Lubomir, I don't understand why "It is better to make a decision which
way we want to go and then, let's go that way without hesitation."
Why can't some of us go one way, some in the other, and then meet
occasionally to talk about what we've been up to and see if we can learn
from one another?
As a theory guy who is woefully ignorant of the 'discourse' side of
things, I have a question:
Are there any papers/books that /do/ in fact discuss the two (theory v
discourse) in some kind of comparative analytic way?
Cheers.
Fil
Lubomir S. Popov wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> I love theorizing and thinking at theoretical level, but we need to set
> things straight. I don't think it matters that much to go into details.
> The problem is that the very concept of theory is positivist. The
> discussion up to now follows such a track. Positivist theories cannot
> work in most of the design research domains, and certainly not in
> design. Forgive me, but that is the world. You can not use positivism in
> art theory. (Here I use the word in two different ways, actually these
> are two different terms.)
>
> The concept of theory is developed for the natural sciences. The social
> sciences can manage it. When we go more towards the humanitarian
> sciences, the concept changes drastically, although the word is
> retained. This creates the confusion. In the arts, we follow a
> humanistic train of thought and rely more on paradigms developed for
> understanding the human condition.
>
> The concept of discourse comes from a completely different tradition. We
> don't need to reconcile these two. It is better to make a decision which
> way we want to go and then, let's go that way without hesitation. I
> would not discuss the difference or similarity between theory and
> discourse simply because they work in different intellectual systems.
> Here I agree with Gavin, if I interpret his post correctly. So, whether
> we theorize or make discourse depends where we stand and what
> intellectual wave we ride. It will be difficult to reconcile these two.
> I also think it would not be necessary, at least at that point.
>
> Best,
>
> Lubomir
>
> Lubomir Popov, Ph.D.
> Associate Professor
> School of Family and Consumer Sciences
> 309 Johnston Hall
> Bowling Green, OH 43403-0059
> phone: (419) 372-7935
--
Filippo A. Salustri, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Ryerson University
350 Victoria St, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada
Tel: 416/979-5000 ext 7749
Fax: 416/979-5265
Email: [log in to unmask]
http://deseng.ryerson.ca/~fil/
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