M.Yunan writes:
> I'm very interested in
> Parallel Thinking and in [Dr. Edward de Bono's] book- "Parallel
> Thinking", he states that with today's rapid changes, judgement
> is not enough and because of these,
> we need to design forward from parallel possibilities. I would like to
> link these statement to our education world today and later on brought
> a question upon the subject.
I find the last statement somewhat in conflict with itself, and wonder if
I need clarification. There is a "designerly" judgment required in the
creative process that cannot come from analysis alone. Architects and
engineers both require judgment to design anything. The judgment comes
from education, practice, and intuition, and can be aided by practicing an
artistic endeavor, such as dance or painting. The engineer that knows no
judgment is little more than a human calculator.
Emanual Kant has a famous book called "The Critique of Reason," popular in
part because of the Western love of analysis. He also has a less popular
book called "The Critique of Judgment," and although I have never read
either of these books, I am told they balance each other nicely.
> It is well known, that anyone who goes to academic institution
> believes that after they have concluded their studies, analysis and
> descriptions are enough to face the world. But analysis and
> descriptions alone cannot move us forward and due to this conclusion,
> we need to switch from analysis to design. My question is, how can
> we design to get things done?
Our current educational system in general fits the description given here.
I believe, however, that the institutions of the arts, and some of the
more progressive (or regressive, depending on your point of view)
scientific and engineering institutions are aware of the need for judgment
and design in practice, and balance analysis with synthesis. In "Educating
the Reflective Practitioner," Donald Schon gives excellent examples of
ways that students learn designerly judgment. I recommend this last to you
to help answer your question.
I hope this helps you a bit.
-- John.p.crutcher@boeing.comLearning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>