Meervoudige denke : versmoor/vermoor instellings denke?

Abstract

Denke is die mees uitsonderlike vermoë van mense. Vir mense om volwaardige mense te wees, is die volle ontwikkeling van hierdie vermoë noodsaaklik. Wanneer dit afgeskeep word, word mense tot minder as mense en alle verhoudinge waarby mense betrokke is ly op een of ander wyse skade. Hierdie skade kan mettertyd katastrofiese afmetings aanneem. Dit kan samelewings in duie laat stort; dit kan selfs die ondergang van beskawings beteken. Hierdie artikel besin oor die belangrikheid van meervoudige of komposisionele denke, as die ideale denkvorm, oor die wesenlike probleem dat denkontwikkeling verhinder word omdat daar eerder op enkelvoudige denke, as maklik aanleerbare denkvorm, klem gelê word en oor die moontlike armoedige gevolge hiervan vir indiwidue en samelewings van sodanige strategieë, soos dit veral in institusionele verbande tot uitdrukking kom, verwesenlik word, selfs afgedwing word: onderwys, politiek, kultuur. Die versmoring/vermoording van denke word ‘n werklikheid. Uiteindelik word enkelvoudige denke die houding van die hele samelewing. Die ernstige afmetinge wat die verlies aan deeglike denke reeds aangeneem het, is van groot omvang. Dit raak skole, universiteite, wetenskapwerk, politieke instellings, administratiewe aktiwiteite oor ‘n breë spektrum – eintlik alreeds die hele samelewing. Hiermee word ons voor groot uitdaginge gestel. Indien hierdie oorwoë argumente geldig is, soos baie inderdaad beweer, moet die situasie ten alle koste omgekeer word. Voorstelle word in hierdie verband gemaak. Dit is allereers nodig om die gebrekkigheid van gebrekkige denke en die gevolge daarvan te bedink. Verder moet besef word dat gesindheid en ingesteldheid ten opsigte van armoedige denke moet verander, die armoede daarvan moet aanvaar word en ook dat ander denkweë moontlik is. Terselfdertyd behoort ‘n besef lewendig gehou te word dat die kompleksiteit van die werklikheid, mensewerklikheid en natuurwerklikheid, groot en meervoudig in omvang is. Geen enkelvoudige, lineêre en dus reduktiewe denke, sou afdoende antwoorde op hierdie uitdagings van so ‘n werklikheid kon verskaf nie. Slegs denke wat bereid is om die volle rykdom van die werklike te aanvaar en dienooreenkomstig aan die dink te raak, kan hoop op sinverwesenliking en mens-en werklikheidsverryking bewerkstellig.

Thought is the most distinct ability of humans. For humans to be fully developed beings the full development of this ability is required. When this is neglected humans become less human and all relationships humans are involved with will be damaged. This damage can with time assume catastrophic proportions. It can cause the collapse of societies and even the downfall of civilisations. This article reflects on the importance of multiple or compositional thinking as the ideal mode of thinking, on the essential problem that thought development is hindered by the preferable emphasis on simplified thinking, as the easily adoptable mode of thinking, and on the possible impoverishing consequences for individuals and societies of such strategies as it finds expression, comes to fruition and are enforced in institutional contexts: education, politics, culture. The smothering/killing of multiple thinking takes effect. Eventually simplified thinking becomes the general attitude in society as a whole. The alarming proportions already assumed due to the loss of thorough thinking are immense. It affects schools, universities, scientific work, political institutions, and administrative activities over a broad spectrum – as a matter of fact already the whole of society. We are confronted hereby with enormous challenges. In case these considered arguments are valid, as many would suggest, the situation has urgently to be reversed. Some proposals in this regard are made. It is first of all required to ponder the limitations of limited thought and its consequences. Additional to this it is necessary to realise that attitudes regarding poor thinking should be changed, that the poverty thereof be accepted, and that alternative thought routes are available. At the same time an awareness of the complexity of reality, human reality as well as natural reality, in its multiplicity and scope, should be kept vividly alive. No simplified, linear, and hence reductive thinking can offer adequate answers to the challenges of such a reality. Only a thought, willing to accept this and to think accordingly, will have a hope of the fulfilment of meaning and the enrichment of humans and reality.