Dear list,
Following Luke’s philosophical contribution, may I contribute some sociological shards and leftovers about design thinking, in the form of the old structure vs agency debate.
On the structural side, we have Terry who argues that snip> choices occur in body outside the mind >.
This seems a kind of neuro-physiological determinism that privileges the structural relations of our neurons, in the same way that Marxists thought social structures determined individual choices (Design thinking is illusory - a kind of false consciousness.)
On the agency side we have Jerry, who argues that we have snip > an ability to choose how to be in the world > and therefore a responsibility to (design) think ethically.
But is the ability to think ethically a pre-social capacity (Zygmunt Bauman), or is it socially constructed (Durkheim)? In either case, the political ethos of the particular society becomes a matter of concern. (E.g. even though it was possible for certain individual citizens in Nazi Germany to help certain individual Jews, it probably would have been better for humanity if the Nazi’s hadn’t done any design thinking!)
I’d really appreciate if anyone (Terry?) could give some specifics about how neuroscience might relate to these ideas, specifically the sociological notions of embodiment, which do away with the mind/body dualism, by arguing that the body, emotions and physical expressions are themselves formed by social processes (Elias).
Anyone?
Best regards,
Amanda
(Currently an independent design research person)
On 17/12/2012, at 6:03 PM, Ken Friedman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear Terry,
>
> You write, “...self-evident, and I gave the explanation of where and how the flaw is.
>
> “On your comments about the position I take - how about some evidence and reasoning on your part?
>
> “Perhaps, my reasoning on this is not so obvious as it depends on not having a particular bias that seems to be widespread. I'll explain it more in a separate post.”
>
> Your reasoning is not self-evident or obvious, at least not to me. And you seem to be reasoning this out on your own. Without neuroscience evidence, you are arguing metaphysics.
>
> My critique arises in part from a symbolic interactionist viewpoint, and partly from a general understanding of research methods and methodology. I’m raising the kinds of challenges I’d raise if a doctoral student made the kinds of arguments you make.
>
> Since you have asked me to offer evidence and reasoning, I will do so. I’m still working on posts to a couple past threads where I’ve been reading – I’ll post these in the next few weeks. Then I will turn to this question.
>
> As I said in an earlier note, I avoided putting forward my views on neuroscience because I feel that I have not read deeply enough to assemble a sound argument. I’m estimating that it will take me until next July or August to prepare a post on why your views are mechanistic. I will attempt to offer a reasoned argument supported by evidence on why a serious understanding of neuroscience would not confuse the physical mechanism through which we perceive reality with the organizational mechanism that we use as a lens.
>
> In the meantime you have once againslipped past the question I asked:
>
> You do not publish in neuroscience. You have never presented at a peer-reviewed neuroscience conference, nor have you published in a peer-reviewed neuroscience horal. Your conference papers on neuroscience are presentations to design conferences stating your opinions about neuroscience. To the degree that these conferences are peer-reviewed, the papers are reviewed by studio design teachers – with the possible exception of your paper at a Design and Emotion conference.
>
> How are we to distinguish your opinions about neuroscience from the opinions of anyone with opinions about neuroscience that does not actually work in the field?
>
> Yours,
>
> Ken
>
> Professor Ken Friedman, PhD, DSc (hc), FDRS | University Distinguished Professor | Swinburne University of Technology | Melbourne, Australia | [log in to unmask] | Phone +61 3 9214 6102 | http://www.swinburne.edu.au/design
>
>
>
>
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