Re: Re Pri humaneco.

[Colin Fine <colin@xxxxxxxx.xxxxx.xx.xxx]

vecu'u le notci po'u <v04020a01b33d16a6626c@[128.248.250.241]> la Steven
Belknap <sbelknap@uic.edu> cu cusku di'e
>From: Steven Belknap <sbelknap@uic.edu>
>
>I would suggest that the lojban/loglan schism is not a strange and terrible
>abberancy. Rather it is an interesting phenomenon which should be viewed as
>data being generated by the experiment that Dr. Brown began. Such schisms
>are worthy of study in their own right. Humans are tribal creatures. We
>live in a world in which tribal behavior is often antithetical to the goals
>of the "tribe." I believe this is the case here.
>

Of course it is not a strange and terrible aberrancy, in the canvas of
human institutions. It is nonetheless very sad, and remarkably
reminiscent of the split that was one of the factors that killed
Volapük.

It is hard, however, to see how it can usefully be regarded as part of
Jim's experiment. 

>Tribes like to distinguish themselves from others. One way of doing this is
>through culture and language. Lojbanistanis/loglanders may find it
>interesting to review the research of Muzafer Sherif, a Turkish-born
>social scientist. (Sherif, M. et al. Intergroup conflict and Cooperation:
>The Robbers' Cave Experiment. Norman, Oklahoma: Univesity of Oklahoma
>Institute of Intergroup Relations 1961.)
>
>In these studies, boys at a camp were divided into two groups. Simply
>dividing them into groups resulted in their competing vigorously with
>eachother. The members of each group expressed dislike for for members of
>the other group. The two groups were then put in a situation where
>cooperation would be advantageous. The members of each group then expressed
>friendship towards members of the other group.
>
>Similar observations have been made about churches, political parties, and
>most other organizations. There is a tendency to schism, and once schismed,
>there is a tendency to feel dislike for the members of the other group.
>
>Some may argue that such analogies do not apply here. One party may cite
>the bad behavior of some other party as justification for continued bad
>feelings. The other party may also have citations at hand. I've heard the
>story from members of both camps, and I'm not convinced that the nominal
>issues are the real point of the dispute. These are distractions which may
>obscure the origin of the dispute, and more generally the schismatic nature
>of human tribes.

Part of the process of maintaining a conflict lies in justifying one's
own side and blaming the other. The origins of the dispute are rarely
relevant.

-- 
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| Colin Fine 66 High Ash, Shipley, W Yorks. BD18 1NE, UK |
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