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Koers

On-line version ISSN 2304-8557
Print version ISSN 0023-270X

Koers (Online) vol.77 n.2 Pretoria  2012

 

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

 

Developing a scientific culture through supervision

 

Die ontwikkeling van 'n akademiese kuituur deur middel van studieleiding

 

 

Danie F.M. Strauss

Department of Philosophy, University of the Free State, South Africa

Correspondence

 

 


ABSTRACT

Through effective educational transmission cultural traditions are passed on to subsequent generations. The presence of alternative theoretical views of reality (paradigms) in various academic disciplines uprooted the positivistic conviction that genuine science ought to be 'objective' and 'neutral'. The background of this view is found in Renaissance and post-Renaissance philosophy, with its initial points of culmination in the thought of the 18th century philosopher, Immanuel Kant. He safe-guarded autonomous human freedom by restricting scholarship to phenomena (subject to the universal law of causality). The dialectic between nature and freedom gave direction to modern philosophy. Non-reductionist orientations eventually emerged recognising what is irreducible. Although a sound academic culture, operative within supervision to doctoral students, must pay attention to argumentative skills and informal logic, it must at the same time acknowledge the limitations of logic. The principle of sufficient reason refers human thinking beyond logic itself. The supervisor therefore should generate, amongst students, an awareness of the difference between reductionist and non-reductionist ontologies. Doctoral students must also realise that persistent themes and scientific revolutions go hand-in-hand. Some examples of seeing the aspects of reality as modes of explanation are given, before the seven aims of scientific endeavors identified by Stafleu are stipulated. This constitutes another important guideline that ought to be taken into account in supervising post-graduate work. Argumentative skills, scientific communication and the status of facts are discussed before a concluding formulation is given in which the overall argument of the article is summarised.


OPSOMMING

Deur middel van effektiewe opvoedkundige oordrag word kulturele tradisies deurgegee aan opeenvolgende geslagte. Die teenwoordigheid van alternatiewe teoretiese siening van die werklikheid (paradigmas) in verskillende vakgebiede het die positivistiese oortuiging dat 'egte' wetenskap 'objektief' en 'neutraal' is, ontwortel. Die agtergrond van hierdie seining gryp terug na die Renaissance en post-Renaissance filosofie wat sy aanvanklike kulminasiepunt in die denke van die 18de eeuse filosoof, Immanuel Kant, sou beleef. Hy wou die mens se outonome vryheid beveilig deur wetenskaplike denke tot verskynsels te beperk (onderworpe aan die universele kousaliteitswet). Die dialektiek tussen natuur en vryheid was rigtinggewend vir die moderne filosofie. Eventueel het nie-reduksionistiese oriëntasies verskyn wat erkenning verleen het aan dit wat onherleibaar is. Alhoewel 'n gesonde akademiese kultuur, wat in swang is by die begeleiding van doktorsgraadstudente, aandag moet gee aan argumentatiewe vaardighede en informele logika, moet dit tegelyk ook erkenning verleen aan die beperkinge van die logika. Die beginsel van toereikende grond verwys die menslike denke immers na dit wat die logika te bowe gaan. Die studiebegeleider moet daarom by die student 'n besef laat ontwikkel van wat die verskil tussen reduksionistiese en nie-reduksionistiese ontologieë is. Doktoraalstudente moet ook daarmee rekening hou dat duursame temas en wetenskaplike revolusies hand-aan-hand gaan. Voorbeelde van hoe die aspekte van die werklikheid as verklaringsmodi gesien kan word is gegee alvorens die sewe doestellinge van wetenskaplik-besig-wees, soos deur Stafleu geïdentifiseer, aangestip is. Dit beliggaam nog 'n ander riglyn wat verreken behoort te word by die begeleiding van nagraadse werk. Daarom word argumentatiewe vaardighede, kommunikasie en die status van feite bespreek alvorens die hele artikel opgesom word in 'n samevattende formulering van die oorkoepelende argument.


 

 

Full text available only in PDF format.

 

Acknowledgements

Competing interests

The author declares that he has no financial or personal relationships which may have inappropriately influenced him in writing this article.

 

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Correspondence:
Danie Strauss
PO Box 339
Bloemfontein 9300
South Africa
Email: dfms@cknet.co.za

Received: 11 Mar. 2011
Accepted: 29 Sept. 2011
Received: 14 Dec. 2012

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