGIC PLANNING AND FORECASTING
John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1983
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
25
EXISTENTIALISM
What is existentialism?
Existentialism is premised on the postulate that Existence precedes
essence. What you are
(your essence) is the result of your choices (your existence)
rather than the reverse. Essence
is not destiny. You are what you make yourself to be (Flynn,
2006). To
generalize from this
personal instance to a wider perspective, existentialism is a
kineology (theory of change)
premised on the notion that some alterations are initiated through
the operation of intrinsic
rather than extrinsic drivers - in other words, control is
exercised internally. Some consider the
20" century French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre to be the
quintessential existentialist, but 19"
century Dane Séren Kierkegaard is perhaps a better example because
he both stated the original
rationale, and experienced a life plagued with the dilemmas it can
lead to.
As the pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus pointed out, everything
in existence is in constant flux
to one extent or another. We can either ride with that change, like a wood
chip on a flowing
river, or we can choose to take action to chart our own
course. If
we "go with the flow" we are
letting determinism set our course - to the extent that we choose
what to do, how to do it, and
why, we are existentialists.
However, just as a human life without
any exercise of choice
whatsoever is hardly imaginable, so is a life in which every aspect
is consciously chosen. Sartre's
contention that "everything" is up for choice, does NOT represent
the experience of real people
(including Sartre himself), but neither does the contention that we
are entirely as the mercy of
outside, overwhelming forces.
We can and do make choices - what we
should strive for is
"informed choices". Reality is, to a considerable extent, the outcome
of the implications and
consequences of those choices.
How does existentialism manifest itself?
To be in a position to make choices, it is necessary to be aware
that alternatives exist for which
decisions can be made. Ifa person is not conscious of such alternatives at
any particular juncture,
the whole consideration of choices is irrelevant.
To the extent that one is
aware of alternatives,
but is not fully informed about either the implications or the
consequences of any particular
choice, one can hardly be held "fully responsible".
But being unaware or
uninformed is the state
of mind of most people - so expecting radical existentialism from
them is "unrealistic"!
Individuals can, however, decide for themselves to inquire about
their alternatives, and reflect
upon what they will do, and why, and where this will lead, and
when. In
doing so, the biggest
challenges they are likely to encounter, are conflicts of values,
within and with others.
References
Donald_D. Palmer Thomas
R._Flynn
KIERKEGAARD FOR BEGINNERS EXISTENTIALISM
Writers and Readers, New York, 1996 Oxford University Press, New
York, 2006
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26
FUNCTIONALISM
What is functionalism?
Functionalism is a kineology (theory of change) the obverse of
determinism.
Just as the elements of determinism are sequential ["cause—>
effect"], so there is a sequence to
functionalism, but in the opposite direction, namely ["effect —
cause"]. Positivistic science
viewed this sequence as either imaginary or inexplicable, and
therefore "not scientific".
However, if systems are designed to display goal-seeking behaviour
and feedback correction,
they can be both real and explicable.
The root of functionalism is, of course, the concept of
function. Although function is one of the
main concepts in modern mathematics, science, and engineering, it
was actually "invented" by
Aristotle in ancient Athens.
There is considerable irony in this
point of origin, because many in
positivistic science considered "function" to be a quintessentially
modern concept, owing nothing
to pre-modern cultures or thinkers.
The connection between function and
functionalism is that in
systems exhibiting functionalism, their behaviour is a function of
goal-seeking processes.
In human behaviour, either individual or organizational, the notion
of goals guiding behaviour is
at least understandable, even if some instances of patterns may be
unintentionally and
inadvertently generated. The major controversies arose in situations where
goals were implied
even when no conscious purpose was demonstrated.
Was the "hidden hand" of
the market a
metaphor or an actual description?
Was the homeostasis of organisms or the
dynamic
equilibrium of ecosystems just convenient heuristics or were they
credible explanations? The
simplest, most straight-forward answer is also the one many find
most distressing: Such action
can be interpreted either way.
In cases like this, the role of explanation is NOT to provide "the
one correct answer" but rather to
develop an understanding of the situation.
To the extent that a
functionalist account of a process
helps to achieve such an explanation, it can be
useful. Since there are also those who would
prefer to use a deterministic explanation even where goals clearly
are in operation, and this too
might achieve certain insights, ruling a functionalist approach
completely out of bounds does
seem rather churlish.
REEE
Russell L. Ackoff & Fred E.
Emery Talcott Parsons
ON PURPOSEFUL SYSTEMS THE EVOLUTION OF SOCIETIES
Aldine-Atherton, New York, 1972 Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs,
1977
Stephen C. Pepper
A DIGEST OF PURPOSIVE VALUES
University of California Press, Berkeley, 1947
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27
PRACTICE IN USING KINEOLOGIES
This section on Kineology covers the three archetypes of changing,
namely Determinism,
Existentialism, and Functionalism.
Having read through them first (each
covered in a page),
then try some of the following suggestions (or do similar things
that will also illustrate the
desired points): Take any one of the postulates and apply it to a
situation of change that interests
you. The
situation might occur inter-personally (between family, friends,
classmates, etc.), socially
(in your community, city, or region), politically (in your local or
national government), or globally
(in international relations, in the transnational economy, or the
global environment), or any
circumstance similar to those listed.
Or it might just be something that
springs to mind.
In the case of Determinism, ask yourself “What aspects of the
situation under consideration can
be considered of a mechanical nature?” That is to say, to what
extent does gravity, the laws of
mechanics, thermodynamics, etc.
apply, and account for the outcome of
interest to you? There is
never any point in criticizing or questioning an outcome where the
predominant source of change
was natural forces that made the course of events
inevitable. Nor is there any point in asking for,
or expecting something which natural forces make an impossible
outcome. So,
distinguish the
extent to which cause and effect determine the course of events,
and what real possibilities exist
for alternatives, and which do not.
What is possible through technological
intervention, and what
is not? What
is possible by setting different causal chains in motion, and what
is not? If
some
causes inevitably produce certain effects, can these causes be
avoided, and should they be
avoided?
In the case of Existentialism, the question to ask is the exact
opposite to that for Determinism,
namely “What choices are available in this type of situation?”
Choices are available because the
resources to implement them can be mobilized, they do not
contravene natural forces, and their
various outcomes are equivalent in terms of
possibilities. How many of the available choices are
actually within the field of awareness of those
involved? Gravity is not a choice — it exists
everywhere, varying in intensity with local
conditions. Are habits or traditions equally binding
on choices? Not necessarily an easy question to answer — it
seems to depend on who is involved,
when, where, and why. A history of previous behaviour will likely give
some indication of an
answer in cases like this. To what extent do we project our choices onto
others? If I
commit to
an ideal for myself, does that choice imply that I believe it is
equally applicable to others?
[No.]
With Functionalism, the question concerns “Is there a conscious (to
the participants) purpose
behind this change (teleonomy), or larger forces guiding the
sequence (teleology)?” Some people
see a “hidden hand” behind market processes, biological evolution,
and human development.
The challenge with these types of hypotheses is to show the
mechanisms that are mobilized to
actually implement the “larger plan”.
Ask for, or
look for the way the “purpose” is supposed to
work — how do facts, events, processes, and forces interact and
interlock to give the string of
outcomes that produces the plan over time?
Are there alternative
“bigger plans” that could
explain similar outcomes? Would “God” or “Mother Nature™ or “Human Nature”
serve as
equally plausible explanations?
Would “no purpose, just chance
happenings” also explain?
Then apply each postulate to a single change, and see if they
concur or contradict.
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
28
PART II
METHODOLOGY
What is methodology?
John Dewey's writings include the idea that one way to understand
thinking methodology
is to conceive of it as an act of categorization, whether into
sets, or types, or varieties, or
kinds, or groups, or whatever.
Regardless of the particular basis for
any specific categorization,
the process whereby it is done consists in distinguishing the
elements in terms of some aspect
or characteristic regarding which they are homologous (equivalent
instances), dichotomous
(distinctly different), or analogous (somewhat
similar).
How does methodology work?
Since categorizing entities is contrived rather than natural,
generalizing them as
homologous is premised on shared features at a certain level of
granularity (size or scale).
By the same token, on the basis of other features, entities may be
considered as
dichotomous, distinctly different, depending on where the
boundaries are drawn. There
are no ultimate criteria for either generalizing amongst or
discriminating between various
entities - it all depends upon the purpose for the categorization,
and the features chosen as
the basis of the sorting. Analogous instances are based on what Wittgenstein
called
"family resemblance", degrees of similitude, ranging between
homology and dichotomy.
There are three scales of categorization: Macro, Meso, and
Micro. There
are three aspects
to similarity: Facade, Performance, and Outcomes.
There are three facets to
differentiation:
Location, Occurence, and Quality.
Try them all as the need
arises. Whether it’s dividing a
pie or assigning people to groups or tasks, we categorize on some
basis. Whatever that basis,
to render the choices or the decisions clear, it is helpful to make
the sorting characteristic(s)
explicit, and to rely on those categories consistently throughout a
task.
Categorize along any dimension
of your choice.
Large Small
Reference
Geoffrey C. Bowker & Susan
Tall
Leigh Star
SORTING THINGS OUT
MIT Press, Cambridge, 1999
Short
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29
HOMOLOGY
What is homology?
"Homologous" is a technical term, defined by Webster's New World
Dictionary as meaning
agreeing, matching in structure, position, etc.
The concise way to say
this, is that things are
"equivalent instances" - but that immediately raises
complications. No two (or more) things can
ever be "exactly the same" because each is composed of its own
individual elements. What
"homologous" identifies, therefore, is the sharing of certain
features, which means that the
members of the category display certain characteristics or
patterns. Conceivably a number of
things with a dozen features might only share one of them in
common, but that one shared feature
could be the basis for categorizing them as homologous ("equivalent
instances") for some
particular purpose.
Since things (or sets, or patterns, or structures, or situations)
may display a multitude of features,
the categorization process is more credible IF the criteria for the
grouping is identified, and the
rationale for the grouping is plausible (i.e., does it make sense,
and does it [really] serve the
purpose?). The possibility of a feature being shared only
makes sense if the feature itself has a
range of acceptable variation - blue things, even those of the
"same" hue, are rarely all of
precisely the same wavelength in Angstrom units - so this range of
acceptable variation also
needs to be specified. Inclusion on the basis of some variable also
implies exclusion in the
absence of the same variable.
How is homology used?
Homology is most often used to "qualify" something (in the sense
that the term is used in
marketing). To "qualify" as a good prospect, a customer must
possess certain characteristics:
sufficient disposable income to afford the product, an intrinsic or
induced need for the product,
etc. During
categorization, those entities that qualify as homologous are
equivalent enough to
serve as the plausible basis for grouping together.
Pose the questions: Why is
this categorization
necessary? and What will the grouping achieve?
Problems often occur
because the basis of
categories is not clearly defined, nor their implications
sufficiently thought through.
One of the maxims of mensuration (the act, process, or art of
measuring) also serves for
categorization: Let the degree of exactness reflect the purpose of
the task. Measuring for the
tolerance of components in a piece of precision machinery may
require calipers or even
electronic measuring devices. Estimating the length of one's stride while out
walking does not
require specification at the level of centimeters.
Categorization should be
practiced in the same
pragmatic way. If the attribute for grouping is an important one,
define it as exactly as needed
for the grouping that is contemplated.
If "close" is close enough, it may be
best to keep the
boundaries variable.
References
D.C. Baird
Robert W. Howard EXPERIMENTATION:
An Intoduction to
CONCEPTS AND SCHEMATA Measurement Theory and Experimental
Design
Cassell Educational, London, 1987 Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs,
1962
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
MACRO
What is macro homology?
Macro homology refers to superficial sameness, usually on the
larger scale (macro level) of the
phenomena under consideration, more particularly to the matching
exterior of instances being
compared. Entities “look alike” or have an “identical feel”
or match in which ever other sensory
modality being used for observation.
Coins from the same jurisdiction, of
the same
denomination and year, will usually exhibit macro homology between
them, except in the rare
case when two or more versions of the same coin are minted
simultaneously, or a change in the
design is introduced part way through a particular year of
issue. Figurines from the same mould,
painted in the same way, also display macro homology.
There will, of course, likely be minor differences, even between
identical coins or figurines;
so
the variation in the standard of comparison must be settled so that
those instances within the
acceptable range of variation will “count” as identical, and those
outside this range will not.
How is macro homology used?
The utility of a macro comparison occurs when the primary concern
is only with the “look and
feel” of the phenomena in question.
If a person
is looking at the colouring and size of figurines
(or instances of any other standardized product), then differences
in materials from which they
were fashioned may not count against homology at all — if some are
made of plastic and others of
ceramic, but all have the same size and colouring, these two
aspects may be enough for a
judgment of macro homology. Even a set of ceramic figurines may, in fact, have
been moulded
from two slightly different mixes of ceramic paste, yet the
finished products have macro
homology because of their shape, size, and colouring.
It all depends on the
standards employed,
and in judgments of macro homology the exterior or outward show is
the focus.
In many cases of comparison in every-day life, crude or superficial
macro standards are quite
acceptable, because even “statistics is based on common sense”
(Henkel, 1976, pg. 9). So when
technical criteria are being employed (weight, size, temperature,
etc.), the claim for identical
instances, in only a very loose sense, may still be
acceptable. This will hinge not on the exact
characteristics of the phenomena being compared, but rather on the
context of the comparison.
The process of comparison and the judgment of “sameness” or
“difference” are humanly
contrived rather than naturally occurring.
Therefore it would be appropriate to append
all such
matching with the phrase “for the purposes of this comparison...” —
this is certainly the implicit
qualifier that actually accompanies comparing.
References
Ramon Henkel Karen Petherick
TESTS OF SIGNIFICANCE STATISTICS AND DATA ANALYSIS
Sage Publications, Newbury Park, 1976 Coles Publishing, Toronto,
2005
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
MESO
What is meso homology?
Meso homology refers to intermediate sameness, usually on the
middling scale (intervening level
between macro and micro) of the phenomena under consideration, more
particularly to matching
the parametric characteristics of instances being
compared. These entities are “designed alike™
regarding their “anatomical” characteristics or “operational”
procedures. Wing bones have the same
meso homology as arm bones in various animals.
Tires on cars, trucks, and
battlefield troop carriers
have the same meso homology.
The first year university curricula for
science students have the same
meso homology almost everywhere in the world (a mathematics course,
an introductory science
course, an introductory social science course, a communications
course, and an elective).
Not every detail has to be identical to qualify for meso homology —
the entities must have the
same kind of “configuration.” In practice what this means is that
the “internal construction” must fit
within the confines of a “generic template™ that specifies what
elements are present and what
role they perform within the system under
consideration. All load-bearing columns in buildings
are designed and used according to certain structural standards
(type of materials, strength of
materials, use of fasteners, assembly of components,
etc.).
How is meso homology used?
The utility of a meso comparison occurs when the main concern is
primarily with structural
parameters. The parameters are the “constants” in a system,
with the “constant” aspect being the
role they fulfill. There may be some variation in the way parameters
are composed, but
regardless of these variations they are constant in the service
they provide to the system. Ina
building, vertical columns may be variously present as steel beams
or reinforced concrete pillars,
but their parametric role is to provide support for the entire
structure, a service which they must
perform if the building is to remain standing.
Meso homology is a deeper type of comparison than macro homology in
that it looks “beneath
the surface” of the phenomena in question.
The point is to confirm
that entities not only look
alike, but to assure structural equivalence.
The question guiding this
assessment concerns how
“deep” one has to look to find the presence (or absence) of the
structural equivalence being
sought after. Building and other structures are notorious for
passing “safety tests” only to
collapse shortly thereafter because the inspection was only
superficial and did not adequately
determine the viability of the parametric components
concerned. Lives have been lost and
professional careers ruined as a result of such
incompetence. It is in such instances as these that
“due diligence” must be a priority for inspections and safety
tests. As
technology has diminished
natural risks, it has concomitantly increased the risks of
infrastructural malfunctions.
References
Kurt Hanks, Larry Belliston & Dave Edwards ~ William Lidwell,
Kritina Holden & Jill Butler
DESIGN YOURSELF! UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES OF
DESIGN
William Kaufmann, Inc., Los Altos, 1978 Rockport Publishers,
Gloucester, 2003
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
MICRO
What is micro homology?
Micro homology refers to intrinsic sameness, usually on smaller
scale (micro level) of the
phenomena under consideration, more particularly to matching the
essence of instances being
compared. These entities display identical configurational
characteristics on the “genetic” scale -
organisms having the same molecular structure;
integrated circuits having
the same components
and layout; materials having the atomic
nano-structures. At this level the observations and
analyses must be carried on through instrumentation (electronic
microscopes and computers)
because the features are too small to discern with the “natural
senses.” However, in the era of
genetic medicine, micro-electronics, and nano-technologies, the
properties that can be discovered
in, or designed into materials can only be implemented with such
sophisticated instruments
(Drexler, 1987).
There is another instance of micro homology that involves a “close
reading” rather than a
microscope. What this consists of is a careful perusal and
elaborate interpretation of cultural
phenomena. “Hermeneutics” and “’Discourse Analysis are two
instances of this search for
micro homology in the Humanities, as are “Cultural Case Studies”
and “Phenomenology” in the
Social Sciences. In these instances the aim is to observe, study,
and report on micro-cultural,
micro-psychological, micro-sociological, and micro-anthropological
patterns of behaviour and
interaction. The conclusions may not be generalizable, but they
do provide an in-depth report of
specific human actions in specific circumstances.
What the micro homology
consists of in these
instances is a comparison between behaviours or individuals within
these small groups to
determine to what extent they are identical (on whatever dimensions
are studied).
How are micro homologies used?
Those looking for micro homology at the “genetic™ level and looking
to turn the knowledge they
acquire into new commercial products and processes.
They believe (and considerable evidence
supports them) that nano design will give more effective products
whose functionality is at the
microscopic level — medicines and supplements that can absorb
faster and work better; materials
that are stronger, more durable, and have other desirable
industrial properties. There are even
plans for genetic engineering with nano-technology, wherein aging,
metabolism and immunity
are altered for the better through
micro-manipulation.
The “close-reading” version of micro homologies is used (a) to
argue that humanity actually has
more characteristics in common than any that differentiate
them; and
(b) to argue that those
characteristics that do differentiate humanity are more important
than any that they share in
common. Matching methodologies can be used to support
opposing objectives — ironies abound.
References
Richard E. Palmer Eric
Drexler
HERMENEUTICS ENGINES OF CREATION
Northwestern University Press, Evanston, 1969 Anchor Books, Garden
City, 1987
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
33
ANALOGY
What is analogy?
"Analogy" is a technical term, defined by Webster's New World
Dictionary as meaning similarity
in some ways, [with] the inference that certain resemblances imply
further similarity. The
concise way to say this, is that things are "somewhat similar" -
but that immediately raises
complications. On what basis must things be similar, and to what
extent must they be similar in
order to qualify as analogous?
Given that analogies are widely used,
but just as widely criticized,
it therefore becomes important to be clear about what they
are. What
"analogous" identifies, is
the sharing of certain functional similarities, which means that
the members of this category
resemble each other regarding certain features or patterns, but do
not necessarily have the same
structure or mechanism.
One of the rules of traditional logic was that of "the excluded
middle" - either something was
"right" or it was "wrong", it was "sacred" or it was "secular",
etc. Regrettably, this was not a very
accurate description of much of reality, but the practice persisted
for centuries. The criticism that
arose about this practice likened it to the "Procrustean Bed" in
the ancient Greek story about
travelers who were offered "one size fits all" sleeping
accommodations, and those not of a precise
stature were either "cut down to size" or "stretched on the rack"
to lengthen them up. This two-
valued approach to logic, the "either-or" approach, was fine and
well for theorists, but practical
people had to live with much more uncertainty - most things were
neither black nor white, but
rather shades of gray. Philosophy finally caught up with these practical
concerns when
"pragmatism" was developed in the United States (Dewey, 1929) and
"practical reason" in
Europe (De Bono, 1973). It is not necessary to assume or demand that
everything sort neatly into
homologous or dichotomous categories - in reality boundaries often
shade off into one another so
that something may qualify "more or less" for inclusion or
exclusion depending on how the lines
are drawn. Inreal life, most people think this way intuitively
all the time anyway. This does
NOT imply that "anything goes" but rather allows diversity to be
accommodated in analysis.
How is analogy used?
By analogy, computer information storage is metaphorically called
"memory", but computer
"memories" are not based on the same components as biological
memories, nor do they operate
in the same way. There is, however, enough resemblance that the
analogy is retained. Criticisms
about analogies arise from "purists" who want to insist that
descriptions should preserve a degree
of technical exactness which would preclude using "free and loose"
terminology (i.e., analogies)
to make questionable comparisons.
The appropriate reply is that for some
purposes such
analogies are quite suitable and very convenient, so long as the
user doesn't forget that such
categories are based on appearance rather than
equivalence.
References
John Dewey Edward De Bono
THE QUEST FOR CERTAINTY LATERAL THINKING
Putnam, New York, 1960 [1929] Perennial, New York, 1973
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
FACADE
What is an analogous fagade?
Any entities that display resembling appearances can be considered
to have analogous fagades
(similar demeanour). A “rubber duck” is not
really a duck, although it may resemble a duck in
certain limited respects — it is a duck by analogy.
Such resemblances are
often “in the eye of the
beholder” and may result in what others consider pretty far-fetched
likenesses, but analogies
have this variable property by their very nature.
How much of a resemblance is
necessary in
order to qualify as an analogous fagade?
It all depends.
It may be as little as
possession of a
single characteristic in common, for instance colour, size, shape,
etc. In many
cases
combinations of these factors will be used to suggest analogous
fagade. Of
course, the more
characteristics entities share in common, the nearer they move to
being considered homologous.
The utility of the idea of analogous fagade is to permit loose
resemblances to still be categorized
together.
However, appearance is nothing more than it seems.
Having analogous fagades
does not mean
that entities are otherwise similar beyond these superficial
respects. Even
in terms of analogy,
fagades represent the minimum of correspondence.
How are analogous fagades used?
Analogous fagades are often used “to pretend.” People who are
look-alikes to famous
personalities may act as impersonators.
Cheap knock-offs of expensive fashions
permit status
wannabees to pretend they can dress in the manner they aspire
to. Novels
often pretend to be
authentic memoirs or investigative reports.
People who are illiterate
often pretend they can read
and write by glancing at printed matter and then getting someone to
read it to them or write it for
them later in private. Less expensive automobiles often are designed with
appearances that
resemble more expensive vehicles (serving status wannabees
again). Forged
currency and
artwork pretend to be the authentic articles.
Pirated software and
movies pretend in the same
way. More and
more expensive products are being forged and/or pirated, so that
those with
down-scale budgets can pretend they are up-scale
consumers. Advertising and hype try to make
a virtue out of pretending, and this provides analogous
encouragement for less legitimate
pretence (stealing, lying, forging, pirating, etc.).
Industrial designers have incorporated such pretence into the
consumer products they design, in
the form of stylistic changes.
Regrettably this often has the result
of producing shoddy
merchandise and encouraging a “throw-away” culture.
Pretending we can afford
such waste is a
primary cause of resource depletion and environmental
degradation.
References
Victor Papanek Bruce Sterling
DESIGN FOR THE REAL WORLD, 2" ed.
SHAPING
THINGS
Academy Chicago Publishers, Chicago, 1985 MIT Press, Cambridge,
2005
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
35
PERFORMANCE
What are analogous performances?
When people are “faking it” they are engaged in analogous
performances. Lip-syncing to a
pre-recorded song is an analogous performance.
(Most) fights in movies or
other theatrical
productions are analogous performances.
So is any acting out of the role of a
real person. These
kinds of analogies are usually harmless, and often quite
entertaining.
Some analogous performances however, are not
harmless. Those who “go through the motions™
of swearing to tell the truth, and then lie to courts or public
officials, are often trying to conceal
nefarious behaviour or the knowledge thereof.
People who pretend to be
eligible for social
benefits when they are not, and who then apply for them under this
pretence and actually receive
the benefits, can bring the benefits program into disrepute, and
waste the tax-payers money.
Those who act as upright citizens by day and then break the law at
night are anything but
harmless.
Analogous performances of a more functional nature are those in
which similar operations occur
although by entirely different mechanisms.
The circulation of traffic,
or water, or sewage
through a city, is a performance analogous to the circulation of
the blood through a body, but the
similarity is vague rather than exact.
In the same way, the movement of water
through pipes and
traffic through streets is a performance analogy because the
mechanisms of propulsion are
distinctly different.
How are analogous performances used?
If the desire is to plan a procedure, a familiar performance
analogy is often chosen as a
metaphor so as to readily illustrate the objective.
When explaining voltage in
electrical wires,
the performance analogy of “water pressure in a pipe” is often used
in the hope that people from
non-technical backgrounds will understand the objective of using
electrical voltage in the same
sense as using water pressure.
When rehearsing (for a wedding, or a
public function, or a
complicated activity, etc.), the performance is analogous to “the
real thing”, but that is perfectly
acceptable because the objective is to eventually perform the
actual event properly.
The drawback with using analogies that give explanations of
performance is that it is all too easy
to “slip into” the mistake of assuming that the similarities
involved are actually substantive, and
can therefore be understood and controlled by identical mechanisms
or techniques. Computer
memory is only a performance analogy to human memory, not a
replication. One of the
advantages of human memory is its capability to forget as well as
to recall — but computers never
forget, which creates data storage limits for them, and retrieval
problems for us.
References
Virginia Postrel George Lakoff & Mark Johnson
THE SUBSTANCE OF STYLE METAPHORS WE LIVE BY
Harper Perennial, New York, 2004 Chicago University Press, Chicago,
1980
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
36
OUTCOME
What are analogous outcomes?
Any events that have resembling results can be considered analogous
outcomes (somewhat
similar in this respect). Events that have somewhat similar beginnings, or
similar periodicity, or
similar progression, or similar endings, may for any of these
reasons be considered analogous.
If
events have similar kinds or rates of success, or failure, it can
be argued that they have analogous
outcomes. If
the implications, impacts or consequences of certain happenings are
somewhat
similar, we may categorize them as analogous
outcomes. The processes or
techniques which
produced these outcomes need not be identical or similar in any way
— a “successful” robbery
and a “successful” rescue may both still be considered
“successes.”
The most problematic analogous outcomes are of a functional
nature. Does, or should social or
governmental budgeting have an analogous outcome to personal
budgeting? Do events in the
real world have outcomes analogous to those simulated in a
model? The
more general question
is: Do analogous outcomes scale or transfer well?
In other words, how far
can you push the
analogy before it begins to give results which are completely
discrepant from experience?
In
theory, practice follows theory — in practice it
doesn’t.
How are analogous outcomes used?
A major use of analogous outcomes is to set goals.
In business strategy the
metaphor often used
is that of military strategy — “dominate™ and “destroy” your
competition. In sports, the same
metaphor is also popular — “beat” and “humiliate” your
opponents. A more benign rendition
is
usually used for symbolic contests — “strive to be number one” or
“let’s climb that Everest!”
Here too however, what are usually advocated are only the outcomes
and not the processes. If an
exemplary outcome is later proven to have been achieved through
fraud, theft or intimidation,
then only the success and not the method will be
advocated. Mussolini’s regime is often credited
with getting Italian trains to run on schedule — no doubt a worthy
outcome, but not a
recommendation to use the regime’s other methods!
Another longstanding use of analogous outcomes is in functional
justifications — the end justifies
the means. Examples of this kind of thinking are the
following: (1) Businesses provide jobs and
prosperity, so whatever they ask for from societies or governments
should be granted. (2) The
police protect citizens from criminals, so their transgressions of
the law should be overlooked.
(3) The military fights for national security, so their
maltreatment of foreign civilians and
combatants should be ignored.
(4) Skilled immigrants may be more
competitive workers than a
nation’s citizens, so the immigrants’ accreditation should not be
recognized to protect jobs.
(5) Some corruption and theft is inevitable, so such victimless
crime as white-collar crime should
be generally tolerated. All of these views are quite prevalent, but so is
resistance to them.
References
Allan V. Horowitz Larry May
THE LOGIC OF SOCIAL CONTROL THE SOCIALLY RESPONSIVE SELF
Plenum Publishing, New York, 1990 Chicago University Press,
Chicago, 1996
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
37
DICHOTOMY
What is dichotomy?
"Dichotomy" is a technical term, defined by Webster's New World
Dictionary as meaning
division into two [or more] parts.
The concise way to say this, is that
such things are "distinctly
different" - but that immediately raises
complications. No two or more things can ever be
"completely contrary" because each fits into the general category
of "entities". What
"dichotomous" identifies, therefore, is the absence of certain
features in some cases, and their
presence in others. Conceivably a number of things could share a dozen
features, but one half of
them would possess an additional feature which the other half
lacked - and on the basis of the
presence or absence of that additional feature two categories might
be proposed for some
particular purpose.
Since things (or sets, or patterns, or structures, or situations)
may display a multitude of features,
the categorizing process is more credible IF the criteria for the
dichotomizing is identified, and
the rationale for the grouping is plausible (i.e., does it make
sense, and does it [really] serve the
purpose?). Referring to the presence or absence of a feature
only makes sense if that feature
itself has relevance to the purpose of the task at hand -
categorizing on the basis of shapes or
sizes, whether vastly or barely different, should not be used if
these features have no bearing on
what the practitioners are seeking to accomplish.
However, exclusion in the
absence of some
variable also implies the possibility of inclusion in another
category.
How does dichotomy work?
Dichotomy is most often used to "disqualify" something (in the
sense that the term is used in
marketing). To "disqualify" as a good prospect, a customer will
lack certain characteristics:
sufficient disposable income to afford the product, an intrinsic or
induced need for the product,
etc. During
categorization, the entities that are dichotomous, as opposed to
being equivalent with
those being grouped according to certain features, may either be
left out of consideration entirely
or be placed in a category distinguished for being "without" the
feature, or one possessing other
features. Pose the questions: Why is this categorization
necessary? and What will the grouping
achieve? Problems often occur because the basis of
categories is not clearly defined, nor their
implications sufficiently thought through.
There was a time when
science (the positivistic
version) was rationalized (in part) as a framework to demonstrate
common features shared by
many entities. All life-forms were "energy-consuming devices" and
all modern habitations were
"machines for living". Since the Second World War and the onset of
post-modernism however,
the rationale has switched to "la difference".
Since every form used and
every choice made
excludes the other alternatives that are not engaged,
differentiation can occur ad infinitum, until
the distinctions made make no difference at all.
One effective way to avoid
this pit-fall is to
recognize that homology and dichotomy are just two ends of the
continuum of identity.
References
Spencer Brown
LAWS OF FORM
Crown Publishing, London, 1972
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
38
LOCATION
What are dichotomous locations?
Topophilia, the sense of place, is often an important aspect of
most human endeavours. People
emphasize the significance of various places to them in terms of
familiarity and comfort on the
one hand, and unfamiliarity and discomfort on the
other. The
“home fires” idea associated with
the personalized arrangement of one’s own residence is often
contrasted with the impersonal
similarity of multitudinous hotel or motel rooms.
The sense of place however,
can extend out
from the home to include the neighbourhood, city, region, country,
and continent on which one
resides. And
different locations usually do have a different sense of
place. It may
be the foliage;
it may be the presence or absence of rainfall or
sunshine; it
may be the time zone, it may be the
elevation above sea level; it may be the longitude or latitude;
it may be the people and their
language, their religion, their ethnicity or their eccentricities —
but whatever it is that makes
another location distinct, the uncomfortable feeling one gets from
being in an unfamiliar place
may persist for prolonged periods of time.
Alternatively, it may be a
welcomed change, but in
either case it will be a distinct feeling.
How are dichotomous locations used?
People usually do pay attention to the place they are currently in,
or the places between which
they are going. Most of us shop at a different micro-location from
where we live, whether it be
down the street or across town.
If something is to be sent to us, by
mail or a mover, we need to
provide a correct address (location) to assure the delivery is made
properly and promptly. People
may be either proud of their residence or working locations, or
ashamed of them. They may be
“up town” or “on the wrong side of the tracks.” We use locations to
find people, to track them,
and to evaluate them. Government services are
provided according to location — people in
different locations are eligible for different
provisions. Many governments also control the use
of locations through zoning laws — so that types of activities and
structures are clustered into
different areas rather than being randomly dispersed.
So place does
matter.
Marketing and various other surveyors regard locational data as an
important indicator of the
information they are trying to assemble and use.
The combination of
computer and
communication technologies has enabled the development of
Geographic Information Systems
(GIS), whereby advertising is addressed, services are delivered,
traffic is routed, infrastructure is
planned and operated, and regulations are applied.
As citizens and consumers, people need to
be
aware of the geographical implications of their residential and
work locations, as well as their
travelling patterns and leisure activities — living on a flood
plain can result in ruinous water
damage; living
in a residential area limits the commercial options for a property,
but it entitles
those living there to many community services.
Well-being requires
locational knowledge.
References
Yi-fu Tuan Robert David Sack
TOPOPHILIA: The Sense of Place HUMAN TERRITORALITY
Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 1974 Cambridge University Press,
New York, 1986
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
39
OCCURRENCE
What is dichotomous occurrence?
With regard to dichotomous occurrences, “time is of the essence.”
Unless events are occurring
simultaneously, they are happening at different
times. These
differences could entail a sequence
of events, or be randomly distributed, but either way the incidents
are separated temporally. We
take note of this because time (at least occasionally, often
usually) matters. The rates of
recurrent events enable us to calculate speed, velocity, and
acceleration. Knowing the beginning
and ending of episodes enables us to triangulate the duration and
cessation of behaviours.
Since a considerable proportion of our activities are scheduled by
the clock (waking time,
breakfast time, work time, coffee time, lunch time, training time,
quitting time, supper time, TV
time, bed time, wintertime, summertime, vacation time, etc.), we
have to know what happens
when, and conduct ourselves accordingly.
Both science and technology incorporate
time as a
major parameter. Economics, politics, and law use the occurrence or
non-occurrence of specific
behaviours and patterns of behaviour as major indicators of profit
and loss, support or
opposition, compliance on non-compliance.
How are dichotomous occurrences used?
If you have to catch a mode of transport (carpool, bus, train,
plane), other than one devoted
exclusively to your own use you probably need and will use a
timetable to schedule your
departure and arrival. Otherwise you may be late, and may not even get a
ride at all. So you
plan ahead, to get the timetable, to consult it, to schedule your
departure, to anticipate your
arrival, and to fulfill all of these plans.
To one extent or another you also plan your work activities, your
vacation agenda, your
educational and training experiences, your career efforts and
achievements, and your retirement.
All of these episodes in your life involve time to an important
extent, even when you are
“relaxing” and “not watching the clock” (you can only choose to NOT
attend to the clock in
special circumstances, and for limited periods of time, beyond
which inattention leads to
trouble). Is
this “the rat race” or “good time management?” Either way, time
keeps moving.
Methodologically, the secret to good time management is not to
over-schedule or double-book
yourself or others. Budget time so as to allow occasions for rest and
reflection, and to permit
time to double-check and possibly retro-fit previous activities or
outcomes. Time is important,
but so is deciding how to use it, and how not to use
it. Doing more and more things is not the
same as achieving worthwhile objectives — so keeping track of time
should be seen as a means to
enabling accomplishments, rather than of pushing oneself beyond
reasonable limits.
References
Paul D. Allison Richard E.
Neustadt & Ernest R.
May
EVENT HISTORY ANALYSIS THINKING IN TIME
Sage Publications, Newbury Park, 1984 The Free Press, New York,
1986
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
40
QUALITY
What are dichotomous qualities?
If “some have it and others don’t” then those characteristics
(qualities) are dichotomously
distributed (rather than evenly or equally
distributed). There are a multitude of such
characteristics: size, colour, shape, composition, operation,
functionality, etc., etc., etc.
It is on
the basis of these characteristics that we distinguish between
various entities and phenomena.
In
the case of composition, things that are made of different
materials may be recognized as such
and categorized accordingly through simple
observation. In the case of a characteristic such as
size however, since every physical entity will have some “size”
then it becomes necessary to
reify size into a series that ranges across the spectrum: small,
medium and large, or finer grades
if the need arises. In the case of other characteristics, some are
interpretive rather than
observational. Is a particular person congenial or
contrary? Is
a particular situation benevolent
or malevolent? In both cases it depends on the indicators chosen
to represent the characteristic,
and on the interpretation of these indicators in
context. With all of the above however, people do
believe in and recognize qualitative differences, and base at least
some of their behaviours on the
attribution of such characteristics.
How are dichotomous qualities used?
People often find it convenient to group things into sets so that
similar entities are considered
together and dissimilar entities are considered
apart. There
are fruits, and there are vegetable;
and then there are tomatoes, which may be consider either one
depending on your classification.
There are heroes, and there are villains, and there are
bystanders; then there are heroes who are
“really” villains, and villains who are “really” heroes, depending
again on the characteristics we
emphasize. On
the one hand we have “the entire family of humanity” and on the
other hand we
have distinct groups based on their skin colour, blood type,
language, location, ethnicity,
religion, political affiliation, etc.
To make these distinctions is to
“discriminate,” that is to say,
to differentiate based on some characteristic(s).
From the methodological
point of view, this is
merely an exercise in taxonomy or typology.
But the word also has
negative connotations,
whereby certain characteristics are evaluated
adversely. Racism and Sexism are two of the
negative forms of discrimination that are “officially” frowned
upon.
Why does it matter if we dichotomize characteristics and people
into different groups? Because
we may then behave towards them differently, in ways that may
disrespect their status or deny
them the same rights that others enjoy.
But this
concern cuts both ways — by recognizing when
such discrimination exists, it may be possible to take steps to
alleviate it. Unfortunately hard and
fast rules may aggravate such problems rather than solve
them. We
always need to decide, on a
case-by-case basis, when such dichotomies are helpful, and when
they are hurtful.
References
Kenneth D. Bailey Geoffrey Bowker
& Susan Star
TYPOLOGIES AND TAXONOMIES SORTING THINGS OUT
Sage Publications, Thousand Oakes, 1994 MIT Press, Cambridge,
1999
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41
USES OF METHODOLOGY
This section on Methodology covers the three sorting archetypes
Homology, Analogy
and Dichotomy. Having read through this set of thirteen pages
(each concept being covered
on a single page), then try some of the following suggestions (or
do similar things that
will also illustrate the appropriate points).
Take any of the premises
and apply them to a
situation of interest to you.
The situation might involve anything
from some small thing
in the here and now, to larger considerations in wider
venues.
To practice using Methodology, look for things to compare and
contrast. When looking
for Homology ask yourself what aspects are “the same”, and to what
extent (how much
variation is acceptable within “sameness™)?
Do the same kind of
exercise for Dichotomy
— in what respects are things different, and to what
extent? Try
a comparison in which
some aspects are the same, others different.
Try a contrast in which
some aspects are
different, others the same. Consider how often sameness and differences might
just be
considered parts of an Analogous continuum.
How much similarity and
difference can
be accepted in an analogy?
Do an exercise in which the same set can be aggregated into one
group, disaggregated
into a number of groups, or stretched along a variable dimension,
depending on which
characteristics are used. Then consider the aesthetics of
categories. Is
sameness more
“harmonious” than differences?
Does analogy allow for more range of
expression than
either homology or dichotomy?
Questions like this, if carefully
formulated and directed,
might reveal patterns of behaviour or output never before
noticed. Hold these lessons for
future reference. After some practice with each, strive to be a
reflective practitioner by
applying the three core methodological parameters either
simultaneously or concurrently
to whatever you are trying to categorize.
Categorization through aggregation and
disaggregation.
Size of the variable.
Aggregation
+———— onesize fitsall ——>
small medium large
miniscule little moderate |
middling big
enormous
Disaggregation
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42
PART III
AXIOLOGY
What is axiology?
Axiology involves the study of values, value judgments, and ethical
systems. John Dewey provides
an introduction to the pragmatic therory of value, which simply
defines values as actionable
commitments. In other words, people's values are the criteria
they use when prioritizing decisions
and choices. Values are embedded in actions, and can be inferred
from those actions. In so far as
actions contradict, or are not consistent with what is said or
written, the authentic indication of
values is what is done rather than what is
proclaimed. Hence, judgments of value imply action rather
than just affirmation. The study of ethical systems can be called
transvaluation. The term trans-
valuation, and probably a good deal of the modern concept itself,
appears to originate with Friedrich
Nietzsche. Transvaluation itself means looking across the
valuation process, both historically and
comparatively, so as to be able to assess and critique various
ethical systems regarding their sources,
structures, implications, and consequences.
Regarding Occidental
culture,which was Nietzsche's main
focus, he concluded that Christianity had a pervasive and
pernicious effect, leading to a morality of
denial, deference, and degeneracy.
What he favoured instead was a morality
of vision and strength,
a warrior ethics that was not afraid to set agendas and
dominate. However, the use of transvaluation
does not require Nietzsche's or anyone else's
conclusions.
How to use axiology?
There are 3 archetypal principles of personal conduct: (1) hedonism
- seeking pleasure in whatever
form; (2)
egoism - getting your own way by whatever connivance;
and (3) entrepreneurialism,
which
is seeking or creating projects that provide fulfillment and
worthwhile objectives. A certain amount
of enjoyment and ascendancy are to be expected, even encouraged,
but without something
worthwhile and fulfilling in one's life, the overall affect will be
shallow and unsatisfying. Social
principles can be grouped under: (i) altruism - caring for others
and acting accordingly;
(ii) collectivism - respecting the folkways and mores, obeying the
laws; and
(iii) elitism -
providing leadership when and where it is requested or
required. There may be a conflict
between personal and social principles, but this is not an
inevitable state of affairs.
Transcendental
principles refer to the "bigger picture" and are covered by: (a)
theism - reference to the supernatural
or the spiritual; (b) humanism - ascribing "higher motivations" to
the effects of human culture,
and making humanity "the measure of all things";
and (¢) environmentalism -
respecting (or even
worshiping) Mother Earth as the source and sustenance of all life,
and a guide for human action.
References
Friedrich Nietzsche John Dewey
BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL THEORY OF VALUATION
Vintage Books, New York, 1966 [1886] Chicago UP, Chicago,
1939
Norbert Elias Donald Black
INVOLVEMENT AND DETACHMENT THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF RIGHT
Basil Blackwell, Oxford, 1987 AND WRONG, 2nd.
ed.
¢ Academic Press, New York, 1998
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43
PERSONAL
What are personal principles?
Personal principles concern one's own personal aspirations and
goals. What
makes them personal
is their self-referentiality.
Sometimes
confusion arises because of the claim that ALL principles
are personal since it is persons who hold them - according to this
proposition, because persons hold
principles, therefore all principles are personal.
That is
fallacious. What makes a principle "personal"
(or "social") is the content of the commitment, NOT where it
resides.
The general content of personal principles involves what one wants
for one's self. The corollary of
this is that the subject of personal ethics concerns the
responsibilities one owes to one's self.
There is a certain view of ethics which is premised on the notion
that ethical concerns consist
exclusively of one's responsibility to others or the society in
general. In
that view in other words,
self-interest is NOT covered by ethics - on the contrary, it is
supposed that self-interest operates
against ethical concerns. That view of ethics could be characterized as
"crude social control". It
assumes that there is an inherent conflict of interest between
one's self and others, and that the
interests of others are on "the high ground" whereas one's own
interests are intrinsically unethical.
This is a very pessimistic view of personal motivation, although
unfortunately the behaviour of
certain libertarians and other hyper-individualists has given
credence to this caricature.
How that
caricature becomes a stereotype of "simple-minded selfishness"
involves the balance (or lack of
balance) between the kinds of personal principles people
hold. Hedonism is the quest to "have a
good time", what Sigmund Freud called the pleasure
principle. Egoism is the quest to "get one's
own way", what Max Weber called the exercise of
power. Entrepreneurialism is the quest to
"accomplish something worthwhile", beyond either pleasure or
power.
How are personal principles manifest?
Too much hedonism can lead to a continual search for convenience,
and a tendency towards
laziness. And
in Carrie Fisher's words, for them "immediate gratification just
isn't immediate
enough". Too
much egoism can lead to flagrant intolerance, a "check-list of
personal demands"
approach to life in general and others in particular, and a refusal
to acknowledge the impacts of
one's actions. Too much entrepreneurialism can lead to invidious
comparisons with others, self-
righteousness that demeans others, and the growing conviction that
ends justify means. Each of
these kinds of personal principles has a place in one's life, but
compulsive commitment to one
at the expense of the others will lead away from, instead of
towards self-actualization - wise up!
References
Anthony Giddens Michael Argyle
MODERNITY AND SELF-IDENTITY The Psychology of Interpersonal
Behaviour
Stanford University Press, Stanford, 1991 Penguin Books, London,
1994
Martin Seligman
AUTHENTIC HAPPINESS
The Free Press, New York, 2004
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
HEDONISM
What is hedonism?
Hedonism is a sensate rationale for behaviour.
The hedonist's primary
principle is summed up in the
slogan "Just enjoy!" There is nothing wrong with enjoyment per se,
provided the experience which
provides it is worthwhile. The problem is with the first word in the slogan,
namely "just". Hedonists
are notorious for sacrificing all other considerations to the
search for pleasure. Since most pleasures
are quite transient, they find themselves on a constant treadmill
on which they go through recurring
phases of searching, satisfaction, satiation, dissatisfaction, and
renewed searching. Hedonists are
"pleasure junkies", addicted to the "high" of gratification which
is, alas, only temporary. There is
now a merchandising service and catalogue devoted to "hedonics", so
there is obviously a lucrative
market in catering to such people (provided they are rich enough to
afford the pearl-handled,
gem-studded hand guns and other trinkets associated with this
group). What
those who are not
exclusively committed to this personal principle might find
"shallow and superficial" in the hedonist
lifestyle, hedonists themselves insist is sufficiently fulfilling
from their point of view, and "what
they really want" from their lives.
How is hedonism manifest?
The consumption rationale for hedonists is often "quality" but from
outside their ranks it bears a
striking resemblance to the "conspicuous consumption" of the Gilded
Age of the late19™ century
United States. Therefore, it was probably someone like Ambrose
Bierce who said of them
"Nothing exceeds like excess!"
What is rarely considered these days is that the actual consumption
patterns that would qualify
one for a hedonist in the Gilded Age, are now the aspirations of
most people in developed
economies, perhaps even of most of humanity.
The single two major
purchases that millions of
people yearn for, are a single-family dwelling, and a single-family
automobile. Yet ecologist
have indisputably demonstrated that the enormous "ecological
footprint" of modern individuals
that is so destructive of the environment is primarily caused by
the spreading use of the single-
family dwelling and the single-family automobile.
In terms of grossly wasteful
lifestyle, we are
(almost) all becoming hedonists now!
Imbibing hedonism, like drinking water,
is only safe in
small amounts - a person can literally drown with just a little
more than a glass of water. Those
in the home construction and real estate markets have come to imply
that the towering monolith
in the movie 4 Space Odyssey is actually a mortgage
document! We
are squandering our
ecological heritage for a house, a lawn, a driveway, and a car -
that's hedonism gone mad.
Reference
Richard North Mathis Wackernagel & William Rees
THE REAL COST OUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
Chatto & Windus, London, 1986 New Society Publishers, Gabriola
Island, 1996
Victor J. Papanek
DESIGN FOR HUMAN SCALE
Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York, 1983
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
45
EGOISM
What is egoism?
Egoism is a willful rationale for behaviour.
Just as hedonists are
notorious for their perpetual quest
"to have a good time", so egoists are equally notorious for their
perpetual quest "to get their own way".
And in this case too, there is nothing wrong per se with getting
your own way, provided that your
goal is worthwhile. "4h, but there's the rub.” All too often egoists
are far more concerned with what
they want than with the implications or impacts on anything and
everything outside themselves.
One
Russian émigré who became a novelist and amateur philosopher in 20"
century America claimed that
this value was the only one a rational person would have - but
since she died from complications
brought on by chain-smoking, I find both her rationalism and her
egoism more than a little self-
defeating. If egoism doesn't lead a person to define their own
self-interest in such a way as to preserve
and enhance their life as a primary objective, then they and their
goals are both ludicrous. And
despite all the talk of so many egoists (and their existentialist
fellow-travelers), in practice they fail
to fulfill that primary objective in case after case.
Does the foregoing paragraph seem somewhat "slanted" to the
reader? Consider the following:
improving nutrition, public health, and modern medicine have
created a "longevity revolution”
over the past two centuries.
There are more alternatives to pursue,
and more opportunities to
pursue them than at any time in previous human
history. The
fundamental premise of egoism is
that people's primary moral responsibility is to
themselves. In developed societies at least, the
vast majority of people can get access to the knowledge and
wherewithal to lead long, healthy,
productive, fulfilling, happy lives, in association with family
and/or friends. The key
characteristics to enable this are attitude, willingness to learn,
persistence, and planning, all of
which are well within the ambit of that same vast majority - so
egoists especially need the
courage of their convictions!
When you’ve thought through something
critically and come to
the conclusion that seems most reasonable to you, it should follow
(a) that you believe it, and
(b) that you start acting in accordance with that belief (Nosich,
2005).
How is egoism manifest?
Effective egoists will recognize when and where collaboration with
others is actually in their own
self-interests (which is almost every time,
everywhere!). The suppliers of knowledgeable advice,
nutritious food and supplements, public health facilities, and
modern medicine, and well as all of
the other facilities that make a modern life-style so promising,
all deserve our respect and
support, whether we be egoists or altruists.
The metaphor most
appropriate to an egoist's strategy
in this life is the runner on an obstacle course.
Too many people, offering
little or nothing of
value want to get in your way for no other reason than the
attention they get. Learn to avoid them.
References
David Mahoney & Richard Restak Gerald M.
Nosich
THE LONGEVITY STRATEGY LEARNING TO THINK THINGS THROUGH
John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1998 Pearson Prentice Hall,
Toronto, 2005
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
46
ENTREPRENEURIALISM
What is entrepreneurialism?
Entrepreneurialism is a purposeful rationale for
behaviour. Although both hedonism and egoism
have a place in one's personal life, the major shortcoming of each
is actually the same, namely
the lack of anything worthwhile.
If a person's motivation consists
solely of "having a good time"
and/or "getting their own way", it does NOT have what Webster's New
World Dictionary defines
as that which will make it worthwhile, namely something of true
value. The
way a person
acquires that rue value is through commitment to a project that
holds the promise of significant
accomplishment, which is through entrepreneurialism.
The entrepreneur strives to
move resources
out of less productive activities and into more productive
activities. "Productive" in this personal
sense includes the rationality of both means AND
ends.
There are, of course, criminals and shysters that claim the mantle
of entrepreneurialism for their
activities too, but they should be avoided and their advice
ignored. Anyone who, for any reason,
lets means trump ends as their primary modus operandji, is not to
be trusted or emulated. Those,
for instance, who insist that profitability justifies everything,
might consider that by far their most
profitable course would be to spend nothing whatsoever on
themselves because that diminishes
their bottom line - better a profitable death than a penurious
life. Those
without that level of
commitment to profitability themselves shouldn't expect equally
absurd commitments from
others either.
How is entrepreneurialism manifest?
The key to effective entrepreneurialism is
sustainability. Thorstein Veblen said that the
main characteristic of businessmen was their desire "to get
something for nothing". Modern
commerce and modern governance have taught the public to adopt this
same attitude in the years
since Veblen. More and more people don't want to think about the
implications of their current
and aspirant life-styles, namely that they are NOT based on
sustainability. They are looking for
personal fulfillment through social squandering of their ecological
heritage - not very worthwhile!
The one truly good idea in the midst of all this carnage, is that
the most productive resource with
which to tackle this, or any other challenge is our accumulating
knowledge (cognitive and effective).
The accumulating character of knowledge makes it a resource
different from all the others that have
served as a platform for entrepreneurialism in previous human
eras. What
this unique development
implies is that the future of entrepreneurialism, and of knowledge,
and of society, are now all part
of that new synthesis of sustainability that humanity has yet to
formulate. Now
that's something truly
worthwhile to engage in.
References
Braden R. Allenby
INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY
Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, 1999
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
47
SOCIAL
What are social principles?
Social principles concern one's relationship with other individuals
and society in general. What
makes them social is their social referentiality.
Sometimes confusion arises because of the
claim
that ALL principles are personal since it is persons who hold them
- according to this proposition,
because persons hold principles therefore all principles are
personal. That
is fallacious. What
makes a principle "social" is the content of the commitment, NOT
where it resides. The general
content of social principles involves what one desires in terms of
the quality of social life. The
corollary of this is that the subject of social ethics concerns the
responsibilities and obligations one
owes to others. Libertarians (such as Ayn Rand and Margaret
Thatcher) hold the view that "there is
no society, only individuals [families, friends, acquaintances,
colleagues, etc.]" and that one should
decide for one's self about any responsibilities to
them. Ironically, the very things such people value
the most (property and contracts) are social inventions, defined
and protected by social morality.
The notion of "libertarian ethics" really is a
non-starter. It is a hermit's view of life, the attitude
of those social psychologists call "social isolates".
This is NOT however, an invitation to go overboard in the social
principles direction and presume
that all ethics are of a social nature.
People have moral responsibilities to
themselves AND to
others, AND the larger (transcendental) context, which must be
balanced. The caricature of ethics
as exclusively other-regarding can become the stereotype of "our
primary role in life is to help
others", with no acknowledgement or role for personal aspirations
of an ethical nature at all.
That view of ethics could be characterized as "crude social
control". It
assumes that there is an
inherent conflict of interest between one's self and others, and
that the interests of others are on
"the high ground" whereas one's own interests are intrinsically
unethical. Using social principles to
rationalize the pursuit of personal objectives is the kind of
hypocrisy that this approach often
leads to - analysis reveals that selfishness is operating, but
masked by a "caring" rhetoric.
How are social values manifest?
Altruism is the unselfish concern for the welfare of
others. But
when such "unselfish" concern
leads to self-sacrifice, there is something wrong with the quality
of one's own self-regard.
Collectivism is social control instilled by conditioning through
traditions and habits. The
mechanism is what sociologists call institutions, the "rules of the
game". The
challenge here is to
recognize the trade-off between reflectivity and reflexivity, and
to determine when each is
appropriate. Elitism involves social leadership, either
voluntarily arranged or formally imposed.
Since cooperation and coordination always require some organization
and accountability, a
leadership role invariably arises, however ephemeral it may prove
to be. Many
such roles are
semi-permanent, and those in these roles often find themselves
(implicitly) adopting the Iron Law
of Oligarchy (perpetuate your policies by choosing your
successor).
Reference
Jeremy Bentham
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PRINCIPLES OF MORALS AND LEGISLATION
Methuen & Company, London, 1982 [1789]
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
48
ALTRUISM
What is altruism?
Webster's New World Dictionary defines altruism as unselfish
concern for the welfare of others.
Although this concept seems relatively straightforward, it does
contain some internal uncertainty,
leading to some contradictory conclusions.
Firstly, altruism is a
tenet of social ethics (concern
for others) rather than personal ethics (concern for one's self) -
or so it would seem. That is why
it is defined as unselfish. But what about the possibility that concern for
others might be selfish?
One perspective in population genetics postulates that a concern
for relatives is "really" just an
attempt to protect one's own gene pool - so the closer the
relationship, the more likely one will be
altruistic. Could this behaviour be extended from relatives to
friends, and still count as selfish
altruism? By the same token, radical egoists argue that no
action by any person is "really" ever
altruistic - that in some sense the motivation to help others still
advances the goals of the person,
albeit indirectly (helping a fellow ideologue still promotes the
ideas a person is committed to).
Both primitive cultures and traditional religions have glorified
altruism as caring and preferable,
and egoism as selfish and undesirable.
Modern, liberal culture is premised on
the ideal of
societies that can accommodate BOTH responsibilities to one's self
AND to others. This does not
mean that choices will not be necessary, BUT that is should be
possible to make such choices and
satisfy both requirements - neither one's self NOR others will get
everything they want, but
everyone involved will find enough satisfaction to make life
tolerable (given reasonable
expectations). So, egoism forms the context for altruism, and
altruism forms the context for
egoism. The
objection that radical egoists have against the "ideal type" of
altruism is that such
behavior is often rationalized by the term
"sacrifice". Egoists object to altruism because it is
defined as unselfish, and they claim to believe in the virtue of
selfishness. If concern for others
were premised as voluntary rather than mandatory, egoists can make
such choices as they see fit.
How is altruism manifest?
One wag summed up these dilemmas rather well with the comment "/
know what we are here
for; it's to
help others. What I am not sure of is what the others are here
for!" Both
the advocacy
of, and the objection to altruism are "really" referring to a kind
of concept that sociologist Max
Weber called an Ideal Type - an archetypal idea that is a standard
against which to measure
performance rather than a realistic assessment of actual
behavior. Some concern for the welfare
of others is a requirement of living in human groups - only hermits
need not be altruistic in this
sense. Desiring that people obey minimal institutional
rules (traffic rules, etc.) expresses
concerns for both one's self and others (I don't want others to
drive carelessly because in the
process they might injure both themselves and me).
In these circumstances
(which are the ones
normally encountered) what is needed is a balance, or trade-offs,
so that protecting one's self and
helping others are complementary, NOT exclusionary.
Reference
Stephen Toulmin
THE ROLE OF REASON IN ETHICS
Cambridge University Press, London, 1951
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
49
COLLECTIVISM
What is collectivism?
Collectivism is a reference-group doctrine of
behaviour. It involves the coordination of conduct
that a society achieves through social control.
Much of this will be
informally arranged, although
at the limits it is often enforced by laws or
regulations. Some libertarians are under the illusion
that both collectivism and social control are illegitimate, and to
be resisted whenever possible.
But without the collectivism that social control provides, we would
not enjoy potable water
supplies, nutritious food, sewerage or garbage collection, reliable
consumer products, or safe
traffic conditions (even though all of these could be improved,
their existing margins of safety
would drop precipitously if social controls were
eliminated).
The situation where collectivism "gets a bad name" usually involves
perceptions of public
prejudices and preferences being forced upon dissenting
individuals. If "the community" feels
that some individual or group has discreditable opinions or
unseemly habits, this minority may be
required to "tow the line" rather than express their views or
lifestyles. But on those occasions
when some of this same minority agrees with prevailing
discreditable opinions, they are then
strangely silent about "rights being trampled on".
If familial conditioning, public education, and social propaganda
are working effectively, opinion
is so subtlety formed and reasonably reinforced that dissenters are
seen as exceptional deviants
that deserve minimal tolerance and little respect.
This is, of course, only
a caricature, both in
terms of how it would work and the results it would produce - but
it usually is the "official
version" that the social establishment will seek to propagate and
defend.
How is collectivism manifest?
Most of the effort at social control that supports collectivism
occurs "from the bottom up".
People influence each other's behaviour by encouraging what they
find acceptable, and
discouraging of what they find unacceptable.
The techniques for this
run all the way from
smiling and frowning, to rewarding and punishing.
The prospect for a
libertarian utopia in which
only minimum expectations would prevail, is virtually nonexistent -
people want to prescribe
how others behave, and will use a variety of ways to do so, even
regarding inconsequential habits
and traditions. Constitutional limits on the exercise of arbitrary
intimidation are necessary, but
the majority will often be very impatient with such provisions or
the rationale for them.
References
Donald Black
THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF RIGHT AND WRONG, revised ed.
Academic Press, New York, 1998
Martin Innes
UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL CONTROL
Open University Press, Buckingham, 2003
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
50
ELITISM
What is elitism?
Elitism is an exclusionary doctrine of beheviour.
It refers to a social
situation when a small
minority provides "leadership" to a (much) larger
majority. This arrangement may emerge
"naturally" where a person organizes a group for some particular
activity and then reverts to
ordinary status when the task is over.
Alternatively the leadership position
may be formal,
with recruitment, induction, operational, and termination
procedures. This concept has just as
"bad a name" amongst egalitarians as does altruism or collectivism
amongst the egoists. People
who "want" leadership opportunities are often assumed to either
have hidden agendas (the desire
for inordinate gain) or some form of psychopathology (the desire
for unseemly domination).
For those in followership positions, a skeptical attitude about
leadership candidates is a good
way to nip gullibility in the bud.
On the other hand, some arrangement for
group coordination
and cooperation, someone to set the goals and the pace, is usually
needed, and often imposed.
One of the perennial topics of first-year University courses in
Sociology concerns whether or not
social stratification is necessary.
By the end of their third year,
Sociology students usually agree
that whether or not it is necessary, it certainly seems to be
inevitable. French Sociologist Robert
Michels call this phenomena "The Iron Law of Oligarchy" and it has
proven correct ever since he
articulated it.
How is elitism manifest?
When concessions are made to the “necessity” of leadership,
egalitarians consistently opt for the
“democratic” version — this is the person who uses consensual
methods, talking things through
and never pulling rank. In practice the truly productive leaders are not
necessarily likeable or
considerate — they are focused, self-centered, and driven by the
need to achieve. However much
such individuals may depart from the democratic version though,
they do accomplish things,
usually in less time, by means of less effort, and with measurably
higher returns to the intellectual
and financial capital invested (Koch, 2003).
One business analyst
described them as “tough but
fair” — they want results, not excuses, but for those who deliver
they will share the wealth and the
glory (Ohmae, 1982). This flies in the face of the “leader as exploiter”
stereotype, but that
modern-day myth is no more reliable than the tales of Gods, Demons,
Heroes and Villains from
ancient folklore.
References
Kenichi Ohmae
THE MIND OF THE STRATEGIST
Penguin, New York, 1982
Richard Koch
THE 80/20 INDIVIDUAL
Doubleday, New York, 2003
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51
TRANSCENDENTAL
What are transcendental principles?
Transcendental principles are those that go beyond "mere
mortals". This may sound plausible in
the cases of Theism (God as the source of ethical principles) and
Environmentalism (Mother Earth
as the source of ethical principles), but does it apply to Humanism
(cultural heritage as the source
of ethical principles)? Yes, even Humanism is transcendental - it idealizes
the accumulated
contributions of the creative members of the species, not
necessarily the personal attributes of any
particular innovator (unless that personality can be
"iconized"); but not usually common folk.
Most of both religions and philosophies have been premised on the
proposition that people want
(and need) something greater than just themselves, that they want
some over-arching system to fit
into. Given
the historical record and comparative studies, the contention
appears to be soundly
based. A few
dissidents however, continue to claim that the vast majority of
such over-arching
systems are mythological rather than existential, and that those
who have promoted such postulates
and principles have merely been trading on the gullibility and
vulnerability of the majority.
Although
the consequences of practicing or not practicing certain values can
be observed, the intrinsic
rationales for them cannot be proven or disproven.
You either form your
principles in one context,
or you do it in another. Furthermore, the kind of problems that plagued
those with unbalanced
approaches to either personal or social principles, also arise with
transcendental principles.
How are transcendental values manifest?
All too often, those who are over-committed to (their own version
of) Theism, are usually not
happy just to praise God and obey his laws - they support
proselytizing and crusading to convert
unbelievers, either voluntarily or by force.
Many radical
Environmentalists claim that they want
to reverse the Industrial Revolution and take humanity back to
Voluntary Simplicity, a way of
life supported by human labour and hand tools.
Most of the projects for
social improvement,
social reform, or social reconstruction, are Humanist endeavours,
rationalized by the
Enlightenment, and the human costs of some of these projects have
been as draconian as those of
any sponsored in the name of Theism.
Perhaps the single most important
standard for principles of
any type, is their consequences rather than their
rationales. So what counts, in the final analysis,
is behaviour rather than motivation.
As religious dissenters constantly
point out, "the road to hell
is paved with good intentions".
Hurting other people is not acceptable,
regardless of the great
cultural ideal that it might serve;
destroying or degrading the environment
is not acceptable,
regardless of the great profits such exploitation might
bring; and
forcing changes of religious
belief or worship is not acceptable, regardless of the sanction of
theologians or charismatics.
The
only "bottom line" of relevance to any system of transcendental
principles, is it capability to get
people to "behave themselves" - the role of "higher principles" is
social control. Motivation is
viewed as an instrument to keep people on the "straight and
narrow", not an excuse to wander from it.
Reference
Jack Gibbs
CONTROL: SOCIOLOGY'S CENTRAL NOTION
University of Illinois Press, Chicago, 1989
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52
THEISM
What is theism?
Theism is a supernatural rationale for behaviour.
It involves the beliefin a
god, a deity, a
higher power operating in the universe.
Almost without exception, traditional
deities have had
either a moral or a magic influence on their societies, usually
both. The
moral influence
is propagated through a moral code, like the Ten Commandments of
Judaism or The Way of
Buddhism. The implication of such a code is that the higher
power wants you to behave in
certain approved ways, and to avoid behaving in other ways
disapproved of. This, in turn,
has led many to suspect that the actual source of such moral codes
is the theological elite
(priests, monks, etc.) rather than any supernatural
sources. Whatever the source though, the
primary effect of such a moral code was to serve as an instrument
of social control, to rationalize
“proper conduct” with a supernatural gloss or
motivation. Whether or not this was the original
intention, it served this purpose.
From the sociological point of view
this would be a form of
determinism (obeying the “moral law”).
From the political point of view it
could equally
be interpreted as a form of functionalism (seeking to fulfill God’s
purpose). The
magical role
of theism was believed to be the god’s ability to fulfill
wishes. Mark
Twain has a humorous
story about this use of belief: in the story a “model” Christian is
praying out loud in church
for a “socially acceptable” blessing;
with his silent inner voice however,
this “model”
Christian is praying for exactly the opposite, something that will
benefit exclusively himself,
and to the detriment of others.
The “problem” is that God is caught on
the horns of a dilemma,
not knowing whether to grant the supplicant’s spoken wish or his
secret wish. Apparently even
God can face difficult choices.
How is theism manifest?
Over the years religions (organized systems of worship and
morality) have developed
from particularistic to universalistic, but despite this more
inclusive premise, theism is not
actually any guarantee of beneign conduct.
Many believers of various faiths have
sought
their priest’s blessing to go to war.
In the case of crusades, religious
leaders have often
been the fiercest proponents of “war in the name of
God”. What
seems anomalous is not
however; the protection of the morality was actually only
applied to one’s own brethren
or fellow citizens — non-believers or outsiders were fair game,
including for plunder and
killing. Perhaps the time has
come for a God that does encompass all of humanity,
generous rather than selfish, and forgiving rather than punitive —
a God for tomorrow.
References
Mark Juergensmeyer, ed. Neale Donald
Walsch
GLOBAL RELIGIONS TOMORROW'’S GOD
Oxford University Press, New York, 2003 Atria Books, New York,
2004
Sam Harris
THE END OF FAITH
W.W. Norton, New York, 2004
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53
HUMANISM
What is humanism?
Humanism is cultural rationale for beheviour.
Although there are several
ways that humanism has
been defined, perhaps the one way that includes them all is the
statement from a commentator in
Ancient Greece: Man is the measure of all things.
In the current idiom that
could be re-stated as:
a system of thought that centers on humans and their values,
capacities and worth (American
Heritage Dictionary, 2000).
The context of the statement from
Ancient Greece is that at that time
philosophy was enamored with the idea that mathematics was the
basis of all rational thought - so
the commentator's premise was that human interests were what made
measurement worthwhile.
The modern version of humanism changes this premise into the
substance of the concept.
What it is a good idea to keep in mind though, is that this concept
of "humanity" is an idealized
one, not a reference to real folk with their "warts and
all". The
ethic of humanism transcends
ordinary people in their everyday lives.
It more particularly romanticizes the
cultural heritage of
the species, and those individuals and activities that contribute
to that heritage. The "greater
good" is attributed to cultural creators (innovators) rather than
culture consumers (the public).
How is humanism manifest?
The issue that both ancient and modern humanism deal with is: what
should be the most
appropriate focus of human enquiry and endeavor?
The opposite view from
humanism in the
ancient world was the one which originated in Astrology and was
later adopted by Philosophy,
namely: As above, so below. And although Science has replaced both Astrology
and Philosophy
in the modern world, it implicitly still holds to that older
rationale. Astrology, Philosophy, and
Science are based on the notion that there is a larger context in
which human life is situated, and
into which human understanding and behavior have to
fit. The
humanist reply is that the value
and role of everything outside of humanity is to serve human
purposes. Neither the humanist
view nor its alternatives can be declared ultimately "correct" OR
"incorrect", because all of these
claims are based on what different people value, NOT on any facts
per se.
When humanists prioritize human activities and interests over other
considerations, this is what
they do: they glorify human culture and human
accomplishments. So, for instance, putting a
man on the moon is not seen as a "big technological success" but
rather another "triumph of the
human spirit" - for humanists it's not the space craft or the space
agency that gets attention, but
rather the vision, struggle, bravery, and accomplishments of all
the humans on the project.
Perhaps the starkest way to express it is this: the ONLY thing
which provides any significance to
anything is the human purpose behind it and the human endeavor
within it. To anyone who
considers this an excessive view, humanists simply point to the
techno-euphoria of the modern
age as the opposite extreme against which they are
reacting.
References
Alan Bullock
THE HUMANIST TRADITION IN THE WEST
W.W. Norton, New York, 1988
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ENVIRONMENTALISM
What is environmentalism?
Environmentalism is an ecological rationale for
behaviour. Einstein was reputed to have defined
the environment as "everything that isn't me".
This approach scandalizes
radical environmentalists
because it implies the possibility of separating humanity from the
remainder of its ecosystem, an
idea they find both unrealistic and abhorrent.
But what we should
contemplate is the premise this
definition implies, namely that "the environment" is an idea, not
anything in particular. What
Einstein has done (perhaps unintentionally, but brilliantly
nevertheless) is to allow us to see that
"the environment" is a category, not a fact or a "natural"
entity. Given the widespread use of the
word, the most accurate way to describe "the environment", is as a
reification of an ecological
concept. Environmentalists and any one else who uses the
concept as if it was real are indulging
in what Alfred North Whitehead called "the fallacy of
concretization" - they are assuming that
since we can name something, that must prove it is a substantive
reality. For
the people who do
subscribe to this fallacy, environmentalism is a modern form of
animism, nature worship, in
which the planetary ecosphere is personalized as "Mother
Earth".
How is environmentalism manifest?
Contrary to the romanticized notion, nature is not benign - storms,
hurricanes, tornados, floods,
tsunamis, droughts, earthquakes, volcanoes, plagues, and famines,
etc. often
devastate their
environments, usually locally, sometimes over vast
areas. Despite this reality, many of those
with an environmentalist outlook say they prefer to "let nature
take its course”. On this planet,
the era of "the natural course of events" ended with the
agricultural revolution over six thousand
years ago. The predominant regime that has been expanding ever
since is Human Ecology, in
which "environments" are "managed", occasionally passably well,
usually very poorly. If we are
to do better however, we must form our categories and use our
technologies in realistic ways.
Even areas of the planet which remain "relatively" untouched or
uninhabited do so only out of
human deference. When it suits humanity even the South Pole is
colonized. What we need
(desperately) is a science of geo-mechanics to operate large of the
earth's surface, both beneath
and above. Without the managed means to sustain our lives and
our culture, humanity could
perish just as surely as have other species before us - we have no
divine protection against human
stupidity if we choose to persist in that stupidity long
enough. Anyone interested in re-thinking
this dilemma would do well to begin with Amos Hawley and Joseph
Tainter.
References
Amos Hawley
HUMAN ECOLOGY: A Theoretical Essay
University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1986
Joseph A. Tainter
THE COLLAPSE OF COMPLEX SOCIETIES
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1988
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55
PRACTICE IN USING AXIOLOGY
This section on Axiology covers the three archetypes of valuing,
namely Personal, Social,
and Transcendental. Having read through this set of twelve pages (each
concept covered in a
single page), then try some of the following suggestions (or do
similar things that will also
illustrate the desired points): Take any one of the values and
apply it to an issue of interest to
you. The
issue might occur in a media story, in a book or magazine you read,
in a conversation
you have, or in a presentation you attend.
In the case of Personal values, ask yourself “What do I really want
from a situation, or a
person, or a group, or my job, or whatever?” The first challenge is
to identify how and where
your principles came from. If what you want is relatively immediate (in the
here and now) you
may be able to locate the source of that desire quite
readily. Longer-range goals or objectives
may (usually will) have been acquired over more time and
circumstances. Whatever your list of
personal priorities, try to discern how you acquired these
desires. Your needs may be basic
in
nature, but what you want to satisfy them has been learned — the
questions are how, when, where,
and why? During this process, do
NOT treat your wishes and desires as sacrosanct — just as you
learned to want certain things, you can unlearn, and that may be in
your own best interests in
some cases. This task is about the implications and
consequences of what you want, and whether
your desires meet the criteria of good sense and worthwhile
accomplishment. Your
responsibility
to yourself is to look after your own best interests — and YOU are
the expert here!
The Social values you adhere to are just as “real” as your personal
ones — but the locus is
different, namely your relationships with others.
What are your rules, or
criteria by which you
interact with other people? There are always patterns, but many people are not
conscious of the
principles they follow. With different people,
or in varying situations, these criteria will also
change, or be given different priority — people usually behave
differently with friends and family
than with strangers or acquaintances.
Once again, try to uncover how you
behave, with whom, in
which circumstances, and why?
The point, again, is whether these
rules of interaction are
consistent, and in the best interests of yourself and
others. Usually there are
inconsistencies, and
trade-offs between your own interests and that of others — once
identified, are these outcomes the
ones you expected or want? There may not be a need for precipitous action, but
you may be able
to figure out ways to achieve better arrangements.
Transcendental values have the curious status of being the focus of
existence for some people,
and of practically no concern whatsoever for others.
In these circumstances,
people’s views of
one another regarding transcendental principles provide a good
indicator of the extent of their
tolerance. Which of the core transcendental principles are you
consciously committed to (if
any), and how did you come to acquire this “faith”?
These principles may
rationalize
commitments for those who accept them, but for non-believers they
may not provide either
credibility or legitimacy. Since knowledge workers insist on their ethical
autonomy, knowledge
societies are increasingly learning to accommodate a diversity of
transcendental principles.
After some practice with each, strive to be a reflective
practitioner by applying the three ethical
categories either simultaneously or concurrently as ways of
assessing human actions.
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56
PART IV
SEMIOLOGY
What is semiology?
Technically, semiology is the study of sign systems.
As use here it refers to
the
communication of aesthetics.
The combinations and permutations in
this area seem
almost infinite, but the basis for them are three concepts, or some
blend thereof:
(a) romanticism - the focus upon one's own favorite modality,
whether it be the flavor of
ice cream or the genre of writing;
(b) populism - "playing to the crowd"
by appealing to
cultural archetypes or momentary fads;
and (c¢) formalism - aesthetic choice
based on
some method, whether in representation, performance, or
symbolism.
How does semiology work?
For consumers of culture, the most widespread idiom appears to be
"I may not know art,
but I know what I like!" Romantics like things that express their own
sentiments.
Populists like whatever is trendy, because they are basically
aesthetic conformists.
Formalists look for particular art forms that demonstrate a level
of artistic craftsmanship.
For creators of culture, the inclinations are also quite
varied. Romantic artists go to
considerable lengths to place their personal stamp on whatever they
produce - singing,
dancing, acting, often claiming to be inspired by a
"muse". Populists either possess or
develop a stereotype that appeals to their audiences, as something
to be liked or disliked.
Formalists such as classical musicians and method actors practice
constantly to achieve
excellence. There are three aspects to Romanticism:
Improvisation, Morale, and Genre.
There are three considerations in Populism: Inspiration,
Entertainment, and Catharsis.
There are three motifs in Formalism: Comedy, Irony, and
Tragedy. Look for all of them.
What underlies all of these modalities in semiology, are human
feelings. Suzanne
Langer makes the case that all of human culture can be understood
as the product of the
refinement of feelings just as readily as the elaboration of
ideas. If
will therefore often be
an interesting exercise to imagine the feeling that have impelled
different modes of
semiology, so that by empathizing with others one can get a sense
of their mind-set. In
modern society, the "great aesthetic debate" has been between those
who regarded
aesthetics as "merely entertainment” and those who regarded it as
an important source of
social criticism and/or "spiritual guidance" for an otherwise
superficial existence. An attitude
of detached involvement is helpful here because it enables you
appreciate a variety of modes
and messages in aesthetic communication, rather than being a
single-minded Philistine.
Reference
Suzanne Langer Paul Cobley & Litza Jansz
MIND: An Essay on Human Feeling SEMIOTICS FOR BEGINNERS
Johns Hopkins UP, Baltimore, 1988 Icon Books, Cambridge, 1997
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57
ROMANTICISM
What is romanticism?
Romanticism is an aesthetic modality that prioritizes cultural
creators' rights to develop their own
individual modalities of presentation, and the culture consumers'
rights to cultivate individual
taste in whatever direction they prefer.
The "artist's" vision or purpose should
be the guide, and
this should not be compromised to fit into an external mould or to
conform to a widespread
predilection. It sounds very "noble" - and it can
be. It can
also just be an excuse for an artist to
abuse the good nature of an audience.
Nor is it impossible that the second
might eventually turn
into the first!
Patrons have always had trouble with their commissions - both
Michelangelo and Goya were
infamous for arguing with the Roman Catholic Church about which
colours really fulfilled the
religious symbolism of the paintings they were paid for (in each
case, they insisted on their own
choices rather than accepting the dictates of
clerics). More
recently, Woody Guthrie Sr. wouldn't
even paint a store sign unless he could choose the colours rather
than providing what he was
asked for.
Aristotle however, contended that the value of a play was
determined by the audience, not the
author, nor the players, nor the producer.
But romanticism doesn't
really dispute this - what it
argues is that artists should freely express themselves, and THEN
audiences can decide if they
value the product or not. Even so, romanticism does NOT treat the reception
of artistic works in
the way that marketing would recommend.
Modern marketing advocates surveying
the market
and responding to the needs and wants discovered.
When it comes to consumer
products for
instance, the former practice of designing and producing a
commodity and then creating a
demand through advertising (much as a romantic artist might do!),
is now frowned upon and
discouraged. Instead, producers (of whatever) should ask the
public first, and then give them
what they want. Either way, the only real problem is when
stylistics is raised to a moral issue.
How is romanticism manifest?
The motion picture business (the biggest aesthetic industry AND
employer of artists in the
world), tries to reflect its audiences' demands, but the public
sensibilities are fickle enough that
many of the guesses are wrong (i.e., the pictures barely cover
production costs, often not even
that). Book
production and automobile production are often not much better at
anticipating what
will sell and providing it. And enough of the time when artists with a vision
are given an
opportunity to express themselves, they do find a market and recoup
the investment. The success
rate for aesthetic innovators is probably about the same as for
consumer product innovators, not
more than one in ten -but the prospect of the big breakthrough
keeps them at it. As long as the
cultural consumers have the same right to choose as the producers,
freedom of choice will work.
References
Ayn Rand Duncan Heath & Judy Boreham
THE ROMANTIC MANIFESTO INTRODUCING ROMANTICISM
Signet Books, New York, 1971 Icon Books, Cambridge, 1999
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58
IMPROVISATION
What is aesthetic improvisation?
Improvisation occurs when attempts are made, to one extent or
another, to break the
conventional boundaries of semiotic expression in what is offered
to society. Artists often see
this as part of their “creative license.” In recent years the new
technologies (computers and
communications) have been used in this improvisation.
The Internet was itself
new not so long
ago, and now some of its uses are right on the leading edge of
improvisation (blogs, FaceBook,
video and music sharing, etc.).
Nevertheless, there are problems with
such improvisations. The
innovation process will inevitably change some of the features and
characteristics of previous
modes — if these existing forms have been copyrighted, trademarked,
or patented, the property
rights in these versions may inhibit or disallow changes to
them. Technological ways are often
found to do an “end run” around such restrictions, but in many
cases they are not, with the result
that either the proposed improvisation is discontinued, or a
financial settlement is reached
between the parties concerned, with the improvisers paying for the
right to infringe on the
configuration of established modes.
The other major problem with improvisation is the fashion-driven
“change for the sake of
change” syndrome. Things are replaced not because they have worn out
or are obsolete, but
rather because a new model has a new colour, a fancier look, or is
suddenly popular for some
other reason. Improvisers usually can’t resist adopting these new
stylistic changes because it
gives them a chance to “get on the bandwagon on its way to the
bank.” Improvisation that seems
like little more than stylistic change may seem harmless, but it
helps create a social psychology
in which we all become novelty junkies.
The waste in time, effort, money, and
discarded objects
is ignored in deference to a process of social differentiation that
leads to increasing individuation
in search of idiosyncrasy.
How is improvisation used?
The Fashion Industry employs designers, models, garment workers,
and promoters in a multi-
million-dollar extravaganza every year.
Software and hardware firms give us
mostly new
versions and occasionally new gizmos every year.
Automobile manufacturers
give us new paint-
jobs, new trim, and more electronics every year.
The Home Furnishings
Industry provides a
“make-over” to refrigerators, sofas, beds, chairs & tables, and
multiple other furnishings every
year. Cereal
manufacturers change the shape of their cereal bits from “squares”
to “diamonds,”
or something similar every year.
The creators of this “newness” swear
that it is important, and
the consumers continue to buy it.
But although all of this may indeed be
improvisation, is it
really worthwhile? Not for my money it’s not - junk is still junk, no
matter how fashionable and
popular. You
be the judge for your own wallet.
References
Stephen Nachmanovitch John MacDonald
FREE PLAY: Improvisation in Life and Art CALLING A HALT TO MINDLESS
CHANGE
Jeremy Tarcher, San Francisco, 1991 AMACOM, New York, 1998
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59
MORALE
What is an aesthetic morale?
A morale is a principle that is incorporated into, or inferred from
a work of art. The story of “The
Sorcerer’s Apprentice” has the morale “be careful what you wish
for” or alternatively, that
“technology that is used before it is understood is not amenable to
control,” both of which, in this
case, amount to the same thing.
Is the morale of the Hannibal Lector
stories that “a psychopath
can actually succeed with predation and avoid apprehension” or is
it what Hannibal himself
articulates at one point, namely “use him, or kill him, but make up
your mind.”
The presence and legitimacy of morales in art is a very
controversial topic. In Ayn Rand’s novel
“Atlas Shrugged” a cohort of creative people goes on strike against
the remainder of American
society to get the recognition and the remuneration they think they
deserve. In the novel they
actually succeed — in real life this outcome would be very
unlikely, because, as in other strikes, a
group of strike-breakers would cross picket lines and undermine the
efforts of the strikers, the
President would undoubtedly declare Martial Law, and the Military
would operate the basic
infrastructure as a police state.
Many creative and community-oriented
people would probably
be more than happy to cross any picket line that counteracted a
conspiracy of this ilk against the
rest of society. My main question here however, is “what is the
moral of this story?” Is it
“individuals have a right to protect and control the entire output
of their minds, and no one has
the right to deny them this opportunity™ or is it “sociopaths can
actually succeed with predation
and avoid apprehension™? Nor surprisingly, fans of Ayn Rand would opt for
the first
interpretation, whereas those with a community-orientation would
support the second — and there
isn’t much room to negotiate between these two
morales. More important than this particular
disagreement however, is issue of the heavy-handed moralizing that
authors like Ayn Rand,
Taylor Caldwell, Ron Hubbard, and many other ideologically
motivated novelists practice.
The
unintended results of this kind of “moral broadcasting” may be to
expose the implications of their
intentions, just as with public officials who "say too much" when
interviewed on talk shows.
How are morales used?
Right-wing novelists claim their moralizing is just a contribution
to restoring the moral fibre to
American society (turning the clock backwards to the Social
Darwinism of the 19" century).
Left-wing novelists claim that moralizing is just a contribution to
establishing the normative
structure of a new America (pushing the society forward to a
collectivist existence in which
everyone is equal, and the smoothest egalitarians are more equal
than others). On the other hand,
the morale vacuum of Andy Warhol’s art and Mike Myers’ movies is no
more appealing.
Fortunately there are enough substantive offerings that popular
culture is not a complete
wasteland.
References
Ziauddin Sardar & Borin Van Loon Ziauddin Sardar & Borin
Van Loon
INTRODUCING CULTURAL STUDIES INTRODUCING MEDIA STUDIES
Icon Books, Cambridge, 1997 Icon Books, Cambridge, 2000
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
60
GENRE
What are aesthetic genres?
Genres are aesthetic templates that are used to guide the creation
of various modes of art. In
novels we have Harlequin Romances, Murder Mysteries, Psychological
Thrillers, etc. In
painting we have Expressionism, Pointillism, Abstraction,
etc. In
popular music we have
Country & Western, Rock ‘n Roll, Jazz & Blues,
etc. In
classical music we have the String
Quartet, the Symphony, the Concerto, etc.
In theatre we have the Farce, the
Drama, the Musical,
etc. In
dancing we have Ballet, Tap Dancing, Square Dancing,
etc. Elaborate and extensive lists
could be compiled for every mode of art, with considerable
disagreement between various list-
makers as to what categories to nominate, and which modes fit into
which categories.
Different genres have different fans, audiences and
markets. Since most artists want to reach an
audience and a market (hopefully with a considerable overlap in
these two groups), they will
study the characteristics of the various aesthetic templates in the
field(s) in which they are
working. Audiences will have certain expectations as to how
a Murder Mystery or a Country &
Western song will be composed.
There will be an appropriate
vocabulary, a recognized set of
themes, pace or cadence that modulates the material.
There may syncretism in modalities, in
which, for example, a Murder Mystery is set in the Country &
Western music business — but in
that case a blend of elements from both templates will be
expected. Some types of aesthetic
templates may fall out of public interest, and new templates may be
created which take their
place, or enlarge the field of available artistic
modes.
How are genres used?
Some artists are primarily trying to just make money, and they will
use their talents and develop
their arts to the extent that they realize that
objective. One renowned writer of
action thrillers
acknowledged some years ago that his themes, plots, vocabulary and
characters were created
solely to appeal to the market that bought those kinds of books —
and using his income as a
standard, he did very well by this template.
Other artists struggle with some innovative
or
unconventional mode — what they are attempting to do, in fact, is
to create a new artistic market,
and it is often quite a struggle (James Joyce’s “flow of
consciousness” novels are an example, as
are Edgar Allan Poe’s stories that blend mystery and
esoterica).
Many artists have “hobby-horse” themes that they explore in various
directions. For writer D.H.
Lawrence it was “sexuality,” for composer Franz Joseph Haydn it was
“humour,” for the
Canadian Group of Seven painters it was “nature.” Artists are not
“compelled” to follow
templates, but the further they depart from them, the less likely
are they to find audiences or
markets for their efforts. Extreme deviance in aesthetics is no more appealing
than it is in ethics.
References
Heather Dubrow Michael Batterberry
GENRE TWENTIETH CENTURY ART
Methuen, London, 1982 McGraw-Hill, New York, 1969
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
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61
POPULISM
What is populism?
Populism is an aesthetic modality that prioritizes what the market
or the audience wants as the
basis for artistic production.
What will consumers pay?
(for the price of
admission, or the actual
article). This sounds very democratic, and so it is - but is
that a virtue in art? One of the
problems which this approach is that it supports stereotypes much
more than innovations, and
even new things become stereotyped very quickly.
Unfortunately (or perhaps
fortunately), it
doesn't work this easily. There is, it turns out, a market for novelty, so
some new things do sell;
and by the same token, some of the "same-old, same-old" doesn't
sell, despite the care taken to
replicate the original.
In a recent, very well-crafted film about a screen-play with a
homosexual theme, the screen writer
and the producer in the story agree that the American film audience
will not accept a movie with
an openly homosexual theme! This kind of irony prevails throughout aesthetics
production,
proving thereby that "audiences are conventionally unconventional,
or unconventionally
conventional". Investors are the ones chasing public opinion, but
investors are a big part of the
aesthetics industry - only they can afford to finance a lone
performer or team in the production of
an offering that could reap multiples of its initial cost, OR be a
flop.
On the audience side, the stereotypes of successful products are
often criticized unsparingly by
those whose sensibilities have been piqued.
Feminists rarely find
heroines who are sufficiently
autonomous and assertive. Ethnic spokespersons note either that their group
was under-
represented or mis-represented, which they say, speaks volumes
about the ignorance of the artist.
Non-smokers chide every instance of someone smoking in a work of
art, claiming it glorifies the
practice and leads the young into vice through bad
example. Animal lovers insist that no living
creature be injured during the production of the artistic offering,
and even depiction of such
events is condemned. Those in crime control (the police, state
prosecutors, etc.) see every
depiction of lawlessness as an encouragement to act out what is
portrayed unless the perpetrators
in the story get swift and fulsome punishment.
Consensus in aesthetics is
as rare as in politics.
How populism is manifest
Styles which have broad appeal will most likely be
superficial. Slogans which get wide
circulation may be easy to remember, but they are likely
simple-minded metaphors. Most
aesthetic offering of superior quality will have limited
appeal. Interesting movies from small
countries, even those about compelling events, usually only go
abroad to small festivals, rarely
theatre chains. Rising diversity is eroding national chauvinism,
but some worry that the global
culture now emerging may eventually simply produce its own
stereotypes to replace local ones.
The experience of tourist hotels is increasingly standardized in
Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Reference
Norbert Elias Dani Cavallaro & Carline Vago-Hughes
THE SYMBOL THEORY ART FOR BEGINNERS
Sage Publications, London, 1991 Writers and Readers Publishing, New
York, 2000
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62
INSPIRATION
What is aesthetic inspiration?
By inspiration is meant that the audience is motivated to
mindfulness. Upon hearing a story of
bravery the listener might resolve to be equally brave, or at least
courageous enough to try. If an
example of tolerance is observed, it could inspire observers to
practice the same virtue more
often themselves. On the darker side, reading about or otherwise
learning about an instance of
revenge may prompt certain individuals to also attempt revenge in
their own circumstances.
From life experiences themselves, failures or setbacks could lead
some to forego honesty or
congeniality and instead inspire them to bloody-mindedness or
crime. The notion that
inspiration is always positive is just wishful thinking — but for
better or worse, it can stimulate
thinking and motivate change.
Furthermore, audiences are often inspired in ways that were never
intended or anticipated.
Efforts to tell a “serious story” may be taken as a joke by the
audience. On
the other hand,
joking may “fall flat” or even arouse outrage.
Stories concerning events
pertaining to “9/11”
often inspire some of the relatives and friends of victims to
denounce these offerings as
“exploitation.” Other relatives and friends however, welcome such
stories as an inspiration to
heroism and an attempt at closure.
The
inspiration that people take may vary from person to
person, incident to incident, and time to time — what was once a
positive inspiration may later
turn into a negative one, or visa-versa.
However, to the extent that some
incident or art “moves”
an audience, some sort of inspiration on the part of at least some
of those people is very likely.
How is inspiration used?
Some people use inspiration to “kick-start” an action that was, or
might be otherwise delayed.
An example of how regular savings eventually leads to a “dream
purchase” or to overcoming a
setback can be used by audience members to resolve to begin saving
regularly themselves.
Perhaps they “had always meant to” but somehow just never did —
now, with this new inspiration
they make the commitment and start to deposit into the savings
accounts.
People will sometimes refer others to a story or incident in the
hope it will inspire the kind of
action (or inaction) they approve of.
Recounting action that succeeds implies
that anyone else
behaving the same way is just as likely to enjoy the same
success. Recounting action that fails
implies that anyone else with any good sense will avoid that action
to avoid failure. Either ploy
could disappoint however, because the recipient of the message
might not “take the bait,” or the
results might not be as anticipated.
Inspiration is a tricky business, and
trying to influence it has
its limits — for the most part, inspiration only supports
inclination rather than manipulation.
References
Rosamund Stone Zunder & Benjamin Zander
THE ART OF POSSIBILITY: Transforming Professional and Personal
Life
Penguin Books, New York, 2000
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
63
ENTERTAINMENT
What is the role of entertainment?
Speaking of entertainment, one of England’s best, Noel Coward,
described his art as “a talent to
amuse.” And amusement can be important, as a relief from tedium, or
boredom, or tension. On
the other hand, the insistence on constant amusement as the price
of attention can degrade public
discourse into the superficial and the cynical (Postman,
1985). The
key to the beneficial
consumption of entertainment is knowing both “how much is enough”
and “just because
something is possible doesn’t make it desirable.”
What does limiting entertainment to “enough” amount
to? An
occasional laugh can be quite
refreshing, but continuous hilarity can be very tiring, both for
the audience and the performer(s).
Aristotle recommended a middle way between extremes for good reason
— too much of a good
thing can become a bad thing.
Marshall
McLuhan called this The Reversal Effect — humanity
has a tendency to overuse all forms of media to such an extent that
what begins as a benefit
eventually ends up as a detriment.
Our problem is that we don’t have the
wisdom to only use our
contrivances up to the point where they continue to provide
benefits, and then to stop using them
thereafter. Instead we over-do it, leading to inversion and
disillusion. We amuse ourselves into
idiocy.
What does choosing to forego entertainment when it is
“inappropriate” amount to? “Making
fun” of important issues or serious problems will not likely win a
person much understanding or
support. However you may view your own tribulations,
“laughing at” the hardships of others is
more likely to incur wrath than applause.
I once know a man who
recommended that Christmas
Salutations be sent on toilet paper rather than greeting cards,
except that “most people didn’t
have the sense of humour to appreciate it.” In many ways he was a
very smart guy, but this sort
of attitude won him very few friends and very little
respect. And
although Machiavelli advised
leaders that “it was better to be feared than loved,” it is never
desirable to be loathed!
How is entertainment used?
Entertainment can be a distraction from too much seriousness — but
to be acceptable it is best to
change the topic as well as trying to change the
mood. Of
course, great drama can be just as
entertaining as amusement, but to do so it requires, amongst other
things, a particular decorum —
both the issues in the material itself, and the audience’s
sensibilities must be respected.
Again,
as Aristotle said, it is a play’s audience that decides what is
worthwhile, rather than the actors, or
directors, or producers. Provocative performances using offensive humour
(sexist or racist jokes,
demeaning caricatures, or ethnic stereotypes) deserve any hostile
reception they encounter.
References
Robert B. Cialdini Neil
Postman
INFLUENCE: The Science and Practice AMUSING OURSELVES TO
DEATH
Allyn & Bacon, Boston, 2001 Penguin Books, New York, 1985
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
64
CATHARSIS
What is aesthetic catharsis?
The concept of aesthetic catharsis was articulated by Aristotle in
ancient Athens. He proposed
that an audience could identify with the characters, situation
and/or plot of a play, and in the
process purge any unhealthy emotions simulated or stimulated by the
story. However, modern
psychological research has uncovered a down-side of this
psycho-social projection — people who
let out or act out their emotions this way may become habituated to
the cycle of excitement and
release, so much so that the emotions’ intensity and longevity
increases rather than decreases.
So much for the theory — what about the practice?
People often go to a
comedy to get a good
laugh, or go to a tragedy to get a good cry.
There are heroes audiences
love to love, and villains
they love to hate. Many actors make a
career out of using their personality, their skills, and
their
props to “own the part” of a particular example or type of stage
character — Leonard Nimoy as
“Mr. Spock”, Jack Palance playing a cross-section of reprehensible
villains, Christopher Reeves
as “Superman,” etc. Many children love animated features, and collect
all of the memorabilia
associated with them. Teenagers flock to schlock horror films to get a
good scare; the worse
those movies are, the better the kids like them.
Women patronize “chick
flicks” (Sex and the
City) and men prefer “macho movies” (Bruce Willis in the Die Hard
series). Some combinations
of heroes and villains transcend all audiences (Sean Connery, David
Niven, George Lazenby,
Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig, all
as James Bond, the biggest
series franchise in movie history [only the Tarzan series of movies
could be considered a rival,
and a pale one at that!]).
How does catharsis work?
Effective villains are truly odious — Richard Widmark playing a
psychopath who pushes a cripple
woman down a staircase; Lee Marvin as Liberty Valance, an outlaw without a
single redeeming
quality; and Anthony Hopkins as
Hannibal Lector, a psychopath with only one redeeming
quality (his intolerance of rudeness!) Effective heroes are truly
admirable — William Shatner as
James T. Kirk
of Star Trek; Charlton Heston as Moses and Judah
Ben-Hur; Gregory Peck as
Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Comedians need to embody a unique
combination of
bathos and pathos (Woody Allen as the little Jewish
klutz; Bing
Crosby and Bob Hope as the
travelling smart-alecs in their Road...
series).
We cheer, and squirm, and jeer along
with all of
them, and they laugh all the way to the bank — so they must be
doing something right for us.
There is a dark side to catharsis too.
D.W.
Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation
resurrected support
for the Klu Klux Klan. The James Bond movies distracted the British public
from MI 6’s
intelligence fiascos. Sometimes the public just seems to want their
complacency reinforced.
References
B.A. Farrell,
“catharsis”, in
David G. Myers MODERN THOUGHT, pg.
112
PSYCHOLOGY, 6™ ed. Allan Bullock et al, eds.
Worth Publishers, New York, 2001 Fontana Press, London, 1988
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
65
FORMALISM
What is formalism?
Formalism, as used herein, refers to the form of the aesthetic
effect that the various modalities
of exprssion intend. For formalists, the goal is the perfection of the
form of expression itself;
painters improve their colour mixing, their brush strokes,
etc.; actors
improve their voice projection,
their gesturing, etc.; writers improve their choice of words and phrases,
their alliteration, etc. What
guides such efforts is the attempt to better express the feelings
that are supposed to be conveyed to
the audience. In each case there is a "method" behind the
development of "the feeling and the form"
being expressed - the three archetypal forms outlined in this
section are comedy (puncturing
pomposity), irony (disclosing discrepancy), and tragedy
(chronicling calamity) .
Audiences, or at least segments of them, are often just as
committed to particular forms as are
those doing the presentation. Amongst film goers, some like "action flicks", some
like "love
stories", some like "science fiction", and some like them
all. In many
artistic venues (theatres,
auditoriums, etc.) there are often series of presentations that
feature particular modalities that are
favourites of particular audiences - classical music for some, rock
music for others; contemporary
paintings for some, the old masters for others;
opera for some, operetta
for others, etc. This is the
context in which discussions have taken place about the merits of
"high art" vs. "low art", or folk
culture vs. international culture.
In all likelihood, the findings of
anthropology apply to
aesthetics as well, namely that, just as each culture can express
whatever its members need to
communicate, so each aesthetic form can express whatever its
artists and audiences intend.
In
other words, there is no intrinsically superior or inferior art
mode - a Grandma Moses "primitive"
style painting may be just as well expressed as a Georges Seurat
"pointillism" style picture, but
with each having a different form of putting paint on canvas and
creating a scene.
How is formalism manifest?
Formalists strive for excellence in performance, and both their
colleagues and their audiences
recognize their successful efforts (and sometimes even their
failures). Movies have festivals in
various cities around the world, some open to all entries, others
focusing exclusively on particular
categories of films (national, regional, topical,
etc.). Almost
invariably either audiences or
critics, or both, get an opportunity to vote on "best in class", or
"best in festival". Many
countries also have film academies, with annual awards voted on by
the professionals in the
country's film industry. Film critics also have their awards ceremonies, and
their prizes based on
their appraisal criteria. Most recently national audience awards have been
created in which the
entire public can vote on what they feel is best.
Award winners gain an aura
which translates into
a desire amongst their colleagues to work with them on future
projects. All awards of all such
winners become part of subsequent career and product promotion -
winning an Academy Award
can significantly increase a winner's salary and a movie's
box-office.
Reference
Suzanne Langer Northrop Frye
FEELING AND FORM ANATOMY OF CRITICISM
Scribner Book Company, New York, 1977 Princeton University Press,
Princeton, 1957
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
66
COMEDY
What is the aesthetic role of comedy?
Comedy is often mistaken for humour, because humour usually plays a
part in comedy, but the
two are not really identical (Meeker, 1997).
Comedy is a symbolic way
of puncturing
pomposity. So
much of what is presented in the public and official realm is
serious and
ponderous. A
lot of the public and official agendas are driven by ideologically
motivated
advertising and propaganda (Ellul, 1973).
Comedy seeks to expose the pompous
premises
motivating this posturing. Instead of “towing the party line,” comedy shows,
through various
media and allusions, the contradictions, the hypocrisy and the
absurdity behind prevailing
assumptions, expectations, and pronouncements.
Comic heroes have at least
something of the
ridiculous about their demeanour.
Woody Allen is a far more renowned
comic than Arnold
Schwarzenegger, precisely because his characterizations are much
more plausible send-ups of so
many of the archetype personalities in the modern
world.
This “poking fun at” or “belittling” may be very gentle, but it can
also be quite savage. In many
of the comedies that Woody Allen stars in as well as directs, he
plays an inept klutz whose good
luck isn’t too good and whose bad luck isn’t too bad.
But in two of his comedic
dramas, which
he directed but did not star in, the protagonists actually got away
with murder. In both of these
latter stories, the “rules of the game” of crime and punishment had
loop-holes through which the
protagonists were able to elude apprehension.
Currently on American television, the
best
comedy, and the best news program, and the best on-going puncture
of pomposity, are one and
the same, namely John Stewart’s The Daily Show — none of the
network news can hold a candle
to it!
How is comedy used?
One task of comedy is to expose lies without naming
names. Stories are often told in which the
names and various other minor details are changed (to protect the
innocent and/or the guilty).
In
political comedies the politicians may be assigned names of no one
currently elected or generic
names of which there are multiple examples in real
life. When
corporate connivance is being
portrayed the industry or location may be altered, with tobacco
executives becoming oil
executives, and oil executives becoming tobacco executives,
etc. Something else which comedy
does particularly well, is to show the unanticipated and unintended
consequences of either
benevolently or malevolently motivated actions — “no good deed goes
unpunished,” so “be
careful what you wish for.” Thirdly, comedy is often an opportunity
to “see ourselves as others
see us” but without the embarrassment of having the audience’s own
shortcomings publicly
exposed. Or
when a hero or a villain descends into the absurd, it can be a
cautionary tale
showing that if you want to keep your dignity and/or self-respect,
don’t go there!
References
Jacques Ellul Joseph W. Mecker
PROPAGANDA THE COMEDY OF SURVIVAL, 3" ed.
Vintage Books, New York, 1973 [1965] University of Arizona Press,
Tucson, 1997
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
67
IRONY
What is aesthetic irony?
The task of aesthetic irony is to produce the effect of divulging
discrepancies in our image of the
world. Things
are not always as they should be, as we want them to be, as we were
promised
they would be, as we hope they will become.
Irony reminds us of this
discrepancy by bringing
some of the alternatives to our attention.
For every winner there will also likely
be a looser (win-
win situations are more wishful-thinking than
reality-confirming). The race is not always to the
swiftest, nor the battle to the strongest, nor success to the most
diligent; nor
is good always
rewarded and evil always punished (sometimes the least-deserving
are the best-rewarded, and the
most-deserving are the least-rewarded).
On the other hand, sometimes we expect
the worst and
are completely surprised when the good, and perhaps occasionally
the best arrives instead.
There is a life-lesson in all of this — don’t develop exaggerated
expectations, because they will
often not be fulfilled, and the higher the aspiration, the deeper
the disappointment. The lessons
of irony are readily available, if we will heed them and adjust our
expectations accordingly. As
the (Rolling Stones’) song says, “You don’t always get what you
want, but sometimes you get
what you need...” —and sometimes you don’t even get that — whereas
other times you get far
more than you might ever need.
You just can never tell for sure — as
another (Leonard Cohen)
song says, “There is a crack in the world, that’s how the light
gets in...” That light is irony.
How is irony used?
One instance of irony arises with the conduct of cost-benefit
analysis. No
effort or benefit is
entirely costless. Even enjoying ambient sunshine or fresh air
requires that a person makes the
effort to breathe or to gets exposure to the
sunlight. The
purpose of conducting a cost-benefit
analysis is to demonstrate (or estimate) what the costs, in
proportion to the benefits will be.
The
phrase “There is no free lunch™ need not be a code-word for
removing social benefits from the
poor or needy — rather what it affirms is that someone must pay for
the cost of the service. And
this recognition leads to the question of “value for money” — are
the quantity and quality of
benefits appropriate to the costs being incurred?
All of this is ironical
because it is both “very
obvious” and at the same time “not very obvious at all!” In this
regard, nothing should be taken
for granted, but ironically enough, far too much is often taken for
granted. Another instance of
irony arises as a consequence of conducting a cost-benefit
analysis, namely the necessity for
trade-offs. Since “we can’t always get what we want,” what can
we get that we can afford? And
what will we have to forego in lieu of our limited purchasing
power? If you
are running low on
both dietary supplements and money near the end of the month, you
may have to settle for half-
doses until your next pay-cheque.
Half-doses every day are better than
none, but not as good as
optimum doses — but then, that’s the nature of
trade-offs. Ironical, isn’t it?
References
Douglas C. Muecke Richard Appignanesi & Chris
Garratt
IRONY AND THE IRONIC, 2" ed.
INTRODUCING
POSTMODERNISM
Methuen, New York, 1982 Icon Books, Cambridge, 1995
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
68
TRAGEDY
What is the point of tragic aesthetics?
The function of tragedy is to chronicle calamity.
Some kind of misfortune is
set in motion, either
through character flaw or random occurrence, and it inevitably
leads to “doom and gloom.” It
may be crass and unfair, or just and deserving, but either way the
outcome is pre-ordained. “The
mills of the gods grind very slow, but they grind exceeding fine.”
It may take a long time, even a
life-time, but sooner or later the chain of events that is underway
will “bring the mighty down”
or “undo the noblest efforts.”
Why do we want to know, or need to know such sad
things? One
possible reason is that to be
forewarned is to be forearmed.
Things do
not always work out well — over the course of a career
or a life-time there are bound to be some failures and
disappointments. To the extent that we do
not even contemplate such possibilities, their eventual occurrence
hits us even harder than can be
accounted for simply by the facts of the matter — if we are
unprepared for adversity, it will do
double damage, both to our fortunes and to our
expectations.
The ancient Stoic philosophers believed the one could achieve peace
with oneself and the world
with an attitude of calm acceptance of the
inevitable. Those who believe in fate, or providence,
or luck, or chance find it wise to embrace the tragic outlook
because it is a basic aspect of their
reality. Those who are Existentialists interpret these same
processes differently, but there is still
room in their philosophy to recognize the tragic: the course of
people’s lives is shaped by the
decisions they make and the choices they take;
but even knowing this,
many people make bad
judgments and point their lives in directions they claim they don’t
want to go. And there is
tragedy in that, either in not really knowing what you want, or in
not following through on the
decisions and choices that would get you what you
want.
How is tragedy used?
Religions (both supernatural and civic) use the prospect of a
tragic outcome to one’s life (either
not contributing to the common good, or having one’s soul damned
for eternity) as a source of
intimidation for their brand of social control.
Environmentalists use “the
tragedy of the
commons” to pressure for collective measures that would enforce
policies of sustainability on all
of humanity. Humanists use the tragic dynamics of “master and
slave” to argue that only a
global democratic culture that acknowledges and respects all human
beings equally is worthy of
humanity at this stage of its personal and political
evolution. The unifying concept in all of these
projections is that the only way to avoid a tragic outcome, and
have a future worth living, is to
accede to their vision of a good society.
Their real stage for
tragedy is in the political theatre.
References
Simon Blackburn Robert M. Martin
"Tragedy", pg. 368 in "Tragedy of the Commons", pg.
304 in
DICTIONARY OF PHILOSOPHY THE PHILOSOPHER'S DICTIONARY
Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2005 Broadview Press,
Peterborough, 2003
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
69
USES OF SEMIOLOGY
This section on Semiology covers the three aesthetic archetypes,
namely
Romanticism, Populism and Formalism.
Having read through this set of
thirteen pages
(each concept being covered on a single page), then try some of the
following suggestions
(or do similar things that will also illustrate the appropriate
points). Take any of the
premises and apply them to a situation of interest to
you. The
situation might involve
anything from some small thing in the here and now, to larger
considerations in wider
venues.
In the case of Semiology, consider any object or event from an
aesthetic point of
view, and apply the three archetypal premises to discern how each
might alter the
interpretation of what is communicated.
For instance, if a book was written
primarily for
the author’s self-expression, what does this say about the content
and style? If on the other
hand, it was written primarily for the readers, would that change
the judgment of the
merit (or whatever) of the content or style?
Lastly, if the book was
written to impress
other authors, what difference would that make to an appraisal of
the content and style?
Try this kind of exercise with any and all forms of art or
situations with an aesthetic
aspect to them (which is pretty well everything).
Should architecture be
functional or
symbolic? Should paintings be representational or
impressionistic? Are there appropriate
ways of doing an aesthetic activity that depend on which of the
premises the producer
holds?
Perhaps the communication of aesthetics governs not only clothing
and jewelry, but also
buildings, automobiles, ideas, and habits.
Look for examples of where
this might be the
case, or not! Is the primary focus the audience, other artists,
or the art form itself . Others
might see it differently — that’s all right too.
After some practice with
each of the aesthetic
modalities, strive to be a reflective practitioner by applying the
three core aesthetic
archetypes either simultaneously or concurrently to situations you
are trying to understand.
You might also categorize some of your own aesthetic sensibilities
in different ways. Would
writing for others, either audiences or other authors, “really
amount to the same thing”?
Or, would writing for authors, either yourself or confreres, be
quite distinct from writing
for readers (the audience)? Questions like this, if carefully formulated and
directed,
might reveal patterns of behaviour or output never before
noticed.
How much of aesthetic communication is simply idiosyncratic, and
how much of it is
intentionally crafted with semiotic awareness?
Do those who specialize in
aesthetic
communication maintain consistency in their modalities, whether
within an individual work
or between different projects?
Does either aesthetic consistency, or
aesthetic variety
have a bearing on the effectiveness and/or quality of the
communication? Regardless of
your answers to any of these questions, the major point about
Semiotics is that the limitations
of partiality apply in this area as much as in the other aspects of
Perspectivity. Neither
romanticism, nor populism, nor formalism should be regarded as the
"right" or the "best"
approach to the communication of sensibilities - such claims are
nothing more than aesthetic
chauvanism.
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
70
PARTV
QUINTESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What is a question?
""A specific linguistic form, called a question, often serves as
point of departure on the road
towards new knowledge" (Elias, 1991).
Questions are enquiries, the aim of
which is to reduce
the multiplicity of possibilities to a manageable set (Bruin,
2001). The
information the question
solicits is ""that which enables us to make a selection from a set
of possibilities or to narrow the
range of possibilities about which we are ignorant" (Mackay,
1969). Some
of these questions
are familiar as Rudyard Kipling's guide to writing a
story. Others of these terms are no longer in such
widespread use as they once were, but the queries they enable add
up to a relatively complete overview
of the various aspects of a topic that one might want to
know. If
there are additional questions that are
needed to delve into a topic, or satisfy the curiosity of a
questioner, they can be added to any particular
enquiry. As
in the case of the Inferential Operators, it is rarely necessary to
use all of the items on the
list during any one inquiry - the person(s) involved decide the
extent of their "need to know".
Of the many lists of this kind previously compiled, the one item
almost never on any of them is
the last one of the Quintessential Questions, namely
"How?" In
the past, many with a
philosophical bend regarded the "how" of things as entirely mundane
rather than theoretical, and
as such, not really worthy of consideration.
In the modern (or
post-modern) world though, this
attitude is seen to display the foolish kind of elitism or snobbery
particularly characteristic of
Classical Cultures. There is no obligation to use the
"How?" but no
inhibition against using it
either. Without the "How?"
modern science and technology would not
exist.
How to use quintessential questions
The idea of acquiring knowledge through questioning, whether the
questions are directed at
circumstances, interlocutors, or oneself, goes at least as far back
as Socrates in philosophy and
Raymond Lull in theology. The presumption is that a succession of questions
will enable the
enquirer to deepen or broaden, particularize or generalize knowing
to such an extent that one's
understanding thereby increases appreciably - a kind of formalized
version of "20 Questions".
There are many questions that do not (explicitly) ask one of the
ten quintessential queries. But, for
most of these other questions it is usually possible to re-state
them so that they do fit the quintessential
mode. “Is
that [So-and-So]?” can be transformed into “Who is that?” “Could
that be a [gizmo]?”
might be re-worded as “What is that?” “Are you arriving this
evening?” would also find expression
as “When will you be arriving?” “Can you tell me where you started
from?” would be phrased in the
Biblical idiom as “Whence cometh thou™?
“Give me your location?”” could be
asked as “Where are
you?” Etc. Grammatically, "who", "what" and "which" are
pronouns, "when", "where", "whence",
"whither", "how" and "why" are adverbs, and "whether" is a
conjunction.
References
Donald M. MacKay John Bruin
Norbert Elias
INFORMATION, MECHANISM ~ HOMO INTERROGANS THE SYMBOL THEORY
AND MEANING Ottawa U P, Ottawa, 2001 Sage Publications, London,
1991
MIT Press, Cambridge, 1969
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
WHO?
Definition
The word who is a pronoun. When used as a question, it asks for
identification
regarding individuals or groups.
Who is it?
is asking
about recognition — identify the
person or group on the basis of a name, a role, a status,
etc. Who are
you? asks
an
individual or group to locate themselves within a particular
context, be it place,
relationship, or purpose. The person asking usually gives clues about the
extent of details
being sought. Hence, the parameter who runs from identity to
identify.
Purpose
The intention of this question?
Is the person or group known to anyone
here? Is
the
person or group qualified or disqualified, eligible or ineligible
for some consideration
based on identification? Is there more information pertinent to the person’s
or group’s
identify or status that needs to be verified or
processed? When asking such questions,
seek the minimum of information necessary.
Respect privacy and
confidentiality.
Explication
In addition to a name, a person or group likely has some or all of
(a) an address; (b) a
phone number; (c) a fax number;
(¢) an e-mail address;
(f) a personal or
professional web
site; (g) a
job; (h) a
family (spouse, children, parents, other relatives);
(i) friends;
(j)
awards; (k)
publications; (1) achievements;
(m) failures;
(n) a reputation;
etc.
Some, or
all, or none of these might be relevant to a particular
enquiry. The
aim, presumably, is to
keep posing the questions until either the identification, or the
specific attributes are
revealed, or no further information is shared.
Implication
In situations of either change or continuity, a major question that
needs to be raised is
"Who are the winners and the losers?"
This is one entry point into the
concept that is an
important aspect of any of the identities and particulars of the
people effected. The
rationale for this question is "the need to know" so as to assess
impacts and arrange
for amelioration. Information is power because it provides
leverage. Don’t exploit!
References
John Bruin Dorothy Strachan
HOMO INTEREOGANS QUESTIONS THAT WORK
Ottawa UP, Ottawa, 2001 ST Press, Ottawa, 2001
Howard S. Becker Charles Tilly
TRICKS OF THE TRADE WHY?
University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1998 Princeton UP, Princeton,
2006
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
7
WHAT?
Definition
Grammatically, the word what is a pronoun.
When used as a question,
it asks
for a qualitative distinction.
What is it?
is asking about identity — indicate
where the
entity fits into prevailing taxonomies or typologies.
What is going
on? asks a
similar
question about events. The context of the question usually gives a
reasonable clue about
the extent of details being sought.
What do you mean?
asks for clarification of
previous
messages. Hence, the parameter what runs from describe to
designate..
Purpose
The intention of this question?
It could be to alleviate ignorance —
someone wants to be
informed. It
could be to reduce ambiguity, if it isn’t clear which of two or
more plausible
alternatives is actually the case.
It could be
rhetorical — a desire for affirmation or
confirmation of something already known, but perhaps needing
emphasis. The question
may be authentic — or someone may be pulling your
chain. Be
succinct, don’t pontificate.
Explication
The answer the interlocutor is looking for is only part (often a
small part) of the totality
of relevant information that speaks to the issue.
People usually want a short and simple
reply, to bridge their information gap — they will be impatient
with “wider” explanations,
but the result will be “rote learning” rather than meaningful
understanding. Regrettably
this superficiality is quite widespread — answer or not, and listen
for genuine queries.
Implication
Ignorance is far broader and deeper than knowledge.
It is truly surprising
what most of
us don’t know — even the commonplace or essentials often escape
us. It may
be still
more amazing what most of us forget — the elaborate routines needed
for advanced
technology usually can’t be recalled after just a few weeks of
non-use. Forgive what
others don’t know, just as (you hope) they will forgive what you
don’t know. Try.
References
John Bruin Dorothy Strachan
HOMO INTEREOGANS QUESTIONS THAT WORK
Ottawa UP, Ottawa, 2001 ST Press, Ottawa, 2001
Judi Kesselman-Turkel & Franklynn Peterson Charles Tilly
RESEARCH SHORTCUTS WHY?
Contemporary Books, Chicago, 1983 Princeton UP, Princeton,
2006
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
72
WHEN?
on
The word when is an adverb. When used as a question, it asks for a
temporal
distinction. When was it?
is asking about the past — indicate the
previous minute, hour,
day, year, etc. that something existed or occurred.
When is it going to
happen? asks
a
similar question about the future.
The context of the question usually
gives a reasonable
clue about the extent of details being sought.
A fitting reply might be
“When do you
want an answer?” Hence, the parameter when runs from occasion to
duration.
Defi
Purpose
The intention of this question?
Knowing what to do now can often depend
on when
something happened previously.
The occurrence and sequence of events
may entail
causality or imply obligation.
Knowing what to do now can also often
depend on what
you want to happen next. Scheduling events too soon or late may waste effort
or loose
opportunity. Time ages us, and stages us, and often outrages
us. Learn
patience.
Explication
Asking and answering when is one way of trying to control the
sequence of events and
outcomes, of enabling will to trump fate.
For better or worse however, such
efforts at
control are only partially successful.
The life lesson to learn from this
condition is that
the only practical use of when regarding the past is to harvest
lessons learned. On the
other hand, the future can be altered by deciding when to do what,
and why.
Implication
When should a person start thinking about important
things? It’s
never too soon to start
thinking, AND it’s never too late to start thinking.
Given the contingent view
of the
future however, beginning sooner rather than later has considerable
survival value. When
should a person ask about other people’s sequential
intentions? Since part of what we are
contingent upon for our future survival is the action of others,
sooner is better here too.
References
John Bruin Dorothy Strachan
HOMO INTEREOGANS QUESTIONS THAT WORK
Ottawa UP, Ottawa, 2001 ST Press, Ottawa, 2001
Eviatar Zerubavel Charles Tilly
HIDDEN RYTHMS: Schedules WHY?
and Calendars in Social Life Princeton UP, Princeton, 2006
California UP, Berkeley, 1981
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
73
WHENCE?
Definition
The word whence is an adverb.
When used as a question, it asks from
what
place or source something comes.
Whence cometh thou?
is asking about your
origins,
either locational or social.
The expression itself is “old English”
and not much used
anymore, but the query is still common.
People want
to know not only who you are, but
the route by which you arrived amongst them — have a little story
ready. Hence,
the
parameter whence runs from origin to passageway.
Purpose
The intention of this question?
The expectation often is that whatever
you are is
explained and made acceptable by recounting the point of your
origin and the history of
your subsequent journey. This premise may be an illusion, but it is a strong
and
persistent one. Depending on the role you have assumed or want to
project, your story
should tell of incidents and occasions with which your audience can
identify.
Explication
Some people put great store by the particulars of your
past. Where you were born,
your
immediate family and distant relatives, the schools you went to,
the sports you played,
the early jobs wherein you learned life skills and street smarts —
all this, and more, is grist
for the mill of social identity.
Was you family kind, were your schools
interesting, did
ou find your jobs challenging or fulfilling?
Who cares, you might
think — they do!
Implication
The same people who want to know about your past and subsequent
history are those
who then want to use the information you provide to influence,
perhaps control your life.
If they know your life-path, they can share the road with you, slow
you down or hurry
you up to their speed, take you on their favourite detours,
etc. Is this
really the road you
want to go down? Remember, the journey is only a metaphor — the
choice is yours.
References
John Bruin Dorothy Strachan
HOMO INTEREOGANS QUESTIONS THAT WORK
Ottawa UP, Ottawa, 2001 ST Press, Ottawa, 2001
Reginald G. Golledge Charles Tilly
WAYFINDING BEHAVIOUR WHY?
Johns Hopkins UP, Baltimore, 1999 Princeton UP, Princeton,
2006
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
74
WHERE?
on
Grammatically, the word where is an adverb.
When used as a question,
it asks
for a particular location, geographical or
existential. Where is it?
is asking about place —
indicate where the entity can be found.
Where is this?
asks a similar question
about the
context (surroundings) of a particular locale.
Wherever?
is a way of telling us
that the
question of location may not be relevant in some
cases. Hence,
the parameter where runs
from location to situation.
Defi
Purpose
The intention of this question?
It could simply mean that someone has
lost something.
Or it could mean that someone is hiding;
or that a named place cannot be
situated in its
geographical context. Alternatively, it could mean that someone is lost,
or that a place
can be identified conceptually (the mountains) without a specific
mountain range being
mentioned — so the questioner wants more information with which to
situate something.
Explication
Where is often used metaphorically, as in “Where are you coming
from?” meaning
“What is the background or intention of your comments?” “Where are
you going with
this?” is a forward looking metaphor meaning “What are you implying
by your
comments?” Both uses are usually harmless, unless the premise is
that of being driven to
one’s actions instead of choosing them.
Metaphors can confuse as easily as
clarify.
Implication
Places of the heart or places of the mind are the deeper metaphors
often evoked when
asking Where? Love or tranquility are usually conceived as
special places, whereas rage
or turmoil are places we don’t want to go.
Topofilia is the technical
name for “sense of
place”, the recognition that our location determines our
perspective in more ways than
one. Particular places generally have an ambience that
gives them a kind of signature.
References
John Bruin Dorothy Strachan
HOMO INTEREOGANS QUESTIONS THAT WORK
Ottawa UP, Ottawa, 2001 ST Press, Ottawa, 2001
Charles Tilly Robert David Sack
WHY? HUMAN TERRITORALITY
Princeton UP, Princeton, 2006 Cambridge UP, New York, 1986
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
75
WHITHER?
Definition
The word whither is an adverb.
When used as a question, it asks to
what place
or destination something is going.
Whither goest thou?
is asking about your
goals, either
locational or social. The expression is also “old English™ likewise not
much used anymore,
but the query is still common enough.
People want
to know not only who you are, but the
objectives you have as you journey amongst them — have another
story ready. Hence, the
parameter whither runs from destination to goal.
Purpose
The intention of this question?
The expectation often is that wherever
you are going
explains the route you are taking and the way you “carry
yourself”. Whither you are
going can give you a reason for the steps you take to get there,
but there are usually other
roads to Rome too, so you do not have to be committed to a
particular path to get there.
Often people prefer the passageway as well as the
destination.
Explication
Some people put great store by the intentions for their
futures. Where they plan to
be,
what they plan to do, the results they expect to achieve, the
benefits they hope to enjoy,
the detriments they wish to avoid — all this, and more, supposedly
indicates the kind of
person you are and how things will turn out.
What this reasoning
overlooks however, is
the role of luck, or fate (or whatever you chose to call it) in the
outcome.
Implication
Some of the people who enquire about whither thou
goest? may simply be looking
for
someone to share the road with — if you have similar objectives or
destinations, perhaps
you would like their company?
Others however, may be trying to divert
you, on a detour
or a u-turn, to an entirely different destination, or no
destination at all. On looking back,
people often recall small steps that lead to major divergences from
their intentions.
References
John Bruin Dorothy Strachan
HOMO INTEREOGANS QUESTIONS THAT WORK
Ottawa UP, Ottawa, 2001 ST Press, Ottawa, 2001
William Ascher Charles Tilly
FORECASTING WHY?
Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, 1978 Princeton UP, Princeton, 2006
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
76
WHETHER?
on
The word whether is a conjunction.
When used as a question, it asks which
of
some alternatives you prefer or choose.
The most common form is whether or not
you wil
be taking some decision, choice, or action.
Whether it will be this
one or that one can
simply be seen as a version of whether or not, in the sense that
settling on one alternative
means NOT going with the others.
If ambivalent, perhaps not sure is
best. Hence,
the
parameter whether runs from compare to commit.
Defi
Purpose
The intention of the question?
It arises within a state of
uncertainty, your own or
someone else’s, regarding which of the available options to decide
or choose. So,
clarification is being sought, yours or another’s.
The alternatives may range
from fo be
or not to be on the one hand, to which flavour of the month do I
want? on the
other.
Either you will make up your mind, or you won’t — if ambiguous,
stall for time!
Explication
Existentialists put great store by freedom of choice — our right to
exercise it, and the
implications it entails for human character.
Psychoanalysis, on the
other hand, looks at
the psychological effort involved and calls it the burden of
choice. But
regardless of
whether we recognize it, or like it or not, alternatives are
present in most circumstances.
The mature thing to do is to see the situation as an opportunity,
and make the best of it.
Implication
One of Arthur C. Clarke’s famous laws is that Any sufficiently
sophisticated technology is
indistinguishable from magic.
Part of modernization that brought
humanity freedom of
choice, was the replacement of supernaturalism with a secular
outlook. Unsubstantiated
beliefs, whether in deities or magic, would supposedly
vanish. But
despite our many
freedoms, a strain of fatalism persists;
does triviality produce only the
illusion of choice?
References
John Bruin Dorothy Strachan
HOMO INTEREOGANS QUESTIONS THAT WORK
Ottawa UP, Ottawa, 2001 ST Press, Ottawa, 2001
Charles Tilly Barry Schwartz
WHY? THE PARADOX OF CHOICE
MPrinceton UP, Princeton, 2006 Harper Perennial, New York,
2005
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
7
WHICH?
Definition
The word which is a pronoun.
When used as a question, it asks for an
indicatios
of a specific decision or choice.
Which one do you want?
implies that no matter how
man:
alternatives there are, the expectation is that you will designate
the one you have in mind.
The underlying parameter runs from qualifying (for inclusion) to
restricting (for exclusion)
— either you raise your standards, or narrow the
field. Hence,
the parameter which runs
from qualify to restrict.
Purpose
The intention of the question?
Either the
time, or the situation is appropriate for the
choice or decision to be made — no more stalling, debating,
pondering or calculating. The
question puts you on the spot, psychologically speaking — make up
your mind, and if you
have done so, let us in on it.
This question is the antidote to
vacillation, or even worse,
procrastination. Those still reluctant may reply with “You decide
(or choose).”
Explication
When you see no other feasible alternatives but one, or your
preferences are unequivocal,
it may be straightforward to say which one gets the
nod. But
circumstances in general, or
your situation in particular, may confer advantage on keeping your
options open. Both
organizations and projects are often managed with the principle of
corrigibility these
days, on the premise that flexibility is a hedge against any
subsequent need for change.
So you can be “damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” Go
figure!
Implication
A world traveller I recently heard speak claimed he enjoyed
visiting the American South
because at least the people there really had opinions — not the pap
the passes for public
opinion in sophisticated places!
The
decisions or choices you either have made, or are
about to make, could very possibly shock a great many people UNTIL
you warn them
they are about to be shocked — then they will slough off the whole
thing and that’s it.
References
Dorothy Strachan
John Bruin QUESTIONS THAT WORK
HOMO INTEREOGANS ST Press, Ottawa, 2001.
Ottawa UP, Ottawa, 2001
Peter Drucker
Charles Tilly MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES
WHY? OF THE 21°" CENTURY
Princeton UP, Princeton, 2006 HarperBusiness, New York, 1999
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
78
WHY?
Definition
The word why is an adverb. When used as a question, it asks for an
explanation
or justification of something.
Why did this happen?
is looking for a way to
make sense of
some sequence of events. Why is this so?
seeks to understand the disposition of
things.
Why did you...? is a search for motivation.
Why are
you...? enquires into your identity or
state of being. Such questions are thought of as
deeper. Hence,
the parameter why runs
from rationalize to explain.
Purpose
The intention of the question?
Not just a description, but some deeper
insight is the
intention of the query. The problem with this question is that it can lead
to that famous
infinite regress of asking and re-asking WHY?
ad infinitum.
When used in this way, this
is the ultimate question, to which there are only interim answers —
beyond a few
repetitions, such questioning itself stops making
sense.
Explication
Why would anyone keep asking WHY?
It’s a way of avoiding decisions or
choices or
actions. As
long as the person on the receiving end is willing to grant the
interlocutor the
presumption of “good faith” then time must be devoted to trying to
answer the question.
That is the time that would otherwise be spent in (a) trying to
decide or choose, (b) telling
the decision or choice that was made, or (c) acting out the
designated option. Stalling.
Implication
Questions are only meaningful, especially this question, if answers
that make sense are
actually available and acceptable.
Even in the most generous of
circumstances (during
Root Cause Analysis), the WHY question is limited to six
rounds. Normally a limit of
half that number should be sufficient.
The aim of
questioning (and the philosophy behind
it) is to solicit information — otherwise you are wasting
somebody’s time and patience.
References
Dorothy Strachan
John Bruin QUESTIONS THAT WORK
HOMO INTEREOGANS ST Press, Ottawa, 2001.
Ottawa UP, Ottawa, 2001
Stuart Sim & Borin Van Loon
Charles Tilly INTRODUCING CRITICAL THEORY
WHY? Icon Books, Cambridge, 2001
Princeton UP, Princeton, 2006
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
79
HOW?
Definition
The word how is an adverb. When used as a question, it has more potential
for
diversity than any of the other quintessential
questions. /n what way? enquires about
modality. By
what means? asks about methodology.
In what condition?
questions the
state of being. To what degree?
concerns the extent of the
situation. Then there are
indirect or dependent questions: /sow many?
(what
magnitude); however? (nevertheless).
Hence, the parameter Zow runs from means to cause.
Purpose
The intention of this question?
Despite the fact that intellectuals
often disparage this
question, it may cover more of the concerns of average people than
all of the other
questions. People are concerned about the way the world works,
and the manner in
which they or others behave.
To some
extent, the shift of priority from the other
questions to this one is a hallmark of the modern age — it grounds
science & technology.
Explication
There is a very good reason for the shift from why to how in the
modern world. Itis
epitomized by a cautionary tale from industrial engineering: when
someone comes up
with a better designed car engine, the only way a manufacturer will
agree to evaluate it is
if a working model is submitted — any such claims must be
substantiated with proof of
HOW the thing works. That has eliminated any need to test
perpetual-motion machines.
Implication
How something works (animate or inanimate) can be covered with
either a description or
an explanation. These two aspects do not necessarily
coincide. It
is possible to describe
the workings of something (the flight of a bumble bee) without
being able to explain it. It
is also possible to explain something (the conditions that will
lead to political unrest)
without being able to describe how that eventuality will actually
occur. How is
deep too!
References
John Bruin Dorothy Strachan
HOMO INTEREOGANS QUESTIONS THAT WORK
Ottawa UP, Ottawa, 2001 ST Press, Ottawa, 2001
Donald Norman Pete Moore
THE DESIGN OF EVERYDAY THINGS THE FORENSICS HANDBOOK
Basic Books, New York, 2002 Prospero Books, London, 2004
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81
PART VI
INFERENTIAL OPERATIORS
What are inferential operators?
Technically, an inference is an explanation or conclusion based on
something known, and an
operation is a procedure to accomplish an objective.
Hence, Inferential
Operators are the various
cognitive processes whereby one develops an understanding of any
issue(s) or a resolution of any
problem(s). The twenty listed in the MindMap should not be
considered the complete list of such
possibilities, although they do cover a very wide range of
procedures.
The terms chosen to indicate each operator are not necessarily the
only "correct" or "best" ones
available - other synonyms could be used.
It could be equally possible to create
alternative lists
which reflect different versions of the experiential gestalt
(various mixtures of morality,
phenomenology, plausibility and preferentiality).
For instance, some of the
Operators in the
MindMap list might be combined into more encompassing constructs,
or others might be
disaggregated to explore further distinctions.
How to use inferential operators
Inferential Operators are used in a teleonomic process, the purpose
of which is to make an
argument. What arguments consist of is reasoning from
premises to a conclusion by the use of
inference. So, the intention is persuasion, the objects used
are reasons and evidence, the result
being the altering of beliefs or influencing of behaviour pertinent
to the argument (Toulmin, 1958).
Therefore, which inferential operator(s) you use depends on the
conclusions you want to draw or the
actions you want to take. What all of this indicates is that such decisions
or choices are governed by a
pragmatic outlook. To avoid the commitment of too much time, too much
preparation , and too much
effort, inferences are recommended which lead to the "best"
explanation or the most practical outcome,
rather than spelling out all or most of the conceivable
possibilities. It is precisely here
that Herbert
Simon's concept of satisficing is relevant - doing the best you
cognitively can, given the information,
time, and interests you have, is all that anyone can reasonably
expect - work towards a plausible,
tentative estimate. Inferences also enable effective memorization, thus
preserving cognitive economy.
References
Nicholas Rescher Stephen Edelston Toulmin
COGNITIVE ECONOMY THE USES OF ARGUMENT
Pittsburgh UP, Pittsburgh, 1989 Cambridge UP, Cambridge, 1958
Guus Schreiber at al Elijsh Millgram
KNOWLEDGE ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICAL INDUCTION
MIT Press, Cambridge, 2000 Harvard UP, Cambridge, 1997
Peter Lipton
INFERENCE TO THE BEST EXPLANATION
Routledge, London, 1993
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APPLY
What to Apply?
To apply is to put into action or to put into
service. Define what it is you want to apply —
is it a definition to a word, a heuristic to a search, an algorithm
to a solution, or what?
Before proceeding, be prepared: "People should never embark on a
project until their
capability is assured as a result of developing or having access to
all the skills required by
the challenge" (Kline & Saunders, 1993).
Why to Apply?
Clarify why this application is appropriate — the achievement you
are aiming for. There
are four levels: (1) intention — is doing something better than
doing nothing? (2) purpose
— specify the desired result(s);
(3) goal(s) — the outcome that will
instantiate the desired
result(s)? (4) objective(s) — the activities or tasks that
will produce the goal. Throughout,
align the four levels of why to be complementary rather than
contradictory.
When to Apply?
Indicate when the application will be in effect — the start date
and/or time, the duration of
the application (periodic or continuous), and the pause or
termination of the application
(limited, indeterminate, unlimited).
Medicine that is not taken for the
length of time
prescribed, may not be effective;
programs that run beyond their useful
life of application
take up unnecessary storage space, and may interfere with other
upgraded functions.
Where to Apply?
Recognize where the application will operate — which means the
context, situation, and
circumstances. The context can be historical (previous events,
trends, etc.), sociological
(will there be “winners” and “losers™?), psychological (distress or
gratification), etc. The
situation to be affected may be widely encompassing or narrowly
focused, simply
structured or complexly organized.
Circumstances as people will experience
them may be
close at hand, within intermediate range, or quite
distal.
How to Apply?
Specify how to implement the application — which primarily means
knowing what to do
and what NOT to do. Changes can have profound implications for other
policies;
unexpected and undesirable consequences;
and the extent of their efficacy will
always be
limited by the resources committed, the duration of the
application, the interaction of
other factors, and the resistance of those effected.
How must deal with all
these issues.
Reference
Kline, Peter & Bernard Saunders Edward De Bono
TEN STEPS TO A LEARNING ORGANIZATION The CoRT Thinking Program
CD
Great Ocean Publishers, Arlington, 1993 Cavendish Information
Products
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82
APPRAISE
What to Appraise?
To appraise is to measure or estimate the attributes of an entity
or situation. What (or who.
is to be appraised? Is it a specific program or particular
feature(s)? Is
it some person(s) or
their performance? What should definitely be avoided is appraising the
wrong thing,
however gratifying that might be to the appraiser — effective
appraisals must be focused
on relevant variables to deliver the assessment
required.
Why to Appraise?
The general purpose (why) for appraisal is assment, determining the
costs and/or benefits,
size and/or shape, location and/or duration, etc.
Clarify whether the
objective of the
appraisal is discovery of performance effectiveness or direction of
subsequent behaviour.
If discovery, stick to the facts;
if direction, then include suggested
improvements. Be
careful NOT to appraise for the wrong reasons (scapegoating,
rivalry, red-herrings, etc.).
When to Appraise?
If a process is being appraised, it should be either completed or
sufficiently advanced to
permit an adequate assessment — a premature evaluation would be
ill-informed, since the
data from a full process-cycle would not be
available. The same principle
applies to
appraising a person — what initially appeared as inappropriate
behaviour could either
change through learning, or eventually be proven correct as
performance continued.
Where to Appraise?
The best advice for this consideration is where NOT to appraise:
not in “the thick of
things”. Do
not conduct a process appraisal in the midst of functional
operations, and do
not conduct a personnel appraisal during task performance, or in
the presence of others.
Those who are involved or implied in an appraisal may,
understandably, be sensitive to
what an assessment reveals or requires — so create a comfort-zone
and be constructive.
How to Appraise?
It may appear “obvious” that the way to render an appraisal is to
find something or
someone either praiseworthy or blameworthy — but few of those so
ready to deliver such
assessments have ever actually experienced the combination of
circumstances and
expectations under which the appraised program or person was
operating. More helpful
would be the policy of encouraging the desirable and discouraging
the undesirable.
References
Larry May Charles Morris
THE SOCIALLY RESPONSIVE SELF ~ SIGNIFICATION AND SIGNIFICANCE
Chicago UP, Chicago, 1996 MIT Press, Cambridge, 1964
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83
ARRANGE
What to Arrange?
To arrange is to configure or to organize.
Decide what it is you want to arrange —
what
do you want to set into a pattern: facts, concepts, theories,
plants, people, or whatever
variety of population you are looking at?
Different kinds of phenomena lend
themselves
to different types of arrangements — the scale, granularity, and
context will vary both
qualitatively and quantitatively between animals and atoms, of
course — remember this to
keep your arranging ambitions realistic.
Why to Arrange?
Is the purpose for your arranging attempt, the why, part of the
“naturalistic fallacy”? The
prominent paradigm in current arranging is the “systems approach”,
which many take to
be merely a reflection of reality.
Alas, it is
not so — the concept of a system is a human
contrivance, NOT a natural occurrence, and although such a schema
can be useful in
helping to organize one’s thinking, other systems, or no system at
all, can be just as valid.
When to Arrange?
Premature closure of an arranging exercise is the penchant to rush
to completion before
enough data are available to set a pattern which reflects all of
the important variability.
On the other hand, delayed closure during an arranging exercise is
the equally unhelpful
habit of putting off a decision beyond the point where significant
data have all likely been
gathered. But there is no rule for
choosing the point of patterning — it takes
experience.
Where to Arrange?
In terms of the content of the patterning, it is important to know
where boundaries should
be drawn. Casting the net wider
may bring in crucial data that will clarify otherwise
obscure findings — or such new data may simply muddy what could
have been a good
formation. The same dilemma applies to narrowing the field —
excluding some of the
data may remove minor variations, or it may reduce the measure of
significance.
How to Arrange?
Spreadsheet software can take any data set and have a variety of
patterns imposed upon it
by instructing the software logic to find a different best fit for
each type of curve that the
spreadsheet can analyze for - the facts do not “speak™ a pattern
for themselves. So, try a
variety of best fits, using both more and less data, and different
analytical curves, until
the most coherent and useful arrangement for the task at hand can
be identified.
References
Henri Focillon Eliel Saarinen
THE LIFE OF FORMS IN ART The Search for Form in Art and
Architecture
Zone Books, New York, 1989 [1934] Dover Books, New York, 1985
[1948]
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AUTHENTICATE
What to Authenticate?
Authenticity is the quality or condition of being genuine or
trustworthy. Decide what it is
you want to authenticate — is it a heuristic, an algorithm, a
procedure, a principle, a
methodology, an explanation, or what?
For good results it is advisable to
clarify what
you do and do NOT want to authenticate.
Before proceeding, develop or acquire
the
wherewithal to determine the authenticity of whatever you are
focusing on — and
remember that history, context, prospects, and implications may all
be involved.
Why to Authenticate?
The questions of whether or not something is “authentic™ and why
that matters, should be
settled before devoting time to a task the outcome of which could
be trivial anyway
(unless trivial pursuit is the task at hand!).
There are always many
choices as to how to
spend one’s time, and what to do next, so look to the choices that
are worthwhile, and if
authentication of something in particular is NOT worthwhile, choose
something better.
When to Authenticate?
Since authentication requires enough evidence to make a reasonable
inference, the time
to commence an authentication depends upon the availability of that
evidence, AND then
sufficient time to process that data.
This is
another judgment call — the phenomena in
question will not carry a sign indicating when sufficient duration
has occurred to enable
and support an authentication — you have to remember, guess, or get
guidance.
Where to Authenticate?
Since authentication is a separate consideration from
functionality, and the process of
authenticating could interfere with functional procedures,
authentication should also be
done “outside of the thick of things” (or by a neutral [but fully
informed] observer). This
may not be easy to do, since some authentications are performed “in
mid-stream” so as to
authorize continuance or discontinuance — plan ahead better than
this for next time.
How to Authenticate?
Look for indicators rather than measures, because measures are both
more comprehensive
and more data-intensive, but indicators summarize highlights, and
that is sufficient for
authentication. Statistical sampling techniques get better press
than intuitive “eyeballing”
but often a “quick and dirty” impression can be just as “correct”
as more elaborate
procedures: one of the Laws of Forecasting tell us that Methodology
is Over-rated.
References
Harry G. Frankfurt William N.
Stephens
ON BULLSHIT HYPOTHESES & EVIDENCE
Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2005 Thomas Y.
Crowell, New York, 1968
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85
CHOOSE
What to Choose?
To choose is to pick from a number of possible
alternatives. Decide what it is you want
to choose — does that sound like a contradiction in
terms? Even
if it does, it is not — it is
rather a recognition of different purposes.
Decisions are distinct from choices, in that
a
decision involves resolution of uncertainty, whereas a choice
requires selection between
options — one decision could be “not to choose™ and one choice
could be “not to decide™.
Before choosing, clarify the relevant set.
Why to Choose?
One penchant of rationalists and action-heroes is to “make choices
count™. If the action
lies in the future however, changing circumstances may modify or
nullify the choice
anyway — hence the advice to “only cross that bridge when you come
to it”. On
the other
hand, some actions require planning and resources, which are best
settled in advance —
hence the advice “to be fore-warned is to be
fore-armed”. Decide for yourself.
When to Choose?
There is no magic moment that can assure that you are making the
right selection or that
the results wanted will occur.
Sometimes,
when to choose is predetermined by the way a
process or situation is structured — there may be a sequence of
steps or conditions that
preclude a choice point. It is possible to “decide ahead of time” what your
will pick, but
the actual choice may be made or changed on the spur of the
moment.
Whether to Choose?
Many people have a “naturalistic” notion about circumstances — it
is a form of fatalism
that precludes choices through habituation and
tradition. In other cases it is
recognized
that a choice is possible, but many are reluctant to make it — by
not choosing they hope to
“keep their options open” or “not be manipulative” when it is felt
this is appropriate. So
ou can decide “not to choose” — unfortunately there are no
guarantees either way.
How to Choose?
A variety of methodologies have been recommended, some formal,
others “rule of
thumb”. My
best advice in this regard is to follow Herbert Simon’s satisficing
principle:
try to make a choice that is “good enough” for the task/situation
at hand, always keeping
in mind that there is neither the time nor the cognitive resources
to gather and process the
comprehensive information needed to enumerate all the alternatives
or pick the right one.
References
Herbert Simon Barry Schwartz
SCIENCES OF THE ARTIFICIAL, 3" ed.
THE PARADOX
OF CHOICE
MIT Press, Cambridge, 1996 Harper Perennial, New York, 2005
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86
CONFIRM
What to Confirm?
To confirm is to verify the accuracy of information.
Decide what it is you want to
confirm — if you settle on indicators (indirect evidence), instead
of looking at measures of
the phenomena (direct evidence), you will confirm some epiphenomena
rather than “the
real thing”. For instance, to confirm an increase in entropy the
indicator of chaos is
often used, but the real measure of entropy is a decrease in the
energy’s work-potential.
Entropy is NOT chaos; assuming it is leads to confusion, not
confirmation.
Why to Confirm?
The purpose of confirmation is to double-check on results as
reported or understood.
Why a person would bother doing this is that being sure of
something is important or
interesting. If neither, don’t bother.
There is a certain
compulsion prevalent amongst a
few people called “the epistemological imperative”, the impulse to
get and keep
verisimilitude even at extraordinary costs.
This is a mild form of
psychopathology.
When to Confirm?
When the issue is important or interesting, and the verisimilitude
is either unknown or
unstable, that is the appropriate time to confirm — this is the
qualitative aspect. The
length of time it will take to authorize, conduct, interpret, and
report on the situation,
represents the quantitative aspect.
A good tactic is to scan the indicators
of important or
interesting situations, then switch to measures when the need for
confirmation occurs.
Whether to Confirm?
Since confirmation requires time, resources, and effort, it is
important to know when
NOT to try to confirm: (1) when there is not enough
time; (2) when
there are not enough
resources; (3) when it will take more effort that there is a
willingness to expend. All of
this refers to “formal” confirmation.
There is always a “quick and dirty”
version, but the
result may only be an estimate — yet sometimes, even a guess may be
better than nothing.
How to Confirm?
Like so: clarify focus; identify measures;
acquire resources, get commitment of
requisite
personnel; develop a confirmation plan that includes division
of labour, timelines for
confirmation tasks, and a deadline for delivery;
report on progress to
client; stick
to plan
until required results are achieved or findings necessitate
immediate or drastic action.
In
other words, conduct confirmation as research unless the need
arises for re-assessment.
Reference
Howard S. Becker
TRICKS OF THE TRADE: How To Think About Your Research While You’re
Doing It
University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1998
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87
DESIGNATE
What to Designate?
To designate is to specify or characterize for a role or a
function. Decide what or who
you want to select or assign — and if the two considerations
converge, then it will be
deciding what is to be selected for whom, or who is to be assigned
to what. Designation
is a kind of active allocation, of grouping formerly disparate
people, processes, events, or
things into common categories for particular
purposes. The
designation may specify
comprehensive status or limited aspects thereof.
Why to Designate?
“When something is owned by everyone, it is owned by no one.” The
implication is that
without specific allocation, there are no property rights at
all. “When
everyone is
responsible for something, no one is really
responsible”. The implication is that without
specific assignment, there can be no accountability at
all. Designation similarly serves to
clarify other rights and obligations, the basis of social
action.
When to Designate?
Pre-empt or retro-fit? Some people like to
establish the relationships and the rules before
their application actually occurs — this desire to plan ahead is
often rationalized as good
sense, but it may really just be temperamental.
Others prefer to wait until the need
arises
and then take the plunge — is this pragmatism or just
procrastination? As in so many
inferential situations, both successes and failures are seen with
either choice.
Whether to Designate?
There is at least one rationale for not formally designating at all
— it is the claim that on-
the-spot, spontaneous sorting is somehow more “natural”, that it
simply emerges from
group dynamics. In some circumstances it still works remarkably
well, but these tend to
be situations for which the “human element” plays a predominant
role. Where
training,
expertise, knowledge and considerable discipline are needed,
deliberate designation rules.
How to Designate?
The appropriate criteria is functional, in the sense of designating
according to what the
selection or assignment is meant to achieve — this takes us back to
the what issue. If you
are looking to create a winning baseball team, select members on
the basis of abilities to
either hit or catch. Ifthe team is being created to “have some fun”
select for those with
bonhomie. Problems occur when criteria conflict — prioritize
and explain in that case.
References
John van Maurik
THE EFFECTIVE STRATEGIST
Gower Publishing, Hampshire, 1999
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88
EXPLICATE
What to Explicate?
To explicate is to make clear or plain for the purposes of
comprehension. Since
explication refers to the process of clarification, be clear about
what you are trying to
elucidate. As
mentioned in the notes to other operators, don’t explicate an
indicator if
your goal is to clarify a measure (or visa versa).
There are two notorious processes of
this kind — conflation, in which separate issues are treated as
just one; and, misdirection,
in which one points to the wrong thing due to ignorance, or in
order to mislead.
Why to Explicate?
Both the ancient philosophical tradition and modern pragmatism have
assumed that
making some issue, or topic, or question clear, because such
explication would assist in
productive reasoning and/or effective
decisions/choices. This is often true, but contrary
to both ancient philosophy and modern pragmatism, it is NOT always
true. Sometimes
confusion, or “muddying the waters” can be just was the person
intends. Deviousness!
When to Explicate?
Clarify an issue (or whatever) when the results achieved will be
worth the effort
expended. This is “benefit-cost
analysis™ applied to reasoning — it is the essence of
Herbert Simon’s concept of satisficing.
All such
cognitive activity takes a certain amount
of time and effort — if the result is worth that time and effort,
then it is a good investment
of your attention, but otherwise you are wasting your cognitive
resources.
Whether to Explicate?
There are (at least) two senses in which explication might be
“worth it”. One would be
judged on the basis of the outcome — see the previous
section. The
other would be if the
activity gave some intrinsic satisfaction to the person, regardless
of it wider implications.
So if the results were worth it in the sense of an extrinsic goal
achieved, or if the intrinsic
satisfaction made the activity gratifying anyway, then
clarify. If
not, don’t bother.
How to Explicate?
If the exercise is over an important issue, use the MindMap
Methodology (as found in the
Introduction). If there isn’t the time, or other constraints
apply, do an intuitive version
in your head. Either way, you will be deconstructing (decomposing
the concepts into
their component parts) and reconstructing (reassembling the
components in some more
insightful way). Discuss it; use a dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopaedia, or
other reference.
Reference
Stephen Toulmin Steven H. Chaffee
THE USES OF ARGUMENT EXPLICATION
Cambridge UP, Cambridge, 1958 Sage Publications, Newbury Park,
1991
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89
FORETELL
What to Foretell?
To foretell is to possess foreknowledge and to share
it. This operator focuses on one of
my central premises in constructing the MindMap — which I call “an
index of the whole of
human knowledge”. Both predicting and forecasting have evolved to the
state where they
give averages and alternatives rather than projective certainty —
so does that mean that we
can’t really be definitive about the future?
That’s not very re-assuring,
but can we do
anything about it? Can we foretell anything?
You bet your life we can!
Why to Foretell?
Humans live their lives by not only living “in the moment” but by
anticipating AND
remembering. What we learn is only useful if we can remember
it. Life
only has a point
if we can look forward to goals and objectives.
That is the purpose of
foretelling. So,
every time you wonder, think about, or plan “what you’ll do next”,
you will be basing
that on foretelling, to one extend or another.
The more you want to
accomplish.....
When to Foretell?
Whenever there is a decision, choice, or alternative facing you —
in other words, most of
the time. It’s when you ignore the implications or
consequences of what you are about to
do (or not do), that you leave yourself open to the vulnerability
of not being prepared.
Think about it! This is the dilemma: the more details you want
about the future, the less
successful your foretelling will be.
Since less is more, settle for what you
can get.
Whether to Foretell?
Do you really want to know?
Knowledge is
both empowering and burdening — anyone
who doesn’t recognize this situation as just “two sides of the same
coin” doesn’t know
much. Sadly,
that’s most people. Can you live with what you might find
out? Do
you
want to find out? On the other hand, what happens when you find out
something you
never anticipated but have to deal with?
Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you
stronger.
How to Foretell?
The Laws of Forecasting set a context for the methods of
foretelling. Forecasting is
short-sighted, the reason being that the facts of many situations
change from day to day.
Methodology is over-rated, because reality is too complex to be
captured by rules.
Foresight requires insight, but most approaches aren’t very
insightful. Only at the
conceptual level can one discern enough systemic stability to
substantiate prescience.
References
William Ascher & William Overhold
STRATEGIC PLANNING AND FORECASTING
John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1983
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
920
GENERALIZE
What to Generalize?
To generalize is to synthesize principles from
particulars. Generalizing is a form of
averaging, which means it applies to a “population” and consists of
subsuming the details
of variability under a broad and “typical” overview.
It therefore resembles
sociologist
Max Weber’s “ideal type” — or can as easily refer to an archetype,
a prototype, or a
stereotype. According to philosopher Immanuel Kant,
"Understanding is the knowledge
of the general", which he regarded as the most important cognitive
capability.
Why to Generalize?
If time or patience is limited, a generalization may
satisfice. If
the diverse kinds of
variance even each other out, the general conclusion may be arrived
at anyway, so why
bother to-ing and fro-ing when it makes no ultimate
difference? On other occasions the
forest (overview) can get lost in the trees (details), so that a
trend or pattern is disregarded
even though it might have considerable more importance than the
particulars.
When to Generalize?
When the point arrives at which larger granularity is more relevant
than finer gradations.
As in other operators, finalizing too quickly risks generalizing
(induction) before enough
facts are in to actually support the conclusion.
Just as unproductive
however, is the (bad)
habit of procrastination, of delaying a conclusion (long) after the
precedent is clear.
Perhaps the answer is a tentative generalization, convenient but
corrigible.
Whether to Generalize?
We are constantly warned against “superficial”
generalizations. But, by its very nature
and definition, a generalization is superficial!
Generalizing can be useful, but it is wise
to
keep in mind what is lost in the process — differences, details,
depth. Superficial becomes
a justifiable criticism when it always pre-empts a closer look,
when the generality
involved is taken to be the only characteristic of
interest. Use
an adjustable lens.
How to Generalize?
Look for the common characteristic or feature.
Does the “mode” or “median”
serve as
well as the essence? The former two are both features of general
tendency, the first being
the most prevalent type, and the second the arithmetic
average. The only answer is “it
all
depends” — but since such choices can make a difference, telling
which generalization
ou have in mind will preclude confusion — unless that is your
goal.
References
W. Allen
Wallis & Harry V. Roberts Immanuel
Kant
THE NATURE OF STATISTICS ON EDUCATION
The Free Press, New York, 1956 Dover Books, Mineola, 2003
[1803]
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91
INVENT
What to Invent?
To invent is to contrive something new — but since nothing is
entirely new, some aspect
of'its configuration must differ from existing arrangements enough
to be considered an
original formation. By contrast, innovation is the introduction of
something into common
use. However, inventions are novel but not necessarily
beneficial — many are obviously
detrimental. What should be invented are those contrivances that
are clearly worthwhile.
Why to Invent?
As the previous paragraph suggests, the purpose for invention
should be a contribution
that gives value-added to those who use it or are impacted by
it. By this
criterion most of
the commercial inventions that have been turned into innovations
should be re-called, and
re-designed or retro-fitted. What about the gains that inventors
seek? No
one should
profits at the expense of others — mutual benefits all ‘round
should be assured.
When to Invent?
Responding to a lack, rectifying a mistake, anticipating a problem
— all are appropriate
occasions for invention. Many cases have occurred where an invention came
“before its
time” and either never caught on, or had to wait for apposite
circumstances to eventually
arise. Other
cases faced the opposite problem, an invention whose time had
already
passed when the novelty was ready to be launched.
Patience, persistence,
planning.
Whether to Invent?
Is there an authentic need for what is being proposed or
offered? How
could we tell?
(1) Will it provide real benefits?
(2) Do prospective users want
it? (3) Will
its external
impacts be acceptable or ameliorable?
If any or all of the answers to these
questions are
“NO” then either costs or detriments will outweigh benefits so the
invention should be
foregone. If
all of the answers are yes then that is the kind of invention we
need more of.
How to Invent?
All contrivances re-cycle previous cultural elements and combine
them in a new way.
Don’t strive for the “entirely” new — even a slight variation can
be a great invention
(Wiener, 1993). Think analogously —
creative thinking is a process of “bisociation”, the
bringing together of elements previously not associated but
suddenly juxtaposed during a
flash of insight, or laboriously assembled through much cognitive
effort (Koestler, 1964).
References
Norbert Wiener Arthur Koestler
INVENTION THE ACT OF CREATION
MIT Press, Cambridge, 1993 [1954] Arcana, London, 1989 [1964]
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92
JUDGE
What to Judge?
To judge is to evaluate some situation or behaviour by some
criteria or standard. In the
words of Immanuel Kant, "Judgment is the application of the general
to the particular."
As David Hume famously pointed out, there are essentially two types
of judgment, the
one of fact (what is the case), and the other of value (what should
or should not be the
case). Confusion occurs if people try to "objectify" their
value judgments. They're not.
Why to Judge?
Judgements of fact or value are essential for the well-being of
individuals and institutions.
But they become pernicious when they are “moralized” to convert
every assessment into
a choice between good or evil.
This can lead to an infinite regress,
because every claim to
virtue has the potential be trumped by anyone else asserting that
their judgment is in some
sense superior. The real merit of a judgment consists of its
implications and consequences
When to Judge?
“Circumstances alter cases” — that line from J.M.
Berry’s play The Admirable
Creighton
is actually a wise one for timing judgement.
Since no one can see all of
the consequences
of one’s actions, procrastination probably occurs as readily as
premature judgment. All
that any of us can do is our best.
Make judgments as the need arises,
which is itself a
judgment call. So, what is required is reflexivity, self-awareness
of the gravity involved.
Whether to Judge?
“Judge not so ye shall not be judged” — that or something close to
it is a quote from the
King James’ Version of the Bible.
Many people are knee-jerk moralizers,
posing as
authoritative sources of evaluation when they are neither
authorized nor qualified for
such arole. Such self-righteous behaviour is prompted by a
pernicious combination
of “the rights revolution™ and a widespread psychopathology of
resentment.
How to Judge?
State the criteria or standards clearly.
Authenticate your bona
fides. Evaluate the
behaviour, NOT the person; assess the aspect of a situation under review, NOT
extraneous
circumstances. Temper justice with mercy.
Find a remedy that
rectifies the problem
AND prevents or discourages its recurrence.
Revenge is not
recommended — neither is a
super-hero complex; no one is authorized or entitled to right the
wrongs of the world.
References
Donald Black Immanuel Kant
THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF ON EDUCATION
RIGHT AND WRONG, 2" ed. Dover, Mineola, 2003
[1803]
Academic Press, New York, 1998
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93
PARTICULARIZE
What to Particularize?
To particularize is to describe in terms of specific
attributes. Particularizing is a form of
itemizing, which means it applies to single instances instead of
populations, and consists
of specifying the details within a narrow range.
It therefore resembles
methodological
individualism, the looking at single cases to get a deep, if narrow
view. It is
based on the
presumption that, at least for some considerations, focusing on the
attributes that make
entities different will reveal something unique.
Why to Particularize?
The finer-grained you want the description or analysis, the longer
it will take to produce
the results. If you have the time, and the wherewithal to
sustain the study, then looking at
the details is possible, perhaps even insightful.
When looking at the
details however, the
context should be kept in mind - this is the reason for looking
deeper. Kant
says "Reason
is the power of understanding the connection between the general
and the particular.”
When to Particularize?
When you are sure that something is being lost in the big picture,
it is time to begin
focusing in on the particulars.
At one
extreme the danger is that there will be no patience
to look at the details even if good practice demands it — this is
just epistemological
vanity. At the other extreme is
the tendency to become a perpetual fact-gatherer, an
information junkie — this is just a contemporary version of the
pack-rat complex — don’t!
Whether to Particularize?
Decisions or choices should be based on the context within which
the alternatives are
situated. When
is there enough details to set the pattern (or upset
it)? Rules (algorithms)
don’t apply, but rules-of-thumb (heuristics) do — its judgement
again, not of a moral kind
but simply an assessment of what “type” of situation you are
in. Performance will
improve with the number of attempts (if it is ever going to
improve), so keep trying.
How to Particularize?
Look for “la difference” — what distinguishes otherwise similar
instances. Even in this
regard, the extent of variability will not be endless but fractal —
certain thematic patterns
will emerge that combine generalization and
particularization. When that happens you
can focus on either diverging or converging forms.
If you particularize the
possibility
exists to get lost in the growing details that greater depth
reveals- set cut-off criteria.
References
Nigel Lesmoir-Gordon, Will Rood & Ralph Edney Immanual
Kant
INTRODUCING FRACTAL GEOMETRY ON EDUCATION
Icon Books, Cambridge, 2001 Dover, Mineola, 2003 [1803]
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RELATE
What to Relate?
To relate is to associate by convention or position.
Things or events relate by
comparison
or contrast to one another. What, exactly, do you want to compare or
contrast? Formal
logic relates on the basis of the properties or characteristics of
entities. Traditional
cultures often relate based on emotional responses to things or
events. Various versions
of either one will suffice, provided the grounds for positing the
relationship are kept clear
— switching while in process gives inconsistency.
Why to Relate?
Things or events are compared or contrasted to make sense of a
situation, and/or as part
of the evidence for a decision or choice.
Some kinds of relations are often thought of
as
“natural” — families, or species, or functions.
But within such populations
there are some
characteristics would diversity as easily as unify.
All relating, by
comparison or contrast,
is imposed rather than intrinsic — it is an explicit or implicit
act of persuasion.
When to Relate?
When you need to make sense of things or events because their
incoherence would be, in
some way, troublesome, it is time to look for
relationships. Or when a decision or choice
is looming or pending, and the alternatives should be sorted and
prioritized, it is time to
look for relationships. The need may range all
the way from deciding your favourite
colour to choosing a mate — usually it is to reduce the cognitive
dissonance of confusion!
Whether to Relate?
In many cases there are social or cultural taboos against either
comparing certain things,
or contrasting certain other things.
Contrasting between sects within a
religion (Sunnis
vs. Shias) is
often frowned upon outside the faith, but usually supported from
within.
Calling both saints and scoundrels “deviants” still makes
practitioners wince. People do
react to imputed associations, so be prepared for the consequences
of attributing relations.
How to Relate?
State the basis of the comparison or contrast right from the
beginning. Try to avoid a
major comparison or contrast (between notable things, or events, or
persons) on the basis
of a minor characteristic — this is often done to disguise the fact
that the real rationale for
positing the relationship is either antipathy or allegiance rather
than any substantive
attribute, but since this may seem petty or self-serving a proxy
feature is substituted.
References
C.K. Ogden
OPPOSITION
Indiana UP, Bloomington, 1967 [1932]
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95
REPLICATE
What to Replicate?
To replicate is to repeat or to make a copy.
In the material sense this
is impossible
because when you make or get a duplicate key (or whatever) the
pattern may be the same
but the actual atomic and molecular structure are not
identical. But in most cases it is the
pattern that you want to copy anyway.
So ask
yourself if you want to replicate is the
exact entity or the feelings it induced in you — people often
confuse the two. Don’t!
Why to Replicate?
Something that you value, be it a thing or an event, goes out of
your “life space”.
Perhaps a thing is lost, a person dies of moves on, an event or
relationship ends. If it’s a
song on a CD you can re-play it, and replicate the experience all
over again. Material
goods can be replaced, but not always the affection invested in
them. Many
entities are
one-time-only. The wise attitude is
“detached involvement” — holding on is a hang-up.
When to Replicate?
When the result of some change in the entity is that it no longer
serves your needs, the
most obvious immediate option is to get a replicate.
If the entity still is serving its
function, it is a waste to replace it — I wear my clothes and my
watches out before getting
new ones, and so should any sensible person.
Here the definition of
replication comes
into play. Serving the same function can be replication even
if the means is different.
Whether to Replicate?
This depends upon the previous answers: Ifit is the feeling rather
than the entity you
want to replicate, is that really possible or not?
Are you trying to “turn
back the clock™
when circumstances all around you have changed
irrevocably? Do you really need what
you want, or could some alternate arrangement adequately serve the
same function? If
it’s just a worn out key, get a new one — but there is no going
back to the original.
How to Replicate?
Clarify what you can replicate, and what you cannot.
Assess the costs and
consequences
of duplicating what is feasible, be that physical, financial, or
emotional. Here is another
situation where “satisficing” is wise — “you can’t always get what
you want, but
sometimes you can get what you need”!
Don’t
squander your time, efforts or money
trying to recreate the impossible — replace what you can, and
forget the rest.
References
John Dewey
HOW WE THINK
Prometheus Books, Buffalo, 1991 [1910]
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9%
REVISE
What to Revise?
To revise is the alter features while preserving
functions. Writers and editors are always
revising, changing everything from spelling, to word choice, to
grammar, to concept or
plot. Early in my own case, I
came to a very useful conclusion (back in my high school
literature class) — what may initially appear to be the need for
major changes (of whatever
kind) can actually be feasibly achieved with minor (but strategic)
alterations. Replace a
few words or phrases and the whole sense can shift.
Why to Revise?
The desire to correct or the desire to improve, seem to be the two
major motives. Wrong
spelling or grammar should be changed — but the rationale of
“improvement” is more
problematical. When composition is
delegated, be it for writing, music, blueprints, etc.,
requests for successive changes, all in the name of improvement,
usually have declining
marginal utility (and the decline curve is very steep) — the reason
is usually scope creep.
When to Revise?
Appraise as soon as possible, but then delay in implementing
changes long enough to
take a “sober second look™. It is better to make a copy and mark it up rather
than do so
on the working copy. If in due course, all, or most of your desired
changes still seem
essential, then make a new copy and mark up only what is important
for change. Always
be specific about what is to replace what — vaguely worded
dissatisfaction is gratuitous.
Whether to Revise?
In terms of the written word, so much of the desire for revision
hangs on the desire for
nuance, for fine shades of distinction.
So, my recommendation follows the
Plain
Language movement — if revisions are aimed at simplifying the
wording so as to clarify
the message, good. If revisions are aimed at complicating the wording
so as to elaborate
the message, bad — follow the KISS Principle (Keep It Straight and
Simple).
How to Revise?
In most cases the perceived need for revisions to delegated work
arises because of poor
initial specification — what was wanted was not clearly stated,
perhaps not even clearly
known. The
preferred arrangement would be to either think it through before
assigning
it, or accept the submission as interpreted.
This is probably utopian, so
reviewers or
editors should at least have the good grace to also recommend
strategic alterations.
References
Michael Alley Nelson Phillips & Cynthia Hardy
THE CRAFT OF EDITING DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
Springer, New York, 2000 Sage, Thousand Oaks, 2002
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97
SUGGEST
What to Suggest?
To suggest is to propose for consideration or action.
So, decide if your
suggestion is (or
will be) more of an “alternative for your consider” or an
“unequivocal recommendation”.
The first amounts to “advice freely given”, and as such can be
freely accepted or rejected.
The second implies an imperative that should not be
overlooked. In either case
suggestions should carry the prospect of improvement, and should be
feasible given the
constraints already in place.
Why to Suggest?
Not always, but all too often, what suggestions amount to is “if I
had been in charge this
is the way I would have done it”.
What are proposed as improvements are
just ways of
disguising venom. Suggestions are often premised on the assumption
that their purveyors
were more qualified for the assignment.
Regardless, the wisest response is to
thank any
and all contributors for their views, and use those least
disruptive, and most productive.
When to Suggest?
Only offer them when an entire section is ready for review, and
only accept them on the
same occasion. Projects of whatever kind should be
componentialized in their design so
that chapters or segments or whatever, can be reviewed on a
“stand-alone” basis. So,
when such a component is produced it can and should be presented
for review. But make
the mandate clear: what kind of suggestions are you looking for —
form or substance?
Whether to Suggest?
Reviewers need to ask themselves whether they understood what they
were reviewing or
not. Then
they need to stick to their instructions: assess according to form,
or substance,
or whatever. Once suggestions covered by the mandate are
delivered, a reviewer can
always ask “Do you want my opinion on [so and so].
Don’t give your own
preferences as
suggestions, and don’t expect too much from them — it’s not about
you!
How to Suggest?
Base suggestions on criteria, direct them at issues and not people,
construct them so as to
be feasible, and phrase them so as to increase the likelihood of
their acceptability. Use
the term could rather than should, be gracious in rejection, and
grateful even if only a
few, or only “watered-down” versions are adopted.
Keep a copy of all your
suggestions
and review notes, for defence if sued, and for more work if
asked.
References
Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren Mortimer
J. Adler
HOW TO READ A BOOK, 2™ ed. HOW TO SPEAK, HOW TO
LISTEN
Touchstone Books, New York, 1972 Touchstone Books, New York,
1983
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98
SUMMARIZE
What to Summarize?
To summarize is to condense the content but retain the
concepts. Summarizing is one
form of the process Herbert Simon called information chunking —
with the direction being
from the particular to the general.
A summary is a truncated version of the
whole
message. The
longer version would be: Endeavour to reduce the number and size
of
words so as to convey the essence of the message in the briefest
and most cogent possible
way. The
summary would be: Keep it short and sweet!
Why to Summarize?
Many people find the use of too many words to be a great source of
boredom. On
other
occasions there simply isn’t the time to meander.
It is also possible, as
the Bible attests,
to break people in pieces with words.
Words can often be a tactic of delay,
OR a tactic of
subterfuge persuasion. Whitehead claimed the public always likes simple
explanations,
and that effective political entrepreneurs craft their messages
this way.
When to Summarize?
Place an abstract at the beginning (of a book, paper, speech, or
whatever). Those who
only ever read the executive summary will then at least know the
major concepts. Those
who want to know more can then go deeper, often using the summary
as a guide. Also,
summarize at the end (of a book, paper, speech, or
whatever). This serves as a reminder
of what was said. The old adage, summarized is “preview, present, and
review”.
Whether to Summarize?
It all depends on what you are trying to achieve.
Sometimes the purpose of
taking a trip
is the journey as much as the destination.
If your focus is (metaphorically) the end
point,
provide a summary — if you want to enjoy the journey (as well or
instead), do the full,
extended voyage (read or study the details).
BUT, provide a summary for
those only
interested in the destination anyway, and hope they will let you
enjoy the expedition.
How to Summarize?
To summarize is to condense the message down to its essence, much
like boiling off the
water from maple sap to get maple sugar.
As Information Manager Dan Sullivan
shows,
the basic message in a book only occupies between 10% and 20% of
the total contents —
the rest is just elaboration, examples, and
repetition. The function of a summary is to
present that essential message, like explaining your theory during
an elevator ride.
References
Dan Sullivan
DOCUMENT WAREHOUSING AND TEXT MINING
John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2001
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99
TAXONOMIZE
100
What to Taxonomize?
To taxonimize is a classify cases within a domain.
There will be more general instances
and more particular instances — there will be various branches of
knowledge, each with
its “trunks” and “leaves”. So, to taxonomize one must conceptualize all of the
instances
of interest as being within a single domain — this may require some
creative re-
conceptualizing. Remember, there are no natural classifications —
they are all contrived.
Why to Taxonomize?
Taxonomizing is one of the forms of systemization, of ordering
individual instances into
structured schemata. This, in turn, enables a person to identify
similarities and
dissimilarities, with an emphasis on the
similarities. It is the facility to
classify
information and then use it for action that represents part of the
pragmatics of knowing —
and knowledge can facilitate control, which Adler saw as the
primary human motivation.
When to Taxonomize?
As soon as possible, but (always) in a tentative
form. Scientific principles
are just guesses
with a more substantial evidentiary basis that your own hunches —
but, new evidence at
some future time will undoubtedly require revising the originally
proposed taxonomy.
So, the best time to taxonomize is every time an insight occurs,
but always with the
awareness that a subsequent insight might imply doing the
arrangement all over again.
Whether to Taxonomize?
Order and burrow only to the extent that there is value in a
particular level of granularity.
Just as there is no intrinsic value in information as such, there
is no intrinsic value in
structuring it without a purpose.
Let the goal determine the time,
effort, and elaboration
that is appropriate. It has recently (actually since WWII) become
fashionable to make
distinctions into detailed minutia.
This is silly, boring, and often
depressing. Don’t!
How to Taxonomize?
The objective view is that classifications reflect “reality” — one
of the tenants of
positivism, but actually an illusion.
So the
question to ask is “What do I (or we) want the
taxonomy to accomplish?” Use the XML metaphor — it can always be
extended if the
need arises, so for the moment, keep it to the necessary
minimum. Start from the top
and
work down — clinical trials* have shown this to be the most
effective knowledge strategy.
References
Joseph D. Novak
LEARNING, CREATING, AND USING KNOWLEDGE*
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, 1998
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TYPOLOGIZE
101
What to Typologize?
To typologize is to sort domains of knowledge into coherent and
consistent categories.
So just as similarity unites a taxonomy, so dissimilarity arrays a
typology. What
you
typologize is a population that contains significant differences
between identifiable types.
These types could be concepts, things, events, people, or some
combinations of any of
them. The
difference could be superficial (features), operational
(functions), or intrinsic
(structures).
Why to Typologize?
Typologizing, like taxonomizing, is also a form of systemization,
but in this case of
ordering classes of instances into structured
schemata. This, in turn, enables a person to
identify similarities and dissimilarities, with an emphasis on the
dissimilarities. It is the
facility to categorize information and then use it for action that
represents part of the
pragmatics of knowing — that facilitates control, which is a
primary human motivation.
When to Typologize?
As soon as possible, but (always) in a tentative
form. Scientific principles
are just guesses
with a more substantial evidentiary basis that your own hunches —
but, new evidence at
some future time will undoubtedly require revising the originally
proposed taxonomy.
So, the best time to typologize is every time an insight occurs,
but always with the
awareness that a subsequent insight might imply doing the
arrangement all over again.
Whether to Typologize?
Distinguish between differences and aggregate similar types only to
the extent that there
is value in a particular clustering.
Just as there is no intrinsic value in
information as
such, there is no intrinsic value in structuring it without a
purpose. Let
the goal
determine the time, effort, and combination that is
appropriate. It is always possible to
aim for such a comprehensive overview that significant differences
are lumped together.
How to Typologize?
The objective view is that categorizations reflect “reality” — one
of the tenants of
positivism, but actually an illusion.
So the
question to ask is “What do I (or we) want the
typology to accomplish?” Use the chunking metaphor — information
can always be
further aggregated if the need arises, so begin with intuitive
boundaries. Start with
categories that “make sense” and only change them for a good
reason.
References
Kenneth D. Bailey
TYPOLOGIES AND TAXONOMIES
Sage Publications, Thousand Oakes, 1994
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102
PART VII
THE GESTALT FRAME
What is the Gestalt Frame?
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, “gestalt” is a word
of German origination
meaning a physical, biological, psychological, or symbolic
configuration or pattern of elements
so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a
simple summation of its parts.
The word was defined and used within the context of the
investigations in phenomenology that
began in the late 19" century, concerning the formation of a
World-View (social psychology)
that typical members of a society or culture acquired and applied
to themselves, their responses
to others, and their interactions with the
environment. The insight which the term gestalt implied
was that this social psychology was not experienced as an
assemblage of parts, but as a unified
whole. The
Gestalt Frame of THE HUMAN KNOWLEDGE MINDMAP analytically
deconstructs
the unified whole of the World-View into four aspects, so that its
facets can be more clearly identified
and described. The Frame is the filter through which all
sense-data pass on their way “into the mind”
or outward as directed actions.
How does the Gestalt Frame form?
Ever since the research of Edmund Husserl in the late 19" century,
this is the question that has
guided work in phenomenology.
Edward de Bono did his graduate
research at Oxford
University on this topic, from which emerged his book MECHANISM OF
MIND. In
the
archetypal sense, there are two approaches to the forming of the
Gestalt Frame. Hussurl and his
followers took a “learning” or “conditioning” approach — which
basically contends that people
acquire their World-View from their social environment as young
children. Under this model, it
is taught tacitly rather than explicitly, and its structure and
operation are usually sub-conscious
except in very particular circumstances (if an experience is
counter-intuitive, that may prompt
recognition of “the limits of one’s thinking™).
The other approach,
represented by de Bono’s
work, and much in favor these days, sees the World-View emerging as
a result of the brain’s
own “natural way” of processing incoming sense-data.
The term that advocates of
this approach
prefer is that the human nervous system is a “self-organizing
system” that functions to enable the
person to align their behaviour to the environment so as to be able
to cope. It
may not surprise
readers to learn that I think the evidence supports a
complementarity of both processes.
References
Edward de Bono Sergio Sinay
MECHANISM OF MIND GESTALT FOR BEGINNERS
Simon & Schuster, New York, 1969 Writers & Readers, New
York, 1998
Amitai Etzioni Peter McHugh
SOCIAL PROBLEMS DEFINING THE SITUATION
Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 1976 Bobbs-Merrill, New York,
1968
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PHENOMENOLOGY
103
What is Phenomenology?
Phenomenology concerns the patterns of perception whereby we
experience the world: systems or components;
here-and-now or
elsewhere; unified or
diversified. If we live in the present, both the past and the
future may simply be regarded
as surreal. If we operate with “your nose to the grind stone”
2\we may never see or ask
where such stones come from.
If we perceive so much variety that no
pattern is clear we
may be oblivious to larger processes.
The pairs characterizing phenomenology
are at the
opposite ends of parameters.
Presence vs. Absence
Do you focus on what is within the range of your senses, or are
you
oriented to distant but important factors?
Even through you cannot always see the
moon,
it still causes tides. Even though you are only in one particular locale
at one time,
competitive goods and services from afar can still affect your
prospects. Human culture is
a collection of previous practices (science, art, technology) from
various peoples and
places elsewhere. The parameter connecting presence and absence
indicates position,
whether spatial or temporal.
Parts vs. Wholes
One of the most significant concepts of the modern age is that of
system.
Many books have been written on the science of systems, but the
concept (or schema)
of a system is not actually scientific, but rather
philosophical. Systems, sub-systems, and
super-systems are all phenomenological perceptions, not objective
characteristics. Parts
or wholes can be very useful ways of viewing the world, but either
means is a choice, not
anecessity. Parts and wholes are simply different aspects along
the parameter of
extension.
Unity vs. Diversity
The aspects of the experience of reality can be interpreted
as
either interdependent (unity) or as functionally autonomous
(diversity). Conceiving of
experience as unitary assists in rationalizing and implementing
collective cooperation
and coordination. Conceiving of experience as diverse assists in
rationalizing and
implementing individual independence and
accomplishment. People experience both
conditions, all of which are part of the phenomenological continuum
of composition.
References
Amos Hawley
Robert Sokolowski HUMAN ECOLOGY
INTRODUCTION TO PHENOMENOLOGY Chicago UP, Chicago, 1986
Cambridge UP, New York, 2000
Eugene J. Meehan
Don Ihde EXPLANATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE:
EXPERIMENTAL PHENOMENOLOGY A System Paradigm
SUNY, Albany, 1986 Dorsey Press, Homewood, 1968
Copyright of this work is held completely, exclusively and in
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MORALITY
What is Morality?
Morality concerns the folkways and mores whereby we evaluate
experience: on the basis of external controls or internal
deliberations; as part of an in-group
or part of an out-group; as the result of positive re-enforcement or
aversive re-enforcement
In this Age of Inclusion, we often ignore our habit of grouping
people by the acceptability
of their behavior. Many institutions use a command structure and some
things you just
don’t do! Each pair characterizing morality is at the
opposite ends of a parameter.
Commands vs. Conscience
The armed forces, the church, the corporation, and the
bureaucracy
all operate on the basis of a “command and control”
structure. Orders can be given, and
sanctions applied to those who disobey instructions or
rules. Many
would prefer to be
persuaded, or self-motivated, but that always leaves the option of
uncontrolled non-
compliance. In
the NewAge we fudge, by talking the talk of conscience, but walking
the
walk of commands. The parameter that includes commands and conscience
is restriction.
Inclusion vs. Exclusion
Most science fiction is based on extrapolations of the hard
sciences,
but one cherished modern myth is a fiction based on the sciences of
sociology and
anthropology, namely the family of humanity.
We actually exclude far
more than we
include. Criminals, different ethnic groups, non-believers
(from sacred or civic religions),
different age sets, and different class occupants are excluded
whenever we have the
discretion to do so. The parameter that underlies inclusion and
exclusion is association.
Injunctions vs. Prohibitions
According to the prevalent folk wisdom people don’t like
being
told what to do (injunctions).
But they apparently also don’t like
being told what NOT to
do (prohibitions)! There is an underlying anarchistic strain beneath
much of this, but
people usually apply it to themselves rather than
others. I
jaywalk, but curse others who
do so. Stealing is definitely wrong, but I have pilfered
the occasional paper clip myself.
The most effective social control is so subtle it is not even
conscious — behaving yourself
has become intuitive. The parameter that involves injunctions and
prohibitions is
direction.
References
Friedrich Nietzsche Jack Knight
ON THE GENEALOGY OF MORALS INSTITUTIONS AND SOCIAL
Vintage Books, New York, 1967 [1887] CONFLICT
Cambridge UP, New York, 1992
William Graham Sumner
FOLKWAYS Cristina Bicchieri
Dover, New York, 2002 [1906] THE GRAMMAR OF SOCIETY
Cambridge UP, New York, 2006
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PLAUSIBILITY
105
What is Plausibility?
Plausibility concerns the premises and preseumptions whereby we
examine
reality: microscopic or macroscopic;
case-by-case or
aggregated; precisely or approximately.
If we
are looking for the big picture, the details, no matter how
remarkable, may be irrelevant.
If we are
comparing for a common characteristic, the idiosyncratic
differences are “under the radar.” If a
rough answer will do, looking for strict criteria is a waste of
time. And visa
versa. Each of
the
pairs characterizing plausibility are at the opposite ends of a
parameter.
Theory vs. Practice
Are you looking at the pattern or the particulars?
“A practice is a
tangible
and visible behavior.” So, seeing is believing.
A theory is an intangible
and implicit schema. So it
focuses you on the forest rather than the trees.
There is a joke that certain intellectuals
will
comment about a procedure that “Yes, I know it works in practice,
but does it work in theory?”
Both are correct, and either is acceptable.
Try them
together! The parameter that involves theory
and practice can be called transaction.
Differentiate vs. Correlate
Do you prefer to deal with case studies, particular instances —
or,
do you want the average of a series, whether the mode or
median? One
way of describing
these choices is either comparison or contrast.
The basis for correlation is always some
feature, characteristic, or aspect that instances share — the basis
for differentiation is
something that instances do NOT share.
Entities always have both uniqueness
and
something in common. The parameter that underlies differentiate and
correlate is
formation of the variables.
Exact vs. Fuzzy
Linguist Benjamin Lee Worf identified two different kinds of
entities to which quantification could be applied (see
MacNeal). On
the one hand there
are entities with definite outlines (i.e., sticks, stones, men,
mice, etc.), and on the other
hand there are entities with indefinite outlines (i.e., water, air,
entropy, gravity, etc.).
Those things with definite outlines can be counted,
exactly. Those
things with indefinite
outlines can only be measured, approximately.
Approximate groupings have
fizzy
boundaries. So, depending on the domain, either exact or fuzzy
methods are required.
The parameter that includes exact and fuzzy refers to
precision.
References
Herbert E. Meyer Nicholas Rescher
REAL-WORLD INTELLIGENCE A USEFUL INHERITANCE
Grove Weidenfeld, New York, 1987 Rowman & Littlefield, Savage,
1990
Edward MacNeal F.G. Bailey
MATHSEMANTICS THE SAVING LIE: truth & method in social
science
Penguin Books, New York, 1994 Universtiy of Philadelphia Press,
Philadelphia, 2003
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
PREFERENTIALITY
106
What is Preferentiality?
Preferentiality signifies and symbolizes how we appreciate
experience: do we dress
in style or to make a social statement;
do we want to express ourselves or be
impressed by
others; do we
focus on finding the likeable or avoiding the
unlikeable? "Different strokes
for different folks!" nicely sums up the concept of preferentiality, also
called style, taste or
fashion. All
of the props we use have conventional rather than natural
meanings. Each
of
the pairs characterizing preferentiality are at the opposite ends
of a parameter.
Style vs. Statement
Preferentiality refers to the rank ordering of choices,
inclinations, or
predelictions. The overall message of the preferences one has may
be the desire for a
stylish demeanor, or the wish to state an ideology by
example. Nevertheless, although
modern society places preference on a pedestal, it is wise to
remember that there may be
more important considerations in many situations than simply what
you desire. The
parameter that includes style and statement can be called
specification.
Expression vs. Impression
In today’s world, the global population is being segmented into
the
consumers of culture and creators of culture.
The creators of culture
organize their lives
around the desire to “express themselves” — the consumers of
culture find their lives
organized around their willingness to be “impressed by
others”. However, even those
who are creative are only so in limited areas — elsewhere they are
also consumers. We are
all cultural junkies now! The parameter that underlies expression and
impression is
indication.
What we like (find attractive) and dislike (find aversive)
determines a very large proportion of our attitudes and behaviors
towards the things,
events, people, and ideas we encounter in everyday
life. Critics
of all kinds rationalize
their likes and dislikes behind elaborate analysis, but this fools
no one; they
are just
playing their favorites the same as everyone else
does. Don’t
exalt your preferences out
of proportion. The parameter that involves attraction and aversion
refers to affiliation.
Atoms and molecules have the same propensity, and we call it
valence.
References
Nicholas Rescher George Lakoff & Mark Johnson
COGNITIVE HARMONY METAPHORS WE LIVE BY
Pittsburgh UP, Pittsburgh, 2005 Chicago UP, Chicago, 1980
Virginia Postrel
THE SUBSTANCE OF STYLE
Harper Perennial, New York, 2004
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107
PRACTICE IN USING THE GESTALT FRAME
The preceding section on The Gestalt Frame covers the four
archetypes of experiencing, namely
Phenomenology, Morality, Plausibility, and
Preferentiality. After reading through them first (each
is a page), then try some of the following suggestions (or do
similar things that will also illustrate the
desired points): Take any one of the concepts within the Frame and
apply it to an issue of interest to
you. The
issue might occur in a media story, in a book or magazine you read,
in a conversation you
have, in a presentation you attend, or it might be something that
just springs to mind.
In the case of Phenomenology, ask yourself “Is the past or future
as real as the present?” “What is there
about the past or present that is real, and what is not?” Imagine
how someone with a different sense of
the past or future might think or feel about events.
Next, try considering
something like this: Does the
saying “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” make sense
to you; and
whether or not it does,
what does it mean? Are there occasions when the importance of “wholes™
or “parts” changes in
importance, or when the relation between them may
vary? How
could that happen, and why? For a
third challenge, think about how unity might be occur even in the
presence of diversity in some
situations, and they might not co-exist in other situations, and
try to determine what makes the
difference. In all of these cases, how you perceive your
reality is not just a question of observation, but
also of the sub-conscious labels you apply to your
perceptions. What some people perceive as
aggression, others perceive as defensive.
What some people perceive
as generosity, other perceive as
patronizing. There are no definitive
answers to the above questions — it all depends upon what you
believe, and about your willingness to suspend your beliefs and
consider other possibilities.
In Morality, ask yourself “How do changing social and economic
circumstances affect how you assess
right and wrong or good and evil?” To what extent are people's
habits and tratitions inner-directed or
outer-directed? For instance, consider the possibility that you
only know peoples' principles from either
their words, or their actions, either or both of which may be
contrived to mislead, or not sufficiently
complete to give a conclusive result.
If you
reflect on this, you will realize that this is actually a
description of the situation we all find ourselves in — don’t
panic, or despair. Instead ask yourself how
social coordination actually occurs, and consider the results of
practicing either more or less tolerace.
For Plausibility, examine how you tackle a problem or question when
one occurs. Do you look for
the facts, or fit what you already know into an explanation and
then seek to confirm it? Does the
overall situation concern you most, or the specifics?
Are you looking for
precise conclusions, or just an
approximation? Now try role-playing, and switch your answers to
the above questions. How do your
methods change under these new approaches?
In knowledge work, you may
have to switch methods
depending on each assignment and the role in it that you
perform.
Preferentiality gives you the most room to maneuver.
Try pretending you like the
things you loath, and
dislike the things you prefer.
How different would the outlook of a
person who really had those
preferences be from your own?
Try the same tactic for anything that
you improvise on the one hand, or
just passively consume on the other — what difference would that
make to your lifestyle, or quality of
life? Think
about what would happen if you became more, or less, fashion
conscious. Very different.
Now contemplate some combination of Gestalt elements and think
about the implications. WOW!
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108
FOLLOWING IMPLICATIONS
Cognitivity
"I think, and therefore I am" was Descartes' famous
dictum. This
reflects a much older claim
made by Aristotle in Ancient Athens, namely that "Man [humanity] is
the rational animal." Now
that we are into the Information Age and the Knowledge Economy, the
cognitive aspect of
knowing is getting the lion's share of the attention.
The point is however, that cognitivity is one aspect of knowing,
not a separate type of knowing.
The cognitive aspect of knowledge has been the quality most readily
transferred into explicit
form, particularly as text in the age of print, and then as
software in the digital age.
We are often
told that "teaching machines how to feel is much more difficult
than teaching them how to think."
But computers only simulate thinking anyway, which is all they
would ever do with feelings as
well. Now the
implications of feelings are being programmed into algorithms so
that they can
factor in affective responses even if machines do not actually feel
a thing. This
development was
inevitable, and will continue (Kennedy, 1990).
Don't get caught up in pointless arguments about whether machines
can "think" or "feel" - just
remember that your own knowing combines both, so keep that in mind
as you learn.
Affectivity
Suzanne Langer made a very credible case for the claim that all of
human knowledge could be
interpreted as an elaboration of affectivity, feelings, rather than
cognitivity, ideas. Novak has
developed a paradigm of knowledge creation, learning, and use that
traces effective knowing to a
combination of cognitivity, affectivity, and methodology -
concepts, feelings, and skills must
work together to produce meaningful understanding (Novak,
1998).
How is affectivity involved in learning and knowing?
It provides the motivation
for what is
important and what is interesting.
Affectivity ranges all the way from the
widest possible context
to the narrowest of issues - it is our answer to Bertrand Russell's
"So what?" comment. He
advised that we always ask ourselves whether either a question or
an answer made any real
difference to us anyway. To the extent that we pursue anything rather than
just drop it, we have
found an affective reason to bother.
References
Suzanne Langer Noah Kennedy
MIND: An Essay on Human Feeling THE INDUSTRIALIZATION OF
INTELLIGENCE
Johns Hopkins UP, Baltimore, 1988 Routledge, London, 1990
Joseph D. Novak Bertrand
Russell
LEARNING, CREATING AND USING KNOWLEDGE PROBLEMS OF PHILOSOPHY
Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, 1998 Oxford UP, London, 1960
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109
THE PRACTICE OF FOLLOWING IMPLICATIONS
What the Use of the MindMap Implies
Perhaps the most important set of implications of using the MindMap
involves the human context in
which the use occurs, namely the complementary roles of cognitivity
and affectivity in the Gestalt
Frame. It should always be kept
in mind that it is never the case with MindMap use that
cognitivity
opposes affectivity — it isn’t “either/or” but rather “one AND the
other”. So,
in the language of implying,
there are both cognitive and affective implications to every
concept in the MindMap (or to any other
concept as well). People or rules may, and often do, tend to
prioritize one or the other aspect because of
the purposes or behaviours they are focusing on, but if this
becomes a habit the presence of the other
aspect may be ignored altogether.
When that
becomes a social tradition people will speak of a certain
concept as “inherently” either cognitive or affective — when in
human experience it always embodies
both. This is something to
look for — what aspects of a concept are being acknowledged, which
ignored?
The Courage of Your Convictions
The way this phrase is usually interpreted is to imply that it
one’s “duty” to “speak out and tell the truth.”
As I have suggested in another section however (see MANAGING YOUR
SELF), protecting yourself
from harm can take priority over speaking out.
Does that imply that there
need be no courage to your
convictions at all? On the contrary — the
most important aspect of that courage is always taking note
of
the difference between “what you know” yourself and “the propaganda
line.” Why would you want to
bother with this? Because, for a knowledge worker, there is nothing
more pathetic than confusing
rhetoric with reality, or mindlessly accepting “the official
version” of anything. Depending on the
circumstances, knowing which is which can just remain your own
secret, but expending the cognitive
effort to make the distinction is part of the criteria of the role
itself (i.e., knowledge worker).
At the very
least (and sometimes that is the most you can do), your mind must
be “the record of last resort.”
The Confidence to Create
Developing the capabilities to do Concept R&D and use the
MindMap will empower you to perform
some amazing accomplishments.
Most people, regardless of their
positions or roles, are not very mindful
of the conceptual complexity underlying their behaviours, or their
plans, or the situations with which
they deal. They are not “idea conscious” — their idea of being
pragmatic (if they have such an idea at all)
is to ignore anything and everything that doesn’t contribute
directly to what they want to do or have been
assigned to do. Intervening in such situations (which are typical)
to point out other possibilities, is
therefore an opportunity to “shine” — but to be effective it must
be done with care (so as not to “ruffle
any feathers™). The best attitude to
take, is to see such situations as opportunities to create
something
which contributes to the greater good — so start by reiterating the
goal, and then show how further
considerations are needed for successful achievement.
Think through how you will
make the case for
this BEFORE you present it, and take confidence from the larger
perspective you possess.
Doing Things With Words
It is not necessary to use the exact terminology in the MindMap
when talking or explaining to others.
What you will often find yourself doing is “translating” into terms
others can more readily understand.
So “empiricism” becomes “evidence” and “determinism” becomes
“cause”. Ideas can transcend terms.
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110
MANAGING YOUR SELF
Attention
The screen saver on both my home computer and my workplace computer
reads as follows:
"You learn something every day if you pay attention", a quote from
Ray LeBlond. For many
aspects of their existence however, it appears that for most people
this is too high a price to pay!
This disposition is as prevalent among the young as it is amongst
the elderly. We have found in
our work with both secondary school students and university
students that the majority would
prefer to get by with memorizing information rather than working to
build conceptual
understanding (Novak, 1998).
This combination of rote learning and mental ruts is how historian
James Welles defines
stupidity, the learned corruption of learning (Welles,
1986). In
practice, stupidity consists of
learning one particular response to each type of situation
encountered and then operating on
"automatic pilot" henceforth.
The antidote is a change in attitude:
you have to want to pay
attention, to learn from experience, to apply what you know to
improve your life. It's amazing!
Intention
Many practitioners in Cognitive Science (both physiological and
psychological branches) eschew
the notion of intentionality as a mythological hold-over from folk
wisdom. This
is probably the
most benighted perspective in the current study of human cognition,
equivalent to behaviourism
in the early part of the 20m century.
Those who justify this stand by
explaining that they can't see
intentionality should be reminded that they can't see gravity or
entropy either, just their results.
Hypothetical constructs, like intentionality or gravity, are
indispensable parts of any and every
science. As
physicist Albert Einstein said, "What we see depends upon what we
believe." The
Torah contains the same idea from 2,500 years ago: We see things
not as they are, but as we are.
Intentionality is a combination of the concept and the commitment
to do something. The claim of
some Cognitive Scientists is that we "really" are not capable of
deciding or choosing anything -
that it's all programmed into the synapses and reflexes that
underlie our behaviour. This claim
conflates levels of analysis - of course the synapses and reflexes
are the platform for our actions.
But even if intentionality were just an "illusion" it is the
psychological space in which we operate.
Whatever the physiology of the process, we make decisions, make
choices, make plans, and take
actions. In so
far as this describes what we do, regardless of the underlying
support system, we
are exercising intentionality.
/t's what the functioning psychological
process is about.
References
James F. Welles Joseph D.
Novak
UNDERSTANDING STUPIDITY LEARNING, CREATING AND USING
KNOWLEDGE
Mount Pleasant Press, Orient, 1986 Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,
Mahwah, 1998
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111
LIFE LESSONS ON MANAGING YOUR SELF
Persistence
It usually takes considerable time to master the techniques of
Concept R&D and the use of the lists of
concepts in the MindMap. The best tactic is to practice every day —
especially with things you read, or
encounter in your activities.
Another good
source of material is the coverage of the mass media, in all
its
forms, with all of the material presented — news stories, sports,
advertisements, weather, etc.
Look for
what is missing in all the information you encounter.
What will be
missing? Some of the premises, or
questions, or inferences that are relevant to a good understanding
of what is going on. For instance,
when it comes to knowledge aspects, if the facts are emphasized,
some of the relevant ideas will be
ignored, or visa versa. By spotting these gaps, you get a more balanced
view, AND you realize that other
discussions, or individuals, or groups are not using sufficient
knowledge to achieve credibility.
Hostility
Individuals, groups, or institutions can often give quite a hostile
(perhaps even threatening) response to
anyone questioning their actions, policies, or
understanding. This is part of the
social or political context
within which we all live — it is NOT a good idea to jeopardize your
existence or wellbeing just to prove
yourself “knowledgeable” or even “to do the right thing” (i.e., to
tell the truth or describe the facts).
The
policy of conceptual pragmatism recognizes that those with
malevolent agendas may prefer propaganda
to information, and so would the practitioners of this
policy. It
is not necessary to “tell all” or to “set the
record straight” regardless of the personal satisfaction that might
bring — the wise strategist has the
tactical good sense to choose which battles to fight and which to
forego. It
is not an individual’s sole
responsibility to rectify the wrongs of this world — look for
situations you can improve, nothing more.
Disagreeableness
Does the above advice on hostility preclude using the MindMap
whenever anyone might disagree with
its content or implications?
Not at all — it is possible to
disagree, but it must be done strategically (with
care) and diplomatically (with tact).
It is possible to disagree without
being disagreeable, and in many
situations this is a good approach to take.
How is this
done? First
and foremost, with good humour — do
not present in a self-righteous or blaming manner.
Make it clear you are not
criticizing a person, group,
or institution - that what you are offering is a further
improvement on an already good or promising idea.
What if you really think that what you are responding to is not
good? Say it
is anyway, and then make
your suggestion for improvement, even if it is 180° opposite of
what is there or what others have
proposed. AND develop a rationalization for why, even if it
appears different, it really does improve the
idea in some way that is consistent enough to qualify for
consideration.
Authenticity
Does the above advice begin to sound more manipulative than
“honest”? If that happens (and it
very
well might), that is the point to “step back™ and remind yourself
that knowledge work of any kind
requires the practice of Constructivism (inventing ideas if
needed), and the rejection of Fundamentalism
(taking a narrow, uncompromising position on issues).
You have to be
flexible. What might be
interpreted as “the truth” from one perspective, can be just
another view from a different perspective.
What you need to consider in cases where such behaviour is
required, is “what are the implications and
consequences?” Don’t catastrophize!
What will likely happen, and what can
you realistically do?
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112
COORDINATING CONCLUSIONS
Coherence
In the MindMap, coherence concerns the coordination between your
perceptions and your
conceptual framework - your conditioning has got to coordinate with
your cognition. Strictly
speaking, the fit is never perfect, so the goal is to achieve as
much alignment as feasible. There
appears to be a widespread problem emerging with this - we can see
a growing discrepancy
between many peoples' ideas and their habits.
Smoking, poor quality diet, over-eating, lack
of
exercise, doing drugs - all of these are widely known forms of
self-destruction - yet more and
more people are afflicted - they are not working at aligning their
understanding and their actions.
A popular self-help book sums up this advice in its title: You
Can't Afford The Luxury of a
Negative Thought. Neither can you afford the luxury of a negative
habit. But
so many people are
living on luxuries they can't afford.
The aforementioned self-help book
recommends a personal
inventory in which you list, assess, and align all of your
objectives with coherent goals.
This is
the kind of voluntary simplicity I practice myself, and would
recommend for others.
Correspondence
Correspondence in the MindMap concerns the coordination between
your perceptions and the in-
coming sense-data from the environment.
Some Constructivists have a problem
with the concept
of "realism" because they assume that we create all of our
knowledge. This confuses levels of
analysis - there are still things and events out there, regardless
of how we conceptualize, organize,
and use them, so when in heavy traffic keep a close watch-out for
on-coming cars and tailgaters,
regardless of how you label them.
This same metaphor applies to all
experience.
Realism doesn't necessarily mean you perceive what's "really out
there" - it means that whatever
your coping skills, you had better recognize the possibility of
impacts with things and events, and
guide yourself accordingly, or you will find yourself in
life-threatening trouble. To the extent
that you do coordinate perception and reality, you recognize the
correspondence between cause
and effect, reasons and objectives, a better survival strategy than
assuming no correspondence.
Consequences
To act effectively, beliefs (judgments of fact) and values
(judgments of worth) must cohere and
coordinate across your experience.
Otherwise you are operating at
cross-purposes with yourself.
References
Paul Thagard Sergio Senay & Pablo Blasberg
COHERENCE IN THOUGHT AND ACTION GESTALT FOR BEGINNERS
MIT Press, Cambridge, 2000 Writers & Readers, New York,
1998
Richard Fumerton John Dewey
REALISM & THE CORRESPONDENCE THEORY OF TRUTH HOW WE THINK
Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, 2002 Prometheus, Buffalo,
1991
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13
CONSIDERATIONS IN COORDINATING CONCLUSIONS
From Attention to Intention
Coordinating anything requires keeping a number of variables and
influences in mind rather than
just focusing on one issue or one point in time.
In the modern era there
has been a debate about the
extent to which this is possible.
The classical model of rationality
assumed a “fully informed”
decision maker, but this is impossible, and therefore not a
realistic expectation. Herbert Simon’s
concept of “satisficing” involves that we do our best with what we
have. The
lists in the MindMap
can be referred to by keeping a printout near the computer screen,
so that cognitive capability is not
strained and yet ready reference is still possible.
With this proviso in mind,
an important form of
coordination is that between “attention” and
“intention”. In its simplest terms, what this means is
using what we know to inform and direct what we decide to
do. For instance, I get a number of
electronic newsletters on health every week, I read them, and I use
what is relevant to help manage
my own health — similarly I use everything that comes my way that I
assess can add to my quality
of life. This is a primary form of coordination that
everyone should engage in — why wouldn’t you?
Between Correspondence and Coherence
Empiricism is the epistemological premise that “the facts” or
evidence should determine your ideas
or theories. However, we know more than “just the facts.” Even
in science, gravity, entropy, and
evolution are ideas rather than facts.
So, the
smart scientist uses those ideas to organize the search
for more facts — meaning that the coordination is going from ideas
and theories to facts
(rationalism) rather than from the evidence to
concepts. What in fact this coordination process
becomes is a balancing act, involving trade-offs at every
turn. New ideas prompt a
search for new
facts, and new facts prompt the synthesis of new
ideas. In
this process too, the maxim of satisficing
is important. Knowledge is like a
“rolling front” in a weather system — it keeps moving, so there
is
no stationary point from which to evaluate progress in any absolute
sense.
Conclusions and Actions
One of the great pro-occupations of moral philosophers throughout
history has been “how should
we act.” We are reminded again and again that “life must go on” and
“decisions must be taken”
and “tasks must be done.” When this comes to house-keeping, for
individuals, or groups, or
institutions, it is certainly true — food, shelter, transportation,
etc. are valid
and legitimate pre-
occupations. But with the bigger issues and bigger projects,
whether individual or collective,
“getting things done” is all too often an excuse for, and
justification of frenetic activity — as if
“motion” itself was the measure of accomplishment.
If we study cases of both innovationary and revolutionary “rush” we
see an important Project
Management lesson being ignored again and again — the lesson being
that “where time is not taken
at the beginning to do things properly, it takes even more time
later to correct the many mistakes
that accumulate.” What WE can learn from the refusal to adopt this
Project Management lesson, is
that the so-called “improvement imperative” that is being claimed
is often very questionable, in the
form and at the speed being recommended.
There are always winners and losers,
and trade-offs
between costs and benefits. If the stakes are high and time allows, we should
think before acting!
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114
Putting it all together to work for you!
Don’t be intimidated or put off by the requirements for the mindset
of knowledge work (KW).
A lot of the elements are already in your mind, although some of
the concepts, or terminology,
or constructs may be new. This is a competency-based paradigm for the
knowledge work
mindset, and the important thing about it is the combination of
concepts and their configuration.
Preparation Phase Activation Phase Engagement Phase
Inventory Set of Application to
of concepts = | Cognitive — KW
situations
(MindMap) Processes (Concept R&D)
L $ }
Feedback to refresh, re-frame, reconsider
Preparation
Without the use of the concepts in the MindMap a person doesn’t
have sufficient tools to
enable them to adequately comprehend knowledge work.
Familiarizing yourself
with these
concepts, and keeping the MindMap present for ready reference, is
the PREPARATION
requirement for the mindset on which competent knowledge work is
based. This is
the
“content checklist” depicted on page ten and elaborated in
subsequent pages.
Activation
Going through the set of cognitive processes is the ACTIVATION
phase of the knowledge
work mindset. These topical and integral processes are part of
the knowledge work mindset
that must be considered to provide a comprehensive
outcome. This
is the “cognitive task
analysis checklist” shown on page six.
Engagement
Applying the concepts to information and situations, through the
use of the set of cognitive
processes, by way of Concept R&D, is the ENGAGEMENT phase of
the knowledge work
mindset. This
is the “methodology checklist” outlined on pages seven and
eight.
Feedback
Feedback occurs within the knowledge work mindset to facilitate (i)
refreshing of memory;
(i1) re-framing of approaches;
and (iii) reconsidering of objectives,
any or all of which may
be necessary or advisable as results accumulate.
Whenever you "don't get
it" that indicates a
demonstrable need for conceptual thinking, but if you persist
learning will occur.
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115
Evaluate Your MindMap Learning Now
After having read the book, do you think that you comprehend the
MindMap concepts?
yes!
no?
l
Can you rectify this? (review the
relevant material, read the
references, or contact the author
at cypher@sympatico.ca)
VN
yes! no? (this is a dead
end!)
Can you demonstrate your
comprehension? (use your
own choice of words to explain
the concepts verbally or in
writing)
v
yes!
Can you use your comprehension?
(1. to
better understand issues,
situations, and people; 2. to better
contribute to problem solving;
3. to better
anticipate ongoing
events; 4. other possibilities?)
Will you rectify this? (being
a knowledgeable decision
maker or choice taker is
ALWAYS preferable to
being an ignorant one!)
yes!
Would you care to share any of YES!
your challenges or successes in
using MindMap concepts?
'
yes! (share
with the author at cypher@sympatico.ca)
no? (this is also
a dead end!)
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116
COMPREHENSION CHECKS
The rationale for using the MindMap concepts individually is that
they each provide a succinct
tool for thinking (for separating relevant from irrelevant
information). The rationale for using
the sets of concepts in the Divergent Strategies list, is that they
frame your definition of
relevance so that it includes all of the considerations that are
pertinent to a particular category of
experience. As Albert Einstein said, it is necessary to make
things simple enough to provide a
good explanation, but not any simpler than that.
The rationale for using
the sets of concepts in
the Convergent Strategies list, is that they help to narrow
decisions and choices down to a
manageable number, so as to avoid information and/or cognitive
overload.
There are a variety of aspects to comprehension — to comprehend
will involve understanding
one or more of these aspects: (1) Main Idea, (2) Cause &
Effect, (3) Problem and Solution,
(4) Comparing & Contrasting, and (5) Making
Judgments. What follows are some suggestions
readers can use to demonstrate to themselves and others their
comprehension of the concepts in
The Human Knowledge MindMap.
Main Idea
Can you identify the main idea for each concept?
What information is
presented to illustrate this
idea? What
do you think this idea implies about the people, situations and
events you encounter?
Can you present the concept in fifty words or less?
During an elevator
ride?
Cause & Effect
Are there causes and effects involved in the explanation of the
concept? Are
there causes and
effects involved with the application of the concept to your
experience? Spell them out.
Could
you use the concept to cause an effect you wanted or to prevent one
you didn’t want?
Problem & Solution
Does the presentation of the concept identify a problem, or perhaps
imply one? Can you identify
problems the concept addresses?
Are solution presented or
inferred? What
can you infer? Does
this concept uncover problems or solutions that would otherwise
remain hidden? Give examples.
Comparing & Contrasting
‘What comparisons (similarities) are presented regarding the
concepts? What
contrasts
(differences) are presented? What do comparisons and contrasts
achieve? Do
you see any
advantages, or disadvantages to comparing or
contrasting? What are the trade-offs?
Making Judgments
Is the concept interesting? Are the explanations and examples
adequate? Can you think of other
explanations or examples to illustrate the concept?
How can you use the
concept? When and
where is the concept worth using, and why?
Talk about all of this, or write about
it, or both.
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17
RECTIFICATION REQUISITES
In many cases the claim “I don’t understand” could more properly be
express as “I disagree.”
When people encounter a “disagreeable” idea they often find it hard
to accept that they are
actually perceiving it correctly — “there must be some mistake
here” may be the first thing that
comes to mind. It is not necessary to
believe in the authenticity or truth of a concept in order to
use it — you can temporarily suspend your disbelief and treat it as
a cognitive tool.
Actual lack of comprehension can be rectified through the use of a
variety of heuristics (search
techniques): (i) Asking Questions, (ii) Assessing Arguments, (iii)
Considering Context,
(iv) Drawing Conclusions, and (v) Integrating With Prior
Knowledge. The purpose of these
heuristics is to enable a search through your own conceptual space
that will identify the cause of
the impediment to understanding.
Asking Questions
What is the gist or main point of the concept?
Have you referred to a
dictionary, thesaurus, or
other reference? Compare and contrast synonyms and antonyms, and
consider the extent of
overlap and divergence. If something remains unclear, is it the concept’s
definition or its use?
Assessing Arguments
If you have a problem with the argument presented for a concept, is
it that you don’t understand
it, or is it that you disagree with it.
If you don’t understand it, deconstruct
the argument into the
steps involved. If you disagree with it, consider whether there is
any way or circumstances in
which you could tentatively agree to use the argument just to make
a point.
Considering Context
What is the larger environment, or larger issues in which the
MindMap is situated? What might
be the author’s purpose in creating the MindMap and explaining the
concepts? What would be
the reader’s purpose in understanding and using the
MindMap?
Drawing Conclusions
What can you conclude from the explanations in the
MindMap? Can
the MindMap concepts be
useful in drawing conclusions about other people, situations, and
events? Will
the MindMap
concepts influence any of the previous conclusions you have
drawn? How?
Integrating With Prior Knowledge
What do you already know that is similar or complementary to the
concepts in the MindMap?
Does any part of the explanation of a concept strike a familiar
chord? Can
you extend your prior
knowledge to encompass MindMap concepts, or use MindMap concepts to
extend or revise your
prior knowledge?
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perpetuity by William Patterson Sheridan
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Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 1974
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MAPPING KNOWLEDGE
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Penguin Books, New York, 2000
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The Aim of Education
“The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to
think than what to think — rather to improve our minds, so as
to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory
with thoughts of other men.”
- James Beattie (1735-1803)
A Skill-Testing Question
‘What kind of book is this?
A manual on how to do Knowledge Work
An index to the whole of Human Knowledge
The book Wittgenstein might have written if he had lived in
the
Knowledge Society
All of the above
ISBN: 978-0-9810814-0-3