Vygotsky's Warning: General Science and the Need for Metalevel Research. (2nd April 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Edwards, Mark G.
• Is Part Of: Mind, culture, and activity. Volume 23:Number 2(2016)
• Page Start: 95
• Page End: 107
• Publication Date: 2016-04-02
• Subjects: Cognition -- Periodicals; Cognition and culture -- Periodicals; 150
• DOI: 10.1080/10749039.2015.1087571
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1074-9039

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Over ninety years ago Lev Vygotsky warned of a growing crisis in psychology and social science research. Vygotsky's warning has been echoed on many occasions but his solution to the problem has not been widely acknowledged. He advocated for a form of meta-science which he called "general science", an integrative science that could connect and guide the development of specialised disciplines and schools of research. In this paper I explore the parallels between Vygotsky's general science and contemporary forms of meta-level research and discuss their relevance and implications for addressing global challenges.