I seem to be in agreement with all those who take part in this discussion, but on different points.
I an earlier post I supported Edward and I still do. Terms like 'deniers' and 'denial' were not invented by Edward. Al Gore used the term in reference to climate change denial and Lawrence Solomon wrote a book with the title "The Deniers." Last July Solomon was interviewed on Paul Kennedy's CBC 'Ideas' show in a program that was also called "The Deniers." Listen to it at http://probeinternational.org/media/ideas-deniers.mp3. Incidentally, Solomon, a prominent Canadian environmentalist, doesn't deny that there is something wrong with the mingling of science and politics in the IPCC. The issue is complex and nothing in science is ever known for sure. That's why it's science. But science is also a value system and one of its supreme values is that it is self-critical and self-corrective. I agree with Wayne, Nellie, Steve and others that the tone in which we entertain a dialogue matters. I also recognize that we have different interpretations of what that means and that cultural and historical differences play a role in those diverse interpretations and appreciations. It requires sensitivity on the part of those who speak and openness towards alternative interpretations of what one believes to hear on the part of those who listen. This is not easy in a community, such as the WE community, that spreads around the world. But we must all try. It doesn't mean, though, that everything goes and that those who call themselves 'educators' should not be very serious about the way they care for how people learn. This includes challenging our own assumptions. We haven't yet figured out how good care for learning works best in the age of the Internet and must ourselves still learn a lot. But we know enough, I think, to conclude that open access to all available information-right, wrong, or questionable-is as such not a sufficient condition for improved learning. In fact, there are reasons to suspect that it is not and that it may even be worse. On the Net one can sit in on some of the most profound dialogue but equally witness the limitless inanity of some other conversations. The proportions are unfortunately often not in favor of the former. WE is but a small part of the entire learning landscape, but it is not insignificant. It is, in my view, an interesting environment for experimentation with and research on modalities of learning in a world in which the individual and collective management of information (and other resources) has dramatically changed. So, this is not a debate that should end. It should be pursued at a higher level and perhaps with a greater level of sensitivity towards the potentially huge differences in our perceptions of each other and each other's perceptions. I thank Phil for having posited the issues that triggered the discussion off. Jan -- Jan Visser, Ph.D. President & Sr. Researcher, Learning Development Institute E-mail: [email protected] Check out: http://www.learndev.org and http://www.facebook.com/learndev Blog: http://jvisser-ldi.blogspot.com/ _____ From: Wayne Mackintosh [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Sunday, November 29, 2009 10:08 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Denialism (was Re: [WikiEducator] Phil's Rants) Edward, 2009/11/29 Edward Cherlin wrote: Wayne, I fear that you don't know what you are talking about. My concern relates to assumptions you are making about what members of this list know or do not know. In our WikiEducator community we play the ball -- not the person. We treat people with mutual respect, recognising our diverse cultures. My post had nothing to do with global warming per se, but rather education in a broader context and what our community is about. This is the way we play the game in WikiEducator -- please respect our community values and how we interact with each other -- we have welcomed your membership with open arms respecting that everyone has value to contribute to education as a social good. There is a lot I don't know -- but I'm learning everyday. Cheers Wayne -- Wayne Mackintosh, Ph.D. Director, International Centre for Open Education, Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand. Board of Directors, OER Foundation. Founder and Community Council Member, Wikieducator, www.wikieducator.org Mobile +64 21 2436 380 User Page: http://wikieducator.org/User:Mackiwg Skype: WGMNZ1 Twitter: OERFoundation, Mackiwg -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "WikiEducator" group. 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