Re: [Critical-Realism] thoughts, ideas and action

["Mervyn Hartwig" <mh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Mark, Louis

"if only Mervyn had had a fork-lift truck to hand, the dog might have ...
no, I don't want to get into that!"

I actually did have a little tractor to hand, with a hydraulic carryall and
a bulldozer blade (this was in my hobby-farming days in Oz).  The thing is I
didn't *really* believe the guy, who was a control freak in my wife's
university department (we used to call him Pol Pot). So instead of
investigating properly I just poked around a bit. Another crucial absence -
lack of trust.

He was such a beautiful boy (the dog, I mean).

Mervyn 

-----Original Message-----
From: critical-realism-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:critical-realism-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Mark
Johnson
Sent: 10 December 2007 00:41
To: Continuation of the Spoon Bhaskar List
Subject: Re: [Critical-Realism] thoughts, ideas and action

Hi Loius,

I think we can get too hung-up on questions about intentionality (how
can you know it, anyway - particularly 'genuine' intentionality?!).

It strikes me that the real point is to get a deeper insight into the
living process of our 'whole selves' with the explicit purpose of
taking greater control of that process. In other words, empower
ourselves through synergising dispositions, instruments, concepts,
philosophies, etc. to increase our capacity to act. I strongly believe
this is only achievable with models (and certainly not language) - I
use one called the Viable System Model.

Regarding the 'realm of possibility', there's a big difference to
thinking something's possible and it actually being possible: it's the
same difference as between the weather forecast and the actual
weather. Weakness of the will is something we perceive in ourselves
often in the form of 'regret' that we could have done something - but
it's probably not true that we could. Counsellors are trained to deal
with that sort of thing. What do they do? The short answer is "they
put things in perspective". Done well, that perspective would situate
the original 'weakness of will' within a larger organisational
framework (and may suggest organisational improvements! - if only
Mervyn had had a fork-lift truck to hand, the dog might have ... no, I
don't want to get into that!)

Cheers,

Mark



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