This is The Reading Instruction Show. I am your
host, Dr. Andy Johnson. Topic of today's podcast
is called Metaphysical Perspectives. In his book,
Global Mind Change, Willis Harmon describes three
views of reality which he calls Metaphysical
Perspectives. Metaphysical here refers to ontology
or the question of the origins of the universe
and the nature of reality. These perspectives,
these three perspectives, are materialistic monism,
dualism, and transcendental monism. And we'll
look at each one. First, materialistic monism.
The materialistic monism perspective views the
universe as being made up of only matter and
energy. Consciousness is something that arises
out of matter. That is, our sense of self is
solely an end product of neurological activity,
which in turn is an end product of millions of
years of evolution. Again, our sense of self
is solely an end product of neurological activity,
which in turn is an end product of millions of
years of evolution. All things in this purely
materialistic universe consist of the sum of
their parts and can only be understood by breaking
them down into their most basic components, and
measuring that which is observed and experienced.
Newtonian law of cause and effect governs all
events and can be used to know, predict, and
ultimately control all things. Positivism, a
philosophy consistent with this view, states
that knowledge exists outside the individual.
Truth can only be derived through objective observations,
which are proven through reliable tests and predictions.
It's only by collecting empirical data, isolating
variables, testing and retesting, that we obtain
truth or say that a thing exists or is so. Quantitative
research methodologies are used to piece together
small bits of knowledge in order to understand
the world in which we live. The type of thinking
valued here is deductive thinking, or thinking
in lines. From this perspective, learning consists
of receiving knowledge from outside the individual,
which must then be demonstrated outwardly for
it to have occurred. The purpose of schools then
is to supply students with a designated body
of knowledge and skills in a predetermined order.
Teaching from this perspective is a matter of
transmitting knowledge from point A, the teacher's
head, to point B, students' heads. An academic
achievement is students' ability to demonstrate
or retransmit this designated body of knowledge
back to the teacher or point A, or some other
measuring agency or entity. Quantitative psychometric
methods are used exclusively to determine and
describe intelligence, achievement, and learning.
The second perspective is dualism. The dualistic
perspective views the universe as comprising
two distinctly different kinds of stuff. Matter
and energy, as well as consciousness. Here, consciousness
exists separately from matter. From this perspective,
matter and energy are studied using the traditional
tools of science described earlier, and consciousness,
which is people's subjective interpretation of
the outer phenomenal world, is studied using
observation, descriptions, ethnographies, and
interviews. Consciousness also pertains to the
subjective interpretation of one's inner world
of feelings, memories, and impressions. These
are studied using interviews, gestalt, inner
exploration, dream analysis, and art. Some will
posit that consciousness also includes super
-consciousness or spirituality. Constructivism
is an educational philosophy consistent with
this view. Here, true knowledge is seen as personally
constructed by individuals as they interact with
the environment. Truth requires a valued judgment
and is different for each individual. We construct
our truths by observing and combining events
in the outer objective world with images and
impressions occurring in the subjective inner
world. Both quantitative and qualitative research
methodologies are used here, but qualitative
research using inductive thinking is more reflective
of this metaphysical perspective. Inductive thinking
can be thought of as thinking in circles. It's
the process of inducing order on a field. From
this perspective, learning is an interactivity
that uses both objective and subjective knowledge
to constantly build and revise our cognitive
webs. Learning then becomes a transaction between
the learner and what is to be learned. The purpose
of schools is to help students construct knowledge
and develop the skills they will need to successfully
live in their worlds. Teaching is a matter of
creating conditions whereby students are able
to transact with knowledge. Academic achievement
from this perspective is seen as students' ability
to use their knowledge and skills to solve real
-world problems or to create products or performances
that are valued in one or more cultural settings.
And this reflects Howard Gardner's definition
of intelligence. And it complements Robert Steinberg's
concept of intelligence as using creative analytical
and pragmatic thinking to adapt to or shape the
world in which we live. The third one is Transcendental
Monism. Transcendental Monism describes a universe
in which the basic essence is consciousness.
Here, consciousness is primary and matter and
energy materialize from this. From this perspective,
ultimate reality is not found solely in the physical
or phenomenal world as we know it, rather it
lies in a dimension or dimensions beyond the
physical, which is hollow movement or the ground
of all there is. Quantum physics describes such
a reality in which all things in the physical
universe are connected at the quantum level.
Physicist David Bohm said that the universe can
be understood only if the unbroken wholeness
is perceived in a way that does not reduce things
to a series of individual entities. At the quantum
level, there is no fragmentation, only parts
that are interconnected with greater systems
and greater holes. The things that we encounter
in our phenomenal world, what's called explicate
reality, are merely an unfolding of a deeper
reality, implicit or implicate reality, which
is beyond our senses. It is consciousness, a
very subtle form of energy that creates movement
from implicate order to explicate order of our
physical world. Thus, consciousness is the cause
and physical phenomena are the effect. A helpful
analogy can be found in music and the images
created in the heads of the listeners as they
engage in the act of consciously attending to
the music. The music can be thought of as hollow
movement or implicate reality. As the consciousness
of the human listener interacts with the music,
various mental images are created. These mental
images which do not exist in the absence of a
conscious listener are analogous to explicate
reality. In this sense, phenomenal reality does
not exist in the absence of an observer. This
reflects the Copenhagen interpretation, which
posits that if a tree falls in a forest, and
no one is there to hear it, not only does it
not make a sound, but the tree does not exist
in the first place. Holism, a thesis consistent
with this perspective, states that the universe
is made up of integrated wholes that cannot be
reduced to the sum of their parts. We can never
come to know We can never come to know the whole
of reality by isolating variables in order to
examine small parts. Instead, the whole is best
understood by examining the principles that govern
behavior within the system. Both quantitative
and qualitative methodologies are used here.
However, they must always be combined with a
greater perspective in the form of transcendental
methodology in order to approach truth. Transcendental
methodologies are those activities that allow
an individual to move beyond personal consciousness,
emotion, will, and logic, to approach universal
consciousness and include meditation, systematic
contemplation, vision questing, the arts, journal
writing, poetry, creative writing, personal narratives,
stories, religious traditions, spirituality,
sacred writing, deep silence, sensory deprivation,
ritual, chanting. These can all be used as a
way of seeing and re -presenting or representing
reality. From this metaphysical perspective,
all types of thinking are valued, although deep
reflection, intuition, and associative thinking
are used to provide the ultimate context. Holistic
education is based on theories of wholism. It's
constructed around the principle of interconnectedness
and seeks to integrate multiple levels of meaning
and experience. Making connections is central
to the curriculum process here. These connections
occur between concepts, subject areas, communities,
cultures, humanity, the arts, the sciences, mythology,
religion, ecological systems, and history. True
knowledge is seen as ultimately residing within
each individual. Thus, teachers strive to create
experiences whereby students are able to encounter
phenomena, both internal and external, so that
this knowledge can be realized. To learn, one
must transcend one's cultural bias, values, ego,
past experience and sense of self in order to
see things as they really are. Learning is said
to have occurred when this view elicits a transformation
of consciousness that leads to a greater nurturing
of self, others, and the environment. From this
perspective, A school's fundamental purpose is
the creation of better human beings, which occurs
through self -actualization and self -transentance.
This has been The Reading Instruction Show. I'm
your host, Dr. Andy Johnson.