Re: Isness

Jonathan D Raskin (jraskin@emory.edu)
Mon, 6 Feb 1995 11:05:22 -0500 (EST)

Bob Green hits on a critical issue--how do we know whose constructions
are the "right" constructions. Is Bill, the person Bob discussed in his
message, "right" when he claims he is being politically persecuted by
being incarcerated? Or are the staff members "right" when they evaluate
Bill's constructions as inaccurate?

While I feel we can never know whose constructions are "right" we can
still have faith in our constructions. However, faith that our
constructions are viable needs to be tempered by a healthy skepticism
regarding our own ability to know what is "right" or "best."

You feel you are "right" because of your experiences and how you make
sense of them. You do not arrive at what is "right" simply by accessing
universal truths that exist independently of your construction processes.

The fact that our constructions are subjective, not objective (about both
ourselves, others, and outside events), makes knowing how to respond to
alternative constructions we deem "incorrect" a very tricky matter indeed!

--JON

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