Re: [xmca] Space, neighbourhood, dwelling in, in*formation as notionswith a "family resemblance"

[Tony Whitson <twhitson@UDel.Edu>]

I think temporality is also an issue. Sometimes objections to linearity 
are meant to challenge notions of causality that are bound to a linear 
conception of past to present to future.

There's a lot of metaphysical speculation going on that I'm not much 
interested in, but Freud's idea of Nachtraeglichkeit might serve as an 
interesting example of temporal non-linearity. (Don't ask me about Jung, 
however.)

Also, Merleau-Ponty has interesting things to say about temporality (of 
course he does!).

On Sun, 25 Sep 2011, Tony Whitson wrote:

> With respect to processes (rather than mathematical relationships), I think 
> "linear" refers to a kind of sequentiality that might be typified by a 
> factory assembly line. Iterative or recursive processes are less linear in 
> this sense. In real life, of course, departures from this kind of linearity 
> go way beyond iteration and recursion.
>
> On Mon, 26 Sep 2011, Andy Blunden wrote:
>
> > I didn't realise that Ohio State University was responsible for all this, 
> > Michael. The meaning of linear that I learnt from applied mathematics is 
> > based on the metaphor of a graph and really means "rectilinear", only 
> > "linear" for short. It means more or less if a little bit of something has 
> > a certain effect then twice as much will have twice the effect, 10 times 
> > as much will have 10 times the effect, etc. "Non-linear" (generally you 
> > mean strongly non-linear) means that at a certain point there is a 
> > qualitative break and the effect is somethgin radically different, OR, the 
> > relation is irreversible so that when you remove the cause, the effect is 
> > not removed (since reversibility is usually a corrollary of linearity).
> >
> > So I think we are in the same (as you say in the States) ball park.
> > Andy
> >
> > PS. There are 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary 
> > numbers and those who don't.
> > Michael Glassman wrote:
> > > Hi Andy and Christine
> > >  I think when people use the term linear in the social sciences what 
> > > they often mean is there is a direct line between an independent 
> > > variable and a dependent variable.  So a linear explanation might be, 
> > > Andy doesn't know what linear means because he didn't go to the Ohio 
> > > State psychology program, but if he went to the Ohio State psychology 
> > > program he would know exactly what linear means and would applaud it. 
> > > Of course that issue is far more complicated than that and involves many 
> > > different interactions and transactions you have had over your lifetime. 
> > > And even the question is much more subtle and multi-dimensional than 
> > > that, but it is of course not linear.  This is the problem in this 
> > > country for instance with school reform.  It is based on a number of 
> > > linear propositions.  If we have a more controlled curriculum and 
> > > teaching students will do better on their standardized tests.  If 
> > > students do better on standardized tests they will have greater career 
> > > choices.  If students have better career choices they will be happier. 
> > > There is a great metaphor that sort of goes along with this whole linear 
> > > thing.
> > >  1.   Underwear is the most important thing in the world
> > > 2.   We steal everybody's underwear
> > > 3.  Something else happens
> > > 4.  World domination for underpants gnomes!!!!
> > >  Linear!
> > >  Michael
> > >
> > > ________________________________
> > >
> > > From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu on behalf of Andy Blunden
> > > Sent: Sun 9/25/2011 11:03 AM
> > > To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> > > Subject: Re: [xmca] Space, neighbourhood, dwelling in, in*formation as 
> > > notionswith a "family resemblance"
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Christine, I am never reallay clear on what people mean when they refer
> > > to an idea being "linear." I was brought up in applied mathematics where
> > > the ideas of linear and non-linear had very specific meanings, but I
> > > don't get what people mean outside of this, other than it referring to
> > > something they don't like.
> > > Andy
> > > christine schweighart wrote:
> > >
> > > > Andy,
> > > > I hear your appreciation in a big break from categorizing as primary. 
> > > > I just haven't got really clear in learning from my own thinking 
> > > > experience how relational formation happens in conceptualisation. It's 
> > > > apparent after its produced itself.  I have just jumped in and I'm not 
> > > > familiar with Ingold but he seems not to be researching by changing 
> > > > and influencing ,so maybe there's a difference because of ethnographic 
> > > > method?  Stages do seem to be useful as metaphor because in that there 
> > > > is 'transition', but perhaps 'line'  symbolises something that hides 
> > > > more ( i.e relationally) by removing boundary in it's absolute sense.
> > > > Going back to organic formation for inspiration, but also to learn 
> > > > from 'living', natures form is not 'boundary lines' , which was 
> > > > something I was exploring thinking about non-causal relations  ( after 
> > > > Maturana). Hence my fairly literal pointing out that 'line' isn't 
> > > > indexical to organic formations of organisms boundary relations and 
> > > > structures.
> > > >
> > > >  I came to that after trying to recognise formation, and  a desire to 
> > > > make accessible through recogising conceptual relational thinking 
> > > > consciously  forming as a 'tool' in environmental management education 
> > > > practice, which in acquisition changes a horizon of possibility. ( Yet 
> > > > accounts of studying this as dual-stimulation , don't appear  for me 
> > > > in 'reverse' in Davydov's instruction guiding formal teaching. I am 
> > > > attracted to understand/ make practical action guided by  principles 
> > > > informed/ing dual stimulation, but  also suspect that we could align 
> > > > better through learning from organic formation in crafting conceptual 
> > > > tools . In this on-going living is always in the present, hence the 
> > > > notion of linear time being a tool of our invention. Maturana's 
> > > > recursion relies upon it though he also recognises its creation in our 
> > > > cognition.  Here is an example from Maturana:
> > > >   --To  distinguish
> > > > something as  a system of processes ( circular organisation) it needs 
> > > > to
> > > >  encounter another linear domain ( the medium) that displaces it, that
> > > > in our perception of both, recognises iterations and produces a new
> > > > phenomenon .  One example is a wheel turning, which becomes circular
> > > > against the linear ground/, where in distance covered the phenomemon 
> > > > of
> > > > movement appears.  ---
> > > >  Dual stimulation as  displacement actions in activity doesn't pan out 
> > > > as cleanly as this non-organic example of a new horizon of possibility 
> > > > phenomena appearing. So maybe 'linear' is not as helpful as we think 
> > > > it is.
> > > >  Ruminations more than gestures for the forum , I suspect. Though I 
> > > > have a strong feeling over-focus on categorizing does not lend itself 
> > > > to help developmental  movement in thinking skills for project work 
> > > > affecting the natural environment.
> > > > Thanks, Christine. I do take "lines" as potentially a big break in
> > > > conceptualisation. I take it in the sense of lines (lines of
> > > > development, lines of events, lines of thought, lines of action, blood
> > > > lines, ...) as opposed to groups or cateogries or things. So it 
> > > > actually
> > > > functions to do away with boundaries (boundary lines), focus on which 
> > > > is
> > > > almost always a disease.
> > > >                                         __________________________________________
> > > > _____
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> > >
> > > --
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > *Andy Blunden*
> > > Joint Editor MCA:
> > > http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~db=all~content=g932564744
> > > Home Page: http://home.mira.net/~andy/
> > > Book: http://www.brill.nl/default.aspx?partid=227&pid=34857
> > >
> > > __________________________________________
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> >
> > --
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > *Andy Blunden*
> > Joint Editor MCA: 
> > http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~db=all~content=g932564744
> > Home Page: http://home.mira.net/~andy/
> > Book: http://www.brill.nl/default.aspx?partid=227&pid=34857
> >
> >
> > __________________________________________
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>
> Tony Whitson
> UD School of Education
> NEWARK  DE  19716
>
> twhitson@udel.edu
> _______________________________
>
> "those who fail to reread
> are obliged to read the same story everywhere"
>                  -- Roland Barthes, S/Z (1970)

Tony Whitson
UD School of Education
NEWARK  DE  19716

twhitson@udel.edu
_______________________________

"those who fail to reread
 are obliged to read the same story everywhere"
                  -- Roland Barthes, S/Z (1970)
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