Joe, my computer is being silly. Ignore the message missent. Joe
On 1/10/13 12:47 PM, "ARLO JAMES BENSINGER JR" <[email protected]> wrote: > [DMB] > Clearly, this disproves her denial and shows that she is indeed using the > phrase "It's all an analogy" as a smug way to evade questions. Clearly, this > disproves her claim that my complaint (and Ron's) can be dismissed as a > "prejudicial projection". > > [Arlo] > I don't think Pirsig ever intended demonstrating the analogous nature of > symbolic systems to be an excuse to avoid precision and clarity in thought. > And I think his entire thesis of Quality is built are the understanding that > "some things are better than others". And, of course, analogies are 'things' > as well. > > "All this is an analogy" is, as I understand it, a pressure-release valve to > the constraints of S/O inquiry. It is Goedel pointing to the incompleteness of > any mathematical system. Not to weaken math. Not to make all math systems > equal. Not to devalue the precision that goes into crafting a mathematical > model. But to never lose sight that without the undefined, inexpressible, > uncapturable "that which is always outside the system" one is trapped, running > in circles, trying like the Chairman to find that Truth. > > So one the one hand, "all this is an analogy" is what keeps understanding from > devolving into S/O territory. On the other, it should never be an excuse to > interject relativism, or bypass clarity, precision and critical thought. After > all, Goedel's Incompleteness Theorum itself is a well-crafted, carefully > argued, clear and precise argument. > > On a side note (and something I may bring up for discussion in its own thread > at some point), I've been reading lately much of the work (that which has been > translated, I don't speak Russian) of Piotr Gal'perin, a student of Vygotsky, > whose research focuses on the notion that the specific quality of the concepts > we teach to children directly effects their cognitive development. This is a > reversal of the Piagetian concept that cognitive development is a > natural/biological process of maturation and instruction should be responsive > (come after) development. > > From the article, "The Quality of Cultural Tools and Cognitive Development: > Gal'perin's Perspective and Its Implications": the specific character of > culturally evolved cognitive tools [concepts, measures, schemas, etc.] > acquired by the child in the course of instruction defines in large measure > the specifics of the child's cognitive development. > > I mention this here because it not only builds from the notion that "some > things are better than others", but argues there are significant consequences > to how we choose and implement the things (concepts, analogies, etc.) that we > use. It is not all oysters, it is a oysters and shark and carrot and wine and > salad and steak and ... and the choice has consequences- by virtue of its > Quality. > > Moq_Discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org/md/archives.html Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org/md/archives.html
