Tools - Yes SSM (Checkland) and a variety of other systems approaches (see also the James Kay web page which is accessible through www.nesh.ca). Tim Allen, myself & some others (eg Carl Folke in Sweden) have also been working on narratives as a way to integrate across scales & epistemologies. This also takes us in practrical terms to the Narrative Therapy discourse of White in Australia & the Just Therapy Group in NZ. I find that if I combine that (and Paulo Freire) with ecology & complex systems) I am starting feel like I might even begin to understand what is going on. Now if only I can explain it to my collegues here in the veterinary college.
dwt Quoting "\"Frederik Oberthür (FOB)\"" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > Frederik Oberthür again, consultant/project manager at Scanagri Sweden AB, > background in agronomy/sociology/communication from Wageningen University, > NL. > > I've (quickly) read through the new submitted posts. I can't obviously go > into detail on some of the interesting issues raised (tight working > schedule...), but rather picked out some elements here and there on which I'd > like to comment further. > > - Personally I still think it's too early to talk about a 'new science' at > this stage, with all the vested habits and interests in mind. This is > certainly valid at the practicioner's level, where consultants are paid by > hour and a year(s)-long training in a 'new science' is not an option. We've > got to work with what we have, i.e. mostly experts trained in one specific > discipline. The same probably applies to academia, where even discussing a > 'new science' might be perceived by many as creating yet another actor > threatening to take away their part of the funding cake. > > - This being said, I nevertheless found the comment on integrating art into > scientific training, as well as having 'internal studies' as part of the > curriculum very interesting and worth investigating further. Towards the end > of his 'official' career (I doubt whether he stopped working even after > retirement...) Röling even hinted at spirituality maybe becoming a useful new > paradigm in the future. Leaving aside the 'fluffy' aspects of spirituality > (nevertheless a full disclosure: I'm a practising catholic with strong > interest in (Christian) mysticism), one can retain its urge to overcome > ego-centric perceptions of oneself and see oneself as part of a larger whole, > which is very much what a 'holistic perspective' is all about. The aim should > be co-operation instead of competition, with empathy - as someone mentioned > previously - and double- and triple-loop learning as its driving force. It's > maybe too late for many professors (hm...), but we might as well start > training students now (even though I can imagine the faces of some students, > eager to learn hard-core science, when asked to make a painting about what > they have learned... :) ). > > - Today and at the practical level however I believe what is mostly needed > are functioning tools that bring about learning and empathy, 'gently forcing' > scientists and experts to think beyond the borders of their own discipline. > Two things I remembered here from the previous comments and that I found > useful are: first, having research being community-led. Communities (and > farmers) think in terms of their livelihoods, not in terms of disciplines, > and if they are in the driver's seat scientists/experts probably will have no > choice but to adapt. In addition, having scientists do field work together, > thus being exposed to each other and forced to create a common language is > certainly also a useful approach to remember. If we'd be able to come up with > a set of practice-proven management-guidelines for promoting > inter/transdisciplinarity, then I think we'd have come a long way. > > ------------------------------ > > Frederik Oberthür > > Project Manager and Consultant > > Scanagri Sweden AB > 105 33 Stockholm > > (Please note: new phone number!) > > Mobile +46 70 585 54 73 > Office +46 8 787 54 83 > Fax +46 8 21 89 40 > > wwww.scanagri.se > > _______________________________________________ > IntSci mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.learningforsustainability.net/mailman/listinfo/intsci_learningforsustainability.net > > D. Waltner-Toews, Professor Department of Population Medicine University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario, Canada www.ovcnet.uoguelph.ca/popmed/ecosys www.nesh.ca www.eccho.ca _______________________________________________ IntSci mailing list [email protected] http://mail.learningforsustainability.net/mailman/listinfo/intsci_learningforsustainability.net
