This licence provides permission to copy or redistribute the material in any medium or format, an... more This licence provides permission to copy or redistribute the material in any medium or format, and to remix, transform or build upon the material for any purpose, including commercially. These freedoms are granted under the following terms: you must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the licence and indicate if changes have been made to the material. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the licence permits. The licensor cannot revoke the freedoms granted by this
In this chapter I develop a framework for a comprehensive account of knowledge from the perspecti... more In this chapter I develop a framework for a comprehensive account of knowledge from the perspective of people engaged in practices in the world. This form of knowledge, with the key notion of knowing one's ways about, can be seen as a form of knowing how. It is in particular designed to accommodate tacit and practical forms of knowing, but at the same time acknowledges that it, like other kinds of human knowing, is also dependent, directly or indirectly, on language use. The framework is inspired by pragmatist and enactivist perspectives.
Craft research is becoming an established, but sometimes also controversial, part of the internat... more Craft research is becoming an established, but sometimes also controversial, part of the international academic community. Consequently, it is a science in the socially accepted sense. However, as the experience from Sweden shows there are also doubts about whether craft research is yet to be considered as a full-blown science, because it has not yet reached a 'theoretical level'. In this paper I focus on the notion of science in order to find meeting points between the methodological and the epistemological aspects of the sciences and the crafts, which means the human aspects of the sciences and the crafts. In particular I want to throw light on the human aspects of theories, with reference to Thomas Kuhn's ideas of normal science. A main point is that 'theories' may be expressed in and by practices, not only by words, but that we should not ask if a theory is expressed in words or practices or in other ways. I argue that the most important entrance to the understanding of the notions of science, craft and theory is through the notion of communities of mutual learning, which cannot grow and develop without both agreements and disagreements, sometimes perhaps unsolvable disagreements. However, 'unsolvable' is not a final stop, but rather a point of departure for further, or other, questions.
Considering Creativity. Creativity, Knowledge and Practice in Bronze Age Europe, 2018
This is a paper about knowledge in practices and creativity. It started as a paper presented on a... more This is a paper about knowledge in practices and creativity. It started as a paper presented on a conference on creativity and knowledge in Bronze Age Europa.
This paper (in Swedish) investigates notions of theory that are relevant to the field of "craft s... more This paper (in Swedish) investigates notions of theory that are relevant to the field of "craft science" (hantverksvetenskap).
Detractors of Schön's notion of "reflection in action" often point out that there is seldom time ... more Detractors of Schön's notion of "reflection in action" often point out that there is seldom time for reflection when a person is engaged in work. Such comments indicate an overly narrow conception of what reflection is. In this article it is argued that a practice, which occurs over a span of time, may be reflective without any particular activity called "reflection" being carried out. Though there is a diversity of forms of reflection in practice, it is argued that Schön's notion of "conversation" or "dialogue" can be developed so as to exhibit a structural similarity to various reflective practices. Reflection in action emerges, then, as a form of knowledge in action, as fallible as any other form of empirical knowledge.
Opening lecture at the conference Science, Craft and Ignorance, NTNU 2003), printed in A.K. Børr... more Opening lecture at the conference Science, Craft and Ignorance, NTNU 2003), printed in A.K. Børresen (ed.), Science, Crafts and Ignorance. Perspectives on the History of Knowledge, Tapir Academic Press, Trondheim 2004, p. 13-24.
In this paper I follow two, partly intertwined, lines of argument. First, I argue against a commo... more In this paper I follow two, partly intertwined, lines of argument. First, I argue against a common, or even mainstream, conception of knowledge, part of which is an idea about what is ‘explicit’ (open) and what is ‘implicit’ (more or less hidden). Second, I argue for a different conception of knowledge that focuses on how human beings (more or less) successfully carry on various practices. My primary goal is to make visible contrasting, and competing, knowledge perspectives.1
With reference to a cello master class with Pablo Casals, I argue that attentiveness is a key to ... more With reference to a cello master class with Pablo Casals, I argue that attentiveness is a key to the understanding of knowledge in musical and other practices. Qualified practitioners are thus seen to be attentive in their specific practices. This 'attentiveness' comprises a multitude of various kinds of attentiveness, which are expressed and developed in the practice, that is, in practising, in performing, and in developing the practice as a whole. Research practices may also be understood in terms of attentiveness. The various forms of attentiveness developed in artistic practices can thus be seen as specific and even unique ways of studying a practice.
It is argued that political democracyand citizenship should not be taken as primarygoals within u... more It is argued that political democracyand citizenship should not be taken as primarygoals within university education. Instead theauthor argues for a notion of ``academicdemocracy'' with the overall goal or ethos oflearning together. Moreover it is argued that``learning'' then should be understood accordingto ``practical traditions of knowledge'', whichmeans that truth is not the ultimate goal. Theultimate goal is practices that lead to thegood of men and women.
This licence provides permission to copy or redistribute the material in any medium or format, an... more This licence provides permission to copy or redistribute the material in any medium or format, and to remix, transform or build upon the material for any purpose, including commercially. These freedoms are granted under the following terms: you must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the licence and indicate if changes have been made to the material. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the licence permits. The licensor cannot revoke the freedoms granted by this
In this chapter I develop a framework for a comprehensive account of knowledge from the perspecti... more In this chapter I develop a framework for a comprehensive account of knowledge from the perspective of people engaged in practices in the world. This form of knowledge, with the key notion of knowing one's ways about, can be seen as a form of knowing how. It is in particular designed to accommodate tacit and practical forms of knowing, but at the same time acknowledges that it, like other kinds of human knowing, is also dependent, directly or indirectly, on language use. The framework is inspired by pragmatist and enactivist perspectives.
Craft research is becoming an established, but sometimes also controversial, part of the internat... more Craft research is becoming an established, but sometimes also controversial, part of the international academic community. Consequently, it is a science in the socially accepted sense. However, as the experience from Sweden shows there are also doubts about whether craft research is yet to be considered as a full-blown science, because it has not yet reached a 'theoretical level'. In this paper I focus on the notion of science in order to find meeting points between the methodological and the epistemological aspects of the sciences and the crafts, which means the human aspects of the sciences and the crafts. In particular I want to throw light on the human aspects of theories, with reference to Thomas Kuhn's ideas of normal science. A main point is that 'theories' may be expressed in and by practices, not only by words, but that we should not ask if a theory is expressed in words or practices or in other ways. I argue that the most important entrance to the understanding of the notions of science, craft and theory is through the notion of communities of mutual learning, which cannot grow and develop without both agreements and disagreements, sometimes perhaps unsolvable disagreements. However, 'unsolvable' is not a final stop, but rather a point of departure for further, or other, questions.
Considering Creativity. Creativity, Knowledge and Practice in Bronze Age Europe, 2018
This is a paper about knowledge in practices and creativity. It started as a paper presented on a... more This is a paper about knowledge in practices and creativity. It started as a paper presented on a conference on creativity and knowledge in Bronze Age Europa.
This paper (in Swedish) investigates notions of theory that are relevant to the field of "craft s... more This paper (in Swedish) investigates notions of theory that are relevant to the field of "craft science" (hantverksvetenskap).
Detractors of Schön's notion of "reflection in action" often point out that there is seldom time ... more Detractors of Schön's notion of "reflection in action" often point out that there is seldom time for reflection when a person is engaged in work. Such comments indicate an overly narrow conception of what reflection is. In this article it is argued that a practice, which occurs over a span of time, may be reflective without any particular activity called "reflection" being carried out. Though there is a diversity of forms of reflection in practice, it is argued that Schön's notion of "conversation" or "dialogue" can be developed so as to exhibit a structural similarity to various reflective practices. Reflection in action emerges, then, as a form of knowledge in action, as fallible as any other form of empirical knowledge.
Opening lecture at the conference Science, Craft and Ignorance, NTNU 2003), printed in A.K. Børr... more Opening lecture at the conference Science, Craft and Ignorance, NTNU 2003), printed in A.K. Børresen (ed.), Science, Crafts and Ignorance. Perspectives on the History of Knowledge, Tapir Academic Press, Trondheim 2004, p. 13-24.
In this paper I follow two, partly intertwined, lines of argument. First, I argue against a commo... more In this paper I follow two, partly intertwined, lines of argument. First, I argue against a common, or even mainstream, conception of knowledge, part of which is an idea about what is ‘explicit’ (open) and what is ‘implicit’ (more or less hidden). Second, I argue for a different conception of knowledge that focuses on how human beings (more or less) successfully carry on various practices. My primary goal is to make visible contrasting, and competing, knowledge perspectives.1
With reference to a cello master class with Pablo Casals, I argue that attentiveness is a key to ... more With reference to a cello master class with Pablo Casals, I argue that attentiveness is a key to the understanding of knowledge in musical and other practices. Qualified practitioners are thus seen to be attentive in their specific practices. This 'attentiveness' comprises a multitude of various kinds of attentiveness, which are expressed and developed in the practice, that is, in practising, in performing, and in developing the practice as a whole. Research practices may also be understood in terms of attentiveness. The various forms of attentiveness developed in artistic practices can thus be seen as specific and even unique ways of studying a practice.
It is argued that political democracyand citizenship should not be taken as primarygoals within u... more It is argued that political democracyand citizenship should not be taken as primarygoals within university education. Instead theauthor argues for a notion of ``academicdemocracy'' with the overall goal or ethos oflearning together. Moreover it is argued that``learning'' then should be understood accordingto ``practical traditions of knowledge'', whichmeans that truth is not the ultimate goal. Theultimate goal is practices that lead to thegood of men and women.
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