[Martin Taylor 951218 12:30]
Rick Marken (951218.0900)
I hate to keep sounding like a Marken cheering squad (I'll change--promise--
New Year's resolution:-), but Rick is dead on target with his response to
Ed Ford. Ed's statement that he is leaving CSG-L is a severe disturbance,
Rick's message isn't. But maybe I can add to Ed's disturbance and get him
to change his decision if I simply quote with approval from Rick's message:
I've also decided for many reasons, some of which will remain in my heart,
that I'll probably leave this net.This will be a big loss. I'm sorry that this is your decision. The work you
are doing wth PCT is very important and it would be nice to keep talking
about your work in order to see how PCT can inform more humane approaches to
education.
Unfortunately, most reactions on the net are responses to disturbance.
... most of what goes on on the net is clearly disturbance resistance.
But just because something someone says is a disturbance to someone else
doesn't mean that what was said was "wrong". The ultimate arbiter of
"correctness" on CSG-L should be the degree of match between the PCT model
and real behavior. That is why your contribution is so valuable; we need to
know what is actually happening out there in the real world when we start
dealing with people as though they were what they are -- living control
systems.
It is great to celebrate one another's work; but it is also good (I think) to
be willing to expose that work to critical scrutiny.
The decision is yours, of course, Ed, but my strong preference would be that
you stay on the net, if only to keep us honest about what's going on out
there in the real world.
Amen. And Happy Christmas, Ed. (And everyone else, if that's what you
celebrate at this time of the year).
Martin