Here's a last bit from Gregory Bateson, Mind and Nature: A Necessary Unity (1979) before moving on:
The mind contains no things, no pigs, no people, no midwife toads, or what have you, only ideas (i.e. news of difference), information about "things" in quotes, always in quotes. Similarly, the mind contains no time and no space, only ideas of "time" and "space." It follows that the boundaries of the individual, if real at all, will be, not spatial boundaries, but something more like the sacks that represent sets in theoretical diagrams or the bubbles that come out of the mouths of the characters in comic strips . . .
Relationship is not internal to the single person. It is nonsense to talk about "dependency" or "aggressiveness" or "pride," and so forth. All such words have their roots in what happens between persons, not in some something-or-other inside a person. (pp. 146-147)
That was in 1979. In 2010, social networking theory now informs all sorts of things, including blogging, Facebook and Twitter. We see it in action every day. Indeed, we are it in action every day.
Today's Rune: The Mystery Rune. Happy 76th Birthday to Donald Delbert France, my Dad!
5 comments:
Happy Birthday to you Don. May you see many more non spatial timeless relationships to birthdays not yet celebrated.
Hum, I'm not sure about some of that. I'm coming more from a biological perspective. For example, aggressiveness clearly happens within a single individual it appears to me. But worth some thoughts.
WM/Mark -- very funny ;-> Charles, I guess it depends on the persepctive. Bateson seems to be emphasizing the interrelationship aspect. Maybe aggressiveness is more important to the greater population as part of a system than it is as a stand alone -- I don't know. But it makes sense as a context for putting psychopaths in a contained setting not able to damage fellow human beings, for instance.
Your Dad must be proud to have such a bright son, someone who give things a lot of thought. He did well. Happy Birthday to him.
Patti, thanks -- that's sweet ;->
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