Re: Learning the earth system LO4008

John Woods (jwoods@execpc.com)
Sat, 2 Dec 1995 08:26:09 -0600 (CST)

Replying to LO3991 --

Don Duguerre said:
>John Woods said:
>
>"So let's try to never take too seriously any particular solution or
>conclusion. There in no absolutely right way to do anything. We
>struggle, we learn and then we do that some more. We have the gift of
>being able to realize this about ourselves and maybe even enjoy the
>process sometimes."
>
>It is a question today whether or not we live in an objectively ordered
>reality and whether or not there are any natural (social) laws, any
>"truth." While I can agree that social reality is tremendously complex
>with variety approaching infinity, and therefore we cannot model social
>reality accurately with our existing mathematics, unless we make
>tremendous assumptions and create abstractions that reduce the variety;
>and while I can therefore agree that social reality is inter-subjective --
>I want to be very careful that we don't abandon a search for 'the truth.'
>Even if there are no right ways, surely there are ways that we like better
>than others and ways that seem to work better than others (whatever 'work'
>means)? Surely then it is important to disagree, to critique, to dialogue
>-- surely learning in an inter-subjective social reality has to be
>interactive? However if we don't take ourselves, our lives, our work, our
>disaggreements seriously, then what are we doing? I fear that naive
>notions of 'consensus' and 'human relations' perspectives on
>communication/dialogue and 'postmodernism' could lead towards solipsism
>and the abandonment of reality by the social sciences. This could be
>interpreted as a maladaptive response to turbulence (dissociation) which
>from a pragmatic perspective could be suicidal. Thus I favour
>argumentation and continuing to knock out what it is we think we know
>about the nature of social reality, and what it is that we think will work
>to create a better society.
>
>deguerre.don@syncrude.com

Since my post evoked this response, I want to comment further. I think
Don Deguerre response is in the best tradition of dialogue is about. He
has used what I have said to explore assumptions and has stimulated my
thinking, which I appreciate. I would never suggest abandoning the search
for truth, but I would suggest that the closest we may come to truth will
be the act of searching for it. Given that, we (I) can hardly abandon it.
As for taking ourselves seriously, what I meant by that idea is not to
take any conclusion too seriously, as that closes us off to further
learning. Many of the problems in organizations, and in the world in
general, come from people being so wed to their conclusions and being
unwilling to explore their assumptions in relation to those of others that
conflict becomes inevitable.

So I think Don and I are in agreement, and I appreciate this chance to
continue discussing such issues.

--
John Woods
jwoods@execpc.com