Whoops.....here are the other attachments... On Mon, Mar 11, 2019 at 9:42 AM JOHN TORDAY <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Dear Gregg and ToKers, I appreciate the effort to develop the ToK/UTUA > system. However, you know that I think that this is merely extending the > existing synchronic paradigm of tautologies and teleologies. The French > Physiologist Etienne Roux has recently addressed the teleologic nature of > physiology being described based on function, but doesn't offer an > alternative, but I have offered a paradigm shift that would eliminate such > Just So Stories, as I have said repeatedly. No doubt there were those who > denied that the Earth is round (there are those who believe it to this > day), but that would not have led to the WWW, for example, and me > communicating with y'all in this mode. I have expressed the advantage of > seeing our evolution from its unicellular origins (see attached), and have > inserted that mechanism into your ToK 'map' at the Joint Points with > explanations at each 'level' (see attached). I am sure that the ToK > membership will feel much more comfortable with the descriptive > perspective, but beware the downside of doing the same thing over and over > again, expecting a different outcome. We must stop the insanity of > destroying the planet, thinking that we have an exit strategy. And CRISPR > and AI are just as absurd IMHO. I welcome your criticisms. Best, John > > On Mon, Mar 11, 2019 at 8:27 AM Henriques, Gregg - henriqgx < > [log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> Hi List, >> >> Central to the ToK and larger UTUA project is the claim that our >> language/communication systems break down into relative incoherence as we >> shift from the natural sciences (i.e., physics into chemistry into biology) >> into psychology and the social sciences. The evidence for this claim is >> found in “the problem of psychology” which is the fact that the problem of >> psychology’s definition and subject matter delineation has never been >> solved. >> >> >> >> My hope is one of the key pieces of foundational agreement for the TOK >> Society is to both understand this central fact, and why it is the case. >> The FACT that it is the case can be found in the fact that if there is >> anything psychologists agree on it is that there is not conceptual >> agreement that allows us to draw a circle around the center of the >> discipline. That is, unlike biology and physics, there is no subject matter >> center for the field. That is TRULY remarkable if you think about it. >> >> >> >> Why is this the case? According to the ToK and larger UTUA framework, the >> reason is in large part because modern Western Philosophical traditions >> attempted to solve the mind/matter philosophical conundrum in terms of a >> reductive/deductive foundationalism into either (a) matter; (b) >> mind/idealism or (c) both. This was a grave mistake. What is needed, >> according to the ToK is a naturalistic systemic metaphysics, rather than a >> reductive/deductive foundationalist approach. >> >> >> >> Two attachments are shared to make this point. The first attachment is >> of a summary of a newly released book on humanistic psychology. I share it >> because it attempts to proclaim that psychology is (or should be) defined >> as the inner lived experience of persons. The “contained subjectivity” that >> is available only via introspection. And, BTW, would be lined up with much >> of what the representational qualia theory is concerned with, if you have >> been following the thread on consciousness between Brent, John and me. Of >> course, from my perspective this claim is deeply problematic for a host of >> reasons. If we take it seriously, it would mean observing a conversation >> between two people would not be “human psychology” because we would not see >> inside their heads. This is the logical/conceptual problem that the concept >> of mental behavior avoids. >> >> >> >> The second attachment is a summary of a 2014 book by the philosopher >> Lawrence Cahoone from his book *Orders of Nature*. Although we developed >> our visions and arguments completely separately, we came to a very similar >> conclusion, made particularly clear in his depiction of his vision of the >> orders of nature on p 91 and shared in the ppt. I COMPLETELY agree with >> Cahoone that the task of natural philosophy is to develop a systematic >> metaphysical picture that sets the stage for a shared language system. >> >> >> >> Together I hope these two attachments demonstrate the point. Psychology >> is hopelessly floundering around because there is no scientific >> *conceptual* system that can anchor it and that is up to the task of >> dealing with the complexity of the objective, subjective, and >> intersubjective dimensions of human experience. And the Cahoone book shows >> us why: Modern Western Philosophy was misguided in its focus on a >> Foundationalist Deductive-Reductive ultimate metaphysics and instead should >> have been systemic metaphysics that afforded the sciences from quantum >> mechanics to sociology a coherent descriptive ontology that would allow for >> an effective, consilient language system. The absence of such a ToK-like >> system is at the root of the profound confusion and fragmented pluralism >> that characterizes the current state of the social sciences. And it means >> with the ToK, we can finally solve the problem and start to bring clarity >> to the confusion. >> >> >> Best, >> Gregg >> >> >> >> >> >> ___________________________________________ >> >> Gregg Henriques, Ph.D. >> Professor >> Department of Graduate Psychology >> 216 Johnston Hall >> MSC 7401 >> James Madison University >> Harrisonburg, VA 22807 >> (540) 568-7857 (phone) >> (540) 568-4747 (fax) >> >> >> *Be that which enhances dignity and well-being with integrity.* >> >> Check out my Theory of Knowledge blog at Psychology Today at: >> >> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.psychologytoday.com_blog_theory-2Dknowledge&d=DwIFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=NASLpCWBtaZFwoeMgFYYVgeGTjS6cBsf2T6bEOEOIpk&s=6YbU8SJTtyRhfWFmlurCdFvcmRTE05aLXeu9bPNa50g&e= >> >> >> ############################ >> >> To unsubscribe from the TOK-SOCIETY-L list: write to: >> mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the >> following link: >> http://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=TOK-SOCIETY-L&A=1 >> > ############################ To unsubscribe from the TOK-SOCIETY-L list: write to: mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the following link: http://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=TOK-SOCIETY-L&A=1