From: 106720.3466-AT-CompuServe.COM
Date: Sun, 23 Nov 1997 16:46:07 -0500
Subject: Re: PKF: Identification


Hello,

David wrote:

>I tend to identify myself as a 'constructivist' when it comes to talking
about epistemology, but I'm gradually >learning not to just default to that
perspective and ignore all others. But it takes a while: perhaps all of us
>have to 'convert' quite dramatically to a new perspective, like a new
convert to a religion, or someone who >has given up smoking.We see only our
new perspective for a while, but as we mature we come to have a >more
balanced, or at least a dialectical, understanding of 'our' position and
the alternatives.


I think, there is a great difference between "creation of knowledge" and
"accumulation of knowledge". "Accumulation of knowledge" just bring us away
from our life but "creation of knowledge" is base on the consciousness of
our life today. And "balance our position and the alternatives" (just like
David wrote) is just the way of "management of knowledge", like some of the
university professors, who like to "accumulate the knowledge" in order to
"manage the knowledge". The field of knowledge is not a bank-account which
we can or have to balance. Besides, we are not the owner of the account of
knowledge that we can have a whole view or survey of it.        

 Just let everyone goes his way! There are too many managers of knowledge
in this world, what we need is more artists of knowledge.  


David also wrote:

>But the second part of the problem is how others perceive us: if I
identify myself as a Christian, a science >educator and chemist, a white
male Australian in his 30s, etc., etc., does this change the validity of my
>opinions, or conjure up a constellation of expectations in your mind?

I don't think, there is any "validity" of anyone's opinion. We are not in
the school examination that the teachers can set standard answers for the
pupils. "Validity" may exist in a "limit" field of natural science but
opinion of someone can't start a washing machine to wash. "Validity" can be
"instrumental", just like that I know how to start a washing machine to
wash. But I don't think, there is any "validity" of someone's opinion.

Besides, if David identifies himself as a christian or a science
educator....etc. In my opinion it makes different. There is a long context
of what you identify. 

In the second world war the Jews were identified by the German soldiers as
just "numbers" and many Germans identify themselves as officers who killed
so many Jews in Auschwitz just as they cancell  "numbers" from an account
book.

What I wrote above is just my opinion. I don't have any attempt to against
anyone.


Wai Fung       
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