In a message dated 99-05-03 01:59:12 EDT, you write:
Steve writes:
> What history does show us is that as humankind develps its technologies
> the workings of that technology insinuate themselves into discourse as
> metaphor. In biblical days the Lord was our Shepherd and King. Later,
> mechanical metaphors moved into our thinking about how the world of
> thought works, and now we want to believe that organizations conform to
> system thinking, and "self organize," and reach "equilibrium," and the
> rest.
>
> This kind of thinking results in well meaning and unintentional
> obfuscation.
>
> Steve Eskow
I think this is a very important point. I often refer to the idea that
metaphors people hold as a form (physical realities) as social hypnosis.
There is a great deal to learn from the idea that the emperor has no
clothes.
Since I have a background in Cognitive Science I have been exposed to many
of the psychological metaphors that many people assume exist in the
physical world. From the days of Freud et. al. there as been this metaphor
of the ego. No one to this date has been able to extract, view, measure,
or handle an ego. But there is a whole lot of talk "as if" this metaphor
exists in the physical world.
I find a danger in extrapolating data from the environment without logical
investigation and skepticism.
We can however observe the environment and notice trends, patterns, and
basic principles. The information of patterns can then lead to better
predictions and possible means for alteration in order to achieve
differing results. Inherent in that process is a sense of not really
knowing what will happen until it has been tested "enough".
Through investigation that postceded the original metaphor of the ego, a
more accurate prinicple of cognitive functioning emerged. A less obscure
or transcendental model of cognitive functioning demonstrates a process
not a physical object. Within that metaphor was the problem that it
actually existed, and hence the danger of assumption. The assumption was
that because people spoke of the metaphor as being real it gained
importance and a place in the way information was processed. Hence a great
of deal of time and effort was spent on just working with the metaphor
instead of continually observing the environment to gain more data to form
better models.
The basic point I am making is to be aware of whether one is investigating
to understand something or working to validate some form of social
hypnosis that is manifested in metaphor. For example, people working to
create a learning organization. The learning organization is a metaphor.
Science tells us that working brains are always learning. Therefore the
metaphor of a learning organization is obscurely inaccurate. Since
organizations are made up of people, and people have brains, and brains
are always learning, all organizations are learning organizations.
Evolutionary biology can validate those assumptions.
The idea that one can create a learning organization presupposes that
there is an organization that isn't learning. Hence the metaphor contains
illogic and inherent confusion.
What might make more logical sense it to create patterns within an
organization that foster goal achievement beyond the present level of
learning. The assumption there follows more sound principles that the
individuals are already learning and presupposes more conscious direction
of what to learn, how much to learn, when to be focused on new concepts.
That the goal is not about creating some metaphor of a learning
organization but to foster more effective patterns that fit specific
tangible goals. Connecting that to the concept of the ego, instead of
looking at some ethereal ego that doesn't exist, investigate cognitive
processes and how they work.
Instead of creating models and metaphors to explain the process of the
inherently confusing metaphor of a learning organization, why not focus on
structured means for creating learning.
The basic principles of learning, repetition, elaboration, and
reinforcement structures have been well investigated and found in most
introductory learning and memory texts.
Just some thoughts on the matter
Glen
--Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>