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  %CONTEXTUALIZING ANALYTIC UNDERSTANDING REDUCTION 880524

     The significance  of  any  activity  depends upon the
context which gives it meaning.  The  significance  of  an
activity  can  not  be  found  by  considering  only   the
component  element of the activity.  No amount of analysis
of the internal  parts  of  an  activity  will  reveal the
significance   of  the  activity.   Not  even  a  complete
understanding of  all  the inter-relationships  among  the
internal   aspects   of  an  activity  will   reveal   the
significance of the activity.

     The  significance of analysis cannot  be revealed  by
an analysis  of   the   internal   elements   of  analytic
activities. Not even a  complete  understanding of all the
inter-relationships  among  the  internal aspects of human
analysis will reveal the significance of human analysis.

     Analysis  as  it  is  traditionally  understood  is a
process of taking some whole apart in order to see how the
parts  of the whole relate to each other  to  produce  the
effects of the whole.  In  analysis a whole is  fragmented
for the purpose  of seeing how its parts work together  to
produce  the  effects which the whole as a whole  produce.
For this reason analysis is not essentially an integrative
process, although within a broader context analysis may be
part of an essentially integrative process. In the absence
of   such   a  broader  context  analysis  by  itself   is
essentially   disintegrative,    and   cannot    have   an
integrative significance or meaning.

     Understanding  can  come   in  ways   which  are  not
analytic.  Most human understanding comes  in non-analytic
ways.   Our understanding  of  most human activities comes
through  careful  attention  to  the  contexts  of   human
activities; perceiving the parts in terms of the  whole of
which they are just a part.  Such perception does not take
a whole apart in  order  to see how its parts are related.
Such perception seeks to understand how elements which are
experienced  as  parts  of a whole relate  to  each  other
within the integrity of the whole.

     Contextual  understanding  is   not   analytic  in  a
reductionist    way.      Contextual   understanding    is
essentially integrative in character.

     Analysis  often  leads  to  disintegrative  endeavors
which ultimately undermine the integrity of the analysts.

     The  search  for  contextual  understanding  leads to
efforts  to  participate  in an  integrated  whole.   Such
participation  in a coherent way extends the integrity  of
those    who   would   understand   through    integrative
participation.

     The meaning and significance  of decisions,  actions,
perceptions,     conversation,     dialogue,     intimacy,
vulnerability,   security,  etc.  depend upon the  context
within which they occur.  Their significance can  thus  be
transformed by actions which place them within integrative
contexts. The act of placing some reality within a context
can transform the meaning and significance of the reality;
towards disintegration or towards disintegration.

     The  English  language uses the word  "analyze"    to
point   to  the process of taking some whole apart  in  an
effort to understand how the effect of the whole comes  to
be.    The English language does not have in common  usage
any   word  which points to the  process   of   perceiving
some   reality  within its  total  context  to  understand
its  conception  and  role in the  larger  whole.  Neither
does  the  English language have in common usage any  word
pointing  to  the   process  of deliberately  placing  and
perceiving any reality within  a larger whole in order  to
promote a larger integrity.

     The word pair  "contextual analysis"   does not point
clearly  to the process of perceiving some reality  within
its  total  context to understand its role in  the  coming
into being of the larger whole;  for the  word  "analysis"
gives signals which divert attention from that to which we
might otherwise point.

     The  word "contextualize"  does not commonly point to
the process of deliberately  placing any  reality within a
larger whole in order to promote a larger integrity.

     When we do not  have words with  communally agreed to
meanings   with  which  to point to  some  reality; it  is
difficult to point to the  meanings  for  which  there  do
not exist  communally  agreed  to  words. There is a  need
to work on creating consensus  regarding  how  to point to
processes   by  which  to perceive/create  meaning    with
regards  to  the   contexts  within  which realities  come
to be and exist with significant meaning.

                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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