User:JonAwbrey/WORKSPACE

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Inquiry

Inquiry and Uncertainty

Sorrentino, Richard M., and Roney, Christopher J.R. (2000), The Uncertain Mind : Individual Differences in Facing the Unknown, (Essays in Social Psychology, Miles Hewstone (ed.)), Taylor and Francis, Philadelphia, PA.

This is a landmark publication in a stream of literature that is key to understanding the dynamics of inquiry in any human enterprise that is — at least, ostensibly — directed toward the development of information, knowledge, wisdom.

Governance

Democracy and Inquiry

Citation from Susan Awbrey and David Scott (1993), "Educating Critical Thinkers for a Democratic Society", that in turn cites Hilary Putnam (1992), Renewing Philosophy.

The importance of preparing individuals for their role as citizens in a democratic society is well documented. However, the reverse assertion is less broadly understood. That is, a democratic environment, in which dialogue and critical thinking are prized, is not only facilitative of but vital to the full development of intelligence. Philosopher Hilary Putnam (1992) refers to what he calls the epistemological justification of democracy which he attributes to John Dewey, "The claim, then, is this: Democracy is not just one form of social life among other workable forms of social life; it is the precondition for the full application of intelligence to the solution of social problems" (p. 180)¹.

¹ Putnam, H. (1992), Renewing Philosophy, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.

• Awbrey, S.M., and Scott, D.K. (August 1993), "Educating Critical Thinkers for a Democratic Society", presented at 'Critical Thinking : The Reform of Education and the New Global Economic Realities', Thirteenth Annual International Conference of The Center for Critical Thinking, Rohnert, CA. Archived, ERIC Document ED4703251. Eprint.

Unintended Consequences of the Community Metaphor

• Citizendium Forum, Unintended Consequences of the Community Metaphor

JA = Jon Awbrey LS = Larry Sanger

• « September 26, 2006, 06:26:27 AM »

The Name of the Pose … The Name of the Posse

Having rode a good ways down the road of good intentions that led to many bad and ugly things at Wikipedia, I will persist, for a while longer, in suggesting that we engage in a serious and duly reflective critical examination of the community metaphor that lurks behind the presumably innocent use of the word "constable", or any other word of a similar order, for the role in question.

Jon Awbrey

« Last Edit: September 26, 2006, 07:42:20 AM by Jon Awbrey »

• « September 26, 2006, 02:36:19 PM »

LS: Community isn't a metaphor, Jon. It's totally literal.

JA: Yes, the word community has a range of definitions from the highly abstract to the deeply concrete. My old Latin teacher used to tease us with the notion that it meant shared walls, and because he looked old enough to have been Caesar's interpreter — literally — I took his joke for a literal truth. By my Webster's says that it comes from munus for duty, gift, or service, and so community would mean something more like common duty or shared service. Fair enough fit as far as that goes.

But when you invoke the name of community in conjunction with a concrete bit of role-playing word-play like constable then you drag its airy nuances down to a far less spirited realm, a far more corporal sphere, in which our good constable can have his figurative doughnuts if you will, but eat nothing more literally substantial than the holes.

Speaking of which, I have to rustle up some grub right now …

Jon Awbrey

« Last Edit: September 27, 2006, 08:54:49 PM by Jon Awbrey »