Disposition

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A disposition is a quality of character, a habit, a preparation, a state of readiness, or a tendency to act in a specified way.

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The terms dispositional belief and occurrent belief refer, in the former case, to a belief that is held in the mind but not currently being considered, and in the latter case, to a belief that is currently being considered by the mind.

In Bourdieu's theory of fields, dispositions are the natural tendencies of each individual to take on a specific position in any field. There is no strict determinism through one's dispositions. The habitus is the choice of positions according to one's dispositions. However, in retrospect, a space of possibilities can always be observed.

A disposition is not a process or event in some duration in time, but rather the state, preparation, or tendency of a structure "in waiting". In the field of possibilities, its actual triggering has a statistical value.

Metaphysics

The debate about dispositions in metaphysics attempts to understand the fundamental nature of properties, including how they relate to laws of nature. [1] The initial question asks if dispositions are real.

Realism about dispositions or dispositionalism, argues that dispositions are causally efficacious properties inherent to objects that are sufficient to produce change. Consider fragility. If a glass is suitably struck, it will break. Fragility is a property of the glass that accounts for this breaking. Paradigmatic examples of dispositional properties include fragility, solubility, and flammability. Dispositionalism maintains that even paradigmatic examples of what appears to be qualitative such as squareness has causal powers (for instance - when combined with the property of hardness - to make a square impression in soft wax). [2] This view is historically argued for by Aristotle and Leibniz. Contemporary proponents include Sydney Shoemaker, U.T. Place, Stephen Mumford, Alexander Bird, George Molnar, and Brian Ellis. [3]

Others answer that dispositions are not real properties. Anti-realism about dispositions, or categorical, argues that dispositions are ontologically derivative of the interaction of categorical (or qualitative) properties and laws. Accordingly calling a glass fragile, is a useful shorthand for describing the potential interactions of its microstructure (a categorical property) and the laws of nature; dispositions are not additional elements of being. [3] [4] Since the microstructure and laws are enough to explain fragility, there is no causal role for a dispositional property, here fragility, to play. This view is historically argued for by Descartes, Boyle, Hume and the logical positivists. Contemporary proponents, including David Lewis, David Malet Armstrong, and Jonathan Schaffer, continue in a neo-Human, empiricist tradition that argues for categorical on the assumption that there are no necessary connections between distinct existences. [5]

Middle ground views are possible. The most notable is the Limit (or Identity) View defended by Charles B. Martin and John Heil. According to this view, dispositional and categorical - or as Martin prefers "qualitative", because categorical seems to be misleading - predicates are different ways of identifying one and the same property.[ citation needed ] Additionally, the properties lie on a spectrum in which it could approach either limit; however, it can never reach either end because those concepts are unrealizable. Ontologically, however, there is no real difference between the two. Fragility, for example, is both a real disposition of glass to break upon being struck and abstraction from the underlying molecular structure. Squareness, to take another example, is both a quality of having four sides of equal length that meet at equal angles and an abstraction from the fact this property interacts with its environment to leave square impressions on soft wax (when combined with the property ‘hardness’). [6]

Law

In law, a disposition is a civil or criminal hearing where a case can be resolved.

Education

In the realm of education, dispositions refer to the tendencies of individuals to respond to, interpret, and construct learning opportunities in particular ways. These dispositions are not static but are dynamically affected by educational experiences, which can either strengthen or weaken them. Claxton and Carr (2004) argue for a deliberate approach to fostering learning dispositions, suggesting that classrooms and early childhood settings play a crucial role in enhancing these dispositions. They emphasize that education should aim to increase the frequency, robustness, and complexity of valued learning responses, thereby deepening students' competencies and expanding their methods of learning. [7]

The development of learning dispositions within educational settings is seen as essential, as these environments can exemplify and encourage the growth of such dispositions. Documenting the development of these dispositions is considered an important feedback mechanism for the involved community, including teachers, children, and families. This documentation calls for further research on methods to trace the development of learning dispositions beyond a single educational setting. [8]

In the context of higher education, studies have shown variations in students' inclinations towards research and information gathering. For instance, in a study conducted by Hardy, Kordonowy, and Liss (2024), students in different course sections demonstrated varying degrees of problem-exploring and answer-getting dispositions in their end-of-term reflections. This variation underscores the influence of instructional design and the educational environment on shaping students' learning dispositions. [9] [10]

The concept of dispositions in early childhood education has been a subject of interest for researchers like Katz (1985), who explore how these dispositions develop in young learners. The Effective Lifelong Learning Inventory (ELLI) has been a tool to measure various learning dispositions, such as critical curiosity, creativity, and meaning-making. These dispositions are essential for continuous improvement and adaptation in the learning process. [10] [11]

In addition to formal educational settings, the understanding and application of learning dispositions have significance in informal learning and personal development contexts. As highlighted in Dispositions Toward Learning by Well, the journey of learning is continuous and evolving, with each individual carrying their unique set of dispositions throughout this process. This perspective emphasizes the importance of recognizing and nurturing one's dispositions not only in academic or structured settings but also in self-guided learning endeavors and everyday life experiences. Such an approach encourages a lifelong learning mindset, where individuals continuously adapt and apply their learning dispositions in various contexts, including emerging platforms like digital media and online communities. [12]

Summary: Dispositions in education encompass the tendencies and inclinations that shape how individuals engage with learning opportunities. These dispositions are influenced and developed through formal educational settings, as well as personal and informal learning environments. Education plays a crucial role in strengthening and diversifying these dispositions, enhancing learners' competencies and approaches to learning. The documentation and assessment of learning dispositions, as discussed in various studies, are vital for providing feedback to the educational community, including students, teachers, and families. This comprehensive view recognizes the dynamic nature of dispositions in both academic and personal development contexts, highlighting the importance of continuous adaptation and application of learning dispositions throughout an individual's life.

Religion

In Christian thought, "disposition" has two meanings. Firstly, it may refer to a deliberately practiced habit of behaving in a certain way, for example, "a virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good." [9] Secondly, it may refer to a state of a person that is required for reception of a sacrament, for example, a disposition of genuine repentance is required for the forgiveness of sins in confession. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

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The philosophy of education is the branch of applied philosophy that investigates the nature of education as well as its aims and problems. It also examines the concepts and presuppositions of education theories. It is an interdisciplinary field that draws inspiration from various disciplines both within and outside philosophy, like ethics, political philosophy, psychology, and sociology. Many of its theories focus specifically on education in schools but it also encompasses other forms of education. Its theories are often divided into descriptive theories, which provide a value-neutral description of what education is, and normative theories, which investigate how education should be practiced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reductionism</span> Philosophical view explaining systems in terms of smaller parts

Reductionism is any of several related philosophical ideas regarding the associations between phenomena which can be described in terms of simpler or more fundamental phenomena. It is also described as an intellectual and philosophical position that interprets a complex system as the sum of its parts.

A belief is a subjective attitude that a proposition is true or a state of affairs is the case. A subjective attitude is a mental state of having some stance, take, or opinion about something. In epistemology, philosophers use the term "belief" to refer to attitudes about the world which can be either true or false. To believe something is to take it to be true; for instance, to believe that snow is white is comparable to accepting the truth of the proposition "snow is white". However, holding a belief does not require active introspection. For example, few individuals carefully consider whether or not the sun will rise tomorrow, simply assuming that it will. Moreover, beliefs need not be occurrent, but can instead be dispositional.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre Bourdieu</span> French sociologist, anthropologist, and philosopher (1930–2002)

Pierre Bourdieu was a French sociologist and public intellectual. Bourdieu's contributions to the sociology of education, the theory of sociology, and sociology of aesthetics have achieved wide influence in several related academic fields. During his academic career he was primarily associated with the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris and the Collège de France.

Holism is the interdisciplinary idea that systems possess properties as wholes apart from the properties of their component parts. The aphorism "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts", typically attributed to Aristotle, is often given as a glib summary of this proposal. The concept of holism can inform the methodology for a broad array of scientific fields and lifestyle practices. When applications of holism are said to reveal properties of a whole system beyond those of its parts, these qualities are referred to as emergent properties of that system. Holism in all contexts is often placed in opposition to reductionism, a dominant notion in the philosophy of science that systems containing parts contain no unique properties beyond those parts. Proponents of holism consider the search for emergent properties within systems to be demonstrative of their perspective.

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A case study is an in-depth, detailed examination of a particular case within a real-world context. For example, case studies in medicine may focus on an individual patient or ailment; case studies in business might cover a particular firm's strategy or a broader market; similarly, case studies in politics can range from a narrow happening over time like the operations of a specific political campaign, to an enormous undertaking like world war, or more often the policy analysis of real-world problems affecting multiple stakeholders.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emergentism</span> Philosophical belief in emergence

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Malet Armstrong</span> Australian philosopher (1926–2014)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biological naturalism</span>

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Learning power refers to the collection of psychological traits and skills that enable a person to engage effectively with a variety of learning challenges. The concept emerged during the 1980s and 90s, for example in the writings of the cognitive scientist Guy Claxton, as a way of describing the form of intelligence possessed by someone who, to quote Jean Piaget's phrase,"…knows what to do when they don't know what to do." The forms of learning envisaged are typically broader than those encountered in formal educational settings, for example those that are of most use in learning sports or musical instruments, or in mastering complex social situations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Critical realism (philosophy of the social sciences)</span> Philosophical approach to understanding science

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References

  1. ↑ Max Kistler; Bruno Gnassounou, eds. (2016). Dispositions and causal powers. Routledge. ISBN   9781315577616. OCLC   952728282.
  2. ↑ Shoemaker, S., 1980, ‘Causality and Properties’, in P. van Inwagen (ed.), Time and Cause: Essays Presented to Richard Taylor, Dordrecht: Reidel, 109–135.
  3. 1 2 Choi, Sungho; Fara, Michael (January 27, 2018). Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). Dispositions. Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2021– via Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Archive.
  4. ↑ Franklin, James (1986). "Are dispositions reducible to categorical properties?" (PDF). Philosophical Quarterly. 36 (142): 62–64. doi:10.2307/2219311. JSTOR   2219311 . Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  5. ↑ Hume, D. (1748), An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1975, ed. L.A. Selby-Bigge and P.H. Nidditch
  6. ↑ Armstrong, D. M. (1996). Dispositions : a debate . Routledge. ISBN   0415144329. OCLC   33898477.
  7. ↑ Carr, Margaret; Claxton, Guy (March 2002). "Tracking the Development of Learning Dispositions". Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice. 9 (1): 9–37. doi:10.1080/09695940220119148. ISSN   0969-594X.
  8. ↑ Claxton, Guy; Carr, Margaret (March 2004). "A framework for teaching learning: the dynamics of disposition". Early Years. 24 (1): 87–97. doi:10.1080/09575140320001790898. ISSN   0957-5146.
  9. 1 2 Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 1803 Archived 2020-04-10 at the Wayback Machine
  10. 1 2 "CF 48: Answer-Getting and Problem-Exploring in First-Year Writing by Sarah Madsen Hardy, Gwen Kordonowy, and Ken Liss". compositionforum.com. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  11. ↑ Crick, Ruth Deakin; Yu, Guoxing (December 2008). "Assessing learning dispositions: is the Effective lifelong learning inventory valid and reliable as a measurement tool?". Educational Research. 50 (4): 387–402. doi:10.1080/00131880802499886. ISSN   0013-1881.
  12. ↑ "Dispositions Towards Learning – Writing Spaces" . Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  13. ↑ Catholic Dictionary, Sacramental dispositions Archived 2018-01-11 at the Wayback Machine .
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