Uloga iskustva i doživljaja u kritičkom mišljenju

Abstract

Predmet istraživanja u doktorskoj disertaciji su pojmovi iskustvo i doživljaj onako kako su se razvijali u istorijskom kontekstu, u različitim filozofskim tradicijama i naučnim disciplinama, posebno struktura i dinamika doživljavanja u različitim psihoterapijskim pravcima, te značaj doživljavanja za proces učenja i razvijanja kritičkog mišljenja koje zadovoljava epistemološke i logičke standarde. Cilj doktorske disertacije je da odgovori na pitanje da li proces doživljavanja ima značajnu ulogu u kritičkom mišljenju. U prva dva poglavlja autorka dokazuje tezu da zdrav odnos prema sopstvenom procesu doživljavanja značajno doprinosi uspešnosti kritičkog mišljenja i definiše u čemu se sastoji zdrav odnos prema procesu doživljavanja. Da bi odgovorila na zadato pitanje, autorka se u prvom poglavlju bavi istraživanjem šta je proces doživljavanja, kako on funkcioniše i šta sve obuhvata na osnovu filozofskih, psiholoških i savremenih neuronaučnih istraživanja. Uradila je istorijsku analizu upotrebe pojmova iskustvo (nem. Erfahrung, engl. experience) i doživljaj (nem. Erlebnis, engl. experience) u različitim filozofskim tradicijama u kojima ovaj pojam ima značajnu eksplanatornu ulogu (kod Imanuela Kanta, Vilhelma Diltaja, Edmunda Huserla, Hans-Georga Gadamera, Vilijama Džejmsa, Džona Djuija, Morisa Merlo-Pontija, Danijela Deneta i Evana Tompsona). Koncepti doživljaja i doživljavanja su zatim istraženi funkcionalnom i strukturalnom analizom procesa doživljavanja u radovima začetnika različitih psihoterapijskih pravaca (Karla Rodžersa, Frica Perlsa, Eugena Gendlina, Alberta Elisa). Uspostavlja jasnu vezu iskustva sa potrebama, emocijama, interesima, verovanjima, svešću, samstvom, pamćenjem, mišljenjem i saznanjem, koju na kraju obogaćuje neuronaučnim objašnjenjima Antonija Damazija. Na osnovu korpusa znanja kojim raspolaže, nakon kvalitativne analize sadržaja ključnih radova četrnaest navedenih autora, zaključuje da se pojam iskustva (u širem smislu koji definiše, i koji obuhvata i proces doživljavanja) ne iscrpljuje u perceptivnim iskustvima, emocionalnim iskustvima, svesnim iskustvima, već obuhvata sve ove vrste iskustava. Autorka zaključuje da se za potrebe filozofskih rasprava i specifičnih ispitivanja pojam iskustva često redukuje na neku od njih. Za definisanje iskustva u širem smislu ključne su dve njegove osobina: prvo, da se javlja na granici između organizma i njegove životne sredine, pre svega na površini kože i drugih organa čulno-motoričkog odgovora (što je značajno za definisanje pojma iskustva u užem smislu, odnosno, na šta se računa upotrebom izraza perceptivno iskustvo, i delom svesno iskustvo), i drugo, da se dalje odvija unutar granica organizma, tj. da se odnosi na sve što se događa unutar granica organizma u svakom trenutku i potencijalno je dostupno svesti (što je značajno za definisanje pojma doživljaj, i na šta računamo upotrebom izraza svesno iskustvo, iskustvo sopstva, iskustvo potrebe, emocinlano iskustvo, telesno iskustvo, itd.). Prikaz dinamike iskušavanja/doživljavanja ključan je za dokazivanje uloge koju iskustvo ima u formiranju kritičkog mišljenja u drugom poglavlju. Da bi povezala proces doživljavanja sa znanjima o kritičkom mišljenju, autorka komparativnom 8 analizom istražuje definicije i komponente od kojih se sastoji kritičko mišljenje prema mišljenju eminentnih teoretičara kritičkog mišljenja (Roberta Enisa, Ričarda Pola, Džona Mekpeka i Harvija Sigela) i analizira upotrebu pojma iskustva kod njih. U trećem, završnom poglavlju autorka razmatra kakve implikacije ima pretpostavka da proces doživljavanja zauzima značajnu ulogu u kritičkom mišljenju na koncepciju podučavanja u kritičkom mišljenju. Autorka razmatra teorijska opravdanja kojima istaknuti metodičari učenja iz iskustva i doživljaja (Dejvid Kolb, Donald Šen, Piter Džarvis, Hitkot Doroti, Bolton Gavin, Sesili O'Nil) opravdavaju upotrebe ovih metoda, i utvrđuje teorijsku osnovu metodičkih postupaka takve vrste zaključcima o funkcionisanju procesa doživljavanja i o epistemološkim parametrima kvaliteta mišljenja izvedenog na temelju doživljavanja. Zaključak rada je da teoretičari podučavanja u kritičkom mišljenju u svoje sadržaje treba da uvedu instrukcije i informativne sadržaje o zdravom odnosu prema sopstvenom procesu doživljavanja, ukazuju na ulogu koju emocije imaju u mišljenju, podržavaju prepoznavanje ličnih i društvenih potreba u analiziranim pitanjima, i otvoreno upućivanje na interese koji utiču na date debate. Sa druge strane, nedostaci metodika učenja iz iskustva i doživljaja mogu biti prevaziđeni proširivanjem njihovih metodika sadržajima o razvijanju kritičkog mišljenja prema određenim epistemološkim i logičkim standardima.

The dissertation accomplished the objective to research notions of experience – moving from the two notions of experience and experiencing in Serbian, iskustvo and doživljaj, corresponding to the German Erfahrung and Erlebnis, through their development across different traditions and science disciplines – examining afresh the structure and dynamism of experiencing in various psychotherapeutic areas, as well as its significance in the process of learning and developing critical thinking that fulfills both epistemological and logical standards. This doctorate dissertation aims to respond to the question as to whether experiencing has a significant role for critical thinking. In the first couple of chapters, the author presents the thesis that a sound personal relationship toward one`s own process of experiencing contributes significantly to critical thinking and defines the content of a sound relation to the very process of experiencing. In order to answer these questions, in the first chapter the author investigates what the process of experiencing is, how it operates and what it encompasses, based on philosophical, psychological and contemporary neurological scientific research. The author carries out a historical analysis of the use of the notion of experience in different philosophical traditions where this notion has a significant explanatory role (in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, Wilhelm Dilthey, Edmund Husserl, Hans Georg Gadamer, William James, John Dewey, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Daniel Dennett and Evan Thomson). The concepts of experience and experiencing are then examined in a functional and structural analysis of the work of the founders of different psychotherapeutic approaches (Carl Rogers, Fritz Perls, Eugen Gendline, and Albert Ellis). This establishes a clear connection between experience and needs, emotions, interests, beliefs, consciousness, self, memory, thinking and comprehension. Subsequently, a richer understanding of this link is outlined with reference to the neuroscientific explanations of Antonio Damasio. The dissertation conducts a qualitative analysis of key works written by the 14 above-mentioned authors, showing that the notion of experience – in a broader sense that she defines, and also encompasses the process of experiencing – is not solely identified with either perceptive, emotional and conscious experience, but rather it encompasses all those types of experience. The author shows at the same time that, for the sake of philosophical debates and specific research enquiries, the notion of experience is often reduced to one particular type. Two of its characteristics are crucial for defining experience in a broader sense: firstly, that it occurs at the border between organism and environment, primarily on the surface of the skin and other organs of motor-sensory response (which is significant for the narrower meaning of the term experience, which is actually what the use of the expressions perceptual experience and partially conscious experience counts on); and secondly, that it continues within the limits of the organism, i.e. that it refers to everything that happens within the limits of the organism at any moment and is potentially accessible to consciousness (which is significant for the meaning of the process of experiencing, and which is what we count on by using the term conscious experience, self experience, experience of need, emotional experience, bodily experience, etc.). 10 The presentation of the dynamics of experience/experiencing is key to establishing the role that experience has in the formation of critical thinking in the second chapter. In order to link the process of experiencing with knowledge about critical thinking, the author uses a comparative analysis to investigate the definitions and components of critical thinking according to the approaches taken by eminent theoreticians about critical thinking (such as Robert Ennis, Richard Paul, John McPeck and Harvey Siegel). The author also analyzes the use of the notion of experience in the theories of all these authors. In the third and final chapter, the author reviews the implications of the position that the process of experiencing plays a significant role in critical thinking for the conception of the teaching of critical thinking. This chapter reviews the theoretic justifications by which prominent methodologists of learning by experience ground their use of these methods, and establishes clearer theoretic basis for methodical procedures of that kind using conclusions about the functioning of the process of experiencing and of the epistemological parameters of the quality of thinking based on experiencing. The prominent thinkers engaged with in this review of the methodology of learning by experience are as follows: David Kolb, Donald Schön, Peter Jarvis, Dorothy Heathcote, Gavin Bolton and Cecily O`Neill. The conclusion of this dissertation is that theorists of the teaching of critical thinking should provide instructions and informative content about what constitutes a sound or healthy relationship to one`s own process of experiencing; the role of emotions in forming one`s opinion should also be pointed out; recognition of underlying personal and societal needs in analysing issues should be supported; and clear reference should be made to the interests that affect debates. Equally, it is seen that shortcomings in methodologies of learning from experience can be overcome through expanding these methodologies with content about what it means to develop critical thinking according to certain epistemological and logical standards.