The talking stick method is working. Haven't got the time to do the "intro"
and my "favourite learning org" now. Here is my reaction to what
Annamarie Pluhar wrote (on the impact of TV on our society) okt 26:
"... leads to the long term problem of children not developing the skills to
occupy themselves.
... TV disrupts this natural cycle we now have parents who themselves
watched enough TV as children that they don't have the=20
parenting skills their parents had. "
I think that you are pointing at a great problem of our time, and that it is
more general than just watching TV in the US. We see the same process
developing in Norway where I live. But the general problem I want to address
is that of the erosion of all kinds of practical skill. The use of
information technology is in many aspects a gigant step forward. We can
reduce time spent on producing goods and services, we can reduce travelling
time and thus environmental pollution, to mention some. But at the same time
we reduce the skills needed to solve practical problems. Over some years
this will reduce our ability to develop new knowledge, a knowledge needed
both to develop the information technology, and the skills needed to be
human. (Remember: we are human beeings, not human doings). We are social,
and the social skills will be reduced if we continue on the easiest path, to
spend our time looking at some artificial solutions in cyberspace. And this
has great impact on how organizations develop over time. The L-O approach is
in my opinion much more than making organizations more effective, it is a
question of making organizations a place to continue to be human. Therefore
I totally agree that the television culture is in sharp contrast to the
skills required for participating in and building learning organizations. =
=20
"The result is increase in physical abuse,=20
(there's research showing that heavy viewer as children are more likely to=
be=20
physically punitive with their children than the norm), and greater=
dependence
on the television. I supect there is also less development of the skills of=
=20
practicing compassion, forgiveness, sacrifice, intimacy etc. "
Obviously you are right. And the violent attitudes are to be found a long
time before they become parents. Just want to make you aware of a very sad
story from Norway. Just about a week ago four children played at a
playground just outside the city of Trondheim, one girl and three boys (five
and six years old). They came into a quarrel, the girl against the boys. She
was beaten so badly that she fell unconcious. They left her and she froze to
death. The first reaction from our Prime Minister to this was: "We have to
look into what is sent on TV".
"I'm working on an article about this...."
If you are working on an article on the erosion of practical skill (for
example the skill to be a parent) you migth find the litterature under of
some interest. I have used this and more on an article on "Artficial
Intelligence and Organization Theory". Regrettably it is written in
Norwegian. Hopefully I will have time to translate it after Christmas.
Anyone interested may send me a note.
-- wiggo hustad
Dreyfus Hubert & Stuart Dreyfus (1986):
Mind Over Machine, The Free Press, N.Y., paperback 1988.=20
Gioia, Dennis A. (1992):
Common ground ? The intersection of artificial intelligence and
organization and=20
management theory, in Masuch og Warglien (red.): Artificial
intelligence in Organization=20
and Management Theory, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1992
G=F6ranzon, Bo and Magnus Florin (eds.) (1990):=20
Artificial Intelligence, Culture and Language: On education and
Work, Springer-Verlag
Harman, Gilbert (1989):
Some Philosophical Issues in Cognitive Science: Qualia,
Intentionality, and the Mind-
body Problem, in Michael Posner (red).. Foundations of Cognitive
Science, MIT Press,=20
1989, second printing 1990.
Janik, Allan (1990):
Tacit knowledge, Rule-following and Learning, in Bo G=F6ranzon and
Magnus Florin=20
(eds.): Artificial Intelligence, Culture and Language: On education
and Work, Springer-
Verlag
Johannessen, Kjell S. (1990):
Rule-following and Intransitive Understanding , in Bo G=F6ranzon and
Magnus Florin=20
(eds.): Artificial Intelligence, Culture and Language: On education
and Work, Springer-
Verlag
Penrose, Roger (1990):
The Emperors New Mind - Concerning Computers, Minds and The Law of
Physics,=20
intage, London
Polanyi, Michael (1983):
The Tacit Dimension, Glucester, Mass.: Peter Smith