Andy Blunden
Biographic Data
| ID | 3593771 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Andy Blunden |
| GIVEN NAMES | Andy |
| FAMILY NAME | Blunden |
| SIGNATURE | BLUNDEN A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Research Network (United States) |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7122-5811 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 18 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
The Trainee Dilemma
A critical phase in professional identity formation is the ‘trainee dilemma’. This dilemma marks the transition from formally qualified to a capable professional. During this period, individuals are qualified but not yet capable. Using concepts from Cultural-Historical Theory, we consider how the development of professional competence extends beyond formal education to include development of a new professional identity shaped by workplace experie…
Hegel, Marx and Vygotsky
Andy Blunden’s Hegel Marx & Vygotsky, Essays in Social Philosophy presents his novel approach to social theory in a series of essays. Blunden aims to use the cultural psychology of Lev Vygotsky and the Soviet Activity Theorists to renew Hegelian Marxism as an interdisciplinary science. This allows psychologists and social theorists to share their insights through concepts equally valid in either domain. The work includes critical reviews of the w…
Some Principles Relevant to the Evolution of Language
Ontogenesis, Ethnogenesis, Sociogenesis and Phylogenesis
Hegel for Social Movements
Hegel for Social Movements by Andy Blunden is an introduction to the reading of Hegel intended for those already active in social movements. It introduces Hegel's ideas in a way which will be useful for those fighting for social change, and while some familiarity with philosophy would be an advantage for the reader, the main pre-requisite is a commitment to the practical pursuit of ideal aims. The book covers the whole sweep of Hegel's writing, b…
Spinoza in the history of cultural psychology and activity theory
This review of the place of Spinoza in the history of cultural-historical activity theory begins with a synopsis of Ilyenkov’s influential essay “Spinoza—Thought as an Attribute of Substance” and adds further points. I go on to look at the historical context of Spinoza’s work, the mixed character of his legacy, and the need to see Spinoza as one moment in an entire historical development
Goethe, Hegel and Marx
Hegel's philosophical system rested on an appropriation of the concept which lay at the heart of Goethe's scientific work, the Urphänomen (archetypal phenomenon). In a sense, the Urphänomen is the Urphänomen of Hegel's philosophy: Hegel transformed and expanded this idea in his Logic , in which the place of the Urphänomen is taken by a Concept rather than a phenomenon. Marx in turn took this idea as the foundation for Capital , with the practice …
“The Anatomy of Man Is a Key to the Anatomy of the Ape.”
In my initial contribution I characterized perezhivanie as an integral concept, despite the fact that at least two English words—“experience” and “catharsis”—were needed to encompass its meaning. H
Translating Perezhivanie into English
An outline is suggested for how the word perezhivanie can be appropriated from Russian psychology in general and Vygotskian psychology in particular, as a meaningful word in English-language psychology, drawing on cognate concepts from Freud, Winnicott, Dewey, Kübler-Ross, Stanislavskii, and so forth. It is suggested that through its connection with the working out of a person’s life-projects, perezhivanie plays a key role in connecting psycholog…
Perezhivanie
The Origins of Collective Decision Making
In The Origins of Collective Decision Making, Andy Blunden identifies three paradigms of collective decision making – Counsel, Majority and Consensus, discovers their origins in traditional, medieval and modern times, and traces their evolution over centuries up to the present. The study reveals that these three paradigms have an ethical foundation, deeply rooted in historical experiences. The narrative takes the reader into the very moments when…
Forms of Radical Subjectivity
“Subjectivity” is taken to mean a collective form of consciousness or collaborative project or social movement, characterised by specific forms of organisation and representation. “Radical” subjectivity refers to those projects that fundamentally challenge the dominant social formation. The paper traces the succession of forms of radical subjectivity from the first emergence of the modern proletariat as an independent political agent, as for exam…
The Fine Granules of History’s Sediment
M. Packer, The Science of Qualitative Research
Andy Blunden Independent Social Research Network, Brunswick, Victoria, Australia Martin Packer offers us a wide-ranging review and overview of the types and varieties of qualitative research throug
Vygotsky’s idea of Gestalt and its origins
The origins of Vygotsky’s conception of Gestalt in Goethe, Hegel, and Marx is traced, demonstrating how this concept not only forms a methodological foundation for Vygotsky, but also is the key concept through which this series of thinkers has overcome various forms of dualism. Vygotsky’s use of the concept in his unfinished work on child development is reviewed and it is shown how this conception of Gestalt sheds new light on the concept of the …
Psychology and the Zeitgeist
Two books surveying the state of psychology from broad, historical, and interdisciplinary points of view are reviewed. Jerome Kagan covers the “three cultures”—natural science, social science, and the humanities—and tracks the Zeitgeist and the ebb and flow of the influence of the three cultures on the community and each other. Ash and Sturm’s book is a collaborative review of the state of psychology from the point of view of leaders in neuroscie…
Psicología cultural soviética
Es 6 de enero de 1924 en Petrogrado, en el Segundo Congreso Ruso de Psiconeurologia. En el primer congreso, celebrado un ano antes, Konstantin Kornilov habia depuesto a Georgy Chelpanov, el padre de la psicologia rusa y director del Instituto de Psicologia, y habia dirigido el Instituto hacia la creacion de una psicologia marxista; todos miraban hacia una u otra variedad de conductismo, en el cual el concepto de ‘consciencia’ se entendia, entre o…
Modernity, the Individual, and the Foundations of Cultural–Historical Activity Theory
It is argued that the problem of individual agency in relation to social institutions can be resolved within Cultural–Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) by the use of the “subject ” as a unit of analysis. Such an approach implies a reaffirmation of the fundamental tenets of CHAT but also a critique of the concepts of society and culture, which are appropriated by psychology. A successful critique of objectivist conceptions of society and culture r…
The Origins of Collective Decision Making
In The Origins of Collective Decision Making, Andy Blunden identifies three paradigms of collective decision making – Counsel, Majority and Consensus, discovers their origins in traditional, medieval and modern times, and traces their evolution over centuries up to the present. The study reveals that these three paradigms have an ethical foundation, deeply rooted in historical experiences. The narrative takes the reader into the very moments when…
Goethe, Hegel and Marx
Hegel's philosophical system rested on an appropriation of the concept which lay at the heart of Goethe's scientific work, the Urphänomen (archetypal phenomenon). In a sense, the Urphänomen is the Urphänomen of Hegel's philosophy: Hegel transformed and expanded this idea in his Logic , in which the place of the Urphänomen is taken by a Concept rather than a phenomenon. Marx in turn took this idea as the foundation for Capital , with the practice …
Modernity, the Individual, and the Foundations of Cultural–Historical Activity Theory
It is argued that the problem of individual agency in relation to social institutions can be resolved within Cultural–Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) by the use of the “subject ” as a unit of analysis. Such an approach implies a reaffirmation of the fundamental tenets of CHAT but also a critique of the concepts of society and culture, which are appropriated by psychology. A successful critique of objectivist conceptions of society and culture r…
Vygotsky’s idea of Gestalt and its origins
The origins of Vygotsky’s conception of Gestalt in Goethe, Hegel, and Marx is traced, demonstrating how this concept not only forms a methodological foundation for Vygotsky, but also is the key concept through which this series of thinkers has overcome various forms of dualism. Vygotsky’s use of the concept in his unfinished work on child development is reviewed and it is shown how this conception of Gestalt sheds new light on the concept of the …
Psychology and the Zeitgeist
Two books surveying the state of psychology from broad, historical, and interdisciplinary points of view are reviewed. Jerome Kagan covers the “three cultures”—natural science, social science, and the humanities—and tracks the Zeitgeist and the ebb and flow of the influence of the three cultures on the community and each other. Ash and Sturm’s book is a collaborative review of the state of psychology from the point of view of leaders in neuroscie…
Psicología cultural soviética
Es 6 de enero de 1924 en Petrogrado, en el Segundo Congreso Ruso de Psiconeurologia. En el primer congreso, celebrado un ano antes, Konstantin Kornilov habia depuesto a Georgy Chelpanov, el padre de la psicologia rusa y director del Instituto de Psicologia, y habia dirigido el Instituto hacia la creacion de una psicologia marxista; todos miraban hacia una u otra variedad de conductismo, en el cual el concepto de ‘consciencia’ se entendia, entre o…
The Fine Granules of History’s Sediment
M. Packer, The Science of Qualitative Research
Andy Blunden Independent Social Research Network, Brunswick, Victoria, Australia Martin Packer offers us a wide-ranging review and overview of the types and varieties of qualitative research throug
Forms of Radical Subjectivity
“Subjectivity” is taken to mean a collective form of consciousness or collaborative project or social movement, characterised by specific forms of organisation and representation. “Radical” subjectivity refers to those projects that fundamentally challenge the dominant social formation. The paper traces the succession of forms of radical subjectivity from the first emergence of the modern proletariat as an independent political agent, as for exam…
“The Anatomy of Man Is a Key to the Anatomy of the Ape.”
In my initial contribution I characterized perezhivanie as an integral concept, despite the fact that at least two English words—“experience” and “catharsis”—were needed to encompass its meaning. H
Translating Perezhivanie into English
An outline is suggested for how the word perezhivanie can be appropriated from Russian psychology in general and Vygotskian psychology in particular, as a meaningful word in English-language psychology, drawing on cognate concepts from Freud, Winnicott, Dewey, Kübler-Ross, Stanislavskii, and so forth. It is suggested that through its connection with the working out of a person’s life-projects, perezhivanie plays a key role in connecting psycholog…
Perezhivanie
The Origins of Collective Decision Making
In The Origins of Collective Decision Making, Andy Blunden identifies three paradigms of collective decision making – Counsel, Majority and Consensus, discovers their origins in traditional, medieval and modern times, and traces their evolution over centuries up to the present. The study reveals that these three paradigms have an ethical foundation, deeply rooted in historical experiences. The narrative takes the reader into the very moments when…
Goethe, Hegel and Marx
Hegel's philosophical system rested on an appropriation of the concept which lay at the heart of Goethe's scientific work, the Urphänomen (archetypal phenomenon). In a sense, the Urphänomen is the Urphänomen of Hegel's philosophy: Hegel transformed and expanded this idea in his Logic , in which the place of the Urphänomen is taken by a Concept rather than a phenomenon. Marx in turn took this idea as the foundation for Capital , with the practice …
Spinoza in the history of cultural psychology and activity theory
This review of the place of Spinoza in the history of cultural-historical activity theory begins with a synopsis of Ilyenkov’s influential essay “Spinoza—Thought as an Attribute of Substance” and adds further points. I go on to look at the historical context of Spinoza’s work, the mixed character of his legacy, and the need to see Spinoza as one moment in an entire historical development
Hegel for Social Movements
Hegel for Social Movements by Andy Blunden is an introduction to the reading of Hegel intended for those already active in social movements. It introduces Hegel's ideas in a way which will be useful for those fighting for social change, and while some familiarity with philosophy would be an advantage for the reader, the main pre-requisite is a commitment to the practical pursuit of ideal aims. The book covers the whole sweep of Hegel's writing, b…
Some Principles Relevant to the Evolution of Language
Ontogenesis, Ethnogenesis, Sociogenesis and Phylogenesis
Hegel, Marx and Vygotsky
Andy Blunden’s Hegel Marx & Vygotsky, Essays in Social Philosophy presents his novel approach to social theory in a series of essays. Blunden aims to use the cultural psychology of Lev Vygotsky and the Soviet Activity Theorists to renew Hegelian Marxism as an interdisciplinary science. This allows psychologists and social theorists to share their insights through concepts equally valid in either domain. The work includes critical reviews of the w…
The Trainee Dilemma
A critical phase in professional identity formation is the ‘trainee dilemma’. This dilemma marks the transition from formally qualified to a capable professional. During this period, individuals are qualified but not yet capable. Using concepts from Cultural-Historical Theory, we consider how the development of professional competence extends beyond formal education to include development of a new professional identity shaped by workplace experie…
Philosophy (13 works) · Epistemology (12 works) · Sociology (12 works) · Psychology (6 works) · Hegelianism (5 works) · Social Representations and Identity (5 works) · Innovative Education and Learning Practices (4 works) · Law (4 works) · Philosophy (4 works) · Political science (4 works)