JiscMail Logo
Email discussion lists for the UK Education and Research communities

Help for PHD-DESIGN Archives


PHD-DESIGN Archives

PHD-DESIGN Archives


PHD-DESIGN@JISCMAIL.AC.UK


View:

Message:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Topic:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Author:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

Font:

Proportional Font

LISTSERV Archives

LISTSERV Archives

PHD-DESIGN Home

PHD-DESIGN Home

PHD-DESIGN  July 2007

PHD-DESIGN July 2007

Options

Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Log In

Log In

Get Password

Get Password

Subject:

Re: Colonialism -- a Carefully Delimited Response

From:

Norm Sheehan <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

Norm Sheehan <[log in to unmask]>

Date:

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:56:52 +1000

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (124 lines)

Dear all

I feel that perceptions of my comments as an attack on science require a
separate response because this really is not the point I am addressing.
I am more interested in the ways that design holds the potential to
supersede (social) science as a methodology for developing socially
responsible and environmentally sustainable knowledge.

The agency of the image/object impacts on us all because in their
generation image/objects become things-in-themselves & so exhibit
agency. Gell states that image/objects are not texts and so they cannot
be analysed as if they are ... they do not speak so they cannot be
interpreted ... but they do draw us into conversant relations concerning
their meaning,,, thus their agency is secondary to our (social) viewing
but significant (vital in Indigenous Knowledge terms) because
image/objects index by abduction to the meanings we negotiate in their
vicinity. Such conversations/negotiations can be interpreted. Thus
image/objects achieve a version of life in these relations that may
sometimes be essential to a facet of living culture as evident in the
ways that we speak in their presence. Thus in terms of my thesis the
agency of the image/object draws our cognitions out into the world where
the form of our thinking in interaction may be discerned. 

This thesis positions design as a revealing agent for individual and
group cognisance in some contexts of viewed image/objects - regardless
of the terms/values/import we assign to these image/objects (primitive;
scientific/technical or artistic/expressive & all the rest) because such
terms are a fact of the revealing - all these terms support the thesis
even (perhaps especially) when we contest them. When we argue concerning
the existence of this agency it may be just one more conversation
spurred by the agency of the image/object. Whatever we may say in the
context of image/objects our sayings reveal aspects of our standpoint in
relation to self, others and the world. Well structured interactions of
this kind with image/objects foster a situated intelligence that we may
apply to investigate such standpoints and their consequences in the
actual context of our living. This is the Indigenous Knowledge
(Indigenous Science for you Lubomir) project in my thesis.

As I say to my students this is why Aboriginal people painted
philosophical conceptions rather than writing them- because
image/objects draw-out and reveal our thinking and the outcomes of our
thinking in the context of our speaking about them -so we may learn ways
to negotiate within the realm of an external (to our cognition) agency.
Such context relevant training (relational education) affords the
development of methodologies that sustain living contexts.  Most
significantly Indigenous knowledge (science) involves the design of
visual and oral ways for the drawing-out of thinking & for revealing the
working understandings implicit in the ways groups inhabit social space
and the significance of these social features for environmental places.

Norm


-----Original Message-----
From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and
related research in Design [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Lubomir S. Popov
Sent: Monday, 30 July 2007 3:29 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Colonialism -- a Carefully Delimited Response

Sceince is a game. And as a game, it is a Judeo-Christian game. Like 
it or not, that is  the way. If you don't like the science game, play 
another game, e.g. joga, religion, myth, etc. I mentioned several 
times that science is an institution, and as an institution, it is 
peculiar to Western culture. The main function of the science 
institution (here I disclose my Modernist, functionalist self) is to 
produce knowledge. However, science is not the only 
knowledge-production institution. Myth and religion are example of 
other social institutions that produce knowledge.

Science is endemic to Europe and North America, after the 
Renaissance, at the time of Modernity. In the Twentieth century, it 
spread all over the world. At that time, science has developed 
prestige and everybody wanted to do science and present 
himself/herself as scientist. Even the magicians. By the way, Magic 
also produces knowledge.

I don't see any reason to hybridize science with other forms of 
knowledge production. Such hybridization will be counterproductive in 
terms of assumption about the nature of the world, knowledge, and 
method. In this regard, I can not accept attempts to subvert science 
by eclectically adding new elements that are incompatible with the 
main principles of science.

So, what koalas, what bears, what little girls you are talking about? 
If you want to do magic, you welcome. Do it, produce knowledge, be a 
Harry Potter. As you see, magic still has millions of followers in 
Europe and produces billions of dollars. I have no problem if someone 
is writing about magic and doing magic, and opening magic schools. We 
as a society are at the verge of getting into this magical way of 
escaping from our daily and future problems. By the way, Europeans 
did that staff with magic several centuries ago. Then Christianity 
took a stand against magic and put hundreds of people on the stakes. 
Then Science took revenge over Christianity.

Europeans lived in the bush and ate raw meat until 15 centuries ago. 
Science is not the perfect solution, but please, show me a better 
one. What pulled Europe ahead of China was Science. Europe was far 
behind China. The European barbarians didn't know what to do with the 
Roman cities and simply destroyed them in order to vent their 
frustration with their own backwardness and inability to create.

However, show me which other mode of knowledge production offers more 
reliable information, more inquisitive power, and better 
understanding of the world. Other systems have contributions here and 
there, but as a whole the risks of following these systems far 
outpace the benefits. One day we may learn to levitate and would not 
need aviation. But until then, the key world is airplane, not the 
magic rug of little Muck. And like it or not, without science you 
would not gave Boeing and Airbus. You will travel on your little 
rags, on donkeys. That said, I would like to emphasize that I am not 
Positivist, although I bear some influences from Positivism, and as 
you notice, use some of its concepts. It's about developmental
rudiments.

By the way, some of the terms and references are used loosely. You 
might object that usage, but try to keep with the spirit of
communication.

Kind regards,

Lubomir

Top of Message | Previous Page | Permalink

JiscMail Tools


RSS Feeds and Sharing


Advanced Options


Archives

March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998


JiscMail is a Jisc service.

View our service policies at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/ and Jisc's privacy policy at https://www.jisc.ac.uk/website/privacy-notice

For help and support help@jisc.ac.uk

Secured by F-Secure Anti-Virus CataList Email List Search Powered by the LISTSERV Email List Manager