Marion Brady said:
>> In Western culture, in our attempt TO UNDERSTAND EXPERIENCE, WE
>>ROUTINELY "TAKE REALITY APART" BY ATTENDING TO TIME, LOCATION,
>>PARTICIPANT ACTORS, ACTION, AND CAUSE, AND THE SYSTEMIC
>>RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THESE FIVE ASPECTS OF OUR PERCEPTIONS OF
>>REALITY. THESE, NOT THE TRADITIONAL ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES, ARE THE
>>PROPER SUBDISCIPLINES OF A SINGLE, INTEGRATED, INTELLECTUALLY
>>MANAGEABLE GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM.
I agree with this. Fundamentally what she is saying is that people
routinely think in terms of systems, processes, and relationships, but we
do a terrific job of not appreciating this. Senge sometimes says people
have to change the way they think. I disagree with this. Thinking is a
function of how the brain works, and that's not under our control. We
already think in terms of systems, we just aren't aware of it. So what we
should be imploring people to do is wake up! The real appeal of the
systems view is that it provides a more valuable/useful/productive way for
us to understand our experience and direct our behavior. That's why
people, when they understand this idea, embrace it so enthusiastically. I
suppose most participants here would be among those who have this
enthusiasm. You may want to ask yourself what the appeal is. I think
you'll answer in terms that parallel the sentence just above that starts
with the words "The real appeal...."
What people we label geniuses are able to do that ordinary folks can't, is
see what's always been there and point it out to the rest of us. After
that, most of us can see it. There would be more geniuses if we could
only learn to open our eyes to see the world as the system it is and take
advantage of the tools and techniques we have developed to learn about
that system. What Marion is suggesting, I believe, is an approach to
education that wakes us up to ourselves and the systems view of life--one
that allows us to take full advantage of our abilities as human beings.
This means focusing on relationships and processes. It means appreciating
the pieces, but it also requires understanding the dynamic whole that
we're all part of and shaping by what we do.
Keep up the good work, Marion.
-- John Woods jwoods@execpc.com