Architectonics of activity theory: reflexive-deed scenario of metamethodologization

Abstract

Interdisciplinary research is devoted to the reflexive-deed reconstruction of the methodological theory of activity, created by G.P. Shchedrovitsky (1929 – 1994) in the frameworks of the collective thinking activity of the Moscow Methodological Circle representatives half a century ago as a complex organization of ontological representations, categorical means, integration-active capabilities and schematizations of methodological thinking, concentrated in the step-by-step formation of ever-growing methodological reflection. With the help of the author’s constructed metamethodological optics this theory is substantiated in its ontological, architectonical, epistemological and philosophic-methodological aspects, highlighted in the polysystemic architectonic mosaic of its ideas and themes, concepts and conceptions, foundations and principles, ideas and constructs, notions and categories, thought-schemes and models, matrices and paradigms, and the most importantly – in conscious thought-actional operation it can appear as a perfect system-actional approach, which is a harbinger of the latest methodology as an original organism or a unique field of TA (thought activity). The essential horizon of such a methodology primarily orients the thinker not on scientific-subject ideas, pictures and knowledge, but on the transformation and development of means, methods and structures of interpenetrating thinking and activity, ie on their reflection in the central link – methodological organization of thinking. Significantly enriching the normative (particularly, sign-symbolic) space of culture, the world of methodology is constructed as one of a kind, original and unique, layer or dimension of human existence – enabling thought-activity, thought-action, professional methodologization. Considering the subject field of the current research, firstly, reflection is highlighted as an attributive center of methodological thinking and methodology in general, secondly, the stages of development of methodological reflection as components of an action are analyzed, thirdly, it has been created for the first time the matrix of genesis of the indicated reflection as an act of methodology creation, fourthly, it has been revealed the method of constructing metamethodological optics of detailed study of the activity theory on the material of the reinterpreted reflexive-deed scenario of the inspirer’s action of system-actional methodology.  In the author’s version of composing, metamethodological optics is a complex mechanism for selecting and specifying lenses-modules of interdependent thinking, understanding, activity, reflection, organized by the quintet scheme of philosophical categories as the basis for distinguishing systemic reflexive knowledge: the role of u n i- v e r s a l is performed by the vitacultural methodology developed by us, the place of g e n e r a l is occupied by a sphere of professional methodologization advocated by us, the position of s p e c i a l is occupied by a cyclic-deed approach that we have proposed, the position of i n i v i d u a l is taken by the author’s scheme-model of thought-deed, the place of s p e c i f i c is occupied by such a minimal fractal integrity of a special, conceptually diverse, idea of an object, which finds a graphic expression in the form of a thought scheme (a square wrapped in a circle) and four or five categorical definitions of this object. The main part of the study is devoted to a comprehensive content filling of each of the five reasoned stages of the methodological reflection becoming as components of full-fledged deed: propaedeutic stage – p r e – s i t u a t i o n, the quintessence of which is the idea of actional approach and methodological organization of thinking, the first stage – s i t u a t i o n, the core of which forms the construction of ontological schemes of activity and organization of the process of its reproduction, the second stage – m o t i v a t i-      o n, where the most important acts are reflexive immersion of thinking into the world of activity and the emergence of ontology of thought-activity, the third stage – d e e d  a c t i o n  the main essence of which is reduced to reflexive immersion of TA ontology into a substantial horizon of thinking and to a compliance with the requirements of the multiple knowledge principle, the fourth stage – a f t e r a c t i o n, the most important in which is the reflexive closure of methodological thinking through various reflexive identifications. Thus, the thematically and substantively detailed horizontal of the newly created matrix of the methodological reflection genesis, which is the essence of self-thoughtful – philosophical and therefore methodological – thinking and alpha and omega of methodology in general. At the same time, among the most significant step-by-step creative products of the author’s performance it is worth noting: a) the concept of metamethodologization, that enabled the creation of the latest metamethodological optics of scrupulous elaboration of the activity theory according to the logic of a deed scenarioing of a creative way of the STA-methodology’s founder; b) the thought-scheme of component-tacts of the methodological turn of thinking as a reflexive-canonical deed; c) the cyclic-deed reconstruction of the method of systemic analysis in the unity of different procedures and stages of its implementation; d) the four-stage scheme of the evolution of a scientific subject in two orthogonal dichotomous dimensions of the implementation of methodological work: “empirical (sensory) – logical” and “specific – abstract”; e) the abstract ontological scheme of activity as a full-fledged deed of its reproduction in the cyclical complementarity of ontologems of situation, actualization, translation and reflexive practice and in the context of vitaculture; f) the biquater organizations of the corpus of epistemological units (idea, ontology, universum, STA-approach and scheme, category, theory, STA-methodology) in the polysystem substantiation of thought-actional representations; g) the thought-schemes of connection of ontogenetic stages of reflexive-deed closure of methodological thinking with different reflexive identifications, etc. As a result of the study conducted it is concluded that the model of reflexive-scenario looping of methodology, gained for the first time, for today is a holistic ontological picture of methodological TA, and in the long run – of the universe of thought-activity and thought-deed in general. A clear confirmation of this yet is the unique step-by-step spectrum of competent methodological practice – from the creation, development and usage of various technologies of methodological work and reflective metamethodologization to canon-oriented methodological seminars and sessions, organization-actional and organization-deed games.