04/05/2013
Most academic debates are inaccessible to those of us who don’t know the terms being used or who don’t have the time or patience to read complex theoretical books and articles. In every field, there are authors who write more readable accounts of the discussions that are also happening only in academic journals, at conferences, and in upper level classrooms. However, there seems to be a lack of accessible discussions with reference to academic discourses in general, and especially with the platform that the internet provides.
While this might seem rather disconnected to our project here at Zero to Infinity, it is actually very closely related. Part of the value of generating discussions around users’ ideas is that each of us has unique life experiences which in many cases can help others and provide them with invaluable feedback. Each of us is an “expert” in something, or at least the older we get the more practice we inevitably get in certain professions or even just in specific modes of thinking. That’s all that separates academic discussions from everyday ones – the extent of the scholar’s experience and practice thinking and talking about complicated topics.
Part of our goal here is to encourage people to be themselves and be transparent: be who you say you are, and say who you really are! This serves many purposes, including the important one of linking your ideas to you in a clear, traceable way. It also encourages you to share your perspective in your capacity as an expert of some sort – so that you’re not contributing to a conversation as just an anonymous “commenter”. This is a place for real people and real discussions, and one of our continuing aims is to encourage the bridging of domains that might seem very distinct.
I will be writing posts that work towards this in the future, starting with my next post which will delve lightly into social theory and ways that dialogue can be considered “collaborative action” (via K. Gergen’s “Dialogue as collaborative action.” Journal fur Psychologie. Jg.17, Aus. 2). The innovation of new ideas, the collaboration that results form working together, and the creation of tangible outcomes are all parts of the production of knowledge. We are all part of it!
There are a lot of discussions happening in academia that fall under “social theory” – ideas and explanations of the social world and what meanings or functions we can attribute to aspects of it. Like most academic debates, these discussions are often inaccessible to those of us who don’t know the t...
