Dear Juha Kamarainen:

The theory responds above all, to what is it? and practice, how to do it? Normally, practice derives from theory, but also theory is sometimes the result of "theorizing practice." As jurists say, the Law follows life (see Nuclear Law, e.g.). In any case, as is often the case with apparent oppositions, theory and practice are complementary concepts. In addition, together both or rather, correlated, they form a "whole" in many disciplines. The important thing, perhaps, would be to study the interrelationships between theory and practice, that mutual relationship, and consider to what extent they can modify each other. For example, it would be interesting to study the relationship between "scientific theory" and "scientific practice" in a field such as medicine. Things and concepts are rarely isolated; and that relationship / complementarity constitutes a certain totality of the concept or theme.

Best wihes Miquel

I agree with Miquel Ricart, but I think I can add a bit more explanation. Practice is based on a set of assumptions. That set, when set forth, is what we mean by theory. So whenever practice changes, theory has changed. Conversely, when theory changes, this ushers in a change in practice. Once a new practice is established, practitioners may not feel obliged to reiterate their assumptions, but they should remain aware of them by checking new findings against expectations. I have in my mind the Kuhnian model (Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions), which I think works for all scholarly disciplines, including literary study, which is my field, where I am currently trying to introduce a new practice at the same time as articulating a new set of working assumptions.

Dear Miquel and Victor,

Many thanks for your comments. I hope we can continue this very interesting discussion.

Am I correct, if I summarize, that Miquel's first approach "practice derives from theory" follows deductive logic whereas "theorizing practice" stands for inductive one? Victor says, that we build practices on certain sets of assumptions. If they are not expressed in any explicit form, but just applied in action, can we call them tacit knowledge? This, in turn, may be related to the abductive logic.

Information studies (formerly library and information science) which is my field has originated from professional practices of librarians and information specialists as well as dynamics of diverse subjects it tries to understand and organize. It is a very interesting case among disciplines in the sense, that it frequently borrows concepts, theories and other tools from many other disciplines (like literary studies, education, information processing science, linguistics and semiotics). In a way, it uses these various disciplines to clarify, comment and critize its current practices as well as theories it has adopted earlier.

For example Talja, Tuominen and Savolainen discussed these positions in terms of different metatheories in "Isms" in information science: Constructivism, collectivism and constructionism. Journal of documentation, 61(1), 79-101.

Sometimes it is hard to explain to students, what kind of relationships between theory and practice are valid within this field, that seems not "independent".

Dear Juha,

I hope so too.

Best regards Miquel

Recently, I observed the critical concept of "mimesis" in a photograph on another RG thread devoted to architecture about 4 days ago (today is 2/23/2020). The building named "Tour Carpe Diem" has an architectural design of mirroring geometrical surfaces, instead of cement, which reflect daylight, as well as mirroring the light reflected on the windows and exterior glassy surfaces of different companion buildings. The "Tour Carpe Diem" architecturally translates the meaning of its Latin name, and also bridges the modern period with ancient Roman culture. Romans did not believe in an afterlife, hence the motto "Carpe Diem," which literally means "Seize the Day"! Romans advocated a philosophical view that life is short, and therefore, it is important to live life to the fullest. The "mimesis" familiar to literary theorists and researchers who hold that "Art is a Representation of Reality" (see Erich Auerbach's book Mimesis: The Representation of Reality) and that "Poetry reflects and illuminates dimensions of reality (see M.H. Abrams, The Mirror and the Lamp) is thus visibly at play in the architectural design of "Tour Carpe Diem." Theory and practice work together for all to see in "Tour Carpe Diem"!

Dear Nancy Ann Watanabe,

What a nice example! It reminds me of Aby Warburg's projects, namely Warburg-Bibliothek für Kulturwissenschaft and Mnemosyne Atlas. Wikipedia summarizes the relationships between the contents and structure of Warburg's collection, the heart of the Bibliothek, as follows "The institute is notable for its unusual and unique reference system: the institute's collection is arranged by subject according to Warburg's division of human history into the categories of Action, Orientation, Word, and Image."

Regards,