Image via Wikipedia a New York Times article examined charisma as a requirement for leadership and concluded it wasn’t an absolute necessity. Here are my reflections on that article: I found the article interesting, but it had a few anomalies that seemed odd to me. Just let me get those out of the way, as […]
Category: research
A Systems and “sense-making” perspective on leadership
Image via Wikipedia when i hear technology, i think of the “means” of exercising control, authority, communication, and i remember how easily it has become an “end” in and of itself in practice technology has created at least as many new, unforeseen challenges as it has solved. it has been used as a crutch, it […]
Reflection on Thomas Kuhn’s Structure of Scientific Revolutions (part 2)
Thomas Kuhn’s influential book “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” ignited a firestorm of debate and controversy in 1962 which continues unabated to this very day. Noted as the most widely cited book in the 20th century, Kuhn’s writing has penetrated the public consciousness to shape our collective language and thinking about science, truth and ethics. […]
Reflecting on Kuhn’s “Structure of Scientific Revolutions”
I am enjoying Dr Steven Goldman’s 24 lecture series from the Teaching Company on “Science Wars: What scientists know and how they know it” Lectures 16 thru 22 are directly related to Kuhn, does a great job of summarizing the context and subsequent interpretation of Kuhn’s work. Synopsis: Kuhn was a pro-science scientist, whose work […]
Complexity and planning for “endstates”
from a discussion on usefulness or not of the “end-state” concept and planning in general when faced with the challenges of nation building: Complexity theory says that complexity arises from a combination of 4 attributes: moderate to high levels of interdependence, connectedness, diversity and adaptation. Complex systems do not lend themselves to cause & effect […]
Reflecting on Erich Fromm’s “To Have or To Be”
Erich Fromm is an influential social philosopher and prolific writer, whose life work offers a provocative synthesis of Western capitalism, Marxist humanism and socialist rational planning. He defines two modes of being: “to have” and ” to be”, and examines the characteristics and values of lives led in each mode with respect to materialism, politics, […]
Reflecting on the ancient philosophers and their practice
Hadot’s thesis is that the ancient Greek philosophers understood philosophy to be a love of wisdom, He placed philosophers in a state of conscious striving, between the already realized perfect wisdom of the gods and the masses of unconscious humankind, unaware or unconcerned with arête (excellence). He examined how four schools and two refinements answered […]
A reflection on action research “storytelling”
What follows is a 1st person, stream of consciousness reflection written to my mentor & committee chair. I describe what it was like to record a 10 min video “telling the story” of some preliminary findings emerging from my action research cycles into curriculum and adult learning. The video is hosted at YouTube. It […]
Reflecting on the military as a way of life
I think it can be, but not necessarily so, especially in the West with its materialistic and secular values. Example: I know people for whom military service is a passion, some for whom it is a profession, some for whom it is employment, some for whom it was better than time in jail. Some find […]
Reflecting on Hadot’s “philosophical way of life”
Hadot’s discussion of philosophy as a way of life Hadot emphasizes that philosophers live in the space between the gods and the unconscious masses. He describes philosophy as a searching and a striving for perfection in thought and deed, for excellence (arête) in living. He asserts that The gods have no need for philosophy, since […]