[From: Lloyd Klinedinst (2017.03.15 11:52 CDT)]
Itâs turtles - all the way up all the way down !!!
Without negating anything Bruce Nevin or Eetu Pikkarainen or Warren Mansell have posted and without wading into the swamp and getting into metatheoretical weeds, much less trying to drain the swamp (e.g. in the OED: âmetatheoretical â finds place in the 2nd of 9 definition usage sets: **2.** With sense âbeyond, above, at a higher levelâ )
I suggest, for what Bill meant at a point in time, see the section, âMetatheories of human natureâ? on pp 254ff of Living Control Systems II - in fact the whole unpublished manuscript, from [1989] Unpublished manuscript, Human Nature from the Standpoint of Control Theory, is well worth the re-re-re-reading.
As I read it, metatheory for Bill means:
1 âIn fact most sciences, including sciences of behavior, accept certain statements about human nature that have, or at least are believed to have, just this degree of universality.â [referring to no-exception propositions]
2 [linear causality vs circular causality metatheories] âThe old metatheory says that there is a one-way path through the organism, from cause to effect. The ï¬?nal effect is behavior. The new one says that there is a closed loop of action that has neither a beginning nor an end. The old concept says that behavior can be expressed as a function of independent variables in the environment. The new concept says that behavior is varied by the organism in order to control its own inputs. The old concept says that environments shape organisms. The new one says that organisms shape both themselves and their environments.â?
3 [then somewhat as a philosophy of science meaning of metatheory] âThe details of the control-theoretic argument can be found elsewhere-theyy are founded on good physics, biology, and mathematics and cannot be dismissed as trivial, or by trivial arguments. The point here is not to defend control theory, but to make plain its implications. Control theory offers a new conception of human nature and of the nature of organic life itself. As a metatheory, it applies to all examples of behavior but does not depend on any speciï¬?c examples of it. Its appli- cability is independent of the material properties of organisms; it applies at all levels of analysis including the biochemical. It
is an organizational principle, not a behavioral law.
According to control theory, it is the nature of human beings to control what happens to themselves as individuals and as a species. They are organized specifically as required to work in this way. That is a new conception of human nature.â?
About these metatheories, Bill noted: âTo understand what control theory has to say about human nature (the subject of this article in case you had forgotten), one must see that it presents an alternative not just to existing theories of behavior, but to an almost-universally accepted metatheory of behavior. It is not possible for control theory to be right and for the older metatheory also to be right. They are mutually exclusive.â?
···
So when I read an Advance Galley of Richard Pfauâs I too stopped short by the term, metatheory, but accepted it in the context it was placed - I believe an appropriate usage in discussing theories and models of human behavior for the lay reader.
And for Fred Nichols, here is a brief review I wrote for any use Richard could make of it. If you choose, please add it to your Book Reviews page at [http://www.nickols.us/bookreviews.html](https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.nickols.us_bookreviews.html&d=DwMFaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=-dJBNItYEMOLt6aj_KjGi2LMO_Q8QB-ZzxIZIF8DGyQ&m=pfIi1tpTk3jva8jsTVVagUS9Rr2v4b57xVsKLDe8JCU&s=0ZfF3YMrguGR4h2Vyi2mwPrcMG3lD1JvQtUBCWNi4kg&e=)
Lloydâs Review of the forthcoming book (April, 2017), Your Behavior: Understanding and Changing the Things You Do, Richard H. Pfau
New Self-Help Guide on Understanding and Changing Behavior Doubles as Handbook for a Breakthrough Scientific Theory
In his forthcoming book (April, 2017), Your Behavior: Understanding and Changing the Things You Do, Richard H. Pfau offers a smart introduction and brief compendium of key materials for a little known, but extremely promising (i.e. establishment challenging) theoretical life science - Perceptual Control Theory (PCT).
In Pfauâs concise four part âhandbookâ to PCT he outlines in the first three parts the human living organism, its operations (i.e. behavior), and the environment in which it exists to survive.
Starting each chapter with a section called âThe Big Pictureâ, Pfau surveys the body, its operations, and the environmental realities which our bodiesâ operations include out of necessity and choice. In the course of these chapters Pfau refers to the many works of a long and rich lineage of thinkers who have pondered how human and living beings function.
In âPart IV: Behavior Theories, Analysis, and Change,â? Pfau first surveys theories and models of human behavior and presents a cogent case for recommending PCT as an overarching metatheory. He anchors this thesis on its founderâs own words: âAs William Powers has stated, âFor a thousand unconnected empirical generalizations based on superficial similarities among stimuli, I here substitute one general underlying principle: control of input.ââ?
A real bonus included in Part IV, are the two chapters on how to analyze our own behavior and, if we choose, how to change it. Its analyses of examples of a present and a past behavior are supplemented with several guides or worksheets in the appendices. Additional resources of books, groups, and professional help are listed and described further make it easy for any reader to acquire whatever assistance may be needed or wanted for working, playing and being happy with his or her behavior.
While Pfauâs book offers a remarkably helpful guide to understanding and changing oneâs behavior, it equally serves as a valuable guide for learning about PCT. The basic thesis of PCT and its various corollaries inform the bookâs first eight chapters which describe and discuss the human living organism, its operations (i.e. behavior), and the environment in which it exists to survive.
In Chapter 9 PCT is situated in the context of related and general scientific research. Pfau also compares PCT with competing theories and practices, confirming for this reader its greater validity and reliability in understanding human behavior.
I highly suggest this valuable publication by Richard Pfau. It can serve you well as a self-help guide. It can also introduce you to a perception-altering scientific idea whose time has been coming - long overdue!
Lloyd
Dr. Lloyd Klinedinst
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Villa Ridge, MO 63089-2001
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On Mar 14, 2017, at 20:59, Bruce Nevin bnhpct@gmail.com wrote:
[Bruce Nevin 2017.0315.2156 ET]