| |
|
| |
Dec 07, 2009 3:34 pm |
|
re: reviewing the thread "35 Inconvenient Truths" ... |
abbeboulah
| |
Has anyone gained any new insight...?
The question could pertain to two issues:
1) Was there information presented that was 'new' to some participants and thereby changed their state of knowledge (inducing a process of learning and insight)?
2) Observing the pattern of interaction among those who contributed posts, what might have been learned about those participants, their attitudes, motivations, and modes of discussion?
Since most of the posts consisted of quotes and reference to information that had been published elsewhere, someone who (theoretically) had already read all that information might not have any reason to change his mind about an issue, i.e. for such a know-it-all, no learning regarding question 1 would occur. This remains true even if there were 'new' items of information that merely repeated or reinforced information previously acquired.
Moreover, it is of course possible that readers of real, 'new' information either
a) did not understand it; b) did not manage to relate it properly to their previous state of knowledge; c) did not believe it; and therefore did not gain any new insights,not learn anything. Or did not learn 'yet' -- that more time is needed for the learning to 'sink in'.
The interesting aspect about (c) is that it leads directly to question (2): refusal to believe an item of information is sometimes related to a person's assessment of the credibility, objectivity, sincerity of the messenger. Which is arguably influenced by such things as the calmness or shrillness of the language, the use of characterizations and name-calling, the attributions of motivations and disclosure or lack of such, of one's own motivations, the selection and omission of significant aspects in their argumentation. And from that point of view, there was a lot to be learned. Your list of information points seems to try to remove these flavors (related to question 2) and to get us to focus on question 1. This is of course appropriate and meritorious; but difficult to assess given the problems of verification available to participants in this forum. Are the lessons pertaining to question 2, by comparison, more immediately available -- and -- hmm -- interesting?
Private Reply to abbeboulah (new win) |
|
| |
|