Intellectual Styles by Johan Galtung Seminar: Innovation, Change and Decision-Making in international Organisations Katja Schülke, Björn Bauer

Overview: Biography of Johan Galtung Definition of Intellectual Style Dimensions of Intellectual Styles 3.1 Paradigm Analysis 3.2 Description of reality and Theory Formation 3.3 Commentary on others Summary of the four Intellectual Styles Conditions and Consequences World Intellectual Style

Biography of Johan Galtung One of the great figures in Peace Studies Born 1930 in Norway Degrees in Mathematics and Sociology Established the first peace research institute in 1959 Professor of Conflict and Peace Research 1987 Alternative Nobel Peace Prize Director of Transcend

2. Definition of Intellectual Style „[…] basic culture-bound models of thought and behavior shown principally by intellectuals.“ Style Center Periphery saxonic nipponic tectonic gallic USA, GB Japan Germany France Canada, Australia --- Eastern Europe Latin countries

Description of reality Theory Formation Commentary on others 3. Dimensions of Intellectual Style Paradigm Analysis Description of reality Theory Formation Commentary on others

Dimensions of Intellectual Style 3.1 Paradigm Analysis Paradigm Analysis means to recognize and to analyse the paradigm you use Try to discover the limitations of your own intellect

Dimensions of Intellectual Style 3.1 Paradigm Analysis Tectonic and Gallic: Strong in Paradigm Analysis Saxonic and Nipponic: Weak in Paradigm Analysis

Dimensions of Intellectual Style 3.2 Description of reality and Theory Formation Description of reality: Deals with the importance and degree of data collection and documentation Theory Formation: Refers to the process how theories are set up and if they are based on data „[…] theory formation is the stringing together of words, with occasional anchoring in a data base.“ (Galtung, )  

Dimensions of Intellectual Style 3.2 Description of reality and Theory Formation Both dimensions act as counterparts Saxonic Teutonic Gallic Nipponic Description of reality strong weak weak strong Theory Formation weak strong strong weak

Dimensions of Intellectual Style 3.2 Description of reality and Theory Formation Saxonic: Penchant for documentation Analyse all sources concealing nothing Goal is to find all relevant information Faith and beliefs enter to a small degree Tolerant and democratic, less elitist Underlying figure of theory formation are a couple of small pyramids

Dimensions of Intellectual Style 3.2 Description of reality and Theory Formation Gallic: Intellectual activity has at its very center theory formation Function of data would be to illustrate rather than to demonstrate Persuasion is carried by elegance Words in theories connote something and carry conviction

Dimensions of Intellectual Style 3.2 Description of reality and Theory Formation There is a totality to things, a balance rather than a center (hammock) Gallics goal is elegance (if necessary at the expense of rigor) Elitist (only the strongest survive  Darwinian struggle)

Dimensions of Intellectual Style 3.2 Description of reality and Theory Formation Teutonic: Intellectual activity has at its very center theory formation Function of data would be to illustrate rather than to demonstrate Purely deductive Goal to arrive from a small number of premises at a high number of conclusions

Dimensions of Intellectual Style 3.2 Description of reality and Theory Formation One big pyramid is the forming exercise The teutonic aim for rigor (if necessary at the expense of elegance) Elitist (only the strongest survive  Darwinian struggle)

Dimensions of Intellectual Style 3.2 Description of reality and Theory Formation Nipponic: Very different visions of how real reality is constituted Dialectic way of thinking Little or no theory at all being developed Japanese almost never pronounce absolute statements Underlying figure of theory formation is a circle  no beginning and no end tolerant and democratic, less elitist (opposed to gallic and teutonic)

Dimensions of Intellectual Style 3.3 Commentary on other intellectuals Saxonic: Pluralism is an important value Togetherness / Team Work Debate is seen as a source of delight Changing opinion in the course of a debate is appreciated

Dimensions of Intellectual Style 3.3 Commentary on other intellectuals Gallic and Tectonic: Presentator has the role of a defendant No complimentary introduction Discussants go straight for the weakest points Nobody changes opinion Change opinion in the course of the debate is not honorable Engage in a debate with a strict antagonist would be considered hopeless

Dimensions of Intellectual Style 3.3 Commentary on other intellectuals Nipponic: Not very skillful at debating Established social relations can not be harmed Collectivistic solidarity no victimisation Classification into schools preempts a debate No direct focus on weak argumentations

4. Summary of the four Intellectual Styles Typical question when somebody is faced with a proposition: Saxonic: How do you operationalize it? Teutonic: How can you trace this back from basic principles? Gallic: Is it possible to say this in French? Nipponic: Who is your master?

5. Conditions and Consequences Relationship between language and Intellectual Style A language has to fit the intellectual style of the concerned culture Class differences in languages are related to differences in Intellectual Style  Intellectual Style has a class character

5. Conditions and Consequences Intellectual Style and the culturally defined notion of truth Permanent truth  Deductive Intellectual Style Flexible truth  Dialectical Intellectual Style Notions of truth are related to a country`s status in the world order

5. Conditions and Consequences Intellectual Style and social structures vertical, polarized and individualist tectonic horizontal, individualist and polarized  gallic horizontal, individualist and less polarized  saxonic vertical, collectivist and non polarized  nipponic

5. Conditions and Consequences The situation of peripheries Hypothesis: periphery intellectual cultures don`t produce anything new, but do only imitate their center

6. World Intellectual Style World Intellectual Style is improbable because of cultural and language variety If there was a World Intellectual Style  Saxonic industrialization exigencies of UN system

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