I Think, Therefore I Blog…

Originally published here on March 23, 2008.

I think, therefore I blog...

I stumbled across that phrase a few years ago, surfing the Net. Regrettably, I didn't think to save the link. The author took a fairly academic tone (I think) that included references in APA format. Now though, you can find the expression on t-shirts as a manifestation of pop culture.

That first time I saw it, the author used the phrase to discuss the preoccupation our society has with introspection. Justly or unjustly, he blamed that preoccupation on Descartes. Descartes is generally considered the Father of Modern Philosophy, and most lay philosophers (like me) are familiar with his famous conclusion: I think, therefore I am.

Okay, the truth is I'm not that big on René Descartes (1596-1650). But I know a little about him...

The author of the piece that got me thinking about this topic years ago suggested that the entirety of European culture might be different if Descartes had said something else - something like, I think, and I think I'm bored, so I'll go read, and since I'm reading, I must exist. Or, maybe, something like I think, and what I think is that I need to go for a walk; and since I'm walking, I must exist. Or (of course), I think, and I think I'll go blog about what I think (and leave the idea of whether I exist at all to someone else).

I understood the author's point. But I'm not sure it holds up after a closer look at Descartes. I think Descartes' original statement was something more like "I doubt, therefore I'm think, and that must mean I exist." The Latin: Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum. That chain of thoughts would make Descartes' statement somewhat more active than the simple introspection that my forgotten author was bemoaning.

There is a distinction, I think, between introspection and reflection. Introspection becomes self absorbed; and while it might be personally gratifying, it can also be pointless. We become Narcissus, paralyzed by contemplating our own image. Reflection (in contrast to simple introspection) has purpose, and that purpose usually involves our impact on those we claim to serve in our profession...

I've seen the statement reversed a few times recently. I blog, therefore I am. I guess that's true of your existence in the blogosphere. But a large number of the software packages for blogging allow you to drip blog posts on at a future date. You could be dead for weeks (or even months), yet your blog would make people think you were still alive...

Many later philosophers have assumed that the only thing Descartes knew for sure (at least at that point) was that he existed. And I suppose that part of the foundation of Constructivism as an approach to ontology is the idea that thinking is central to existing. Somehow the rest of reality is there because we think about it.

I'll have to think about that...

I'll leave you with a quote from Isaac Asimov: Writing to me is simply thinking through my fingers.

Without Theory… (Why Think About It?)

Originally published here on February 26, 2008.

I had a professor at the Australian National University who used to say, "Without theory, there is no practice?" His name was Phil Rose and I think he still lectures there, 25 years after I left.

He was right, for any practical purpose. Oh sure, you can do stuff in a classroom (or wherever, depending on your field) without having a clear theory to justify your actions. Probably, the stuff you do in such circumstances you do either because you were told to (in which case the person who told you to do it likely has a theory) or you do because it's the path of least resistance, the easiest thing to do (which usually makes it bad practice).

If you practice your profession in any meaningful way, though, you almost certainly have a theory that drives your actions at work.

I don't know if Dr. Rose was consciously quoting Louis Pasteur or if great minds (Dr. Rose's and Pasteur's) just think alike. Pasteur said this:

Without theory, practice is but routine born of habit. Theory alone can bring forth and develop the spirit of inventions.

So the question becomes, "Why am I doing this?" Why am I doing it this way? Why don't I try that, instead?

If I can clarify and articulate my own theory, however eclectic it may be, I have a frame of reference within which I can access my practices in the classroom. Doing that might make me a better teacher.

That's why I think about it. At least, that's one of the reasons...