Ernst von Glasersfeld, an internationally influential cybernetician, originator and developer of Radical Constructivism, died last Friday (Nov. 12th at 7 am EST) at the age of 93 in Amherst (Massachusetts) or, in his own words "entered the eternal skislopes". An obituary will follow on the pages of OIKOS (http://www.oikos.org/psicen.htm) and ASC (http://www.asc-cybernetics.org).
Our acquaintance began in Spring 1985: Ernst called me from Athens (Georgia) on my private phone number in Zürich, Universitätstrasse 17. He had received my "Research Report Nr. 1". From here, during the following 25 years, a beautiful relationship developed, during which he became my best friend and my ideal master.
In a certain sense I also died now with him but at the same time also "entered a new lifeslope".
One year ago, right on the same day, von Glasersfeld had received in the City Hall of Vienna the medal of honour in gold of the city of Vienna and given in the Festsaal the opening talk of the 4th Intern. Heinz von Förster-Congress.
"Constructivism makes life so much nicer and easier because you lose the urge to be right" he said in 2005 at a congress in Vienna; would be nice if we could transfer this to economy, politics, education and everyday life: away from the usual eristic dialectics towards more and more dialogue.
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
Monday, 15 November 2010
Ende einer Erfahrungswelt
Ernst von Glasersfeld, Begründer des Radikalen Konstruktivismus, ist am vergangenen Freitag (12. November um 13 Uhr MEZ) im Alter von 93 Jahre in Amherst (Massachusetts) gestorben oder, wie er sagte, "in die ewigen Skipisten eingefahren". Nachrufe z.B. in der FAZ oder der Standard, Wien.Unsere Bekanntschaft begann im Frühjahr 1985: Ernst rief mich aus Athens (Georgia, USA) an, auf meiner privaten Telefonnummer in Zürich, Universitätsstrasse 17. Er hatte mein "Research Report Nr. 1" erhalten ... In den folgenden 25 Jahren entwickelte sich daraus eine sehr schöne Beziehung, für mich wurde er mein bester Freund und vorbildlicher Meister.
In gewisser Weise bin auch ich jetzt mit ihm gestorben und zugleich in einer neuen Lebenspiste "eingefahren".
"Der Konstruktivismus macht das Leben so viel schöner und einfacher weil man den Drang Recht zu haben verliert." sagte von Glasersfeld an einem Kongress in 2005 (am 26.9.2010 in diesem Blog erwähnt...); wäre schön, wenn wir das auf Wirtschft, Politik, Wissenschaft, Bildung und Alltag übertragen könnten: weg von der gewohnten Eristik und hin zu mehr Dialog.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
Ziel der Wissenschaft
Bertolt Brecht, Leben des Galilei, Frankfurt a/M: Suhrkamp Verlag, edition suhrkamp 1, 1975, 18. Auflage, S.125:- "GALILEI: Ich halte dafür, dass das einzige Ziel der Wissenschaft darin besteht, die Mühseligkeit der menschlichen Existenz zu erleichtern."
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
The choice is ours ...
In the Introduction to "Wisdom for Life: Three Principles for Well-being" Elsie Spittle writes about the Three Principles discovered by Sydney Banks:
- The principle of Mind is universal creative energy. Consciousness is the ability to be aware of this power and to understand how experience is created. Thought is the capacity to draw on this energy in order to create our experience of reality. We can use this power to create a vast spectrum of experiences, from joy to depression, from contentment to discontent, and from faith to fear. The choice is ours and does not depend on external circumstances." (2005, p.11)
Friday, 5 November 2010
Begriff Verantwortung - Biblionetz
Beat Döbeli bietet auf seinem Biblionetz eine interessante Sammlung zum Begriff "Verantwortung"Der Spruch von Heinz von Förster:
- "Wissen bedeutet Verantwortung"
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Visual phenomena sites
... suggested by Pascal:
- Michael Bach, prof. Univ. of Freiburg (D)
- http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/
- http://www.uniklinik-freiburg.de/augenklinik/live/homede/mit/bach_en.html
- Sandro Del Prete, a Swiss artist:
Saturday, 30 October 2010
Debate and Argument - E. de Bono
In our Western culture argument "is the basis of our search for truth and the basis of our adversial system in science, law and politics." (de Bono 1991:5).
The use of argument as the central method of traditional conversation in law, politics and science results in a "strong tendency towards negativity and attack" (de Bono 1991:7).
"By means of argument which manoeuvres matters into a contradictory position, something can be shown to be false." (de Bono 1991:6).
"Let us look at some of the purposes of argument ... Argument can serve to point out errors of fact. It can serve to point out ... inconsistencies. ... Argument can encourage exploration of a subject ... It can present a different set of values ... It can present different experience ... At it best argument might achieve many of these purposes." (de Bono 1991:206)
"At it worst and more usual expression, argument concentrates on proving the opposing case to be false and the people putting it forward to be both stupid and motivated by self-interest." (de Bono 1991:207)
The use of argument as the central method of traditional conversation in law, politics and science results in a "strong tendency towards negativity and attack" (de Bono 1991:7).
"By means of argument which manoeuvres matters into a contradictory position, something can be shown to be false." (de Bono 1991:6).
"Let us look at some of the purposes of argument ... Argument can serve to point out errors of fact. It can serve to point out ... inconsistencies. ... Argument can encourage exploration of a subject ... It can present a different set of values ... It can present different experience ... At it best argument might achieve many of these purposes." (de Bono 1991:206)
"At it worst and more usual expression, argument concentrates on proving the opposing case to be false and the people putting it forward to be both stupid and motivated by self-interest." (de Bono 1991:207)
We need a change in conversation habits ...
... "from confrontational habits to more constructive habits"
Edward de Bono (1991) I am right, you are wrong. Penguin: London, p. 2
Edward de Bono (1991) I am right, you are wrong. Penguin: London, p. 2
La cara oculta de la luna (far side of the moon) ...
... es el hemisferio de la Luna no observable desde la Tierra (http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cara_oculta_de_la_Luna)
Lo mismo ocurre con nuestra visión de nosotros mismos (the same happens with our view of ourselves).
Lo mismo ocurre con nuestra visión de nosotros mismos (the same happens with our view of ourselves).
Friday, 29 October 2010
Derogatory language - view from sociology
Found some interesting statements from sociology about derogatory language:
Would be interesting to look from this point of view also at derisive language in scientific papers and discussion, for example by David Kenneth Johnson:
- Sociologists point to derisive language as an indicator of flawed reasoning ...
- a fundamental axiom of sociology recognizes that derogatory forms of speech make erronious attributions ....
- Scholars classify the erroneous assumptions as the fundamental attribution error
Would be interesting to look from this point of view also at derisive language in scientific papers and discussion, for example by David Kenneth Johnson:
- http://www.kjf.ca/78-C25JO.htm (ON THE PROPER USE OF WORDS)
- http://www.kjf.ca/78-C31JO.htm (CONSTRUCTIVISM DE-RADICALIZED)
- http://www.kjf.ca/78-C84JOH.htm (BONES IN THE CONSTRUCTIVIST CLOSET)
How thinking can alter perception - Nature News 27.10.2010
On Nature online a news article reports about research by Cerf, M. et al. Nature 467, 1104-1108 (2010) which shows how humans can use thinking to alter perception of competing visual images
In the news Dr. Moran Cerf gives an interesting interpretation of his EXPERIMENTS:
In the news Dr. Moran Cerf gives an interesting interpretation of his EXPERIMENTS:
- "The environment offers some reality," he says, "but your own brain can shape it and override it with its internal deliberations."
Thursday, 28 October 2010
Passion and Reason - Erasmus of Rotterdam
that the life of man might not be altogether disconsolate and hard to away with, of how much more passion than reason has Jupiter composed us? putting in, as one would say, "scarce half an ounce to a pound." The Praise of Folly (1511) - Translated by John Wilson 1668
Life as a play - Erasmus of Rotterdam
For what is life but a play in which everyone acts a part until the curtain comes down? The Praise of Folly (1511)
Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Neurons as puppet masters
Antonio Damasio & Kaspar Meyer write in Nature 454, 167-168 (10 July 2008) "Convergence–Divergence Zones" (CDZs) – (‘mirror neurons’) that mirror neurons act not so much as "mirrors" but "more like puppet masters, pulling the strings of various memories."
The authors are dealing with neurons and brains, my allegory deals with thought and minds: not quite same, right?
Saturday, 23 October 2010
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