grouptalk discussions

Edward Schreiber edwschreiber at earthlink.net
Sat Jan 19 10:11:27 CST 2008


by the way "fly by night" is a great furniture store here in  
Northampton MA
but that's not the point.

the point is that the material deserves a few hours of attention, not  
here.
Thanks
Ed


On Jan 19, 2008, at 11:03 AM, Adam Blatner wrote:

> Dear Ed, while I certainly want to release you from any sense of  
> obligation to engage in serious discussion on grouptalk, and do not  
> presume to feel entitled to a response, I really don't consider the  
> discussions on this site to be "fly-by-night." I have put serious  
> thought into trying to understand and respond reasonably to various  
> ideas. Perhaps I've been mistaken and have approached our listserve  
> too seriously.
>
>      There is a certain kind of discourse that operated in the last  
> few hundred years in the form of letters, thought-out phrases,  
> correspondence back and forth among  colleagues. Admittedly, much  
> both then and now can be trivialized in post-cards, joking greeting  
> cards, sentimental love letters, and a host of even more simplistic  
> text messages: whassup. howru? kay. .. etc. But there's also a nice  
> literature derived from men and women in science and the  
> humanities, considering the state of the world.
>
>    While oral presentations can be occasions for exciting  
> discourse, compelling ideas merit the virtues of written  
> communication, too: In that form they can be considered, edited,  
> revised, built on, developed, refined. They are not meant to be  
> revered as a cultural conserve, but rather built upon.
>
>        Informality and formality are interesting categories,  
> perhaps with different mental associations. I'm not sure what you  
> mean. I like the possibility of having my thoughts expressed, open  
> to finding I need to change the wording when I realize, with the  
> help of a back-and-forth discussion, that I may have overstated my  
> case, or used misleading terms. To me, formal seems so "one-way,  
> this is the final edition, take it or leave it"---sort of  
> associated with standing at a lectern with a tuxedo on.
>        But those are just my associations. I'm aware that we have  
> readers from many continents on this listserve, so discussing  
> issues of common concern is for me not superficial. We don't have  
> to take ourselves overly seriously, either---that's the fun of  
> playfulness (one of the goals of Moreno, noted on his epitaph).
>
>        So, I certainly respect your right to hold off until your  
> presentation, but I do hope you'll write it up either for the  
> journal or in a future book.
>
>      Warmly, Adam
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Edward Schreiber
> To: grouptalk Listserv
> Sent: Saturday, January 19, 2008 9:34 AM
> Subject: Fwd: sociatry
>
> Hi Adam,
> I want to restate what I wrote earlier:
> I find Moreno's work on human civilization so compelling
> that it demands of me (and deserves in my book) not a fly-by-night
> discussion on this site.  As I wrote, we will be addressing this in  
> a pre-conference
> workshop relating it to psychodrama and sociodrama and Adam  
> Barcroft and I will
> be presenting the material, at least a summary of it, in our 2 hour  
> workshop on sociatric formulas.
>
> I cannot, in fact will not pass this along with the kind of  
> informality of grouptalk.  Moreno's brilliance
> demands more than that, from me at least and many others I am sure.
>
> Hope you understand.
> Best,
> Ed
>
>
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>> From: "Adam Blatner" <adam at blatner.com>
>> Date: January 19, 2008 10:26:04 AM EST
>> To: "Edward Schreiber" <edwschreiber at earthlink.net>
>> Subject: Re: sociatry
>> Reply-To: "Adam Blatner" <adam at blatner.com>
>>
>> You didn't read my note carefully. I have it, I read it, I  
>> couldn't find what you were referring to. What am I missing?
>>      Please identify the key phrases and associated paragraphs.
>>                    You are more immersed in appreciating the  
>> meanings, perhaps. I find Moreno dense and confusing. Occasionally  
>> I can isolate a clear point that I can build on, but much of his  
>> writing rambles around, shoots from the hip, and so forth.
>>          I sense a grand vision, and resonate with parts of it,  
>> but ah, the specifics...
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Edward Schreiber"  
>> <edwschreiber at earthlink.net>
>> To: "Adam Blatner" <adam at blatner.com>
>> Sent: Saturday, January 19, 2008 9:10 AM
>> Subject: Re: sociatry
>>
>>
>>> if you want, I an copy the chapter and send it to you via us mail.
>>> Ed
>>>
>>>
>>> On Jan 19, 2008, at 9:42 AM, Adam Blatner wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi Ed,
>>>>    I did, I read it, I couldn't find it.
>>>>     You're not meeting me half-way, pal.
>>>>             I confess my ignorance in my ablility to  
>>>> talmudically  elucidate the density of implications in Moreno's  
>>>> writings.
>>>>     re: These 4   mega- sociometric structures are what have to  
>>>> be  understood and addressed  - and here is the mind-blower:   
>>>> these 4  forces (mega- structures)  are revealed in a group,  
>>>> family,  organization, etc.,
>>>>      (AB: the only list of four was his listing of 4 types of   
>>>> government--anarchistic, utopian, democratic and socialistic-- 
>>>> and  he hardly comments on these p 175). I'm back-channeling  
>>>> you. If you  would prefer we drop this, okay. I don't want to  
>>>> make an issue of  it.            ..
>>>>  Warmly, Adam
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Edward Schreiber"   
>>>> <edwschreiber at earthlink.net>
>>>> To: "Adam Blatner" <adam at blatner.com>
>>>> Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 9:52 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: sociatry
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> well, I would advise this then:
>>>>> go to Sociometry, Experimental Method and the Science of Society.
>>>>> Go to, I suggest, the chapter on Political Sociometry.
>>>>> It's all there.
>>>>> In black and white.
>>>>> Ed
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Jan 18, 2008, at 10:43 PM, Adam Blatner wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> nope, I've got a bunch of other fish to fry, and I'm not  
>>>>>> warmed  up  to the matrix of associations and ideas.
>>>>>>    Since I do like the process of discussion, a gentle   
>>>>>> encounter,  I'll meet you part-way: If you give me some  
>>>>>> hints,  ideas, tell me  what you think so far, I'll play with  
>>>>>> you in an  encouraging way,  emphasizing what we can build.
>>>>>>    (It will be understood that I don't yet buy the hypothesis   
>>>>>> that  such a thesis can be successfully developed, but I'll  
>>>>>> put  that to  the side for a while. Maybe I'll discover with  
>>>>>> you what  your  intuition is getting at.)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Edward Schreiber"    
>>>>>> <edwschreiber at earthlink.net>
>>>>>> To: "Adam Blatner" <adam at blatner.com>
>>>>>> Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 8:20 PM
>>>>>> Subject: Re: sociatry
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi Adam,
>>>>>>> Well, here is my suggestion ----- and a serious one -----  
>>>>>>> why   don't  you see
>>>>>>> if you can see these 4 forces ---- and see if you can  
>>>>>>> describe   them  ---- to me.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Ed
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Jan 18, 2008, at 9:12 PM, Adam Blatner wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Dear Ed, I await an elucidation of the idea that... as you   
>>>>>>>> just   said, "The illness of society (of our culture, the  
>>>>>>>> world  whole   civilization   for a fact) can be, from a  
>>>>>>>> Morenean  point of  view,  made so clear that we can find 4  
>>>>>>>> mega- sociometric structures impacting, influencing all  
>>>>>>>> other  structures.  These 4 mega- sociometric structures are  
>>>>>>>> what  have to be understood and  addressed  - and here is  
>>>>>>>> the mind- blower:  these 4 forces (mega- structures)  are  
>>>>>>>> revealed in a group, family, organization, etc.,  with  
>>>>>>>> sociometry. We have to  simply over-lay sociatric theories  
>>>>>>>> on  top of  sociometry and  then sociometry illuminates  
>>>>>>>> within a group  the 4 mega-structures.
>>>>>>>>     Until I get that elucidation, I am wary. If you're  
>>>>>>>> right,  it   would be great! Warmly, Adam
>>>>>>>>  p.s., what are the "mega-structures"? That might help me  
>>>>>>>> warm   up  to what you're trying to say.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -- 
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>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -- 
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>>>
>>
>
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