Many thanks for this thoughtful set of reflections. Your reflections got me thinking about transcendent values. That is, although my life has yet to be written and whatever legacy I might or might not have is open and will emerge as a function of contingency and the justification of other, it nevertheless is the case that I have found that I have been able to commit to an ultimate value structure that, for me at least, contextualizes human justification. In the words of Waldemar, this is the “ultimate justification of our justification systems”.
For me, cultivating the authentic freedom to be that which enhances dignity and well-being with integrity has served as my transcendent solution to the problem of value. Would love to get your thoughts on that.
Best,
G
From: tree of knowledge system discussion <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Steven Quackenbush
Sent: Sunday, March 8, 2020 2:05 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: blog on storytelling self
Resending this (edited for a typo):
Hi Gregg,
I enjoyed your blog on the storytelling self, and I was especially intrigued by the notion of "eulogy values".
A few thoughts:
· As Gergen and Gergen (1986) observe, any successful narrative must establish a "goal state" or "valued endpoint";
o "For example, it must succeed in establishing the value of a protagonist's well-being, the destruction of an evil condition, the victory of a favored group, the discovery of something precious, or the like" (pp. 25-26).
o Once established, the goal state provides a basis for evaluating every action (and event) within the story itself.
§ "In effect, all events in a successful narrative are related by virtue of their containment in a given evaluative space. Therein lies the coherence of the narrative. As one moves from one event to another, one also approaches or moves away from the desired goal state" (p. 26).
· Eulogy values can be considered as a "valued endpoint" of the personal narrative.
· The only problem here is that the personal narrative is not yet written. At best, we have a working draft of the first few chapters of the story.
· For this reason, eulogy values merely sketch out a possible path for the autobiographical self. Of course, we may fail to live up to our values. But, more significantly, it's possible that the values themselves may change, thus shifting our understanding of every aspect of our personal narrative.
· The perennial is-ought problem, it seems, stands in the way of telling a cohesive and coherent story about ourselves. For every such story that I tell (as a matter of fact), there may be another that I should be telling. Simply put, the developmental story is haunted to the core by the problem of value.
· I'm reminded here of a question posed by Mark Freeman (1991):
o "[If] in fact there is no universally binding end to which life is believed to lead, is the very concept of development 'fragmented and then in part destroyed' [MacIntyre, 1981, p. 5]...the rational history of days gone by being replaced, in true nihilistic fashion, with a decidedly irrational one?" (p. 87, brackets added)
· Interestingly, Freeman (1991) answers his own question with "cautious but firm no" (p. 87):
o "...though the prescription of a 'given end' may not be forthcoming, at least not at this moment in history, it may still be possible to speak cogently about the process of development. But yet again,how? Here the idea of narrative comes to the forefront of our concerns. Instead of conceiving development as a process that culminates in a given end, might it not be construed as a process of reconstructing ends, of rewriting them...in line with the ever changing tasks and moral demands of one's life?....The histories that people tell, of the contradictions that give rise to what can arguably be deemed 'better' modes of knowing and being, translate into a vision of development predicated on the, in principle, ceaseless reconstruction of ends." (pp. 87-88)
· Certainly, there are abstract virtues that everyone embraces, at least in name. But the concrete form that the Good takes needs to be worked out (in fear and trembling) by each of us. In effect, the Good needs to be worked and reworked as our lives unfold.
· Eulogy values are appropriately considered as defining features of my story considered from the vantage point of the Other. If my impact on other people's lives is questionable, the eulogy will tend toward abstractions ("he we was a good, hard-working man!"). If my impact is substantive, the eulogy can take the form of a story (i.e., concrete illustrations of the difference I've made in other people's lives). But even this can't be my story -- as I'm not dead yet!
· Eulogy values do, however, remind us that our story is never simply our own. At the end of the day, we fall under the judgment of others -- and we must find a way to justify ourselves.
~ Steve Q.
References:
Freeman, M. (1991). Rewriting the self: Development as moral practice. In M. Tappan & M. Packer (Eds.), Narrative and storytelling: Implications for understanding moral development (New directions for child development. No. 54) (pp. 83-101). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Gergen, K., & Gergen, M. (1986). Narrative form and the construction of psychological science. In T. Sarbin (Ed.), Narrative psychology: The storied nature of human conduct (pp. 22-44). New York: Praeger.
MacIntyre, A. (1981). After virtue: A study in moral theory. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press.
Steven W. Quackenbush, Ph.D.
Associate Provost and Dean of Arts and Sciences
University of Maine, Farmington
Farmington, ME 04938
(207) 778-7518
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
On Sun, Mar 8, 2020 at 2:01 PM Steven Quackenbush <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
Hi Gregg,
I enjoyed your blog on the storytelling self, and I was especially intrigued by the notion of "eulogy values".
A few thoughts:
* As Gergen and Gergen (1986) observe, any successful narrative must establish a "goal state" or "valued endpoint";
* "For example, it must succeed in establishing the value of a protagonist's well-being, the destruction of an evil condition, the victory of a favored group, the discovery of something precious, or the like" (pp. 25-26).
* Once established, the goal state provides a basis for evaluating every action (and event) within the story itself.
* "In effect, all events in a successful narrative are related by virtue of their containment in a given evaluative space. Therein lies the coherence of the narrative. As one moves from one event to another, one also approaches or moves away from the desired goal state" (p. 26).
* Eulogy values might be considered can be considered as a "valued endpoint" of the personal narrative.
* The only problem here is that the personal narrative is not yet written. At best, we have a working draft of the first few chapters of the story.
* For this reason, eulogy values merely sketch out a possible path for the autobiographical self. Of course, we may fail to live up to our values. But, more significantly, it's possible that the values themselves may change, thus shifting our understanding of every aspect of our personal narrative.
* The perennial is-ought problem, it seems, stands in the way of telling a cohesive and coherent story about ourselves. For every such story that I tell (as a matter of fact), there may be another that I should be telling. Simply put, the developmental story is haunted to the core by the problem of value.
* I'm reminded here of a question posed by Mark Freeman (1991):
* "[If] in fact there is no universally binding end to which life is believed to lead, is the very concept of development 'fragmented and then in part destroyed' [MacIntyre, 1981, p. 5]...the rational history of days gone by being replaced, in true nihilistic fashion, with a decidedly irrational one?" (p. 87, brackets added)
* Interestingly, Freeman (1991) answers his own question with "cautious but firm no" (p. 87):
* "...though the prescription of a 'given end' may not be forthcoming, at least not at this moment in history, it may still be possible to speak cogently about the process of development. But yet again,how? Here the idea of narrative comes to the forefront of our concerns. Instead of conceiving development as a process that culminates in a given end, might it not be construed as a process of reconstructing ends, of rewriting them...in line with the ever changing tasks and moral demands of one's life?....The histories that people tell, of the contradictions that give rise to what can arguably be deemed 'better' modes of knowing and being, translate into a vision of development predicated on the, in principle, ceaseless reconstruction of ends." (pp. 87-88)
* Certainly, there are abstract virtues that everyone embraces, at least in name. But the concrete form that the Good takes needs to be worked out (in fear and trembling) by each of us. In effect, the Good needs to be worked and reworked as our lives unfold.
* Eulogy values are appropriately considered as defining features of my story considered from the vantage point of the Other. If my impact on other people's lives is questionable, the eulogy will tend toward abstractions ("he we was a good, hard-working man!"). If my impact is substantive, the eulogy can take the form of a story (i.e., concrete illustrations of the difference I've made in other people's lives). But even this can't be my story -- as I'm not dead yet!
* Eulogy values do, however, remind us that our story is never simply our own. At the end of the day, we fall under the judgment of others -- and we must find a way to justify ourselves.
~ Steve Q.
References:
Freeman, M. (1991). Rewriting the self: Development as moral practice. In M. Tappan & M. Packer (Eds.), Narrative and storytelling: Implications for understanding moral development (New directions for child development. No. 54) (pp. 83-101). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Gergen, K., & Gergen, M. (1986). Narrative form and the construction of psychological science. In T. Sarbin (Ed.), Narrative psychology: The storied nature of human conduct (pp. 22-44). New York: Praeger.
MacIntyre, A. (1981). After virtue: A study in moral theory. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press.
On Fri, Mar 6, 2020 at 9:35 AM Henriques, Gregg - henriqgx <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
Hi TOK List,
I put up a blog today. I want to say thank you to either Jamie or Jason (or both or someone else?) who I think used the phrase “storytelling self,” which was the inspiration for this blog. I have found myself using the term with some regularity since. I could not remember or find exactly where this term was used, but I think it popped up on this list and so I wanted to say thanks to whomever offered it.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-knowledge/202003/the-storytelling-self-in-three-phases-across-the-lifespan<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.psychologytoday.com_us_blog_theory-2Dknowledge_202003_the-2Dstorytelling-2Dself-2Din-2Dthree-2Dphases-2Dacross-2Dthe-2Dlifespan&d=DwMFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=owoBnureRAmaCFUwMDGvhxd3wEnQNhDi7FPsUxrBjys&s=ac54uM5hchWXUaTANl8HtxaNc_mGm-uQogwTGl55k2c&e=>
Best,
Gregg
############################
To unsubscribe from the TOK-SOCIETY-L list: write to: mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto: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]<mailto: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