Axioms of cognition affecting human–environmental interactions as traced in historiographical texts

This is a revised version of a manuscript that was originally presented at the 41st Conference of the Western Social Science Association in Albuquerque, NM, April 2002.

Abstract

The subject of this paper is the subconscious and half-conscious basis of cognition, that is, “axioms of cognition” which influence rational thinking and human information processing. The verbal expression of these axioms and the way they actually work within human mind can be more easily traced in the polemic texts. The material for the study is historiographical texts on interethnic relations. The suggested textual analysis can provide a researcher with (1) information about the author's sociomental group (people who similarly interpret systematically organized information: T.M. Dridze's term) and (2) information about the type of audience which can uncontroversially perceive a given text.

Acknowledgements

Research for this paper was supported in part by the Junior Faculty Development Program, which is funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United State Department of State, under authority of the Fulbright-Hays act 1961 as amended, and administered by the American Council of International Education: ACTR/ACCELS. The opinions expressed herein are the author's own and do not necessarily express the views of either ECA or the American Councils.

I gratefully acknowledge the support and advice of the late Prof. T.M. Dridze (Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences, Russia) and constant and friendly support of Prof. T.D. Venedictova (College of Philology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia). I am also grateful to Prof. J.P. Marshall (University of Northern Colorado) and Prof. J.C. Sherblom (University of Maine) for some very helpful pieces of advice and bits of information.

Notes

This is a revised version of a manuscript that was originally presented at the 41st Conference of the Western Social Science Association in Albuquerque, NM, April 2002.

1 Huxley's term (1961) for the circulation of matter in the nature.

2 Sociomental groups: the term was suggested by the Russian sociologist T.M. Dridze for the definition of the groups which consist of people who similarly interpret systematically (textually) organized information and, therefore, possess common traits within their consciousnesses (Dridze, 1984, 2000).

3 See Facts and Conjectures. Against the Falsification of National Relations in the Soviet Union (1972). The original title in Russian: Факты и домысЛы. Против фaЛьсификации национаЛьных отношений в Советском Союзе./АН СССР, АН МССР. Научный совет по пробЛемам зарубежных идеоЛогических течений АН СССР. Научный совет по пробЛемам зарубежных идеоЛогических течений АН МССР. Кишинев, 1972.

4 About the Main Aspects and Some Devices of Falsification of Modern History of Moldavia in the Bourgeois Historiography (Facts and Conjectures, 1972, pp. 154–165; further referred to as 1972a). For the ethical reasons, the authors’ names of the Russian as well as the American texts will not be mentioned here. The original title of the article in Russian: Об основных аспектах и некоторых приемах фаЛьсификации современной истории МоЛдавии в буржуазной историографии.

5 In Russian: “Переход единоЛичного крестьянина на коЛхозный путь развития означает не смену форм крестьянского земЛепоЛьзования, то есть переход от индивидуаЛьной формы к коЛЛективной, а Лишение крестьян земЛи.”

6 The Critique of the Bourgeois Falsifications of the Soviet Belorussian History (Facts and Conjectures, 1972, pp. 117–127; further referred to as 1972b). The original title in Russian: Критика буржуазных фаЛьсификаций истории советской БеЛоруссии.

7 In Russian: “Буржуазная пропаганда намеренно извращает исторические факты и возводит гнусную кЛевету на наш народ, утверждая, что насеЛение БеЛоруссии в начаЛе войны якобы “доброжеЛатеЛьно” относиЛось к немецко-фашистским захватчикам и даже “приветствоваЛо” вторжение немецко-фашистских агрессоров.”

8 In Russian: “Реакционные буржуазные авторы, частично признавая претсупЛения, пытаются возЛожить ответственность за них на противников немецко-фашистских захватчиков, прежде всего на советских патриотов, боровшихся в тыЛу врага.”

9 In Russian: “Западногерманский неонацистский “историограф” ВаЛенди, например, утверждает, что истребЛение насеЛения на временно оккупированной советской территории явиЛось реакцией оккупантов на действия партизан, это быЛи, моЛ, германские ответные меры.”

10 Soviet Nationality Problems (1971). See References.

11 Soviet Communism and Nationalism: Three Stages of a Historical Development (Soviet Nationality Problems, 1971, pp. 43–71; further referred to as 1971a).

12 Patterns of Russian Imperial Policy toward the Nationalities (Soviet Nationality Problems, 1971, pp. 22–42; further referred to as 1971b).

13 Connotation: evaluative overtone in the meaning of a word (linguistic term). (See, e.g., Encyclopaedia Britannica (1994). Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc.)