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Vigotsky's Activity Theory - Comparison with Dooyeweerdian Philosophy

Vigotsky (or Viigotsky), a Russian thinker who dies in the 1930s, but whose ideas are enjoying a new currency, proposed Activity Theory. Starting as a Pavlovian, he turned against it because mere stimulus and response could not, in his opinion, explain real human activity. In particular, it needed extra 'mediators'. Human activity, he held, is mediated through tools or language. By tools we act on the physical environment and by language we act on the conceptual and social environment and change ourselves. Thus he made a fundamental distinction between stimulus-response activity, tools and language. He also held that concepts and language are distinct (since they are in young children), but for most of the time, he merged them. Language expresses concept, and concepts are used in language.

Similarity to Dooyeweerd

We can immediate see a similarity between Vigotsky's theory and Dooyeweerd's theory of modal aspects. Just as Vigotsky held that tool-mediation, language-mediation and stimulus-response cannot be reduced to each other, so Dooyeweerd held that his aspects cannot be reduced to each other.

Moreover, Vigotsky's three things correspond quite closely to three of Dooyeweerd's aspects:

Aspect Vigotsky's Notion
Quantitative
(to do with quantity, amount)
Spatial
(to do with continuous extension, space)
Kinematic
(to do with movement; flowing movement)
Physical
(to do with energy + mass)
Biotic
(to do with life functions)
Sensitive
(to do with sense, feeling, emotion) 		Stimulus-response, Pavlovian activity
Analytical
(to do with distinguishing ) 		Concepts
Formative
(to do with history, culture, technology: shaping and creativity) 		Mediation via tools Formative functioning
Lingual
(to do with symbolic communication) 		Mediation via language Lingual functioning
Social
(to do with social interaction) 		Functioning dependent on lingual
Economic
(to do with frugal use of resources) 		Ditto.
Aesthetic
(to do with harmony, surprise, fun)
Juridical
(to do with what is due; 'retribution', rights and responsibilities)
Ethical
(to do with self-giving love)
Pistic
(to do with vision, aspiration, commitment, creed, religion)

Activity in the later aspects, such as the social, juridical, etc., is also 'mediated via language', in Dooyeweerd's theory, because the later aspects are dependent upon functioning in earlier ones. Therefore, since these are all post-lingual, they all require lingual functioning.

Differences Between Dooyeweerd and Vigotsky

One difference is that the tools that Vigotsky speaks about are physical tools such as spanners and hammers (he was writing, of course, in the heyday of the Soviet industrial might) whereas Dooyeweerd's formative functioning involves the formation of anything, whether physical or conceptual.
This page is part of a collection of pages that links to various thinkers, within The Dooyeweerd Pages, which explain, explore and discuss Dooyeweerd's interesting philosophy. Email questions or comments would be welcome.

Copyright (c) 2004 Andrew Basden. But you may use this material subject to conditions.

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Created: 6 February 2002. Last updated: 16 June 2010 .nav, .end, rid unet.