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Neuropsychoanalysis: An Interdisciplinary Journal for

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Jason W. Brown, Microgenetic theory: Reflections

and prospects: Commentary by Michel Weber
a

Michel Weber
a

Docteur en Philosophie Institut superieur de philosophie, Universite catholique de

Louvain, Belgium
Published online: 09 Jan 2014.

To cite this article: Michel Weber (2002) Jason W. Brown, Microgenetic theory: Reflections and prospects: Commentary by
Michel Weber, Neuropsychoanalysis: An Interdisciplinary Journal for Psychoanalysis and the Neurosciences, 4:1, 119-120,
DOI: 10.1080/15294145.2002.10773386
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15294145.2002.10773386

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Commentary on Jason Brown's Microgenetic Theory

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Jason W. Brown, Microgenetic theory: Reflections and prospects

Commentary by Michel Weber
When writing a commentary on a given paper,
one should always have the highest respect for
what remains above alleven when scientic
technicalities are at stakea private quest. One
should primarily try to grasp the internal vision
that nourishes the argument, and keep in mind
that criticisms will always remain external. In
other words, Bergson's famous hermeneutical
claim boldly depicts the duty of every thinker.
Now, if the Author explicitly brings into the
picture the very personal signicance of his
inquiry, all this becomes only common-sense.
For those of us who are not experts in
neuropsychological issues, this paper is very
welcome since it systematically unfolds the
circumambulative reasonings to be found in
Brown's works and contrasts them with the
current state of aairs in the eld. We have here
nothing less than the fascinating account of an
ever-evolving discipline. After a quick synoptic
view of the argument, we will address two main
points: on the one hand, some minor diculties
are mentioned and, on the other, the nature of the
expected existential impact of speculation is
questioned.
The paper's main thesis is quite simple:
whereas the purely analytic mode of understanding of neuropsychological issues does not lead
anywhereeither scientically or existentially
the synthetic understandingand especially its
holistic guiseallows the primacy of meaning
while binding science and life again. The former
provides only linear, disconnective and localized
concepts; the latter makes the best of cyclical
(including retroactive), connective and holistic
ones. Machine-like functioning is replaced by
organic growth, discrimination is always aimed
at the full complexity of a vivid mentality that can
never be totally abstracted from its environment.
James already saw very clearly that ``when we
conceptualize, we cut out and x, and exclude
everything but what we have xed. A concept
means a that-and-no-other.'' Reality, on the
contrary, is in the making. Since substantialism
receives little support from current scientic and
philosophic speculations, it is time for process
thought to take the lead. Egypticism should be
obliterated by Heraclitism; we should promote
the use of ``uid concepts'' (Bergson's term).
Of course some allusions are not careful
enough (e.g., how far can one use Otto's neoKantism within a holistic framework?; does

Plato's ``Exaiphnes'' belong to durationless instantaneity?), but, on the whole (no pun intended
but appropriate), the paper reads really well
with, however, two correlated minor exceptions:
the discussion of the ``regularity/rule/habit'' distinction and the debate around ``innateness''. It is
to be feared indeed that the shades of meaning of
the former are not clearly delineated and the
coherence of the innatist claim within a process
framework not suciently questioned. It is our
contention that any appeal to somewhat atemporal realities need to receive a strong categorical
background (remember Whitehead). Perhaps a
dialogue with evolutionary epistemology (e.g.,
Capek, Piaget and Rescher) would prove to be
helpful here.
Unsurprisingly, the Authors' plea for holism
is itself holistic enough: alongside scientic
questions, epistemological, ontological and even
religious puzzles are raised. This brings us back to
our introductory remark. Qua spiritual descendant of German holism who does not hesitate to
speak of salvation, Brown might be willing to
understand the business of speculation (scientic,
philosophical . . .), when all is said and done, as
``holistic transgurative vision''. By this we mean
the following: since ultimately there cannot be
any bifurcation between the systematic thought of
a given scholar and his/her life as it is lived, one
will necessary nd the meaning of the incriminated
practice in the actual impact it has on his/her
existence. One does not debate, say, over microtubular cytoskeleton's quantic virtues simply for
the sake of understanding this or that phenomenon, but in order to give some sense to one's own
existence. Pushed to the hilt, this pragmatic
criterion commits the whole destiny of the
individual and, when reexively thematized (a
philosophical speciality), opens the door to a
visionbetter, a contactthat has an all-embracing transformative virtue. Rationality gives birth
to the post-rational and this breakthrough cannot
but bend the course of our mundane existence.
For suggesting all this in his essay, Brown should
be warmly thanked.
References
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Michel Weber
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Michel Weber,
Docteur en Philosophie
Institut superieur de philosophie,
Universite catholique de Louvain,
Belgium