quote:Originally posted by The Planet of Sound:
I'd like to hear what people think. Theory versus practice? Ideas versus knowledge? Intuition versus fact?
Not having read the class thread--and not about to either!--I'm not sure what you are refering to, and I wonder how much of this comes from the conversation at the pub? But of course, this is all irrelevant to the following! 
It seems to me that the ideal is to go for the balance between the three pairs that you list. I think that, for me anyway, it should be the goal to make theory practice, and practice theory. No, I'm not trying to be snide, but it makes sense that the theories you pick to be pets ought to be ones which reflect the way you exist in the world, and vice-versa: this is theory as practice.
It also seems to me that ideas and knowledge share a mutual breeding ground that stems from the theory & practice: what are ideas if not products (in a functional and not a materialistic sense!) of the practice of life, and what is knowledge without our theories from which this beast is derived?
Intuition and facts are a little harder for me to fit into this frame: the frame of removing the 'vs.' that you insert between the elements of these three pairs and subbing in an '&.' Perhaps it can be said that we need an intuition of fact before we can establish it as knowledge, or even recognize its validity as fact?
Seems similar to the way I might approach a problem (mathematics or otherwise): I need to have an intuition of what is the case, and how to establish it as such before I can even get started!
Further, seems to me that there is thus a UNION between the three pairs of complements and that this union--theory & practice U ideas & knowledge U intuition & fact--is a healthy part of what each individual is responsible for with respect to his or her own well lived life (pretend that makes sense).
But all that babble and I don't see how any of it fits into the title of the thread, but those are some thoughts, for what it's worth.
T'ain't much,
7 + 8 = 0 (mod 5) |
