BAPP Arts
March 2014
Positionality
How we come to make sense of things
depends on where we are coming from
There are different
accounts of knowledge
Marc Chagall C20th
Metaphysics
that existence can be explained through ideas
separate from our everyday experiences
Greek Philosophers C6th BC onwards …
Rationalism
Descartes
C17th France
that knowledge can be derived
from rational, logical thought
based of deductive argument
Empiricism
John Locke
C17th England
that knowledge derives
from processing our
sensory experiences
Pragmatism
John Dewey
C19th America
that we can understand the features of the
world by what things do, rather than an
imposed ‘meaning’.
Embodied Knowledge
We understand the world
in all the ways we
experience it
Homer Simpson
late C20th
Didacticism - Constructivism
Questions ….
Can knowledge be
‘transmitted’ ?
Or is it ‘constructed’ ?
The Knowledge Landscape
• Theology (supernatural)
• Humanities (analytical, critical, speculative)
• Natural Sciences (demonstrable truths)
• Social Sciences (demonstrable qualities)
How did humans develop flight?
What is God’s purpose in creating flight?
What laws underpin the functioning of a wing?
What is the passenger experience of Flying?
A Constructivist would argue ….
• knowledge is created when you do something
with your experiences … (learning)
The Experiencing Self
and the Remembering Self
All of our experiences
pass away forever …
… only the memories
that we make remain
http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_kahneman_the_riddle_of_experience_vs_memory.html
Daniel Kahneman Israel/USA C20th
How does this relate to BAPP Arts?
• Inquiry is the making sense of something from
a particular position;
• Ethics is the account we give of our
interactions with other people shaped by our
positionality;
• Reflection is a process by which we make
sense of our positionality.
Daw! Makin’ sense of my
position hurts!