Hi TOK List,
I hope this finds you well. I am writing
with a couple of updates and reflections. First, I am happy to
say that a paper that Joe Michalski and I wrote was recently
accepted for publication in the journal of Integrative
Psychological and Behavioral Sciences. It provides the most
thorough argument for understanding the concept of “behavior”
from a ToK lens and relating it to the science of psychology.
It also formally introduces the Periodic Table of Behavior.
This will be important to the larger Theory of Knowledge for
the 21st Century vision because it continues to
advance the argument that the language game of science can be
understood via the concept of behavior. The paper argues that
scientific epistemology is about the methods of reliably
observing and measuring “behavior”, defined as changes in
object-field relationships. This is one aspect of the concept.
Then there is the scientific ontology argument that there are
different kinds of behavior in nature. This is what the Tree
of Knowledge maps. On the left side, there is the ontic
reality of the behaviors of objects (Matter), organisms
(Life), animals (Mind), and people (Culture). And, on the
right side, emerging out of human Culture there are the
scientific ontological models found in the physical,
biological, “psychological”, and human social sciences.
Psychological is in quotes here because it refers to how the
ToK characterizes “basic” psychology. A more apt general
description of the current category of science that
corresponds to the animal-mental dimension would be the broad
“mind, brain, behavioral sciences”.
Some time in the not too distant future,
I will build off of this analysis and share Zak Stein’s
conception of “metapsychology” and how it corresponds to what
I have meant by a consilient scientific humanistic philosophy
for the 21st Century. I will be sharing how I think
the concepts of “Behavior, Spirit, and Morality” provide a way
to frame the issues and move toward a more holistic language
system that resolves the tensions between the scientific and
humanistic worldviews. “Behavior” refers to how the ToK System
frames the language game of science, “spirit” refers to each
person’s unique, idiographic phenomenological experience of
being in the world from their first person perspective, and
“morality” refers to the intersubjectively shared values that
define the good relative to evil (or however values are
framed). Speaking of a Theory Of Knowledge for the 21st
Century, I am exploring the possibility of developing a
YouTube Channel, TOK21. The description is attached. I would
welcome ideas, suggestions or feedback. I will be getting
consultation with some folks here at JMU for doing a YouTube
channel. Any ideas folks have would be great.
Finally, as I have been talking to more
and more folks outside of both psychology and the US, it has
become increasingly clear to me that it is essential to couch
the Tree of Knowledge/UTUA Framework in its socio-historical
context. By that, I mean that the scheme was definitely born
in an American/Clinical/Psychological/Empirical/Science
context. That is, it really is a response to the intersection
of these ideas and the fact that there is a deep and profound
problem of incoherence in the “center” of them. Last night, I
arranged it into the acronym “SPACE” (as Andee says, I do love
my acronyms). This concept can then be used to describe the
SPACE (i.e., the specific institutional, socio-historical
justification context) that the system arose in response to. I
say this because its form is very much influenced by that
context. For the record, I do not mean to imply that it is
only valid in this cultural context. Rather, only that it is
important to contextual the forces that gave rise to it to
understand its full form and function.
Hope folks have a good weekend.
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://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/theory-knowledge
Check out my webpage at:
www.gregghenriques.com
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