[iDC] Praxis-based Ph.D.s

[Ryan Griffis]

On Jan 13, 2007, at 9:26 AM, idc-request at bbs.thing.net wrote:

> 3) What role does laboratory practice and training play in the hard
> sciences, and how would those be equated with craft skills in the
> creative sector? Would this question have implications for how we
> conceive practice-based creative research?

This is a great question Danny!
And i think not just applicable to notions of craft, but also asking  
what questions should be asked in the first place. Scientists are  
burdened with questions of ethics, politics and rigor by interests  
outside of the "inner circles" - where is that to come from with art?  
Many would argue that that is what makes art valuable, right, it's  
freedom from such concerns. But even non-applied sciences are pulled  
into discourses of responsibility and practice that are not dominated  
by specialized/self-directed vocabularies and interests.
i'm very interested in Latour's proposition for political ecology and  
the challenge to redirect "matters of fact" to "matters of concern"  
in the sciences. i wonder how that challenge might be framed within  
cultural production, especially in terms of education. i have to  
admit that i don't have a complete grasp of Latour's ideas at the  
moment, so my understanding may be a bit off.
best,
ryan