Alexander Agazziz Professor of Zoology, Emeritus
Harvard University
|
| Ernst Mayr Alexander Agazziz Professor of Zoology, Emeritus Harvard University |
1
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5 FEBRUARY 15TH, 1997 1:30
P.M.
6 MS. BROWNLEE: GOOD AFTERNOON.
WELCOME BACK
7 AFTER A VERY DELIGHTFUL LUNCHEON
AND I HOPE SOME
8 VERY INTERESTING AND ENGAGING DISCUSSION.
AND I
9 THINK MOST OF THE PEOPLE HAVE COME
ON OVER NOW.
10 I RATHER DOUBT THAT ANYONE
IN THIS ROOM WOULD
11 DISAGREE WITH THE PRECEPT THAT
LIBERAL EDUCATION
12 FOR TODAY'S STUDENTS SHOULD INCLUDE
SERIOUS
13 ATTENTION TO THE SCIENCES, BUT
THE REAL ENGAGEMENT
14 OF NONSCIENCE MAJORS IN THAT ASPECT
OF THEIR
15 EDUCATION CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM.
LET'S FACE
16 IT. YET AGAIN THERE IS A LEVEL
OF ALIENATION OF
17 NONSCIENCE STUDENTS TO SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY
18 STUDIES THAT FAR EXCEEDS THE DISLIKE
OF NONMAJOR
19 STUDIES BY ANY OTHER GROUP. AND
YOU MAY WANT TO
20 CHALLENGE THAT, BUT I REALLY THINK
THAT CONTINUES
21 TO BE SO.
22 ONCE AGAIN, ON A NATIONAL
LEVEL AS WELL AS ON
23 INDIVIDUAL CAMPUSES, WE MUST BEND
OUR MINDS TO
24 UNDERSTANDING THE ROOTS OF SUCH
DISCONTENT AND WITH
25 OUR STUDENTS SEEK NEW WAYS TO ADDRESS
IT.
2
1 WHAT IS THE NATURE OF YOUNG
PEOPLE'S FEAR OF
2 SCIENCE? WE HAVE AT THIS COLLOQUY
EMPHASIZED
3 SERVICE AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
AS EFFECTIVE
4 EDUCATION, YET GENERAL SCIENCE
STUDENTS THEMSELVES
5 SEEM MOST TO DREAD LABORATORY EXPERIENCES.
6 DESPITE LOU SHULMAN'S ASSESSMENT
THAT THE
7 PROBLEM IS THEY HAVE NO TIME FOR
REFLECTION. I
8 THINK -- THAT I THINK IS TRUE,
BUT I THINK THERE'S
9 MUCH MORE TO THAT. PERHAPS, INDEED,
THE MEDIEVAL
10 CIVILIZATION'S VAST FEARS OF A
HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT
11 LINGER ON TO THIS DAY AND THAT
THE SUBCONSCIOUSNESS
12 OF OUR GENERATION THAT, IN FACT,
OUR LIVED-IN WORLD
13 IS A FEARSOME PLACE AND THE LESS
KNOWN THE BETTER,
14 SORT OF AN OSTRICH IN THE SAND.
15 IT IS MORE MARKEDLY IN SCIENTIFIC
STUDIES WELL
16 TAUGHT THAT WE CAN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND
HOW VAST, IN
17 FACT, IS OUR IGNORANCE, BUT HOW
GREAT IS THE WONDER
18 OF THE WORLD TO BE DISCOVERED.
HUMILITY IS NOT A
19 QUALITY WE PRIZE IN AMERICAN LIFE,
YET IT IS A
20 QUALITY IN A TRULY LIBERALLY EDUCATED
SCIENTIST AND
21 PERSON MUCH TO BE ADMIRED. FROM
SUCH PERSONS COME
22 GREAT DISCOVERIES AND GREAT CONTRIBUTIONS
OFTEN TO
23 MANY ASPECTS OF LIFE.
24 WE ARE PRIVILEGED TO HAVE
WITH US HERE TODAY
25 TWO VERY DIFFERENT, SIGNIFICANT
SPEAKERS. THEY
3
1 WILL HELP US PONDER THE QUESTION
ANEW, WHAT ARE THE
2 UNDERSTANDINGS OF BIOLOGY, WHAT
ARE THE
3 UNDERSTANDINGS OF THE VERY NEW
FIELD OF INFORMATION
4 TECHNOLOGIES THAT WE SHOULD MAKE
ACCESSIBLE TO ALL
5 STUDENTS? AND IN WHAT WAYS MAY
WE STRIVE TO
6 CONNECT STUDIES OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY FIRMLY IN
7 THE WEB OF AN EFFECTIVE LIBERAL
EDUCATION?
8 DR. ERNST MAYR HAS CARRIED
THE DISTINGUISHED
9 TITLE OF ALEXANDER AGASSIZ PROFESSOR
OF ZOOLOGY,
10 EMERITUS, AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY
FOR 21 YEARS,
11 EMERITUS. HIS IS AN INTENSELY
PRODUCTIVE LIFE.
12 DURING ITS COURSE HE'S BEEN ENGAGED
IN ORNITHOLOGY,
13 SYSTEMATICS, ZOO GEOGRAPHY, EVOLUTION
AND THE
14 HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF BIOLOGY.
15 HE HAS TRAVELED THE GLOBE
SINCE HIS EDUCATION
16 AT THE UNIVERSITIES OF GRIVESFELDT
(sic) AND
17 BERLIN, THROUGH EXPEDITIONS IN
DUTCH NEW GUINEA AND
18 THE SOLOMON ISLANDS HE HAS AUTHORED
AND CO-AUTHORED
19 16 BOOKS, EDITED EIGHT OTHERS AND
AUTHORITY OVER
20 600 JOURNAL ARTICLES. HIS VERY
LATEST BOOK WAS
21 PUBLISHED THIS MONTH AND IS ENTITLED
THIS IS
22 BIOLOGY, THE SCIENCE OF THE LIVING
WORLD.
23 HE TOLD ME HE HAD TAKEN 14
YEARS TO WRITE THIS
24 MAGNUM OPUS. SURELY, I SAID TO
HIM, YOU HAVE BEEN
25 WORKING ON IT ALL YOUR LIFE, TO
WHICH HE SMILINGLY
4
1 AGREED. DR. ERNST MAYR.
2 (APPLAUSE)
3 PROFESSOR MAYR: IF YOU DON'T
MIND, BEING AN
4 OLD MAN, I'M PRESENTING SITTING
DOWN.
5 THE TOPIC THAT WAS ASSIGNED
TO ME WAS BIOLOGY,
6 PRAGMATISM AND LIBERAL EDUCATION.
LET ME START
7 WITH THE LAST AND GRADUALLY WORK
ON TO BIOLOGY.
8 LIBERAL EDUCATION WE HAVE HEARD
IN THE LAST TWO
9 DAYS, HOW MUCH IT IS CHANGING,
HOW MUCH IT HAS
10 CHANGED. AND IF WE GO BACK 100
YEARS IT WAS
11 STRAIGHT CLASSICS. THIS HAS BECOME
EXTINCT IN THE
12 UNITED STATES AND I'M SURE THERE
ISN'T A SINGLE
13 PERSON IN THIS AUDIENCE WHO HAS
NOT (inaudible)
14 EDUCATION WITH ONE EXCEPTION, AND
THAT'S MYSELF.
15 I'M A RELIC OF THE PAST WHERE CLASSICS
WAS IN AND
16 EVERYTHING OR, AS THE PALEONTOLOGIST
WOULD SAY, I'M
17 A LIVING FOSSIL OF THIS CLASSIC
EDUCATION.
18 FROM THE YEARS 1914 TO 1923,
I HAD NINE YEARS
19 OF LATIN, NINE YEARS OF GERMAN
AND MATHEMATICS,
20 SEVEN YEARS OF GREEK AND SEVEN
YEARS OF HISTORY. I
21 HAD FOUR YEARS OF FRENCH AND ONE
OR TWO YEARS OF
22 LIFE (inaudible) SCIENCES, NO ENGLISH.
23 WELL, IN THE MEANTIME ALL
THIS HAS CHANGED AND
24 THE QUESTION IS NOW THAT 75 YEARS
HAVE PASSED SINCE
25 THEN, HOW DO I VALUE STRICTLY OR
STRONGLY
5
1 CLASSICS-BASED EDUCATION. I STILL
THINK IT'S VERY
2 VALUABLE, BUT I MUST ADMIT THAT
IT CROWDED OUT SOME
3 SUBJECTS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN EVEN
MORE VALUABLE.
4 ALTHOUGH I HAD LOTS OF HISTORY,
IT WAS MOSTLY
5 DYNASTIC HISTORY AND I HAD NO CULTURAL
OR POLITICAL
6 HISTORY AT ALL. AND I HAD NO COURSES
IN LOTS OF
7 SUBJECTS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR
THE AVERAGE CITIZEN
8 LIKE ANYTHING HAVING TO DO WITH
DEMOCRACY OR
9 CITIZENSHIP OR OTHER SUBJECTS IN
DAILY LIFE.
10 BUT THE IGNORANCE WHICH THIS
PRODUCED, THIS
11 ABSENCE OF THESE SUBJECTS IS FOUND
EVERYWHERE, NOT
12 ONLY IN GERMANY, BUT CERTAINLY
MOST WHEN I CAME TO
13 THE UNITED STATES IN 1931 WAS THE
INCREDIBLE
14 IGNORANCE OF MOST AMERICANS, INCLUDING
COLLEGE
15 GRADUATES, ABOUT THE REST OF THE
WORLD. HERE WE
16 ARE THE MOST POWERFUL NATION WITH
INTERESTS IN ALL
17 PARTS OF THE WORLD AND YET, WHEN
THE RECENT TROUBLE
18 IN YUGOSLAVIA BROKE OUT, EVEN THE
NEW YORK TIMES
19 FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS COMPLETELY
MISREPRESENTED THE
20 SITUATION ASCRIBING THE GENOCIDAL
ACTIVITIES TO THE
21 YUGOSLAV ARMY WHEN EVERY EUROPEAN
KNEW THAT IT WAS
22 THE SERBS WHO WERE TO BE PEGGED
FOR THIS.
23 NO MATTER WHAT WE MAY DEMAND,
A LIBERAL
24 EDUCATION MUST ELIMINATE THAT KIND
OF IGNORANCE,
25 AND SUCH IGNORANCE IS FOUND IN
MANY AREAS. LET US
6
1 ONLY MENTION RECENT ENCOUNTERS
BETWEEN CREATIONISTS
2 AND EVOLUTIONISTS.
3 AT THE END OF MY PRESENTATION,
I WILL COME
4 BACK TO SOME CONCRETE SUGGESTIONS
AS TO THE CONTENT
5 OF THE LIBERAL CURRICULUM AND SUM
UP AT THIS TIME
6 MY CONCLUSIONS IN THE STATEMENT
THAT THE FOREMOST
7 TASK OF LIBERAL EDUCATION IS TO
ELIMINATE SHAMEFUL
8 IGNORANCE.
9 LIBERAL EDUCATION SHOULD PREPARE
A YOUNG
10 AMERICAN FOR HIS ADULT LIFE. THAT,
PARTLY
11 SPEAKING, IS WHAT LIBERAL EDUCATION
MEANS. I FULLY
12 REALIZE THAT IT IS A VACUOUS STATEMENT
UNTIL WE
13 LIST SPECIFICALLY THE ITEMS A YOUNG
AMERICAN NEEDS
14 FOR HIS ADULT LIFE. THIS IS, OF
COURSE, WHAT MOST
15 OF THE SPEAKERS HAVE DONE IN THE
LAST TWO DAYS.
16 NOW LET ME COME TO PRAGMATISM.
THE EVALUATION
17 OF PRAGMATISM IS DIFFICULT FOR
A NONPROFESSIONAL
18 BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH DIVERSITY
IN THIS FIELD.
19 CRITICS, FOR EXAMPLE, CLAIM THAT
WILLIAM JAMES HAD
20 TURNED PEIRCE'S IDEAS UPSIDE DOWN.
DEWEY REJECTS
21 TELEOLOGY WHILE RORTY SUPPORTS
IT. ARTHUR LOVEJOY
22 IN 1908 SAID THAT HE COULD RECOGNIZE
13 KINDS OF
23 PRAGMATISM. SINCE THAT TIME WE
HAVE THE
24 PUBLICATIONS OF RORTY, HILLARY
PUTNAM AND SEVERAL
25 OTHER PEOPLE. IF YOU WOULD ALL
ADD THEM UP I DON'T
7
1 KNOW HOW MANY TIMES OF PRAGMATISM,
LOVEJOY IF HE
2 WERE STILL ALIVE, WOULD NOW RECOGNIZE.
3 TO AN OUTSIDER LIKE MYSELF
THIS WAS A REAL
4 JUNGLE OF KINDS OF PRAGMATISM.
IN THIS CASE I USED
5 OCCAM'S RAZOR TO THRASH THROUGH
ALL THESE KINDS OF
6 PRAGMATISMS AND KINDLY CAME UP
SURELY TO THE DISMAY
7 OF THE PHILOSOPHER WITH JUST TWO
KINDS OF
8 PRAGMATISM.
9 THE FIRST ONE IS EPISTEMOLOGICAL
PRAGMATISM
10 ACCORDING TO WHICH TRUTH IS ESTABLISHED
OR
11 DETERMINED BY ITS EFFICACY IN PRACTICAL
12 APPLICATION, THAT WHICH WORKS BEST.
PERSONALLY I
13 QUESTION THE VALIDITY OF EPISTEMOLOGICALLY
14 PRAGMATISM. IN EVERYDAY LIFE WE
FIND IT MOST
15 PRACTICAL TO ACT AS IF THE EARTH
WERE FLAT AND WE
16 FIND IT MOST PRACTICAL TO CONSIDER
SINCE THE SUN IS
17 GOING DOWN IN THIS EVENING, COMES
UP IN THE MORNING
18 THAT OBVIOUSLY THE SUN CIRCLES
AROUND THE EARTH,
19 BUT NOW WE KNOW PERFECTLY WELL
THIS IS NOT THE
20 TRUTH.
21 THEREFORE, THE KIND OF PRAGMATISM
THAT SAYS
22 JUST THE PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
PROVE WHAT IS RIGHT
23 AND WHAT IS WRONG IS NOT APPLICABLE
TO SCIENCE.
24 FOR INSTANCE, ALSO IN ORDINARY
PHYSICS NEWTON'S
25 EQUATIONS ARE SATISFACTORY BUT
AS EINSTEIN HAS
8
1 SHOWN, THEY ARE NOT THE ULTIMATE
TRUTH. TRUTH IN
2 SCIENCE IS ESTABLISHED BUT CONTINUOUS
TESTING,
3 VERIFICATION AND FALSIFICATION.
THE PRAGMATIC
4 APPROACH IS ADOPTED ONLY WHEN THERE
ARE COMPETING
5 THEORIES. AMONG SEVERAL COMPETING
ONES THAT THEORY
6 IS THE BEST WHICH PRODUCES THE
BEST RESULTS. I'LL
7 COME BACK TO THIS ONE.
8 EARLY THIS CENTURY THE MENDELIAN
GENETICISTS
9 AND THE LAMARCKIANS ARGUED ABOUT
THE CORRECT THEORY
10 OF EVOLUTION. MOST NATURALISTS
OPTED FOR
11 LAMARCKISM BECAUSE IT WAS BASED
ON GRADUALISM AND
12 NATURALISTS HAD ABUNDANT EVIDENCE
THAT THEIR
13 CONCLUSIONS -- FOR THEIR CONCLUSION
THAT EVOLUTION
14 WAS GRADUAL.
15 MENDELIAN EVOLUTION AS PROPOSED
BY BATESON,
16 DEVRIES AND JOHANNSEN INVOLVED
SALTATIONS IN THE
17 SEQUENCE, MUTATIONS AND REQUIRES
THE REJECTION OF
18 NATURAL SELECTION. ON MIGHT THEREFORE
SAY AT THAT
19 TIME LAMARCKISM WAS THE PRAGMATIST'S
CHOICE OF
20 EVOLUTIONARY THEORY AMONG THESE
TWO COMPETING
21 THEORIES.
22 THIS IS TRUE ONLY ONLY WHEN
THERE ARE SEVERAL
23 SEEMINGLY EQUAL AND WELL-SUPPORTED
THEORIES
24 COMPETING WITH EACH OTHER. NORMALLY
IN SCIENCE
25 PRAGMATISM IS NOT THE WAY TO TRUTH,
AS DEWEY
9
1 RECOGNIZED QUITE EARLY IN HIS CAREER.
THE OTHER
2 KIND OF PRAGMATISM THAT I RECOGNIZE
AND ACTUALLY
3 I'M SURE THAT THE STUDENTS OF PRAGMATISM
WOULD SAY
4 THAT IT HAS MANY DIFFERENT SUBSPECIES,
IS
5 SUBJECTIVE OR EVERYDAY PRAGMATISM,
DEALING WITH
6 PERSONAL ACTIONS AND THE ADOPTION
OF VALUE SYSTEMS.
7 TRUTH IN A PHILOSOPHICAL SENSE
IS NOT INVOLVED, BUT
8 ONLY THE OBSERVABLE RESULTS OF
ACTIONS AND OF THE
9 APPLICATION OF VALUES. THE OUTCOME
OF AN ACTION
10 DETERMINES WHETHER IT IS TO BE
CONSIDERED AS
11 CONSTRUCTIVE AND USEFUL. THIS
KIND OF PRAGMATISM
12 IS PARTICULARLY USEFUL IN THE CASE
OF A MORAL
13 DILEMMA. IT IS NOW RATHER CLEAR
THAT THE MISTAKE
14 MADE BY THE EARLY PRAGMATISTS WAS
TO APPLY THE SAME
15 STANDARDS OF FINDING TRUTH TO SCIENCE
AND TO
16 ETHICS. PRAGMATISM INDEED IS A
VALUABLE APPROACH
17 IN ETHICS, BUT IT IS NOT A SUITABLE
APPROACH IN
18 SCIENCE. HOWEVER, IT IS A VALUABLE
GUIDE IN ANY
19 KIND OF DECISION MAKING IN DAILY
LIFE.
20 THERE'S ONLY ONE SUBJECT MATTER
IN SCIENCE
21 WHERE I APPLIED PRAGMATISM. IT
IS IN THE QUESTION
22 OF REALISM, ONE OF THE BIG CONTROVERSIES
IN
23 PHILOSOPHY. I ADOPT COMMON SENSE
REALISM BECAUSE
24 IT WORKS. I ACCEPT THAT THERE
IS AN OUTSIDE WORLD
25 AND THAT IT IS MORE OR LESS AS
WHAT OUR SENSE
10
1 ORGANS TELL US. OF COURSE, WE
REALIZE THAT OUR
2 SENSE ORGANS ARE VERY INADEQUATE.
WE CAN SEE
3 NEITHER ULTRAVIOLET NOR INFRARED.
OUR OLFACTORY
4 SENSE IS SCANDALOUSLY POOR, AS
COMPARED TO MOST
5 OTHER MAMMALS OR EVEN MOST INSECTS.
HOWEVER,
6 NATURAL SELECTION HAS GIVEN US
THE SENSORY
7 EQUIPMENT TO OPERATE SUCCESSFULLY
IN THE WORLD WE
8 LIVE IN.
9 I CALL THIS WORLD REVEALED
TO US BY OUR SENSE
10 ORGANS AND AUXILIARY INSTRUMENTS
LIKE THE
11 MICROSCOPE, THE MIDDLE WORLD.
IT EXTENDS FROM THE
12 ATOM TO THE SOLAR SYSTEM. BELOW
IT IS THE WORLD OF
13 THE ATOM AND ELEMENTARY PARTICLES,
AND ABOVE IT IS
14 THE WORLD OF THE OUTER COSMOS.
15 THE LIBERATING CONSEQUENCE
OF THE RECOGNITION
16 OF THESE TWO OTHER WORLDS IS THAT
THE SUBATOMIC AND
17 THE TRANSGALACTIC WORLDS ARE ALL
OF NO RELEVANCE
18 WHATSOEVER TO US. I KNOW OF NO
DISCOVERY IN THESE
19 TWO WORLDS THAT HAD ANY INFLUENCE
WHATSOEVER ON OUR
20 UNDERSTANDING OF THE MIDDLE WORLD.
THIS MEANS THAT
21 THE ONLY WORLD OF ANY CONSEQUENCE
FOR BIOLOGY,
22 ANTHROPOLOGY, PSHYCHOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY
AND THE
23 HUMANITIES IS THE MIDDLE WORLD.
HENCE, THE
24 SCHOLARS IN THESE FIELDS OCCUPY
THEMSELVES
25 EXCLUSIVELY WITH THE MIDDLE WORLD
AND DO NOT FEEL
11
1 IN THE LEAST GUILTY ABOUT IGNORING
THE OTHER TWO
2 WORLDS. THIS ELIMINATES A HUGE
AMOUNT OF ACTUAL
3 AND POTENTIAL CONTROVERSIES.
4 I NOW COME TO BIOLOGY, THE
SCIENCE OF THE
5 LIVING WORLD. UNTIL ABOUT 50 YEARS
AGO, PHYSICS
6 WAS THE DOMINANT SCIENCE. NOW
IT IS SAID AGAIN AND
7 AGAIN THIS IS THE CENTURY OF BIOLOGY.
THIS CHANGE
8 IS NOT ONLY DUE TO THE VICTORIOUS
MARCH OF
9 MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, BUT ALSO TO
THE WORKING OUT OF A
10 UNIFIED THEORY OF EVOLUTION WHICH
VIRTUALLY ENDED
11 ALL STRIFE WITHIN EVOLUTIONARY
BIOLOGY, AS WELL AS
12 BY ADVANCES IN NEARLY ALL OTHER
BRANCHES OF BIOLOGY
13 UP TO NEUROBIOLOGY. RELATED BRANCHES
OF SCIENCE
14 SUCH AN ANTHROPOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY
ALSO HAVE
15 BECOME INCREASINGLY BIOLOGICAL.
16 THE PREVIOUS DOMINANCE OF
THE PHYSICAL
17 SCIENCES IS REFLECTED IN THE PHILOSOPHY
OF SCIENCE.
18 FROM THE VIENNA CIRCLE TO CARNAP,
HEMPEL, NAGEL AND
19 QUINE, UP TO POPPER AND KUHN PHILOSOPHY
OF SCIENCE
20 WAS BASED ON LOGIC, MATHEMATICS
AND PHYSICS. NOW A
21 NEW PHILOSOPHY OF BIOLOGY IS DEVELOPING,
LARGELY
22 BASED ON DARWINIAN THINKING, MOVING
IN AN ENTIRELY
23 DIFFERENT DIRECTION. IT REFLECTS,
AMONG OTHERS,
24 THAT THEORIES IN THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES
ARE USUALLY
25 BASED ON LAWS BUT THOSE IN BIOLOGY
ARE BASED ON
12
1 CONCEPTS.
2 THE IMPORTANCE OF CONCEPTS
CANNOT BE
3 EXAGGERATED. OUR OWN WORLD VIEW,
OUR
4 WELTANSCHAUUNG, IS BASED ON CONCEPTS
SUCH AS
5 DEMOCRACY, FREEDOM, ALTRUISM, COMPETITION,
PROGRESS
6 AND RESPONSIBILITY. CONCEPTS HAVE
A NUMBER OF
7 CHARACTERISTICS WHICH HAVE NOT
YET BEEN WELL
8 ARTICULATED. I'M GOING TO DEVOTE
QUITE SOME TIME
9 NOW TO SHOW WHAT ARE THE CONCEPTS
AND WHAT ARE THE
10 ASPECTS OF CONCEPTS THAT NEED FURTHER
STUDY.
11 ONE OF THESE IS THE POTENTIAL
FOR CHANGE. AND
12 LET ME ILLUSTRATE THIS BY THE CONCEPT
EVOLUTION.
13 AND DON'T THINK NOW THAT I'M TRYING
TO GIVE YOU A
14 LECTURE ON EVOLUTION ON BIOLOGY.
THAT IS ONLY
15 INCIDENTAL. BUT I WANT TO SHOW
ON THIS CONCEPT
16 EVOLUTION HOW IT HAS CHANGED OVER
TIME. WHEN
17 PLATONIC ESSENTIALISM WAS A DOMINANT
PHILOSOPHY,
18 EVOLUTION COULD TAKE PLACE ONLY
THROUGH THE ORIGIN
19 OF A NEW ESSENCE. EVOLUTION THUS
WAS A SALTATIONAL
20 PROCESS JUMPING ACROSS A DISCONTINUITY.
THE
21 TRANSMUTATIONISM OF THE MENDELIANS
WAS BASED ON
22 ESSENTIALISM. THAT'S WHY THEY
SAID THAT ALL
23 EVOLUTION WOULD HAPPEN THROUGH
DEFINITE MUTATIONS
24 THAT ESTABLISHED NEW SPECIES.
25 THE SECOND CONCEPT OF EVOLUTION
WAS THE
13
1 PROPOSAL OF TRASFORMATIONISM, A
NEW CONCEPT OF
2 EVOLUTION IN WHICH A PARTICULAR
OBJECT OR ENTITY
3 GRADUALLY BECOMES TRANSFORMED.
INDIVIDUAL
4 DEVELOPMENT FROM THE FERTILIZED
EGG UP TO THE ADULT
5 WAS THE CLASSIC ILLUSTRATION OF
TRANSFORMATIONISM,
6 AND THE WORD EVOLUTION WAS FIRST
PROPOSED FOR THE
7 DEVELOPMENT OF THE EMBRYO.
8 ALL SO-CALLED EVOLUTIONS IN
THE INANIMATE
9 WORLD AS IN ASTRONOMY OR GEOLOGY,
CONSIST OF EITHER
10 GRADUAL OR MORE OR LESS EXPLOSIVE
TRANSFORMATIONS
11 OF A CONCRETE OBJECT. LAMARCK'S
THEORY OF
12 EVOLUTION WAS A TRANSFORMATIONALIST
THEORY.
13 WHAT DARWIN PROPOSED, WHICH
WAS A THIRD
14 CONCEPT OF EVOLUTION, AND IT WAS
AN ENTIRELY NEW
15 CONCEPT OF EVOLUTION BASED ON HIS
EQUALLY NEW
16 CONCEPT OF THE BIOLOGIC POPULATION.
INSTEAD OF
17 RECOGNIZING CLASSES AS THE PLATO
AND THE FOLLOWERS
18 OF PLATO DEFINED BY CONSTANT, SHARPLY
DEMARCATED
19 ESSENCE, DARWIN RECOGNIZED THAT
EVERY POPULATION OF
20 LIVING ORGANISM CONSISTS OF UNIQUE,
GENETICALLY
21 DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS, NO TWO OF
WHICH ARE THE
22 SAME, NOT EVEN ALONG THE FIVE OR
SIX BILLION HUMAN
23 INDIVIDUALS. EVOLUTION IN THIS
CASE IS THE
24 REPLACEMENT IN EACH GENERATION
OF A POPULATION OF
25 UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS BY ANOTHER SUCH
POPULATION.
14
1 I'M SHOWING YOU IN THIS CASE
THE SIMPLE WORD
2 EVOLUTION REPRESENTS THREE VERY
DIFFERENT CONCEPTS
3 THAT FOLLOW EACH OTHER AND MUCH
OF THE CONFUSION
4 THE LITERATURE -- AND AS SUCH EVEN
DEWEY WAS
5 AFFECTED BY THIS -- CONSISTED OF
THE MIXING UP OF
6 TWO OF THESE THREE CONCEPTS.
7 NOW, LET ME MENTION TWO OTHER
IMPORTANT
8 ASPECTS OF CONCEPTS. ONE IS THAT
A CONCEPT IN A
9 COURSE OF TIME MAY BECOME OBSOLETE.
THE CONCEPT OF
10 SUPERNATURAL POWERS WAS STILL A
DOMINANT CONCEPT AT
11 THE TIME OF THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION.
IT PLAYED A
12 CONSIDERABLE ROLE IN NATURAL THEOLOGY
AND IN THE
13 THINKING OF MOST PHILOSOPHERS UNTIL
THE TIME OF
14 KANT. EVEN NEWTON INVOKED GOD
TO STAKE OUT THE
15 MOVEMENTS OF STARS AND PLANETS
IN PARTICULAR TO
16 STAY AWAY FROM THEIR PATHS.
17 SUPERNATURAL POWERS PLAYED
A CONSIDERABLE ROLE
18 IN THE NATURAL THEOLOGY AND IN
THE THINKING OF MOST
19 PHILOSOPHERS UP TO THE TIME OF
KANT. KANT
20 CONSTANTLY INVOKED, MORE OR LESS
QUIETLY, NOT
21 MAKING MUCH FUSS ABOUT IT, BUT
HE INVOKED
22 ULTIMATELY THE HAND OF GOD. AND,
OF COURSE, A
23 BELIEF IN THE SUPERNATURAL WAS
A MAJOR OBSTACLE FOR
24 THE ADOPTION OF DARWINIAN THOUGHT.
25 ANOTHER CONCEPT THAT'S BECOMING
OBSOLETE IS
15
1 PLATONIC ESSENTIALISM. THIS IS
THE BELIEF THAT THE
2 WORLD CONSISTS OF A LIMITED NUMBER
OF CLASSES,
3 DEFINED BY THEIR NATURE OR ESSENCE,
THE MEMBERS OF
4 EACH CLASS BEING CONSTANT IN TIME
AND IDENTICAL
5 WITH EACH OTHER EXCEPT FOR WHAT
THOSE SCHOLASTICS
6 CALLED ACCIDENTS.
7 THIS PHILOSOPHY WENT BACK
TO THE THINKING OF
8 THE PYTHAGOREANS AND PLATO DOMINATED
NOT ONLY
9 PHILOSOPHY, BUT ALSO THE THINKING
OF THE COMMON
10 MAN. RACISM IS A TYPICAL ESSENTIALISTIC
IDEOLOGY.
11 ESSENTIALISM IS NOW INCREASINGLY
REPLACED BY
12 DARWIN'S POPULATION THINKING.
THESE ARE TWO CASES
13 OF CONCEPTS THAT HAVE BECOME OBSOLETE
OR ON THE WAY
14 TO OBSOLESCENCE. OTHERS ARE VITALISM,
PANPSYCHISM
15 AND CARTESIAN MECHANISM. I COULD
MAKE A WHOLE LIST
16 OF CONCEPTS THAT AT ONE TIME WERE
DOMINANT AND ARE
17 NOW ON THE WAY OF GOING OUT.
18 THE SECOND VITALLY IMPORTANT
ASPECT OF
19 CONCEPTS IS THAT A SINGLE TERM
SOMETIMES COVERS
20 THREE, FOUR OR FIVE DIFFERENT CONCEPTS
WITHOUT THE
21 AUTHORS WHO USE THIS TERM BEING
AWARE OF IT. THIS
22 IS TRUE, FOR INSTANCE, FOR THE
TERM TELEOLOGICAL.
23 THERE ARE FIVE ACTUAL OR POTENTIAL
PHENOMENA OR
24 PROCESSES IN NATURE THAT HAVE BEEN
DESIGNATED AS
25 TELEOLOGICAL BUT ARE FUNDAMENTALLY
DIFFERENT FROM
16
1 EACH OTHER.
2 LET ME MENTION ONLY TWO OF
THEM. ONE REFERS
3 TO A TELEONOMIC PROCESSES, THAT
IS, PROCESSES,
4 BEHAVIORS OR ACTIVITIES CODED IN
A GENETIC PROGRAM
5 AND LEADING TO A DEFINITE GOAL.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF
6 AN INDIVIDUAL FROM THE FERTILIZED
EGG IS PROGRAMMED
7 IN ITS GENOTYPE, IS THE MOST OFTEN
DESCRIBED
8 TELEONOMIC ACTIVITY. THERE'S NOTHING
MYSTERIOUS,
9 NOTHING TRANSCENDENTAL IN SUCH
GOAL FINDING
10 BEHAVIOR BECAUSE NOT ONLY THE GOAL
BUT ALSO THE
11 PATHWAY TO IT IS CONTAINED IN THE
GENETIC PROGRAM.
12 TELEONOMIC PROCESSES ARE TOTALLY
ACCEPTABLE TO
13 SCIENCE AND CAN ULTIMATELY BE EXPLAINED
IN TERMS OF
14 CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS. WHEN ARISTOTLE,
I'LL COME
15 BACK TO THIS, TALKED ABOUT FINAL
CAUSES AND SO
16 FORTH, HE VIRTUALLY ALWAYS MEANT
TELEONOMIC
17 PROCESS, PARTICULARLY THE UNDERGENETIC
PROCESS.
18 HOWEVER, PARTICULARLY IN PHILOSOPHY
THE TERM
19 TELEOLOGY HAS BEEN USED MOST FREQUENTLY
FOR
20 SO-CALLED COSMIC TELEOLOGY. IT
IS THE POSTULATE
21 THAT THERE IS SOME FORCE IN THIS
WORLD WHICH LEADS
22 IT ON TO PROGRESS AND GREATER PERFECTION.
COSMIC
23 TELEOLOGY PLAYED A LARGE ROLE IN
PRE-DARWINIAN
24 THINKING, FOR INSTANCE, IN THE
PHILOSOPHY OF
25 IMMANUEL KANT. ALL MODERN RESEARCHERS
IN THE
17
1 PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
HAVE FAILED TO
2 FAILED TO FIND ANY EVIDENCE FOR
THE ACTUAL
3 EXISTENCE OF SUCH COSMIC TELEOLOGY.
VARIOUS CLAIMS
4 NOTWITHSTANDING, DARWIN CLEARLY
REJECTED IT, AND SO
5 DID JOHN DEWEY AFTER A CERTAIN
AMOUNT OF
6 HESITATION. ON THE OTHER HAND,
RORTY HAS CLEARLY
7 EXPRESSED TELEOLOGIC SENTIMENTS.
INDEED, HE
8 STATED, QUOTED, TELEOLOGIC THINKING
IS INEVITABLE.
9 I DON'T KNOW WHO THEY REFERRED
TO BY THIS BECAUSE
10 FOR ME IT'S NEVER BEEN INEVITABLE.
11 ON THIS OCCASION I WANT TO
RESCUE THE
12 REPUTATION OF ARISTOTLE WHO HAS
OFTEN BEEN CALLED A
13 COSMIC TELEOLOGIST. THIS, HOWEVER,
HE WAS NOT AS
14 CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED BY THE RECENT
ARISTOTLE
15 SCHOLARS, GOTTHELF, LENNOX, BALME
AND NUSSBAUM WHO
16 VERY CAREFULLY WENT THROUGH ARISTOTLE'S
WRITINGS TO
17 NAIL THIS DOWN. ARISTOTLE DESCRIBED
TELEONOMIC
18 PROCESSES THAT TAKE PLACE IN EMBRYONIC
DEVELOPMENT.
19 MAX DELBRUCK, A FAMOUS PHYSICIST
AND
20 GENETICIST, WHO GOT THE NOBEL PRIZE
TOGETHER WITH
21 SOME OTHER GENETICISTS FOR HIS
WORK ON THE GENETIC
22 PROGRAM, HAS POINTED OUT THAT ONE
ACHIEVES A
23 REMARKABLY MODERN ACCOUNT IN ARISTOTLE'S
24 EMBRYOLOGICAL ANALYSES IF ONE TRANSLATES
HIS TERM
25 EIDOS BY GENETIC PROGRAM.
18
1 THE USE OF THE SAME TREND
FOR ENTIRELY
2 DIFFERENT PROCESSES HAS BEEN THE
CAUSE OF MANY
3 CONTROVERSIES IN SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY.
REDUCTION
4 WHICH HAS AT LEAST THREE DIFFERENT
MEANS IS ANOTHER
5 TYPICAL CASE.
6 PERMIT ME NOW TO SAY A FEW
WORDS ABOUT
7 DARWIN'S CONCEPTUAL BREAKTHROUGHS.
I'VE ALREADY
8 MENTIONED THE REPLACEMENT OF THE
ESSENCE BY THE
9 BIO-POPULATION. DARWIN WAS ONE
OF THE FIRST
10 PHILOSOPHERS WHO CREDITED CHANCE
WITH THE
11 IMPORTANCE IT IS NOW GIVEN IN SCIENCE
AND
12 PHILOSOPHY. HE ENDED, JACQUES
MONOD
13 NOTWITHSTANDING, THE CONTROVERSY
OVER CHANCE OR
14 NECESSITY. DARWIN SHOWED THAT
IN THE FIRST STEP OF
15 NATURAL SELECTION, THE PRODUCTION
OF LITERALLY
16 UNLIMITED VARIABILITY, CHANCE IS
SUPREME. THE
17 SECOND STEP, THE ACTUAL SELECTION
IS AN ANTI-CHANCE
18 PROCESS. HENCE, THE TRUTH IS THAT
IN EVOLUTION
19 BOTH CHANCE AND NECESSITY OCCUR.
THERE IS NO DOUBT
20 THAT DARWIN GREATLY CONTRIBUTED
TO THE END OF
21 STRAIGHT DETERMINISM. FURTHERMORE,
THROUGH HIS
22 THEORY OF COMMON DESCENT, DARWIN
LED BACK TO A
23 SINGLE ORIGIN OF LIFE ON EARTH.
AND THIS HAS NOT
24 BEEN CONFIRMED BY MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
BY SHOWING THAT
25 ALL LIVING ORGANISMS, DOWN TO THE
SIMPLEST
19
1 BACTERIA, HAVE THE SAME GENETIC
CODE AND THE SAME
2 CELLULAR MECHANISMS. IT IS CURIOUS
HOW LONG, OWING
3 TO THE PROMINENCE OF PHYSICALISM,
IT WAS OVERLOOKED
4 WHAT A GREAT PHILOSOPHER DARWIN
HAD BEEN.
5 BEFORE CLOSING, LET ME SAY
A FEW WORDS ABOUT
6 JOHN DEWEY AND HIS RELATION TO
SOME OF THE TOPICS
7 I'VE JUST DISCUSSED. IT WAS IN
1909 THAT DEWEY
8 WROTE HIS FAMOUS PAPER, THE INFLUENCE
OF DARWINISM
9 IN PHILOSOPHY. IT WAS, OF COURSE,
WRITTEN TO
10 CELEBRATE THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY
OF DARWIN'S BIRTH
11 AND THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE
PUBLICATION IN 1859
12 OF ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES.
13 IRONICALLY, THE FIRST TWO
DECADES OF THE 20TH
14 CENTURY SAW ABOUT THE LOWEST POINT
IN THE PRESTIGE
15 OF DARWINISM. THE LEADERS OF THE
NEW GENETICS,
16 PARTICULARLY THE MENDELIANS --
I'VE ALREADY
17 MENTIONED THEM -- DEVRIES, BATESON
AND JOHANNSEN,
18 BUT PRIOR TO 1910 ALSO T. H. MORGAN
REJECTED
19 DARWINISM AND BELIEVED IN SALTATIONAL
EVOLUTION,
20 THAT IS EVOLUTION BY MAJOR MUTATIONS.
21 IT WAS IN THOSE YEARS THAT
PAPERS WERE
22 PUBLISHED WITH THE TITLE AT THE
DEATH BED OF
23 DARWINISM. IT IS RATHER REMARKABLE
THAT IT WAS
24 EXACTLY AT THAT PERIOD THAT DEWEY
DECLARED HIMSELF
25 A CHAMPION OF DARWINISM. JUST
EXACTLY WHY DID
20
1 DEWEY THINK THAT DARWIN AND DARWINISM
WERE SO
2 IMPORTANT?
3 WE CANNOT ANSWER THIS QUESTION
UNTIL WE HAVE
4 DETERMINED EXACTLY WHAT THE WORD
DARWINISM MEANT TO
5 HIM. AS I RECENTLY SHOWED, THERE
ARE AT LEAST
6 SEVEN DIFFERENT CONCEPTS OF DARWINISM
IN THE
7 LITERATURE. AT THE PRESENT TIME,
OF COURSE,
8 DARWINISM MEANS AN EVOLUTIONARY
THEORY BASED ON THE
9 PRINCIPLE OF NATURAL SELECTION.
BUT OTHER PERIODS
10 THE WORD MEANT DIFFERENT THINGS.
FOR INSTANCE,
11 RIGHT AFTER 1859 DARWINISM MEANT
NOTHING MORE THAN
12 A BELIEF IN EVOLUTION, NOT GUIDED
BY A SUPREME
13 BEING OR ANY OTHER SUPERNATURAL
FACTORS.
14 THEREFORE, THE GEOLOGIST, CHARLES
LYELL AND
15 DARWIN'S FRIEND T. H. HUXLEY WERE
CONSIDERED BY
16 EVERYONE TO BE DARWINIANS EVEN
THOUGH NEITHER OF
17 THE TWO ACCEPTED NATURAL SELECTION.
UNDER THESE
18 CIRCUMSTANCES IT BECOMES IMPORTANT
TO DETERMINE
19 JUST EXACTLY WHAT JOHN DEWEY MEANT
BY DARWINISM.
20 I CANNOT ANALYZE HERE DEWEY'S
ENTIRE ESSAY.
21 HOWEVER, IT IS QUITE CLEAR THAT
HE SAW IN DARWIN A
22 CHAMPION OF ANTI-ESSENTIALISM.
UP TO NOW, SAYS
23 DEWEY, QUOTE, THE CONCEPTION OF
EIDOS, SPECIES, A
24 FIXED FORM AND A FIXED CAUSE IS
THE CENTRAL
25 PRINCIPLE OF KNOWLEDGE AS WELL
AS OF NATURE. UPON
21
1 IT RESTED THE LOGIC OF SCIENCE.
CHANGE AS CHANGE
2 IS MERE FLUX AND LAPSE, END OF
QUOTE.
3 FOR DEWEY THE GIST OF THE
DARWINIAN REVOLUTION
4 WAS THE INTRODUCTION OF EVOLUTIONARY
CHANGE, THE
5 REFUTATION OF THE FIXED AND CONSTANT.
SINCE THIS
6 WAS FORESHADOWED IN THE WRITINGS
OF COPERNICUS,
7 KEPLER, GALILEO AND THEIR SUCCESSORS
IN ASTRONOMY
8 AND CHEMISTRY, SAY DEWEY, QUOTE,
DARWIN WOULD HAVE
9 BEEN HELPLESS IN THE ORGANIC SCIENCES
WITHOUT THESE
10 PREDECESSORS. THE INFLUENCE OF
DARWIN UPON
11 PHILOSOPHY RESIDES IN HIS HAVING
CONQUERED THE
12 PHENOMENON OF LIFE FOR THE PRINCIPLE
OF TRANSITION,
13 AND THEREBY FREED THE NEW LOGIC
FOR APPLICATION TO
14 MIND AND KNOWLEDGE AND LIFE. WHAT
HE SAID OF
15 SPECIES, WHAT GALILEO HAD SAID
OF THE EARTH, E PUR
16 SE MUOVE, HE EMANCIPATED ONCE FOR
ALL, GENETIC AND
17 EXPERIMENTAL IDEAS AS AN ORGANUM
OF ASKING
18 QUESTIONS AND LOOKING FOR EXPLANATIONS,
END OF
19 QUOTE.
20 ESSENTIALISM MEANT CONSTANCY
IN ALL
21 DIMENSIONS. ALL EARLY EVOLUTIONISTS
FOR INSTANCE
22 LAMARCK, REJECTED FIXITY IN THE
TIME DIMENSION.
23 THEY ACCEPTED THE IDEA THAT THE
ESSENCE CHANGES
24 OVER TIME. DARWIN, THROUGH HIS
POPULATION
25 PRINCIPLE, REJECTED, ADDITIONALLY
CONSTANCY AT ANY
22
1 GIVEN MOMENT IN THE GEOGRAPHICAL
DIMENSIONS. EVEN
2 THOUGH DEWEY ACCEPTED NATURAL SELECTION,
HE MADE A
3 NUMBER OF STATEMENTS INDICATING
THAT HE HAD NOT YET
4 FULLY UNDERSTOOD DARWIN'S POPULATION
THINKING.
5 DEWEY WAS MORE OR LESS A TRANSFORMATIONIST.
6 AGAIN AND AGAIN HE COMPARES EVOLUTION
TO THE
7 DEVELOPMENT OF THE FERTILIZED EGG
INTO AN ADULT,
8 BUT HE REALIZES THAT HE HAS NOT
YET GRASPED THE
9 WHOLE OF THE STORY. THEREFORE,
HE SAYS, QUOTE,
10 THROUGH A DESCRIPTION OF THE ONTOGENY
OF THE
11 INDIVIDUAL, THE WHOLE MIRACULOUS
TAIL IS NOT YET
12 TOLD. THE SAME GLAMOUR IS INACTED
TO THE SAME
13 DESTINY IN COUNTLESS MILLIONS OF
INDIVIDUALS SO
14 SUNDERED IN TIME, SO SEVERED IN
SPACE, THAT THEY
15 HAVE NO OPPORTUNITY FOR MUTUAL
CONSULTATION AND NO
16 MEANS OF INTERACTION. THIS FORMAL
ACTIVITY KEEPS
17 INDIVIDUALS DISTANT IN SPACE AND
REMOTE IN TIME TO
18 A UNIFORM TYPE OF STRUCTURE AND
FUNCTION. THIS
19 PRINCIPLE SEEMED TO GIVE INSIGHT
INTO THE VERY
20 NATURE OF REALITY ITSELF. TO IT
ARISTOTLE GAVE THE
21 NAME EIDOS. THIS TERM SCHOLASTIC
TRANSLATED AS
22 SPECIES.
23 HERE DEWEY REFERS TO WHAT
WE NOW CALL THE
24 GENETIC PROGRAM OF A POPULATION
OR SPECIES. IT IS
25 AN ANTICIPATION OF POPULATION THINKING,
BUT NOT YET
23
1 FULLY ARTICULATED.
2 DEWEY COMPLETELY REJECTS COSMIC
TELEOLOGY, SO
3 POPULAR AMONG PHILOSOPHERS RIGHT
UP TO THE PRESENT
4 DAY. HERE AGAIN HE FOLLOWS DARWIN.
ALAS, I DON'T
5 HAVE THE TIME TO DEVELOP THIS THEME,
BUT I WOULD
6 RATHER SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT DEWEY
AND ETHICS.
7 IN 1898 UNDER THE TITLE EVOLUTION
AND ETHICS
8 DEWEY PUBLISHED AN ANSWER TO T.
H. HUXLEY'S FAMOUS
9 ROMANES LECTURE OF 1894 OF THE
SAME TITLE. RIGHT
10 UP TO MODERN TIMES HUXLEY'S LECTURE
HAS BEEN ALMOST
11 UNIVERSALLY CONSIDERED THE AUTHORITATIVE
VIEW OF
12 ETHICS BY A DARWINIAN. THIS, HOWEVER,
IS A GREAT
13 MISTAKE, AS DEWEY SAW QUITE CLEARLY.
HUXLEY DID
14 NOT BELIEVE IN NATURAL SELECTION
AND CONSIDERED IT
15 A NEBULOUS, QUOTE, COSMIC FORCE,
END OF QUOTE. OF
16 COURSE THIS COULD NOT ACCOUNT FOR
HUMAN ETHICS.
17 AND DEWEY REJECTS THIS ASSERTION
QUITE
18 EMPHATICALLY. IT WOULD REQUIRE
SEPARATE LECTURE TO
19 DEMONSTRATE HOW THE ORIGIN OF HUMAN
ETHICS CAN BE
20 EXPLAINED IN DARWINIAN TERMS.
LET ME ADD
21 PARENTHETICALLY THAT DARWIN IN
1871 IN HIS DESCENT
22 OF MAN STATED THAT THE POSSESSION
OF AN ETHICAL
23 SYSTEM WAS THE MOST DECISIVE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN MAN
24 AND ANY ANIMAL. ETHICS REQUIRES
THE NEEDED HIGH
25 INTELLIGENCE TO BE ABLE TO FORESEE
THE CONSEQUENCE
24
1 OF ANY ACTION. THIS IS ONE OF
THE BASIC CONDITIONS
2 FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ETHICS.
IF ONLY THE
3 INDIVIDUAL WERE THE TARGET OF SELECTION,
THEN
4 INDEED, AS THE OPPONENTS OF DARWIN
ALWAYS CLAIMED,
5 ONLY SELFISHNESS WOULD BE REWARDED
BY NATURAL
6 SELECTION. HOWEVER, PRIMITIVE
HOMINIDS AND
7 PRIMITIVE MAN LIVED IN SMALL GROUPS
OF
8 HUNTER/GATHERERS, EACH GROUP IN
SEVERE COMPETITION
9 WITH THE OTHERS. THEREFORE, IN
ADDITION TO
10 INDIVIDUAL SELECTION, THE SOCIAL
GROUP ALSO BECAME
11 AN OBJECT OF SELECTION. THOSE
SOCIAL GROUPS HAVE
12 THE GREATEST PROBABILITY OF SURVIVAL
AND PROSPERITY
13 WHICH HAVE THE MOST HARMONIOUS
AND ALTRUISTIC
14 INTERACTION OF THE INDIVIDUALS
OF WHICH THE GROUP
15 IS COMPOSED. HENCE, CONTRARY TO
MANY AUTHORS,
16 THERE IS INDEED A SELECTIVE PREMIUM
ON BENIGN
17 ETHICAL BEHAVIOR AND A SELECTION
OF THOSE SOCIAL
18 GROUPS THAT CONSISTED OF THE MOST
COOPERATIVE
19 INDIVIDUALS. HENCE, THERE IS NO
DIFFICULTY IN
20 EXPLAINING THE ORIGIN OF HUMAN
ETHICS IN TERMS OF
21 DARWINIAN NATURAL SELECTION.
22 I'M NEARING THE END OF MY
PRESENTATION. YOU
23 MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AWARE OF IT,
BUT EVEN IN THE LAST
24 SPOT I HAVE CONTINUOUSLY DEALT
WITH CONCEPTS, THEIR
25 ORIGINS AND CHANGES. IT IS CONCEPTS
THAT ARE THE
25
1 SCAFFOLDING OF OUR WELTANSCHAUUNG.
IT IS THE
2 CHANGE OF CONCEPTS THAT CHARACTERIZES
THE CHANGE OF
3 THE ZEITGEIST OF PERIODS. IT IS
THE
4 MISUNDERSTANDING OF CONCEPTS AND
THE CONFLICT AMONG
5 APPOSING CONCEPTS THAT IS THE CAUSE
OF MOST STRIFE
6 ON THIS WORLD. IF I WOULD WANT
TO MAKE A
7 SUGGESTION AS TO WHAT SHOULD BE
EMPHASIZED MORE
8 STRONGLY IN AN UP-TO-DATE LIBERAL
EDUCATION, IT IS
9 A GREATER ROLE IN THE CURRICULUM
OF THE STUDY OF
10 THE CONCEPTS THAT MAKE UP OUR WELTANSCHAUUNG
AND A
11 MORE FINE-GRAINED ANALYSIS OF THE
CONCEPTS THAT ARE
12 THE BASIS OF OUR BELIEF IN DEMOCRACY.
13 THANK YOU.
14 (Applause)
15 MS. BROWNLEE: DR. MAYR IS
WILLING TO TAKE
16 SOME QUESTIONS. PLEASE BE SURE
TO SPEAK CLEARLY
17 INTO THE MICROPHONE AND FAIRLY
SLOWLY. DO WE HAVE
18 MICROPHONES? I'LL GIVE YOU A MOMENT
TO THINK ABOUT
19 A RESPONSE TO THAT FINE TALK.
20 PROFESSOR ANDERSON: CHARLES
ANDERSON,
21 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN. DR. MAYR,
THAT IS A
22 FASCINATING SPEECH. BUT COULD
I SUGGEST THAT YOU
23 ARE INDEED A DEWEYIAN BECAUSE YOUR
CONCLUSION IS
24 VERY HEGELIAN, IT IS THE EVOLUTION
OF THE MIND AS
25 EXPRESSED IN CONCEPTS, IT IS THE
PROPER OBJECT OF
26
1 STUDY. COULD I SAY YOU ARE BOTH
A DEWEYIAN AND A
2 DEWALIST?
3 PROFESSOR MAYR: WELL NOW,
LET ME MENTION THAT
4 SOME YEARS AGO I LECTURED IN MUNICH
AND THERE'S A
5 VERY STRONG CATHOLIC FACULTY AT
UNIVERSITY OF
6 MUNICH AND THE TWO LEADING PROFESSORS
HAVE WRITTEN
7 A NUMBER OF BOOKS AGAINST DARWINISM
AND THAT SORT
8 OF THING. AND I WAS SURE THEY
WOULD GET UP IN A
9 DISCUSSION AND ATTACK ME. BUT
THEY HAD PREFERRED
10 TO STAY HOME AND INSTEAD SENT THE
FIRST ASSISTANT
11 PROFESSOR OF THE INSTITUTE TO ASK
ME QUESTIONS.
12 (Laughter).
13 PROFESSOR MAYR: IT BEGAN
WITH THE QUESTION:
14 HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THE ORIGIN OF
CONSCIOUSNESS IN
15 MAN? AND I SAID, YES, I'D BE GLAD
TO TRY TO
16 DISCUSS THAT. BUT LET YOU FIRST
PROVE TO ME THAT
17 THE AMOEBA DOES NOT HAVE ANY CONSCIOUSNESS.
AND HE
18 NEVER CAME BACK. SO THAT WAS THE
END OF THAT
19 ARGUMENT.
20 NOW LET ME TAKE UP THE QUESTION
OF MIND, THE
21 HUMAN MIND. I CAN ASK YOU THAT
SAME QUESTION.
22 WHEN YOU WATCH A GROUP OF LIONESSES
SPLIT UP AND IN
23 ORDER TO CUT OFF THE ESCAPE OF
THEIR PRAY, ONE GO
24 BEHIND IT AND THE OTHER IN FRONT
AND ATTACK AND DO
25 ALL OTHER SORTS OF HIGHLY INTELLIGENT
ACTIONS,
27
1 THERE IS JUST NO QUESTION, OF COURSE,
THEY HAVE
2 MIND.
3 AND YOU CAN GO DOWN TO THE
ANIMAL SERIES AND
4 YOU FIND EVEN JENNINGS IN HIS WORK
ON PROTOZOANS
5 SHOWED THAT IN THE REACTION OF
THESE PROTOZOANS
6 EITHER TO TOXIC SUBSTANCES IN THE
MEDIUM OR TO
7 SEEMING ENEMIES OR TO POTENTIAL
FOOD SOURCES, THEY
8 SHOW AN AWARENESS OF THEIR SURROUNDINGS
THAT YOU
9 CAN EASILY DESCRIBE AS THEY HAVE
A MIND.
10 NOW, I DON'T RECOGNIZE THIS
DEWALISM BETWEEN
11 MIND AND BODY. THE ONLY DEWALISM
WE HAVE IN LIVING
12 ORGANISM IS THE DEWALISM BETWEEN
THE PROTEINS THAT
13 ARE PRODUCED BY THE GENETIC PROGRAM
AND THE GENETIC
14 PROGRAM. THAT IS THE MOST WONDERFUL
DEMARKATION
15 BETWEEN ORGANISMS AND INANIMATE
MATTER. I'M SURE
16 THAT THIS DOES NOT ANSWER YOUR
QUESTION DIRECTLY,
17 BUT I DO THINK IT ANSWERS IT INDIRECTLY.
18 MR. RAMSEY: BRIAN RAMSEY,
DEPARTMENT OF
19 CHEMISTRY HERE AT ROLLINS. THERE'S
A NOTION WHICH
20 I CONFESS I'M ONLY MYSELF SUPERFICIALLY
AWARE OF,
21 BUT THAT'S THE IDEA OF MEANS OR
CONCEPTS WHICH PLAY
22 THE ROLE IN SOCIETY IN DEVELOPMENT
OF SOCIETY AS
23 THE WAY JEANS FUNCTION IN GENETICS.
IS THERE SOME
24 ROOM IN THIS IDEA FOR YOU OR WOULD
YOU CARE TO
25 MENTION THAT?
28
1 PROFESSOR MAYR: THE DEVELOPMENT
OF SOCIETY?
2 MR. RAMSEY: THE IDEA OF A
UNIT CALLED A MENE
3 RATHER THAN A GENE, A MENE (sic)
IS A CONCEPT OR
4 IDEA THAT PLAYS THE SAME ROLE IN
THE DEVELOPMENT OF
5 CULTURES AND SOCIETIES THAT GENES
PLAY IN GENETICS.
6 IN OTHER WORDS, ONE CAN IMAGINE
SORT OF A DARWINIAN
7 SURVIVAL MECHANISM FOR CONCEPTS
IN THE DEVELOPMENT
8 OF SOCIETIES.
9 PROFESSOR MAYR: YOU MEAN
DAWKINS' TERM?
10 MR. RAMSEY: YES.
11 PROFESSOR MAYR: THEN WHY
DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT?
12 MR RAMSEY: BECAUSE I'M A
PROFESSOR AND NOT
13 USED TO BEING SO CLEAR.
14 PROFESSOR MAYR: DAWKINS IS
AS MUCH IMPRESSED
15 BY THE EXISTENCE OF CONCEPTS AND
THEIR ROLE AS I
16 AM, BUT DAWKINS LOVES TO MAKE TERMS.
AND SINCE THE
17 WORD CONCEPT DOESN'T RHYME WITH
GENE, HE DECIDED TO
18 TRY THE WORD MENE. AND IT IS EXACTLY
THE SAME AS
19 CONCEPTS. AND CONCEPTS, OF COURSE,
AS I EXPLAINED
20 ALL THROUGH MY TALK, HAVE PLAYED
AN ENORMOUS ROLE
21 IN THE EVOLUTION OF HUMAN SOCIETY.
22 MS. BROWNLEE: THANK YOU VERY
MUCH, DR. MAYR,
23 AND THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTIONS.
24 DR. PETER LYMAN WAS EDUCATED
AT STANFORD
25 UNIVERSITY AND AT UC BERKELEY AND
HIS FIELD WAS
29
1 PHILOSOPHY THEN POLITICAL SCIENCE.
HIS EARLY
2 RESEARCH IN TEACHING INTERESTS,
POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY
3 OF EMOTIONS INCLUDING ANGER, ETHNOGRAPHY,
POLITICAL
4 THEORY. SUBSEQUENTLY HIS INTEREST
IN ACADEMIC
5 COMPUTING WAS KINDLED UNTIL NOW
WHEN HE HOLDS THE
6 POSITION OF UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN,
UC BERKELEY AND
7 PROFESSOR IN THE SCHOOL OF INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT
8 AND SYSTEMS.
9 IT WAS PETER LYMAN WHO FIRST
REVEALED TO ME
10 THE MISLEADING METAPHORS OF THE
COMPUTER. IN THE
11 MILITARY HARD EDGE LANGUAGE OF
MACHINERY, COMMANDS
12 AND DELETES AND UNVEILED NEW THINKING
OF THIS
13 MARVELOUS TOOL AS AN INSTRUMENT
OF IMMENSE
14 CREATIVITY AND ENDLESS AVAILABILITY.
HE THINKS
15 DEEPLY ABOUT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY,
ITS PROMISE
16 AND ITS POTENTIAL. WE NEED TO
HEAR HIM AS WE PLUMB
17 THE CONTEMPORARY SHAPE OF LIBERAL
EDUCATION.
18 DR. PETER LYMAN.
19 MR. LYMAN: ONE OF THE DIFFICULT
THINGS ABOUT
20 SPEAKING AT A CONFERENCE LIKE THIS
THIS LATE IS
21 I'VE REWRITTEN MY TALK WITH EVERYBODY
ELSE'S TALK.
22 I WROTE A PAPER ON TECHNOLOGY IN
LIBERAL EDUCATION
23 FOR A CONFERENCE ORGANIZED BY NICK
FARNHAM THAT WAS
24 PUBLISHED IN RETHINKING LIBERAL
EDUCATION AND
25 REPUBLISHED IN LIBERAL EDUCATION.
30
1 IT WAS PERHAPS THE FIRST PAPER
I'VE EVER
2 WRITTEN THAT PEOPLE WROTE TO ME
ABOUT. AND TWO
3 PEOPLE, IN PARTICULAR, WROTE TO
ME ABOUT THAT
4 PAPER. ONE WAS BOB ORRILL. THE
OTHER WAS BARBARA
5 STAFFORD, ART HISTORIAN AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF
6 CHICAGO AND BOTH OF THEM MADE ME
THINK DIFFERENTLY
7 ABOUT THE WAY I THOUGHT.
8 WHAT BOB SAID WAS DID YOU
KNOW YOU'RE A
9 PRAGMATIST? AND I SAID NO I DIDN'T,
BECAUSE I WENT
10 TO COLLEGE AT A PERIOD IN WHICH
YOU COULDN'T READ
11 ANYTHING AMERICAN. IF YOU WEREN'T
READING IN
12 GERMAN, YOU SIMPLY WEREN'T DOING
ANYTHING SERIOUS.
13 SO I, UNDER BOB'S DIRECTION, STARTED
READING DEWEY
14 AND ALL OF THOSE PRAGMATISTS AND
DISCOVERED, IN
15 FACT, THAT THERE IS A LINEAGE THAT
I WASN'T AWARE
16 OF. BUT IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT
LINEAGE THAN THE ONE
17 THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT AT
THIS CONFERENCE.
18 AND IT'S ONE THAT OFFERS PERHAPS
A DIFFERENT WAY OF
19 THINKING ABOUT PRAGMATISM AND LIBERAL
EDUCATION.
20 FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, THE
MEETING PLACE OF
21 PRAGMATISM AND LIBERAL EDUCATION
WAS HULL-HOUSE,
22 NOT THE CITY OF CHICAGO AND NOT
THE UNIVERSITY OF
23 CHICAGO. IT WAS THE DIALOGUE BETWEEN
ROBERT PARK,
24 JANE ADDAMS, JOHN DEWEY, GEORGE
HERBERT MEADE IN
25 HULL-HOUSE. I SAY THIS VERY SERIOUSLY.
ALTHOUGH I
31
1 WAS TRAINED AS A PHILOSOPHER AND
TAUGHT POLITICAL
2 PHILOSOPHY, MY PRACTICE IS, AS
A ETHNOGRAPHER AND
3 IT WAS OUT OF THE CHICAGO SCHOOL
THAT STARTED IN
4 HULL-HOUSE THAT QUALITATIVE SOCIOLOGY
OR
5 ETHNOGRAPHY HAVE DEVELOPED.
6 FROM JANE ADDAMS AND ROBERT
PARK TO EVERETT
7 HUGHES, FROM HUGHES TO BARRY THORNE
AND BARRY
8 THORNE WAS MY TEACHER. CONVENIENTLY
SHE'S ALSO MY
9 WIFE, SO I'M ABLE TO BE CORRECTED
IN MY PRACTICE OF
10 ETHNOGRAPHY. ETHNOGRAPHY I THINK
IS ANOTHER ONE OF
11 THE LIBERAL ARTS. IT IS AN INDUCTIVE
PRACTICE OF
12 MIND THAT COMES FROM LISTENING
AND PARTICIPATING IN
13 THE WORLD IN A REFLECTIVE MANNER.
IT'S AS AN
14 ETHNOGRAPHER THAT I'VE BEEN STUDYING
TECHNOLOGY FOR
15 ABOUT 20 YEARS AND I REMEMBER DISTINCTLY
HOW IT
16 BEGAN. I WAS WRITING A BOOK ON
NICHA (sic) AT THE
17 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AS A VISITING
PROFESSOR
18 AND DECIDED I NEEDED TO WRITE IT
ON A COMPUTER, AND
19 I TOOK A COMPUTER CLASS IN SOMETHING
CALLED EUNUCHS
20 WHICH UP TO THEN HAD BEEN ASSOCIATED
WITH SERAGLIOS
21 IN MY MIND.
22 (Laughter.)
23 MR. LYMAN: AT THE END OF
THE CLASS IN WHICH I
24 LEARNED TO HIT COMMAND BUTTONS
AND CONTROL BUTTONS
25 AND KEEP, AS PAULA KNOWS, KEEP
THE COMPUTER FROM
32
1 CRASHING, HIT THE BREAK KEY AND
THE ESCAPE KEY, AT
2 THE END OF IT I SAID TO THE WOMAN
SITTING NEXT TO
3 ME, LET'S GO TO THE COMPUTER CENTER
AND TRY THIS
4 OUT. AND SHE SAID TO ME, I DIDN'T
UNDERSTAND A
5 WORD THAT MAN SAID.
6 AND INSTEAD OF GOING TO THE
COMPUTER CENTER I
7 STARTED INTERVIEWING HER ABOUT
HOW IS IT POSSIBLE
8 THAT I COULD FEEL EMPOWERED AND
INTRODUCED TO A NEW
9 MEDIUM OF COMMUNICATION AND SHE
FELL EXCLUDED. AND
10 THERE BEGAN MY EXPLORATION OF TECHNOLOGY.
11 THE IMPORTANT CHANGE BETWEEN
THE PAPER I WROTE
12 AT NICK'S CONFERENCE AND TODAY
IS I WOULDN'T TALK
13 ABOUT TECHNOLOGY ANYMORE. I'M
TALKING ABOUT
14 CYBERIA. I THINK IT IS CYBERIA
THAT IS IMPORTANT
15 TO LIBERAL EDUCATION IN TWO ESSENCES
THAT I WANT TO
16 TALK ABOUT TODAY.
17 THE FIRST IS CYBERIA REPRESENTS
A PEDAGOGICAL
18 PRACTICE THAT I THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT
IN OUR
19 WORLD. AND THE SECOND IS THAT
I THINK CYBERIA IS A
20 CULTURE CREATING PRACTICE. IT
IS PERHAPS THE
21 CULTURE-CREATING PRACTICE THAT
IS GOING TO DEFINE
22 THE NEXT CENTURY, AND I THINK DEFINE
THE VERY TERMS
23 OF REFERENCE FOR LIBERAL EDUCATION.
24 I REALLY ENJOYED THE ELIOT
HISTORY OF LIBERAL
25 EDUCATION AND ESPECIALLY THE UNDERSTANDING
OF
33
1 INTRODUCTION OF GREEK INTO THE
CURRICULUM AS A WAY
2 OF RETURNING TO THE ANCIENTS, AS
A WAY OF RENEWING
3 A SENSE OF THE LIFE WORLD AND AS
A CRITIQUE OF
4 SCHOLASTICISM.
5 THE STRONG VERSION OF WHAT
I'M GOING TO SAY
6 TODAY IS I THINK THE INTRODUCTION
OF TECHNOLOGY OR
7 CYBERIA INTO THE LIBERAL EDUCATION
MAY HAVE THE
8 SAME KIND OF IMPACT THAT THE INTRODUCTION
OF GREEK
9 HAD.
10 SO I'LL GIVE TWO DEFINITIONS
OF CYBERIA, THE
11 FIRST ETHNOGRAPHIC AND THE SECOND
MORE
12 PHILOSOPHICAL. CYBERIA -- AND
IT READS BETTER THAN
13 IT TALKS. WELL, MAYBE THAT DEPENDS
ON YOUR
14 ATTITUDE TOWARDS TECHNOLOGY. CYBERIA
IS -- THE WAY
15 I'VE LEARNED TO TALK ABOUT TECHNOLOGY
FROM ARTURO
16 ESCOBAR WHO HAS AN ARTICLE IN THE
AMERICAN
17 ANTHROPOLOGIST LAST YEAR CALLED
WELCOME TO CYBERIA.
18 IT'S IMPORTANT THAT IT'S NOT MACHINES
WE'RE TALKING
19 ABOUT. IT'S THAT WHICH IS STRUCTURING
THE WAY WE
20 COMMUNICATE AND THINK.
21 AS AN ETHNOGRAPHER IT IS FUNDAMENTAL
TO ME
22 THAT THE PEOPLE WHO COMMUNICATE
IN CYBERIA
23 EXPERIENCE IT AS A PLACE. AND
IT'S A PLACE THAT IS
24 COSMOPOLITAN. IT IS GLOBAL IN
SCOPE AND YET
25 INTIMATE. IT'S EXPERIENCED AS
A COMMUNITY BY THOSE
34
1 WHO USE IT, AND I WOULD SAY ALMOST
AS A PUBLIC
2 SPACE. I'LL EXPLORE THOSE EXPERIENCES
FIRST.
3 BUT I WANT TO SUGGEST WHAT
I THINK IS AT
4 STAKE. IN INTERESTING WAYS IT
RESONATES WITH THE
5 DESCRIPTION OF BIOLOGY THAT YOU
JUST HEARD BECAUSE
6 CYBERIA INCLUDES NOT JUST INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
7 AND COMPUTERS. IT INCLUDES BIOLOGICAL
TECHNOLOGY
8 AS WELL. WHAT THEY HAVE IN COMMON
IS THE
9 INTERPRETATION OF THE WORLD AS
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
10 AND THE RE-ENGINEERING OF THE WORLD
AS INFORMATION
11 SYSTEMS.
12 HERE'S HOW ESCOBAR DEFINES
CYBERIA. HE SAYS:
13 SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE NATURE
OF SOCIAL LIFE
14 ARE BEING BROUGHT ABOUT BY COMPUTERS,
INFORMATION,
15 TECHNOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGY
TO THE EXTENT
16 THAT SOME ARGUE THE NEW CULTURAL
ORDER,
17 CYBERCULTURE, IS COMING INTO BEING.
THAT I THINK
18 IS THE SERIOUS INTELLECTUAL QUESTION
ABOUT THE
19 FUTURE OF LIBERAL EDUCATION THAT
I'D LIKE TO
20 DISCUSS SECONDLY.
21 WELL, LET ME DESCRIBE CYBERIA.
I'M GOING TO
22 DESCRIBE IT I THINK ON THE MODEL
OF JANE ADDAMS.
23 SOMEBODY I ACTUALLY ENJOYED MORE
THAN ANY OF THE
24 OTHER AT THE ASSIGNED READINGS
THAT BOB MADE. THE
25 METHODOLOGY OF ETHNOGRAPHIC AS
I SAID, CAME FROM
35
1 HULL-HOUSE. BUT ALSO THERE WAS
AN ACTIVITY OUT OF
2 HULL-HOUSE CALLED COMMUNITY MAPPING
IN WHICH THE
3 RESIDENTS OF HULL-HOUSE WHO WERE
BOTH ACADEMICS AND
4 PEOPLE ESSENTIALLY LIVING IN A
ROOMING HOUSE WOULD
5 TRY TO MAP THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
OF A COMMUNITY
6 AND GO OUT AND EXPLORE IT. THAT
IS, I'M NOT GOING
7 TO TRY TO DESCRIBE CYBERIA ENTIRELY
OR FROM ALL
8 POINTS OF VIEW. I'M GOING TO TRY
TO EXPLORE IT AS
9 AN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE. THAT
MEANS I'M GOING TO
10 LEAVE OUT A LOT OF CRITICAL THINGS
THAT I WOULD
11 NORMALLY SAY ABOUT TECHNOLOGY.
12 THERE'S FOUR CHARACTERISTICS
THAT EXPLORERS IN
13 THIS NEW WORLD THAT HAVE REPORTED
THAT I THINK ARE
14 VERY SIGNIFICANT FOR OUR PEDAGOGICAL
PRACTICE. THE
15 FIRST IS A NEW SENSE OF SELF AND
COMMUNITY. IT IS
16 EASY IF YOU LOOK AT TECHNOLOGY
FROM THE OUTSIDE TO
17 DESCRIBE THIS AS A SELF OBJECT
OR MACHINE-MAN
18 RELATIONSHIP. IT IS EASY TO DESCRIBE
THIS FROM THE
19 OUTSIDE IN TERMS OF ISOLATION,
OF INDIVIDUAL AND
20 COMPUTER.
21 BUT WHEN YOU TALK TO PEOPLE
WHO USE COMPUTERS,
22 WHAT'S SO STRIKING IS THEIR SENSE
OF COMMUNITY AND
23 EMOTIONAL ENGAGEMENT. SHERRY TURKLE
(ph) IN THE
24 SECOND SELF AND IN HER SUBSEQUENT
BOOKS HAS BEEN
25 THE ONE WHO TALKS ABOUT COMPUTERS
AND THE
36
1 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE AND
COMPUTERS AS
2 DERIVED FROM THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
CHILDREN AND
3 TOYS, WHICH IS TO SAY THERE IS
A RELATIONSHIP WITH
4 THINGS THAT ENGAGES THE EMOTIONS
THAT STIMULATES
5 PLAY IN A WAY THAT LEADS TO INTELLECTUAL
AND
6 EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
7 AT FIRST WE MIGHT WANT TO
REJECT THIS AND SAY
8 THAT THINGS, THAT TECHNOLOGIES
CAN'T HAVE THAT
9 IMPACT AND YET WE KNOW THEY DO.
THE TELEPHONE, THE
10 FAX, THE COPY MACHINE, THE PRINTING
PRESS, ALL
11 TECHNOLOGIES THAT ENHANCE OR MAKE
POSSIBLE A SENSE
12 OF COMMUNITY. BUT THERE'S AN EVEN
STRONGER SENSE
13 HERE THAT THERE IS A SPECIAL KIND
OF ENGAGEMENT.
14 IT'S NOT EXACTLY LIKE A CONVERSATION
WITH ANOTHER
15 PERSON, BUT IT IS LIKE A CONVERSATION
WITH AN
16 OTHER, AN OTHER INTELLIGENCE.
17 THIS HAS LED TO VERY INTERESTING
THINGS IN
18 DISCUSSIONS OF WORK. SHOSHANA
ZULOFF AT HARVARD
19 DESCRIBES THE WORK WORLD OF THE
FUTURE AS ONE --
20 SHE USES THE WORD INFORMATED (sic),
ONE IN WHICH
21 THE AVERAGE WORKER WILL HAVE TO
MAKE JUDGMENTS
22 ABOUT THE QUALITY OF INFORMATION,
THAT WORK WILL
23 NOT BE ROUTINE, THAT WORK WILL
BE HIGHLY
24 CUSTOMIZED, HIGHLY INTERACTIVE
AND PETER DRUCKER
25 HAS SAID THAT THE PROBLEM OF MANAGEMENT
IN THE 20TH
37
1 CENTURY WAS THE PRODUCTIVITY OF
MANUAL LABOR. THE
2 PROBLEM OF MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST
CENTURY WILL BE
3 THE PRODUCTIVITY OF MENTAL LABORERS
OR, I THINK
4 VERY CLOSE TO WHAT THE SHOWMAN
WAS CALLING
5 PROFESSIONALS, PEOPLE WHO WORK
WITH EXPERT
6 KNOWLEDGE. THAT IS, IN A DISCUSSION
OF THE
7 WORKPLACE AND THE CONCEPTION OF
WORK, WE'RE NO
8 LONGER TALKING ABOUT AN ADAM SMITH
SORT OF
9 MANUFACTURING SCENARIO OF ROOTENIZED
(sic)
10 MECHANICAL AUTOMATED PRODUCTION.
WE'RE TALKING
11 ABOUT JUDGMENT, ABOUT APPLICATION
OF EXPERTISE,
12 ABOUT CHOICE.
13 JUST ONE MORE COMMENT ON THE
SENSE OF
14 COMMUNITY. A GRADUATE STUDENT
OF MINE IS TRYING TO
15 USE THIS SENSE OF COMMUNITY IN
NETWORKED
16 ENVIRONMENTS TO ENCOURAGE DISCUSSION
IN CLASS AND
17 HAS DISCOVERED THAT THE VERY SENSE
OF ANONYMITY IS
18 SOMETHING THAT PROMOTES DISCUSSION,
THAT THE VERY
19 STUDENTS WHO WILL NOT TALK IN CLASS
ARE THE ONES
20 WHO, BY VIRTUE OF THE PRIVACY OF
COMPUTER MEDIATED
21 COMMUNICATION, WILL PARTICIPATE,
BY VIRTUE OF ROLE
22 PLAYING, OF BEING ABLE TO CREATE
A NEW PERSONA FOR
23 THEMSELVES. THAT'S WHY SHERRY
TURKLE CALLS THIS A
24 NEW KIND OF PRIVATE SPACE AND NOT
THE KIND OF
25 ANONYMOUS SPACE THAT WE HAD FIRST
THOUGHT
38
1 TECHNOLOGY MIGHT BE.
2 A SECOND CHARACTERISTIC OF
CYBERIA THAT I
3 THINK IS FASCINATING, IT'S A NEW
MODE OF WRITING.
4 AND AS WE HEARD THIS MORNING AND
SEVERAL OTHER
5 TIMES IN THIS CONFERENCE -- MANY
HISTORIANS OF
6 WRITING ARE TRACING HYPERTEXT AND
OTHER KINDS OF
7 COLLECTIVE AND COLLABORATIVE WRITING
BACK TO
8 MEDIEVAL TRADITIONS OF WRITING.
THESE NEW
9 RHETORICAL FORMS AND GENRES ARE
VERY INTERESTING TO
10 ME BECAUSE THEY ARE ORGANIZED WITHOUT
AUTHORITY
11 STRUCTURES. THEY ARE RHETORICAL
FORMS AND GENRES
12 DESIGNED FOR READERS.
13 IN SOME SENSE THERE ARE NO
AUTHORS IN CYBERIA
14 BECAUSE THERE IS NO AUTHORITY BECAUSE
THE READER
15 SHAPES THE TEXT, THE READER CHOOSES
THE ORDER OF
16 THE TEXT. IT'S A WORLD ORGANIZED
BY READERS, NOT
17 AUTHORS OR PUBLISHERS. IT'S A
WORLD IN WHICH
18 EVERYBODY CAN PRODUCE LITERATURE
WHICH IS
19 DISTRIBUTED GLOBALLLY.
20 MY DAUGHTER, HER FIRST YEAR
AT BRYN MAWR FELT
21 IT NECESSARY NOT ONLY TO WRITE
A PAPER ON THE
22 CITYSCAPE OF PHILADELPHIA, BUT
TO PUBLISH IT
23 WORLDWIDE ON HER OWN WEB PAGE.
I RECOMMEND IT
24 HIGHLY TO ALL OF YOU. AND, IN
FACT, I'M ENGAGED IN
25 A PROJECT RIGHT NOW WITH BRUCE
STERCALE (sic), THE
39
1 INVENTER OF WAYS WHICH IS THE TECHNOLOGY
BEHIND
2 ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING. WE HAVE
JUST ARCHIVED THE
3 WEB BECAUSE I'M TRYING TO DO A
DEMOGRAPHY OF IT.
4 THERE ARE 60 MILLION WEB PAGES
AND THEY ARE
5 INCREASING AT THE RATE OF TWO MILLION
A MONTH.
6 WELL, THAT WILL -- WHY? WHAT IS
THIS -- WHAT IS
7 THIS? IT'S A MODE OF COMMUNICATION.
8 MANY PEOPLE, RICHARD LATTAM,
MANY PEOPLE IN
9 RHETORIC HAVE TALKED ABOUT THESE
NEW GENRES AS
10 STRUCTURES OF ATTENTION, IN A WORLD
IN WHICH
11 INFORMATION IS NOT SCARCE, IN WHICH
OUR CORE
12 PROBLEM IS NOT FINDING KNOWLEDGE.
IT'S THROWING
13 AWAY KNOWLEDGE BECAUSE WE'RE ALL
SATURATED WITH
14 KNOWLEDGE. SO THE NEW CYBERNETIC
STRUCTURES OF
15 ATTENTION HAVE TO DO WITH A SELECTIVITY,
JUDGMENT.
16 A THIRD -- AT THE END OF MY
PAPER ON
17 TECHNOLOGY AND LIBERAL EDUCATION
I SUGGESTED THAT
18 ONE OF THE BRIDGES BETWEEN TECHNOLOGY
AND LIBERAL
19 EDUCATION WAS AESTHETICS AND AESTHETIC
PRACTICE,
20 AESTHETIC EDUCATION. THAT'S WHERE
I GOT THE LETTER
21 FROM BARBARA STAFFORD SAYING LOOKING
INTO THE
22 NATURE OF MULTI MEDIA THAT AS A
NEW COMMUNICATIONS
23 MEDIUM I THINK THE MOST DRAMATIC
CHARACTERISTIC OF
24 CYBERIA IS THAT IT'S A VISUAL MEDIUM
AND THIS IS
25 BOTH ATTRACTIVE AND DANGEROUS.
IT'S ATTRACTIVE
40
1 BECAUSE AS A VISUAL MEDIUM -- AND
I PERSONALLY
2 DON'T BELIEVE YOU SEE TEXT ON THE
SCREEN. I THINK
3 YOU SEE A VISUAL IMAGE OF A TEXT
AND IT'S MUCH
4 CLOSER TO A VISUAL MEDIUM THAN
TO A PRINT MEDIUM I
5 BELIEVE -- HAS THE SAME CAPACITY
FOR EMOTIONAL
6 ENGAGEMENT AS OTHER VARIABLE MEDIA.
7 OUR PROBLEM IS THAT IN OUR
CULTURE VISUAL
8 MEDIA ARE LINKED TO ENTERTAINMENT
AND ENTERTAINMENT
9 IS LINKED TO THE VENDOR IN ENJOINING
FUN AND HAVING
10 PLAY.
11 CAN A VISUAL MEANING BE TIED
TO CRITICAL
12 LIBERAL EDUCATION? WHAT SHE SAID
IS -- SHE A
13 SCHOLAR OF PUBLIC ART IN 18TH CENTURY
-- SHE SAYS
14 HISTORICALLY ART HAS HAD A PUBLIC
FUNCTION. AND
15 WHAT WE LACK RIGHT NOW IS A LINK
BETWEEN VISUAL
16 CULTURE AND WHAT SHE CALLS PUBLIC
CONCERNS AND
17 VISUAL CULTURES. THAT IS TREATING
VISUAL CULTURE
18 PART OF A PUBLIC WORLD RATHER THAN
PART OF A
19 PRIVATE WORLD OF CONSUMPTION.
FOR THIS REASON I'M
20 GOING TO NASHVILLE TO MEET WITH
THE 18TH CENTURY
21 ART HISTORIANS BECAUSE THEY REALLY
HAVE SOME
22 INSIGHT INTO MULTI MEDIUM.
23 IN TERMS OF EDUCATION, I THINK
THE EXCITING
24 PART ABOUT MULTI MEDIA COMES OUT
OF OR IS SUGGESTED
25 BY THE WORK OF HOWARD GARDENER
ABOUT LEARNING
41
1 STYLES, THAT ONE OF THE THINGS
ABOUT THE CLASSROOM
2 IS WE USUALLY DON'T TOLERATE LEARNING
STYLES THAT
3 DON'T MAP TO OUR OWN. ONE OF THE
GREAT THINGS
4 ABOUT LIBRARIES IS THERE'S AN INTELLECTUAL
FREEDOM
5 IN WHICH STUDENTS CAN CHOOSE THE
LEARNING STYLE
6 APPROPRIATE. THE PROMISE OF MULTI
MEDIA FOR THE
7 CLASSROOM IS LETTING STUDENTS CHOOSE
THE MODE OF
8 LEARNING, ESPECIALLY I THINK IN
LEARNING CALCULUS
9 IN WHICH PEOPLE CAN CHOOSE OR LINK
A VISUAL
10 REPRESENTATION OF CALCULUS, CALCULUS
AS EQUATION,
11 AS A TEXTUAL EQUATION OF CALCULUS.
THAT IS
12 SIGNIFICANT CHOICES IN STYLES OF
LEARNING.
13 A FOURTH CHARACTERISTIC OF
CYBERIA THAT I
14 THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT IS PARTICIPATION.
IT'S
15 THAT THAT I THINK IS THE PROBLEM
STUDENTS HAVE WITH
16 EDUCATION IS ITS PASSIVITY, IS
ITS CONTROL. AS I
17 TRIED TO SUGGEST YESTERDAY, THERE
PASSIVITY, THIS
18 INSTRUMENTAL APPROACH TO EDUCATION,
THIS
19 FRAGMENTATION OF EDUCATION HAS
HAD A REAL UTILITY
20 IN INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURING SOCIETY
AND I DOUBT
21 THAT IT DOES IN THE FUTURE. THE
PARTICIPATION IS
22 EGALITARIAN. IT'S ACTIVE AND TO
-- ME AND THIS
23 COMES BACK TO SOME THINGS ELIZABETH
WAS TALKING
24 ABOUT THE OTHER DAY, WHEN I LOOK
AT WHAT ARE THOSE
25 WEB PAGES, THE BEST, OF COURSE,
ARE THE ONES
42
1 PRODUCED BY MY DAUGHTER. BUT MANY
OF THEM ARE THE
2 LITERATURE OF SOCIAL MOVEMENTS.
GREENPEACE, A
3 GLOBAL POLITICAL MOVEMENT, IS BASED
UPON WEB
4 COMMUNICATIONS. ACT UP L.A. IS
BASED ON WEB
5 COMMUNICATIONS. THE LIBERATION
OF CENTRAL AND
6 EASTERN EUROPE, COMMUNICATION THROUGH
THE WEB. I
7 JUST GAVE A SPEECH IN BEJING ABOUT
BUILDING A
8 NATIONWIDE NETWORK DIGITAL LIBRARY.
THEY CANNOT DO
9 THAT BECAUSE THAT WOULD INVOLVE
DESCENT AND
10 COMMUNICATION OF DESCENT.
11 THIS IS A MEDIUM FOR SOCIAL
MOVEMENTS I THINK
12 AS A POLITICAL SPACE. AND IT'S
WORTH NOTING AND
13 THIS IS SOMETHING I THINK ABOUT
A LOT, THAT THE WEB
14 IS A SOCIAL INSTITUTION CREATED
WITHOUT GOVERNMENT,
15 WITHOUT THE AUTHORITY OF GOVERNMENT,
WITHOUT THE
16 REGULATION OF GOVERNMENT. AND
ONE OF THE
17 FASCINATING THINGS ABOUT AMERICAN
INFORMATION
18 POLICY IS IT'S TRY TO RETROACTIVELY
AND
19 RETROSPECTIVELY ASSERT GOVERNMENT
CONTROL OVER
20 SOMETHING THAT IS WAY OUT OF CONTROL.
21 I'D LIKE TO TURN NOW -- JUST
A BRIEF
22 DESCRIPTION OF THE FOUR ASPECTS
OF CYBERIA THAT I
23 THINK ARE INTERESTING. AS AN ETHNOGRAPHER
I'VE
24 BEEN TALKING TO THE PEOPLE WHO
HAVE BEEN CREATING
25 THESE TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE LAST
16 OR 17 YEARS.
43
1 THIS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT. THE WEB
IS NOT AN
2 ACCIDENT. IT IS NOT A TECHNOLOGICAL
INVASION. IN
3 THE MINDS OF MOST ITS INVENTORS,
IT'S A PEDAGOGICAL
4 INVASION.
5 IT'S DELIBERATELY A CRITIQUE
AND IS INTENDED
6 BY SUCH AND IS BY AND LARGE BY
COLLEGE DROP-OUTS,
7 STEVE WASNIAK, BILL GATES. IT
IS PROBLEM-SOLVING
8 ORIENTED, IT IS COLLABORATIVE,
IT IS LEARNER
9 CENTERED, IT IS BASED UPON THE
ITERATIVE METHOD
10 RATHER THAN A MORAL DISTINCTION
BETWEEN GETTING
11 SOMETHING RIGHT AND GETTING SOMETHING
WRONG AND IT
12 IS COSMOPOLITAN.
13 WHERE DID IT COME FROM? I'D
LIKE TO SAY
14 PRAGMATISM, BUT THAT'S NOT WHERE
IT CAME FROM. IT
15 CAME FROM THREE THINGS. FIRST
OF ALL, IT CAME FROM
16 AN AMERICAN TRADITION CALLED TINKERING
IN THE
17 WORLD -- WORDS OF CHARLES KETTERING.
IT'S A
18 TRADITION OF INVENTION. IT COMES
FROM SCIENTIFIC
19 RESEARCH, MOST OF THIS TECHNOLOGY
WAS INVENTED FOR
20 COLLABORATIVE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.
THE PREVIOUS
21 TECHNOLOGY, THE COMPUTER BRAIN,
THE CENTRAL
22 MAINFRAME AND THE DUMB TERMINAL
WAS CREATED FOR
23 CYBERNETIC CONTROL IN THE ARMY
AND NAVY AND IN
24 CORPORATIONS. BUT THE NETWORK
TECHNOLOGY WAS
25 CREATED BY SCIENTISTS TO ENABLE
THEIR OWN
44
1 COMMUNICATION AS EQUALS.
2 THIRDLY, IT WAS CREATED BY
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS.
3 IF YOU INTERVIEW THE PEOPLE WHO
INVENTED PERSONAL
4 COMPUTERS, ALMOST EVERY ONE OF
THEM CAME OUT OF A
5 SOCIAL MOVEMENT. IN ONE CASE OUT
OF THE DIGGERS IN
6 HAITE-ASBURY, THE GUY WHO DESIGNED
THE OSBORNE. IT
7 WAS A RADICALLY EGALITARIAN POLITICAL
VALUE.
8 WE'D LIKE TO TURN TO AN EXPLANATION
OF CYBERIA
9 FROM A SECOND POINT OF VIEW TO
SAY IT IS NOT AN
10 ACCIDENT THAT THIS TECHNOLOGY OF
DEMOCRATIC
11 COMMUNICATION CAME OUT OF SUCH
A POLITICAL AND
12 SOCIAL INTENT. ALL TECHNOLOGY
DOES -- AND MY
13 FAVORITE WAY OF THINKING ABOUT
THIS IS THE WORLD
14 INFORMATION IS A SCHOLASTIC WORD.
AND IT CAME OUT
15 OF THE MONASTIC SCHOOLS AND IT
HAD TO DO WITH
16 IN-FORM-ING, DRILLING INTO THE
MIND THE FORMS OF
17 THOUGHT. IT WAS A DELIBERATE LEGISLATION
OF HABITS
18 OF MIND AND PRACTICES OF MIND AND
IT STILL IS.
19 WELL, THE THING THAT'S DIFFERENT
TODAY ABOUT
20 THIS TECHNOLOGY THAT MAKES ME THINK
CYBERIA MAY BE
21 CHANGING THE TERMS OF LIBERAL EDUCATION
IS THAT IT
22 IS RE-ENGINEERING NOT THE WORLD
BUT US, OUR SENSE
23 OF SELF, OUR SENSE OF WHAT A MIND
IS AND OUR
24 BODIES. AND I MEAN THAT IN THE
STRONGEST POSSIBLE
25 TERM.
45
1 I'M THINKING IN PARTICULAR
OF BIOTECHNOLOGY.
2 BIOTECHNOLOGY, WHICH UNDERSTANDS
LIFE ITSELF, IS AN
3 INFORMATION SYSTEM BASED ON DNA
WHICH CAN BE
4 REENGINEERED. IT'S SUBJECT TO
CYBERNETIC COMMAND
5 AND CONTROL, THAT MIND AS A PHARMACOLOGICAL
OR
6 PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGICAL FACT. I
KEPT THINKING, I
7 THINK, THEREFORE, I AM. I'M ON
PROZAC, THEREFORE,
8 I AM, I'M ON RITALIN, THEREFORE
I AM.
9 WHAT IS MIND? IS LIBERAL
EDUCATION A
10 SEROTONIN LEVEL IN THE BRAIN?
SO WE CAN NO LONGER
11 ASSUME THAT PERCEPTION IS A GIVEN
OR THAT WE ARE AS
12 GIVEN. IT IS A SUBJECT FOR ENGINEERING.
I THINK A
13 LOT ABOUT CHILDREN ESPECIALLY AND
THE DEFINITION OF
14 LEARNING DISABILITY AND THE MEDICALIZATION
OF
15 EDUCATION AND THE MASS USE OF RITALIN
AND OTHER
16 DRUGS IN THE NAME OF EDUCATION.
I CAN'T HELP BUT
17 WONDER IF THAT DOESN'T HAVE SOMETHING
TO DO WITH
18 SOCIAL CONTROL.
19 THE GROWTH INDUSTRY IN CALIFORNIA
IS NOT
20 COMPUTERS. IT IS BIOTECHNOLOGY,
AND THE GOAL OF
21 BIOTECHNOLOGY IS TO SEE DISEASE
AS INFORMATION AS A
22 DATA ERA AND SOMETHING CORRECTABLE.
AND ALREADY
23 THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT EXPERIMENTS
WITH REVERSE
24 ENGINEERING GENETIC DEFECTS.
25 SO I THINK THIS SUGGESTS A
NEW CORE QUESTION.
46
1 AND THE NEW CORE QUESTION THAT
I THINK IS GOING TO
2 BE AT THE CORE OF AN EDUCATION
IS NOT WHAT IS THE
3 GOOD LIFE, BUT WHAT IS HEALTH.
AND I FOUND IT VERY
4 INTERESTING IN OUR CONFERENCE AND
IN OUR VERY FIRST
5 SPEECH, DNA WAS MENTIONED METAPHORICALLY
AS A
6 METAPHOR FOR LIBERAL EDUCATION.
AND CHARLES
7 ANDERSON, IN FACT, RAISED THIS
QUESTION, WHAT IS
8 HEALTH AS A CORE QUESTION OF LIBERAL
EDUCATION YET.
9 I HOPE IT WASN'T AN ACCIDENT.
10 SO LIFE ITSELF, THE HUMAN
BODY ITSELF, THE
11 MIND ITSELF, THE SENSE OF SELF
ITSELF IS ALL
12 SUBJECT TO ENGINEERING. WELL,
ON WHAT TERMS? THIS
13 STRIKES ME AS A CORE QUESTION OF
THE -- OF
14 EDUCATION.
15 I WANT TO SAY ONE MORE THING
ABOUT THIS. THE
16 JOY OF BEING A UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN
IS I'M JUST
17 FORCED TO LEARN ABOUT THE RESEARCH
OF THE PEOPLE IN
18 THE UNIVERSITY AND I'VE LEARNED
ABOUT BIOTECHNOLOGY
19 IN THE LAST YEAR IN WHICH OUR ENTIRE
CURRICULUM HAS
20 BEEN COMPLETELY REORGANIZED. BOTANY
IS GONE,
21 ZOOLOGY IS GONE, EVEN MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY IS GONE.
22 NOW IT'S NEUROSCIENCE, MY BIOLOGY,
INNOVATIVE
23 SCIENCE AND SO FORTH. ARISTOTLE
IS OVER.
24 SO I THINK THIS QUESTION,
WHAT IS HEALTH, IS A
25 QUESTION IN WHICH BIOTECHNOLOGY
AND LIBERAL
47
1 EDUCATION MIGHT MEET AROUND THAT
QUESTION AND THAT
2 OUR STUDENTS ARE GOING TO HAVE
TO BE PREPARED TO
3 DEAL WITH THAT QUESTION IN EVERY
ASPECT OF THEIR
4 LIVES. ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
YESTERDAY I SAID
5 THAT IT BOTHERS ME THAT SO MANY
OF OUR VISIONS OF
6 LIBERAL EDUCATION ARE TRAGIC.
TRAGIC VIEWS, AND BY
7 THAT I MEANT AND SHOULD HAVE EXPLAINED
THEY'RE
8 TRAGIC IF WE CAN'T LINK A VISION
OF AN IDEAL TO THE
9 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONTEXT IN
WHICH LIBERAL
10 EDUCATION OCCURS AND TO STRATEGIES
FOR
11 ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AND RENEWAL.
12 I'D HAVE TO SAY THAT INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
13 AND EDUCATION IN CYBERIA IS COMIC
IN CONTRAST IN
14 THAT YET FABULOUSLY EXPENSIVE TECHNOLOGY
IS BEING
15 USED FOR, IN SERVICE OF, ENTERTAINMENT,
THAT
16 ESSENTIALLY THE GAME OR PLAYING
GAMES IS THE MODEL
17 VISION OF AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE
FOR WHICH
18 BILLIONS OF DOLLARS ARE BEING INVESTED.
19 SO I HAVE A COUPLE OF SUGGESTIONS
ABOUT THE
20 QUESTIONS IN WHICH CYBERIA AND
LIBERAL EDUCATION
21 MIGHT MEET AROUND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.
THE
22 FIRST IS THE ONE BARBARA STAFFORD
SUGGESTED WHICH
23 IS CAN VISUAL CULTURE, CAN MULTI-MEDIA
BE LINKED TO
24 COMMON CONCERNS AND PUBLIC RITUALS,
THAT IS, IS
25 THERE A POSSIBILITY OF A PUBLIC
LIFE AND A COMMON
48
1 LIFE BASED UPON VISUAL CULTURE
THAT IS GENUINELY
2 EDUCATIONAL AND GENUINELY POLITICAL
IN THE SENSE
3 THAT ELIZABETH DEFINED THE OTHER
YESTERDAY. OUR
4 NATIONAL INFORMATION POLICY IS
BEING DRIVEN BY
5 DISNEY AND BY ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY,
NOT BY
6 THESE QUESTIONS OF -- WE KNOW ALMOST
NOTHING ABOUT
7 EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES.
8 SECONDLY, I THINK THE QUESTION
OF -- THE KEY
9 QUESTION FOR US ESPECIALLY FOLLOWING
THE LINE OF
10 THOUGHT OF SHOSHANA ZULOFF AND
PETER DRUCKER HAS TO
11 DO WITH THE QUALITY OF INFORMATION.
I LOVE LEE
12 SHULMAN'S SPEECH -- I TAUGHT AT
A LIBERAL ARTS
13 COLLEGE AT MICHIGAN STATE FOR 18
YEARS AT THE SAME
14 TIME THAT LEE WAS CREATING THE
INSTITUTE FOR
15 RESEARCH ON TEACHING AND WORKING
IN THE MEDICAL
16 SCHOOL. IT WAS A WONDERFUL TIME,
BUT I'M NOT SURE
17 IF THAT -- IF THE ROLES OF LEE'S
ARGUMENT, THEORY
18 AND PRACTICE, ACADEME AND PROFESSION,
IF THAT'S A
19 VIABLE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT'S HAPPENING
IN A WORLD
20 IN WHICH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
DISTRIBUTES
21 INFORMATION EVERYWHERE AND WHICH
THE QUESTIONS THAT
22 ARE DRIVING RESEARCH, ESPECIALLY
IN THE AREAS OF
23 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
ARE COMING
24 FROM THE FIELD. THAT IS THE IDEA
OF THEORY THAT
25 THEORY AND PRACTICE IS DESCRIBED
BY UNIVERSITY OR
49
1 COLLEGE AND PROFESSION OR BUSINESS,
I THINK IS AN
2 INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT THAT'S
OVER, THAT THIS
3 COMMUNICATION MEDIUM IS SO UBIQUITOUS
THAT THEORY
4 IS EVERYWHERE AND PRACTICE IS EVERYWHERE
OR IT
5 BETTER BE, WE BETTER BE EDUCATING.
6 AS A LIBRARIAN IT OCCURS TO
ME EVERY DAY THAT
7 WE ARE ASKING PEOPLE TO MAKE JUDGMENTS
ABOUT THE
8 QUALITY OF INFORMATION IN CYBERIA
AND WE ARE NOT
9 TEACHING THEM HOW TO DO THAT.
WE'RE TEACHING
10 PEOPLE HOW TO BE FUNCTIONAL IN
THE 18TH CENTURY,
11 NOT IN THE 20TH CENTURY.
12 JUST AS AN EXAMPLE, HOW WRONG
DOES A GROCERY
13 STORE CHECK-OUT, LASER BAR CODE
CHECK-OUT SCAN HAVE
14 TO BE BEFORE YOU WILL QUESTION
IT? AND THE SOCIAL
15 SCIENCE HAS BEEN DONE ON THAT.
THE SOCIAL SCIENCE
16 SAYS IT HAS TO BE TWICE WHAT YOU
MEANT TO PAY
17 BEFORE MOST OF YOU WILL SAY, EXCUSE
ME, ARE HERSHEY
18 BARS $4.36 NOW?
19 MANY DECISIONS ABOUT THE QUALITY
OF THE
20 INFORMATION UPON WHICH WE ACT ARE
FACING US EVERY
21 DAY AND OFTEN IN THE FORM OF VISUAL
CULTURES --
22 JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE, JURASSIC
PARK. WHAT'S THE
23 PROVIDENCE OF THE CHILDREN AND
WHAT'S THE
24 PROVIDENCE OF THE DINOSAURS AND
WHICH IS REAL AND
25 HOW DO WE MAKE THOSE JUDGMENTS.
50
1 SO I THINK THIS ISSUE OF THE
QUALITY OF
2 INFORMATION IS AT THE HEART OF
WHAT A LIBERAL
3 EDUCATION IS. IT IS THE MOST VITAL
QUESTION FOR
4 OUR STUDENTS AND US LIVING IN CYBERIA.
I THINK
5 WE'RE LARGELY UNPREPARED TO MAKE
THOSE JUDGMENTS.
6 I THINK THERE'S A THIRD THEME,
WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF
7 TIME, ON WHAT POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
MEANS WHEN
8 YOU CAN BE IN DAILY DIALOGUE WITH
PEOPLE ANYWHERE
9 ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH.
10 STEPHEN TOLMAN (ph) HAS SUGGESTED
THAT THE
11 CONCEPT, THAT THE STATE IS GOING
TO WITHER AWAY --
12 FINALLY. AND THAT ETHNIC GROUPS,
AFFINITY GROUPS,
13 EDUCATIONAL GROUPS WILL BE GLOBAL
IN SCALE AND HE
14 POINTS TO THE MIGRATION OF PEOPLE
BACK AND FORTH
15 ACROSS NATIONAL BOUNDARIES, NOT
TO MENTION MONEY.
16 I THINK THE CONCEPT OF POLITICAL
PARTICIPATION WILL
17 CHANGE IN CYBERIA.
18 I WANTED TO CLOSE WITH SOMETHING
I FOUND IN
19 DIANE LITTLEBROOK (sic), PRAGMATISM
AND FEMINISM,
20 REWEAVING (inaudible.) THERE'S
THIS QUOTE THAT
21 REALLY GUIDES ME IN THINKING ABOUT
CYBERIA. SHE
22 SAYS THAT OUR GOAL IS TO CREATE
A PRAGMATIST
23 HERMENEUTIES OF COOPERATION AS
CALLED FOR BY JANE
24 ADDAMS AND WILLIAMS JAMES. IF
THERE IS A GOAL FOR
25 CYBERIA THAT I WOULD WANT US TO
ASSERT, IT IS TO
51
1 USE IT AND TURN IT INTO AND MAKE
IT CAPABLE OF
2 SUPPORTING COMMUNITY-BASED THEORIES
OF INQUIRY.
3 THANK YOU.
4 MS. BORNSTEIN: THANK YOU
PETER SO VERY MUCH.
5 I'M TOLD WE COULD HAVE TIME FOR
MAYBE TWO
6 QUESTIONS. SO PLEASE DO. MAYBE
IF WE CAN HAVE THE
7 MICROPHONES DOWN THERE
8 PROFESSOR STRAIT: DAN STRAIT
FROM PALM BEACH
9 ATLANTIC COLLEGE. I HAVE A QUESTION
FOR PROFESSOR
10 LYMAN. I FIRST HAVE TO ADMIT THAT
I USE COMPUTERS,
11 I OWN A COMPUTER, I HAVE A COUPLE
OF E-MAIL
12 ADDRESSES AND SO ON. SO I'M FULLY
INITIATED INTO
13 THE WORLD OF CYBERSPACE, CYBERIA.
BUT I JUST WANT
14 TO WORK THROUGH A COUPLE VERY QUICK
POINTS AND ASK
15 YOU A QUESTION THAT RELATES TO
YOUR LAST POINT. I
16 WORRY ABOUT TALKING ABOUT, FOR
INSTANCE, OR HEARING
17 SOMEBODY TALK ABOUT A PERSONAL
GOD IF THEY NEVER
18 MENTION HIS OR HER RELATIONSHIP
TO HIS OR HER
19 NEIGHBOR, IN OTHER WORDS, IF THEY
SPIRITUALIZE
20 THEIR FAITH SO MUCH THAT THEY FORGET
ABOUT THE
21 PERSON THEY LIVE NEXT TO AND, THAT
IS, THEY PUT
22 THIS DISTANCE BETWEEN THE MATERIAL
AND THE
23 SPIRITUAL. IN THE SAME WAY I WORRY
ABOUT, FOR
24 INSTANCE, GOING TO THE SUPERMARKET
IF IT CAUSES ME
25 TO FORGET ABOUT THE FARM OR THE
LAND OR THE ABILITY
52
1 THAT I HAVE TO GROW A TOMATO, FOR
INSTANCE, IN MY
2 CERAMIC POT BEHIND MY TOWNHOME.
3 IN THE SAME WAY I WORRY A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT A
4 MEMBER OF GREENPEACE WHO IS ON
E-MAIL BUT WHO HAS
5 NEVER PLANTED A TREE. AND I SAY
THIS BECAUSE I
6 NOTICED EVEN AMONG MY OWN STUDENTS
A GROWING
7 ESSENCE OF THE SEPARATION BETWEEN
THEIR MATERIAL
8 REALITY, FOR INSTANCE, IN MY CLASS
AND THE KIND OF
9 SPIRITUAL REALITY THAT THEY SEEM
TO BE REALIZING IN
10 CYBERSPACE. LET'S FOR ARGUMENT'S
SAKE SAY
11 CYBERSPACE IS A KIND OF SPIRITUAL
PLACE, NOT
12 NECESSARILY RELIGIOUS, BUT THAT
WHICH IS REMOVED
13 FROM THE MATERIAL.
14 I WANT YOU TO, IF YOU CAN
-- BECAUSE I'M
15 LOOKING FOR WAYS TO FORCE THEM
TO DEAL WITH THE
16 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CYBERSPACE
AND REAL PEOPLE. I
17 WORRY ABOUT THEIR DESIRE OF MEETING
SOMEONE THROUGH
18 E-MAIL, AT THE SAME TIME I WORRY
ABOUT THEIR DESIRE
19 OF NEVER WANTING TO MEET THEM ON
THE SIDEWALK. SO
20 THIS HAS BECOME A THREAT TO MY
CLASSROOM. AND I'M
21 LOOKING FOR WAYS TO FORCE THEM
TO INTEGRATE THEIR
22 USE OF COMPUTERS OR AT LEAST UNDERSTAND
THEIR USE
23 OF COMPUTERS IN TERMS OF SOME KIND
OF MATERIAL
24 RESPONSIBILITY OR MATERIAL PRACTICE.
I WAS
25 WONDERING HOW YOU MIGHT ADDRESS
THAT.
53
1 MR. LYMAN: I KNOW I'M OBSOLETE
AND I'M AFRAID
2 YOU ARE, TOO, IN THE SENSE I GREW
UP IN ANOTHER
3 WORLD AND I MAKE MORAL JUDGMENTS
LIKE THAT ABOUT
4 THEIR COMMUNICATION. SO I'M HESITANT
TO EXPLAIN
5 AWAY THEIR EXPERIENCE TOO EASILY
OR THEIR
6 DESCRIPTION OF THEIR EXPERIENCE
TOO EASILY.
7 I THINK THE PLACE I'VE --
THE PLACE I'VE TRIED
8 TO INTERVENE HAS TO DO WITH WHAT
I CALL INFORMATION
9 DESIGN WHICH IS TO SAY WE SHOULD
NOT ACCEPT THAT
10 COMPUTERS ARE LIKE NATURE, THAT
THE KIND OF
11 COMMUNICATION IS SOMEHOW INTRINSIC
IN THE
12 TECHNOLOGY. WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE
THAT CERTAIN
13 KINDS OF SOCIAL POSSIBILITIES AND
COMMUNICATIVE
14 POSSIBILITIES ARE BUILT INTO COMPUTERS
AND WE CAN
15 CHANGE THEM.
16 A LOT OF THE BAD BEHAVIOR
IN COMPUTER
17 COMMUNICATION HAS TO DO WITH WHAT
I THINK IS VERY
18 BAD SOFTWARE. PAULA TALKED --
I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT
19 THIS QUITE A BIT. I STUDIED STANFORD
FACULTY FOR
20 THREE YEARS, HOW THEY -- IN HUMANITIES,
HOW THEY
21 LEARNED TO USE COMPUTERS AND DISCOVER
THAT NOT
22 EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD FINDS GIVING
COMMANDS TO BE
23 A FRIENDLY METAPHOR OR A GOOD DESCRIPTION
OF THE
24 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMANS AND
KNOWLEDGE OR
25 BETWEEN HUMAN BEINGS. WELL, SOME
PEOPLE DO.
54
1 WHY WAS I EMPOWERED WHEN THE
WOMAN SITTING
2 NEXT TO ME WASN'T? WELL, GUESS
WHAT? I WAS RAISED
3 IN A MALE CULTURE AND FOUND THE
IDEA OF COMMAND AND
4 CONTROL, BREAK, ESCAPE, CRASH,
THE LANGUAGE OF
5 EMPOWERMENT AND GAMES. THE WOMAN
SITTING NEXT TO
6 ME FOUND THEM VIOLENT.
7 ACTUALLY I WENT AROUND AND
TALKED TO A WOMAN
8 POET AT STANFORD -- FEMINIST WOMAN
POET, DIANE
9 MIDDLEBROOK AND SAID HOW WOULD
YOU HAVE NAMED THE
10 KEYBOARD. FIRST OF ALL, THE COMMAND
KEY WOULD BE A
11 RELATE KEY. THAT IS, THIS TECHNOLOGY
IS DESIGNED
12 FOR THE MILITARY AND THAT LEADS
TO A LOT OF THE
13 BEHAVIOR YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT OR
IT'S DESIGNED FOR
14 IBM TO SELL TO SHELL SO WE CAN
CARRY CARDI -- TO ME
15 THE CREDIT CARD IS THE DIGITAL
DOCUMENT. CASH IS
16 NOW DIGITAL. THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE
UP TO. WE'RE
17 UP TO TEACHING AND LEARNING. AND
WE HAVE TO DESIGN
18 SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENTS FOR THAT
POSSIBILITY.
19 IT'S WHY I THINK EUNUCHS GREW
AND ALL THOSE
20 OTHER OPERATING SYSTEMS DIDN'T.
EUNUCHS IS VERY
21 HARD TO USE, BUT AT LEAST IT WAS
DESIGNED FOR
22 COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATION,
THAT IT'S
23 SOMETHING REASONABLY CLOSE TO WHAT
WE DO.
24 WHAT I SAY IS, IF THE TECHNOLOGY
IS HARD TO
25 USE, IT HAS TO BE REDESIGNED.
IT'S JUST NOT
55
1 ACCEPTABLE. DON'T BUY MICROSOFT
WINDOWS.
2 MS. BROWNLEE: LET'S HAVE
TWO MORE.
3 PROFESSOR ASTIN: THIS IS
SORT OF A RANDOM
4 FACT THAT POPPED INTO MY MIND.
WE WERE TALKING
5 JUST NOW WHAT IT'S WORTH. WE INTRODUCED
A NEW ITEM
6 IN OUR FRESHMAN SURVEY IN THE LAST
COUPLE YEARS AND
7 IT PRODUCED THE LAST GENDER DIFFERENCE
OF ANY ITEM
8 WE'VE EVER HAD IN THE QUESTIONNAIRE.
IT'S HOW MANY
9 HOURS A WEEK DO YOU SPEND PLAYING
VIDEO GAMES. AND
10 THE WOMEN VIRTUALLY DON'T PLAY
THEM. IT IS --
11 WE'VE NEVER SEEN -- WE'RE TALKING
RATIOS OF EIGHT
12 TO ONE, TEN TO ONE, ELEVEN TO ONE
MEN TO WOMEN IN
13 THAT PARTICULAR RECREATIONAL PURSUIT.
14 MR. LYMAN: THAT SAYS IT ALL
ABOUT YOUR
15 QUESTION, TOO.
16 PROFESSOR RAY: ROGER RAY
FROM ROLLINS,
17 PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT. AS SOMEONE
WHO HAS SPENT
18 THE LAST THREE OR FOUR YEARS CONTEMPLATING
AND
19 WORKING WITH STUDENTS IN CYBERIA,
THERE SEEMS TO ME
20 TO BE AN IMPLICATION IN MUCH OF
WHAT YOU'RE SAYING
21 IN YOUR TALK THAT YOU DIDN'T TOUCH
ON THAT I THINK
22 IS VERY SIGNIFICANT FOR THIS CONFERENCE.
AND IT
23 HAS IN MY MIND TWO DIMENSIONS.
ONE IS THE
24 CONCRETENESS OF PHYSICAL SPACE
AND THE CONCRETENESS
25 OF KNOWLEDGE, QUALITY ASSURANCE.
IT SEEMS TO ME
56
1 THAT LIBERAL ARTS INSTITUTIONS
ESPECIALLY HAVE
2 EXISTED AS PHYSICALLY LOCATED SPATIAL
ENTITIES
3 PRIMARILY FOR THE PURPOSE OF BRINGING
TOGETHER
4 THOSE WHO WOULD QUALITY ASSURE
INFORMATION AND
5 THOSE WHO WOULD SEEK THAT INFORMATION
AND SEEK TO
6 UNDERSTAND THE QUALITY ASSURANCE
CRITERIA.
7 AS THE CYBERSPACE YOU DESCRIBED
BEGINS TO
8 REALLY PROLIFERATE, WHICH I BELIEVE
IT VERY QUICKLY
9 WILL AND BECOME -- AND WILL BECOME
VERY MUTLI MEDIA
10 IN THE SENSE OF INTERACTIVE TELEVISION
WITH VIDEO
11 CONFERENCING AND SO FORTH AS A
GIVEN, WHERE IS THE
12 LIBERAL ARTS INSTITUTION, THE PHYSICAL
SPACE AND
13 THE AGGREGATE OF INDIVIDUALS THAT
INHABIT THAT
14 SPACE 30 YEARS OUT?
15 MR. LYMAN: THIS IS A QUESTION
I OFTEN ASK IN
16 ANOTHER CONTEXT WHICH IS, IF THERE'S
A DIGITAL
17 LIBRARY, IS THERE A LIBRARY? ONE
OF THE THINGS IN
18 THE CASE OF THE LIBRARY IS I ALWAYS
REMEMBER -- THE
19 REAL FUNCTION OF A LIBRARY IS TO
SUSTAIN A
20 SCHOLARLY COMMUNITY. AND IT'S
THE COMMUNITY THAT'S
21 MY FOCUS. AND WHAT THE LIBRARY
IS ABOUT IS THE WAY
22 THAT COMMUNITY LEARNS, REMEMBERS
AND TEACHES. AND
23 I THINK THAT'S A PHYSICAL PLACE.
THAT'S A HUMAN
24 SOCIAL RELATIONSHIP, THAT IT'S
A TERRIBLE MISTAKE
25 TO THINK THAT CYBERIA SUBSTITUTES
FOR SOMETHING
57
1 ELSE.
2 I THINK, IN FACT, IF YOU READ
ELIZABETH
3 EINSTEIN'S (sic) BOOK SHE POINTS
OUT FOR THE FIRST
4 CENTURY THE PRINTING PRESS WAS
USED TO IMITATE
5 MANUSCRIPTS. I THINK WE'RE IN
THAT KIND OF
6 TRANSITIONAL PERIOD WHERE WE'RE
ASKING THE WRONG
7 QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS LIKE CAN THE
COMPUTER REPLACE
8 THE BOOK? NO. WHAT THE COMPUTER
IS IS ABOUT
9 ENTIRELY NEW GENRES OF READING
AND WRITING. FOR
10 EXAMPLE, AND I DIDN'T MENTION SCIENTIFIC
11 VISUALIZATION, IT IS AS PROFOUND
AS THE MICROSCOPE
12 OR THE TELESCOPE IN THE WAY IT
CHANGES OUR
13 PERCEPTION OF NATURE. SO THAT'S
-- I THINK THOSE
14 QUESTIONS ABOUT COMPUTERS AND CYBERIA
SUBSTITUTING
15 ARE TRANSITIONAL QUESTIONS. I
THINK THEY'RE BEING
16 PUSHED BY COMPUTER COMPANIES.
I READ THE HARVARD
17 BUSINESS REVIEW AND THERE IS NO
EVIDENCE THAT
18 PRODUCTIVITY INCREASES WHEN YOU
INTRODUCE
19 COMPUTERS. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE
THAT YOU SAVE
20 MONEY UNLESS YOU COMPLETELY REORGANIZE
WORK, THAT
21 IS, THE SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS.
GOD, I HOPE THAT'S
22 TRUE.
23 MR. STEWART: I'M GOING TO
MAKE A VERY BRIEF
24 COMMENT AND IT WILL SHOW MY AGE
-- I'M DON STEWART,
25 COLLEGE BOARD. I'VE BEEN LISTENING
ABSOLUTELY
58
1 FASCINATED WITH THIS DISCUSSION,
PROFESSOR MAYR AND
2 DR. LYMAN. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO
RECOUNT VERY
3 BRIEFLY A HAPPENING ON THE CAMPUS
OF CORNELL
4 COLLEGE WHERE I WAS AN UNDERGRADUATE
IN THE '50s.
5 WE HAD HAD A -- WE WERE IN
THE MIDDLE OF A
6 SEMINAR OR SYMPOSIUM, COLLOQUIA,
WHATEVER WE CALLED
7 IT AT THE TIME ON THE FUTURE OF
THE LIBERAL ARTS
8 COLLEGES WHICH THEN PRESIDENT HOWARD
BOWEN HAD PUT
9 TOGETHER. WE HAD WITH US NORMAN
WEINER, THE FATHER
10 OF CYBERNETICS FROM MIT WHO WAS
ENGAGED IN A
11 DISCUSSION WITH DAVID REESEMAN
FROM HARVARD
12 UNIVERSITY.
13 IN THIS DISCUSSION PROFESSOR
WEINER GAVE US
14 SOMEWHAT OF THE VISION WHICH IS
FAST BECOMING
15 REALITY. HE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT
MICROSOFT AND SUCH
16 THINGS. BUT WE SAW WHAT WAS COMING
THROUGH HIS
17 EYES. I'LL NEVER FORGET DAVID
REESEMAN SAYS, WELL,
18 BUT WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN FOR
THE LIBERAL ARTS
19 COLLEGE? AND PROFESSOR WEINER
SAID WE MUST
20 REMEMBER IN THIS WORLD THAT'S COMING,
THE MOST
21 IMPORTANT THING WE MUST PROTECT
IS THE QUALITY OF
22 MIND AND THAT IS IN THE PURVIEW
OF THE LIBERAL ARTS
23 COLLEGE. THANK YOU.
24 MS. BROWNLEE: THANK YOU ALL
VERY MUCH AND
25 THANK YOU TO OUR SPEAKERS.