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Ambition and ambivalence, or: is there any system in andragology?
Author(s) -
Notten Ton
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
systems research and behavioral science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1099-1743
pISSN - 1092-7026
DOI - 10.1002/sres.469
Subject(s) - ambivalence , andragogy , epistemology , action (physics) , value (mathematics) , argument (complex analysis) , psychology , resistance (ecology) , sociology , social psychology , environmental ethics , adult education , philosophy , computer science , pedagogy , biochemistry , physics , chemistry , ecology , quantum mechanics , machine learning , biology
Andragogy and andragology do have something in common. It concerns something systems researchers have tried to deal with as well. Usually, in systems theory the ‘systemic’ aspect is equated, exclusively, with the functional aspects of human action, its ambitions and ambivalence, and the related justifications. According to that view, social (or moral) expressive ambitions are viewed as not being systematic and well organized, and are consequently identified as ‘life‐world related’. This option, however, might be disastrous for scientific progress in andragology. What seems most characteristic is that andragologists at least have learnt to consider this ‘life‐world’ as constitutive also and worthy of scientific study. They actually succeeded in finding a fertile holon , one that allows for the consideration of value descriptions in scientific exploration, thus integrating andragogy and andragology. This even appears to be a distinguishing contribution, brought forth by all those who ‘found themselves together’ in this old and new, strange and familiar area. They did not succumb to the present‐day seductive confusion between what is part of life and of experience (andragogy), and what is part of reflection and resistance to the evils of the day, with sufficient strength (andragology). The former aims to contribute functional, moral and expressive insights as supports to basic daily life; the latter to provide stability and authority against any fundamental, moral and expressive imposition, or colonization beyond such supports. Andragologists research functional, moral and expressive improvement, with the help of and adding to the andragogue's functional, moral and expressive insights. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.