Australian General Semantics Society

 

 

AGS Monthly Seminar

 

November 2009

Man and his Symbols
Engaging the unconscious, 
Ancient myths and modern man, 
Science and map-territory relationships - 
Can Jung and Korzybski come together to guide us into the twenty-first century?

Led by Robert

 

 

1. Catching-up

We “always” allow a little time for review of our lives and activities.

This month it was .

 

2. Introduction

T

meeting of the year (14/Nov) was brisk with a sometimes high emotional   content but we did get some work done  on Robert's list below:

(We even stayed till 6pm Dion, which might be a record...)

1. Some suggestions of topics for consideration for next year, that we voted on.  Most popular are the top 4.
1)      Networking topic: how we organise our GS knowledge.  What are the links that can be made and what are the main organising formulations or hubs in GS?  E.g. Abstraction -David

2)      Viewpoints and how to deal with them - ?

3)      Cause and effect formulations. - David

4)      What we can learn from literature.  Or timebinding in action. E.g. Lewis Carols “Alice in Wonderland” and the “The Pied Piper of Hamlin”, etc.- ?

5)      Consciousness – Human and Machine. - ? & maybe David

6)      A day on error and problem solving. The four horsemen of the problem solving apocalypse.  - David

7)      Methods on how to teach GS.  - ?

8)      Analogy and GS (based on Potter's book "Making Sense"?) - ?

9)      Critical thinking: thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking to make your thinking better.   - ?

10)  Scientific method and falsification. -David

The ones with David after them are the ones I prefer to do as I already have some details for them.  Note: this is a draft list and we are open to other suggestions.

2. Offers to present some sessions,
     Pauline suggested "Exploring our P1's" ( to me a really HOT topic) but she refused to present it.  So maybe this could be a test for Robert's idea below of no presenter.  Maybe Pauline could just facilitate the meeting (in the style of "How to make meetings work") so as to keep us on topic and to keep the temperature down to workable levels... 

3. Some "Guidelines for Presenters" (this we did not get around to discussing)
    Considerations for this tricky area may include, eg:

a. What has been most successful / most unsuccessful in the past,

b. Content that is considered useful, relevant, interesting etc, (and
    the converse of these!),

c. Forbidden or distasteful topics, eg is religion too dangerous or
    boring, is "S&S" too difficult?

d. Popular and effective presentation techniques (and the converse),

e. Possibility of guest speakers and/or other resources.

4. Possibility of alternative formats, eg:(this we did not get around to discussing)

a. not have a "presenter" with responsibility for the session, but
    rather just an agreed topic, with pre-consideration and free-flowing
    discussion by all participants ...

b. Other formats (suggestions, pls?).

 

I look forward to any and all suggestions so we can get next year planned, along with a possible "National conference" in Australia somewhere, some time next year...

 

yours etc,
David :-)

(AGS general stirrer, oops I meant seminar organiser.  LOL)

 

 

10. AGS Business

 

We consider possible topics for remainder of the year, based, for example, on:

a.     Revision / application of GS principles,

b.    Issues of “universal” concern to participants, such as health and fitness, long life,

c.     History and status of GS, including relationship to other disciplines,

d.    Report on meeting some AGS enquirers in Melbourne.

 

7. Close

 

Next Meeting: Mid-December – a Christmas Party!!

 

~ 0 ~

 (Updated 24 October, 2009)


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