George Herbert Mead

As John Cage wrote in his book A Year from Monday, the " current use for art [is] giving instances of society suitable for social imitation—suitable because they show ways. .. people can do things without being told or telling others what to do. " Cage's ideal anarchic music emphasizes not only renouncing compositional control, but also the process of self-discovery happening to everyone, a process that leads participants to discover their creative abilities. This paper argues that Cage's penchant for self-discovery came from his understanding of George Herbert Mead's theories of the process of individuation (the " me " and the " I "). Cage discovered Mead through reading Zen and American Thought (1962) by his friend Van Meter Ames, a professor of philosophy at the University of Cincinnati, who saw the compatibility between Zen and Mead's concept of self in the capacity of the " I, " a phase of self whose unpredictable steps contribute to human innovation. Cage found the possibility of overthrowing the thought of the world through triggering a self-discovery of the " I " in everyone. He realized this idea in his happenings, such as 0'00 ", by requiring performers to respond to the simple descriptions without specifying sound or duration.

Der Pragmatismus zählt als eines der bedeutsamsten Theorieparadigmen der Philosophie des einundzwanzigsten Jahrhunderts sowie als eine der wirkkräftigsten Perspektiven der gegenwärtigen philosophischen Forschung. Das Proseminar bietet eine Einführung in den Begriff des Pragmatismus an mit besonderer Berücksichtigung seiner Rolle in der Werkentwicklung John Deweys. Das Werk Deweys spannt nicht weniger als sieben Jahrzehnte um und befasst sich mit allen klassischen Teildisziplinen des Philosophierens sowie mit der Pädagogik und der Psychologie; eher als durch eigenständigen Systembau entwickelt es sich durch eine stetige kritische Auseinandersetzung mit vergangenen und zeitgenössischen Denkweisen. Daher darf es auch nicht überraschend sein, dass die Haltung Deweys selbst zum Pragmatismus im stetigen Wandel begriffen war und vielleicht auch unentschieden blieb. Im Seminar wird der Versuch unternommen, die pragmatistische „Mentalität“ (James) als Reaktion auf bestimmte philosophische, wissenschaftliche und gesellschaftliche Probleme zu begreifen.

Is it possible to conceive a progress in the conflict instead of a progress against the conflict?
How conflict and evolution could be combined without reducing these words in an empty simulacrum?
My research wants to examine the struggle for recognition’s theory, developed by A. Honneth from the starting intuitions of G.H. Mead. Indeed, the German philosopher, resumes Meadian’s implicit thoughts, regarding the affective interaction, the legal relations and the solidarity one, to demonstrate how for each of the cited spheres correspond as much degradations forms. According to Honneth, Mead’s theory is limited because he does not consider those forms of disrespects (such as, abuse, denial of right and denigration or insult) that, as negative equivalents for the corresponding relations of recognition, could enable social actors to realize that they are being recognition
My aim in this essay is, firstly, to illustrate the different forms of social integration examined by Honneth in The struggle for recognition according to whether they occur via emotional bonds, the granting of rights, or a shared orientation of values. Secondly I would examine the degradation forms corresponding to the relations of recognition. All this, without neglecting the historical and cultural field in which they stand.

This article develops a sociology of schizophrenia by focusing on how schizophrenia is socially defined from the viewpoint of the afflicted person. Drawing upon George Herbert Mead's concepts of selfhood, reflexiveness, self-consciousness, role-taking, and communication, the meaningfulness of the schizophrenic's behavior is examined with respect to self. First person accounts from Is There No Place On Earth For Me?, Welcome Silence, and Autobiography of a Schizophrenic Girl are used for purposes of explication.

George Herbert Mead's symbolic interactionalism provides a social behaviorist theory of the origin of role-playing. Being a perspective which stresses the inherent theatricality of human interaction and of the human mind, it is therefore, in an indirect way, a theory of the psychosocial roots of drama. Where we find the origin of language, and the origin of the human self, there we find, as well, the origin of drama. Besides, Mead's concept of self-interaction resulting from internalized interaction is crucial for an adequate understanding of the generative process which gives rise to the complexity of the human mind.

Keywords: George Herbert Mead, Dramatism, Social Psychology, Mind, Role-Playing, Internalization, Interactionism, Social Behaviorism, Drama, Self

ABSTRACT
The foundation of disciplines is often associated with initial books and their authors. The discipline of speech–communication– communicology is no exception. Books by Albert Craig Baird, Lester Thonssen, and Franklin Hayward Knower serve as the definition of our early discipline. This article is about foresight— the anticipation of future developments for what was initially called “general speech,” whose practitioners have ever since been known as generalists. Departments and schools of communicology are now emerging worldwide as a synthesis of problematics and thematics that used to be called general speech. Knower suggested in 1962 that the beginning of theoretical and applied coherence must begin with a descriptive single-term name. Long overlooked, if known at all, and certainly never reprinted, is Knower’s candidate for a name and definition of a discipline he called communicology. This article is an edited

This class, introducing students to the pragmatist tradition and to neo-pragmatism, turned out unexpectedly: students knew so little of the history of modern philosophy that  it was necessary to include  summaries of. e.g., Descartes' approach.  One of the term papers in this class, by the way, was subsequently published in the Transactions of the C. S. Peirce Society.

"Individualization through Socialization. What room is left for Psychoanalysis?" I examine Habermas’ and Honneth’s concept of individualization through socialization and contend that both have difficulties in justifying how individuals could project not only the form of future society (the form that “emancipation” understood as better individualization will take), but also its contents. This would require a different paradigm of subject identity formation and an appropriate concept of sublimation.

Pojęcie tożsamości reprezentuje niezwykle przydatną kategorię analityczną dla badania sytuacji jednostki oraz społeczności ludzkich. Aby wykorzystać w pełni wszystkie możliwości tożsamości jako pojęcia socjologicznego, warto ocenić jej miejsce w klasycznych oraz współczesnych teoriach społecznych. W tym celu zostały zwięźle przedstawione wybrane koncepcje tożsamości: niemieckiego socjologa Georga Simmla, amerykańskiego psychologa Erika Eriksona oraz takich amerykańskich socjologów, jak przedstawiciela nurtu interakcjonistycznego George’a Herberta Meada oraz nurtu dramaturgicznego Ervinga Goffmana. Zostały przeanalizowane z akcentem na takie pojęcia jak jaźń i interakcja, krzyżowanie się kręgów społecznych i przynależność grupowa, symbole i znaki w interakcji społecznej, tożsamość jako synteza doświadczeń życiowych, refleksja nad sobą oraz również przyjmowanie perspektywy innego. Zostały również przedstawione powody, dla których dane koncepcje i ich elementy mogą być pomocne w badaniu świata współczesnego.

Overview: The aim of this course is to provide a general introduction to a range of theories that seek to explain why we communicate as we do. The first part of the course establishes a general overview of communication theory, from both theoretical and historical points of view. We will examine the relationship between communication, ideology, power, and social consciousness; the development of alphabetic writing; and theories of orality and literacy. We will also review the concept of the self in the context of communication studies. The second part of the course will focus on specific fields within the area of communication, including: the study of popular culture; media analysis; film studies; advertising; and the political economy of communication. We will also examine the rise of technology studies in communication, and consider the way in which the electronic media (in particular computers and the Internet), have refashioned both human consciousness and culture. In this context, we will discuss issues of privacy and democracy in the emerging digital culture; and conclude the course with a brief discussion of global communication.

This is an article that I wrote to suggest to biologists that they should take sociology more seriously.  Judging from comments I had back from reviewers, lots of biologists disagree with this--too bad!  It has been published, and is out there for all to read now.  The official abstract is below!

Abstract
Mirror neurons” describe complementary affective neural activity that occurs in the brains of two different primates because they are both doing or observing the same action.  Empathy, sympathy, and other emotional responses involving “taking the role of the other” are inferred to be the consequence of these emotional capacities.  Mirror neurons were first described in the 1980s using the results of brain imaging studies.  But, a similar conclusion about “mirroring capacity” is also reflected in over one hundred years of observational research in sociology.  Early sociologists described how the social order is maintained and reproduced using the concept of the “looking glass self” which they view as an entity that exists between the biological being and a social being.

The paper investigates how classical pragmatist views of sensorial perception may contribute to current research on urban life. It focuses upon the possible diffusion of pragmatist stances within accounts of perceived built environments. It elaborates on the existing use of pragmatism, and shows its strong contextual relevance to this task, in order to illustrate how such a philosophical perspective may serve urban studies. To assess theoretical stances that are often implicit, the author surveys methodological texts by social scientists and samples of field work – distinguishing these two levels in order to improve upon the analysis and theoretical support for perception-driven approaches to urban studies. He then examines several reasons for the relevance of pragmatist views of perception to urban research, focusing upon different yet compatible conceptual legacies.

Keywords: Senses, City, Pragmatism, Philosophy, John Dewey, George Herbert Mead, Kevin Lynch, Social Sciences, Action, Situation, Habit.

Cet article a pour but de décrire brièvement la façon dont la conscience (l’esprit) et le « Soi » d’un individu se construisent à travers le processus social, selon le point de vue de George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) exposé dans son ouvrage posthume, « L’esprit, le soi et la société ».

In this paper we are planning to put at work the symbolic interactionism theory through a practical application of it. The topic choses in represented by the activity of having lunch at the work place. The research strategy chosen to explore the social process of food consumption is participant observation as it represents “the pivotal strategy of interactionism” (Rock, 1979).  This will allow us to both observe and participate to the activity of having lunch. In order for the application to be as pragmatic as possible a fieldwork in a pre-defined environment, which in our case will be a corporation, will be required. The chosen environment represents in the same time my workplace. This position will not only allow me to actively observe the different roles food may take in social interaction among my co-workers, by will also provide me with a context where I am able to actively participate to the process therefore put myself in the participant’s position.

Die Soziologie der Mitgliedschaft legt einen besonderen Anschnitt bei der Untersuchung der klassischen soziologischen Grundbegriffe Rolle, Status, Erwartungen und soziale Gruppe. Er besteht darin, dass sie im Hinblick auf die Strukturbestandteile sozialer Systeme zu untersuchen sind. Der Begriff der sozialen Gruppe wird in die Problemstufenordnung der Mitgliedschaftssoziologie Gesellschaft, Organisation und Interaktion eingeordnet. Sie ist jedoch keine eigene Ebene der Anordnung der Mitgliedschaft in sozialen Systemen auf der Problemstufenordnung. Gruppen bilden sich sozialsystem-, teilsystem- und organisationssystemtypisch. Sie können die sozialen Systeme, die Teilsysteme und das Organisationssystem auch übergreifen. Die Gruppensoziologie motivierte zu einer mitgliedschaftstheoretische Reinterpretation, da soziale Gruppen durch besondere Mitgliedschaftsbedingungen selbstdeterminiert sind.
Der Band führt in zentrale Grundbegriffe der Soziologie ein, die dem Soziologiestudenten eine Orientierung für die Beobachtung von Kommunikation und Mitgliedschaft bereitstellen. Er wertet soziologisches Wissen aus und führt die Kommunikation mit der Tradition des Faches fort.

En este trabajo se describen aspectos de la teoría sociológica conocida como Interaccionismo Simbólico (IS, en adelante), revisándose los principales argumentos sostenidos en ella desde 1934 hasta la actualidad, momento en el que todos sus conceptos cardinales han sido puestos en cuestión a partir del giro ontológico pos-estructuralista promovido por el perspectivismo amazónico desde una postura que se dice pos-humana y pos-social.

No se trata que el IS haya quedado atrás frente a los avances del conocimiento; el problema es más bien que sus fundamentos teórico-metodológicos presentan severas fallas de origen, debidas mayormente a las lagunas y arbitrariedades en la consulta de textos por parte de su fundador. A pesar que George Herbert Mead (pues de él se trata) se había formado en Alemania con Wilhelm Dilthey (como lo señaló Matthias Jung [1995]) Mead no menciona a este autor en sus libros principales.

A pesar de haber formado parte de la mesa chica del movimiento filosófico del pragmatismo (junto con William James y John Dewey) Mead no mencionó tampoco la obra del semiótico Charles Sanders Peirce, perdiéndose de utilizar su rica concepción semiótica. Aunque conoció muy bien la advertencia de John Dewey sobre la falacia de los razonamientos homunculares, su obra es una apoteosis de misplaced concreteness; y a pesar que Mead afirmaba que el lenguaje era instrumental en la formación de la sociedad, su concepción del lenguaje es rudimentaria, nomenclatoria, pre-saussureana, lo mismo que sus ideas acerca de la relación entre lenguaje y pensamiento.

Lo sorprendente de todo esto es que nadie parece haber advertido estas limitaciones hasta el día de hoy: ni sus seguidores, que adoptaron sus ideas mansamente, ni a sus críticos (yo incluido), que se empeñaron en cuestionarlo muchas veces por las razones equivocadas.

Haack explains how, ever since she began reading Peirce seriously in the 1970s, her work has been more and more informed by the work of the classical pragmatists: Peirce, James, Dewey, Mead, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.. The influence can bee seen in her work in philosophy of logic and language, epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of science, social philosophy, ethics, philosophy of literature, and philosophy of law. She goes on to distinguish her ideas very clearly and sharply from those of today’s neo-pragmatists, especially Rorty (but also from those of Brandom and, in law, Posner).

Méta-théorie de l'interactionnisme d'H. Blumer à partir d'un tour d'horizon des principaux concepts empruntés à Mead et retravaillés dans une perspective psychosociologique. Un tel paradigme s'accommode mal aux présupposés déterministes et postivistes de la psychologie sociale sociologique d'ailleurs inexistante en France.

Mead referred to behaviorism as the science that describes human activity in terms of conduct, highlighting its importance for understanding human psychological processes. However, Mead also specified that the observation of behavior is just one of the methods of psychology. The active involvement of the individual in the social act points out the role that consciousness plays in the individual's experience of signifying and evaluating " the world that is there ". Thus Mead's social behavioral psychology is related to his behavioral theory of meaning according to which the social character of " meaning " is expressed in the functional identity of individuals' responses to the same sensible stimulus. Mead's social psychology and theory of meaning also offers some useful elements to overcome critical observations that Sen has mobilized to Samuelson's and Little's theory of consumer behavior in economics, as well as integrating Davidson's linguistic approach to Decision Theory. Comparison with Sen's and Davidson's proposals would in fact offer the occasion to argue in favor of a pragmatist theoretical approach to Decision Theory related to the communicative dimension.

THE PRESENTATION OF SELF IN DARKLY DREAMING DEXTER AND THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE

This thesis aims to analyze and explain and compare the presentation of self in the works of Jeff Lindsay’s Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004) and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886). Dexter Morgan and Henry Jekyll are fictional characters marked by split personalities. They present themselves to society as “normal” by hiding their real identities behind a social mask, which leads us to the question their morality. Most readers or viewers can identify themselves with these characters, since in daily life we wear masks to perform roles in the social order, enabling us to confront the conventions of our societies and to hide personal attributes we do not want to expose, such as in the cases of Dexter and Jekyll. Those who follow the minimum social requirements properly, like Dexter, survive; however, those who do not hide their malign urges against society, like Jekyll, are destroyed. I will examine the similarities and differences of these two characters in their fight for survival in society.

Key Words: presentation of self, roles, masks, Erving Goffman, Dexter, Jekyll, Hyde.

"Michel Weber and Will Desmond, (eds.), Handbook of Whiteheadian Process Thought, Frankfurt / Lancaster, ontos verlag, Process Thought X1 & X2, 2008. (695 p. + 726 p. ; ISBN 978-3-938793-92-3 ; 398 €)
Gathering 115 entries written by 101 internationally renowned experts in their fields, the Handbook of Whiteheadian Process Thought aims at interpreting Whitehead secundum Whitehead, at canvassing the current state of knowledge in Whiteheadian scholarship and at identifying promising directions for future investigations through (internal) cross-elucidation and (external) interdisciplinary and crossdisciplinary development.
Table of Contents
Introduction
I. Aesthetics
II. Anthropology
III. Ecology
IV. Economy
V. Education
VI. Ethics
VII. Gender Studies
VIII. History
IX. Language
X. Mathematics and Logic
XI. Metaphysics
XII. Psychology and the Philosophy of Mind
XIII. Public Policy
XIV. Science
XV. Sociology of Science
XVI. Theology and Religion
XVII. Theory of Knowledge
XVIII. Urbanism & Architecture
XIX. Biographical entries
XX. Critical Apparatus

Authors : A Sister of St-John, Adam Scarfe , Albert C. Lewis, Alessandro Sardi, Alix Parmentier, Andrew Dawson, Annamaria Miranda, Arran Gare, Barbara Muraca, Berit Brogaard, Beth Lord, Brian G. Henning, Bruce Duncan MacQueen, Bruce G. Epperly, Carol F. Johnston, Carol P. Christ, Claude de Jonckheere, Claus Michael Ringel, Clifford Cobb, Craig Eisendrath, Daniel A. Dombrowski, David G. Butt, David Ray Griffin, Dominic J. Balestra, Donald Wayne Viney, Donna Bowman, Douglas R. Anderson, Elias L. Khalil, Elie During, Frédéric Fruteau de Laclos, Franck Robert, Gao Shan, Gary A. Cook, George Allan, Giangiacomo Gerla , Gottfried Heinemann, Graham Bird, Granville C. Henry, jr., Gudmund Smith, Guillaume Durand, Howard Woodhouse, Ivor Grattan-Guinness, Jaime Nubiola, James Connelly, James Williams, Jean-Pascal Alcantara, Johanna Seibt, John B. Cobb, Jr., John H. Buchanan, John Quiring , John W. Lango, Jonathan Delafield-Butt, Jorge Luis Nobo, Joseph A. Bracken, S.J., Joseph E. Earley, Sr., Joseph Grange, Juan Vicente Mayoral de Lucas, Judith Jones, Julie A. Nelson, Kipton Jensen, Leemon McHenry, Les Muray, Lieven Decock, Liliana Albertazzi, Luca Gaeta, Luca Vanzago, Manuel Bächtold, Marc Maesschalck, Maria Pachalska , Mark Modak-Truran, Mark R. Dibben, Mary Elizabeth Moore, Max Velmans, Michael Epperson, Michael Fortescue, Michel Weber, Murray Code, Mustafa Ruezgar, Norman Sieroka, Patrick J. Coppock, Paul Custodio Bube, Peter Hare, Peter Simons, Pierfrancesco Basile, Les Muray, Randall E. Auxier, Richard Feist, Robert Castiglione, Robert J.Valenza, Ronny Desmet , Ross L. Stein, Rudolf Windeln, Stephen T. Franklin, Sylviane R. Schwer, T. L. S. Sprigge, Thomas A. F. Kelly, Thomas E. Hosinski, C.S.C., Timothy E. Eastman, Vincent Shen, Volker Peckhaus, William Jay Garland, William T. Myers"

Here Haack tackles two questions: what can be meant by speaking of "naturalizing" epistemology, and how should belief be understood in a modestly naturalistic epistemology? As always, Haack makes numerous important distinctions; as always, she looks at the history of key ideas; as always, she offers constructive suggestions.

The reception of classical American pragmatism by the Frankfurt School began with a critical confrontation with John Dewey. It then left Dewey behind, as Jürgen Habermas, following Karl-Otto Apel, took Charles Sanders Peirce and George Herbert Mead to be philosophers of “communicative Reason.” In recent years, the focus has turned back to Dewey, who is now appreciated as a critical social philosopher in his own right. 
One reason for the constant confrontation of critical theorists with the works of the pragmatists can be found in their shared intellectual roots. Another one lies in their common orientation towards social transformation. Nevertheless, a serious discussion between pragmatism and critical theory still poses major challenges for those involved today.
In what follows, I will first briefly map the common intellectual roots of these two habits of thought (I). Thereafter, I will, a little less briefly, tell the story of the reception of pragmatism in Frankfurt School critical theory as a family drama in five acts (II). At the end, we will find the house still divided; I will then ask why this must be so and whether that is not a philosophically happy ending in that it points to new adventures, which are for us to traverse (III).