Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/03/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Re: 1. Our Existsential Thread 2. The post: << People who love photography because it's cool, meaningful, powerful, communicative in significant ways. >> Note: I am pleased to offer the following in response... and in the spirit of sharing my views in friendly debate: Key Terms: I = Intrinsic Values (emphathy, persons); E= Extrinsic Values (Social, Pratical Situations and Thilngs); S = Systemic Values (Systems, Order, Concepts, Ideas, Theories). 1. This is the I-Photographer...you've defined him (her) well. (I > (E=S) ) The I-focus leaves one particularly sensitive to the uniqueness and individuality of persons. 2. The same post refers to the old fashion psychological concepts of Ego and Supergo. Such Freudian concepts (I don't use them...they're pre-scientific ideologies and mythologie) may be said to be the dominant influences in the personality of the S-Photographer (S > (I=E) ). Both are S-Value Dimensions The S-Photogapher is attracted to line, form, formal composition for compostion's sake, geometry, architecture, rules, regulations, and manifestations (symbols or metaphors as proxies) of systems and order. 3. Modestly and matter of factly, even if your statement were true (that I have merely re-invented the wheel; i.e, poured the old wine of Freud's Id, Ego, Superego into the new bottles of our Value Science categories (I, E, and S value dimensions) our work remains original, valid and useful. 4. I.e., we are still ahead in the "game"; for, we have succeeded in meassuring what we're talking about and with a precision never known to psychologists. Freud and psychology could never measure what they're talking about! This has left these fields open to the criticism summed up in the epithet "psychobable"; for, their language is pre-scientific, ideological and mythical. Indeed, I would argue that both general psychology and Freud's psychoanalysis get in our way and are largely irrelevant to our work on human values, valuation and morals. 5. Moreover, I would argue that psychology, and psychoanalysis especially, have contributed to the weakening, if not destruction of moral consciousness in our society. 6. Finally, traditional psychological thought possesses all the flaws of contemporary health care and medicine generally: namely, a sickness care that is focused on the treatment of symptoms only...leaving prevention out of the picture. We have inherited a health care system (including mental health operations) that constitutes the fastest growing, failing business in America and the world today! I conclude this post with a remember that these are just my views and I don't expect everyone to agree with me and that's ok...I do feel this discussion is on topic...existential considerations in photogoraphy...and for those who disagree we have a clearly stated subject heading to trigger filtrationdeletion and that's ok too! Best of Value Vision, Best of Lenses, and Best of Light, Leon LP6@aol.com .