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Vigotsky's Activity Theory - Comparison with Dooyeweerdian Philosophy

Vigotsky (or Viigotsky), a Russian thinker who died in the 1930s, but whose ideas are enjoying a new currency, proposed Activity Theory. Starting as a Pavlovian, he turned against it because mere stimulus and response could not, in his opinion, explain real human activity. In particular, it needed extra 'mediators'. Human activity, he held, is mediated through tools or language. By tools we act on the physical environment and by language we act on the conceptual and social environment and change ourselves. Thus he made a fundamental distinction between stimulus-response activity, tools and language. He also held that concepts and language are distinct (since they are in young children), but for most of the time, he merged them. Language expresses concept, and concepts are used in language.

Similarity to Dooyeweerd

We can immediate see a similarity between Vigotsky's theory and Dooyeweerd's theory of modal aspects. Just as Vigotsky recognised distinct areas or kinds of human activity, so Dooyeweerd recognised distinct spheres or aspects of human functioning, which invites a comparison between them in the following table. Just as Vigotsky held that tool-mediation, language-mediation and stimulus-response cannot be reduced to each other, so Dooyeweerd held that his aspects cannot be reduced to each other. Vigotsky's account corresponds quite closely to four of Dooyeweerd's aspects:

Aspect Vigotsky's Notion Dooyeweerdian Notion

Quantitative
(to do with quantity, amount)

Spatial
(to do with continuous extension, space)

Kinematic
(to do with movement; flowing movement)

Physical
(to do with energy + mass)

Biotic
(to do with life functions)

Sensitive
(to do with sense, feeling, emotion) Stimulus-response, Pavlovian activity

Analytical
(to do with distinguishing ) Concepts

Formative
(to do with history, culture, technology: shaping and creativity) Mediation via tools Formative functioning

Lingual
(to do with symbolic communication) Mediation via language Lingual functioning

Social
(to do with social interaction) Functioning dependent on lingual

Economic
(to do with frugal use of resources) Ditto.

Aesthetic
(to do with harmony, surprise, fun)

Juridical
(to do with what is due, appropriate; rights and responsibilities)

Ethical
(to do with self-giving love)

Pistic
(to do with vision, aspiration, commitment, creed, religion)

Aspect	Vigotsky's Notion	Dooyeweerdian Notion
Quantitative (to do with quantity, amount)
Spatial (to do with continuous extension, space)
Kinematic (to do with movement; flowing movement)
Physical (to do with energy + mass)
Biotic (to do with life functions)
Sensitive (to do with sense, feeling, emotion)	Stimulus-response, Pavlovian activity
Analytical (to do with distinguishing )	Concepts
Formative (to do with history, culture, technology: shaping and creativity)	Mediation via tools	Formative functioning
Lingual (to do with symbolic communication)	Mediation via language	Lingual functioning
Social (to do with social interaction)		Functioning dependent on lingual
Economic (to do with frugal use of resources)		Ditto.
Aesthetic (to do with harmony, surprise, fun)
Juridical (to do with what is due, appropriate; rights and responsibilities)
Ethical (to do with self-giving love)
Pistic (to do with vision, aspiration, commitment, creed, religion)

Activity in the later aspects, such as the social, juridical, etc., is also 'mediated via language', in Dooyeweerd's theory, because the later aspects are dependent upon functioning in earlier ones. Therefore, since these are all post-lingual, they all require lingual functioning. However, as we see below Dooyeweerd opens up the possibility of new kinds of mediation, which might enrich Vigotsky.

Differences Between Dooyeweerd and Vigotsky

One difference is that the tools that Vigotsky speaks about are physical tools such as spanners and hammers (he was writing, of course, in the heyday of the Soviet industrial might) whereas Dooyeweerd's formative functioning involves the formation of anything, whether physical or conceptual.

While Vigotsky tended to focus on distinct kinds of human activity, separating activity that is pavlovic, from activity mediated by tools, from activity mediated by language, Dooyeweerd held that we function in all aspects simultaneously. The psychic aspect, the analytic, the formative and the lingual are all aspects of the one 'piece of' human activity, rather than being distinct activities at different times. This is described as multi-aspectual human functioning. However Dooyeweerd did recognise that in any given 'piece of' human activity we can usually detect a qualifying aspect, an aspect that is of primary importance in giving the activity its meaningfulness.

Vigotsky's exploration of these different aspects and mediators started from within one aspect, the psychic, and worked forward to later aspects. Arguably he was trying to escape the nature pole of the nature-freedom ground-motive, which had dominated his Marxist roots. Working within this ground-motive the only alternative he saw (or rather presupposed) to a deterministic viewpoint was one based on freedom. By contrast, Dooyeweerd's exploration was as a philosopher coming from a very different ground-motive, that of creation, fall and redemption, which provided a pluralistic rather than monistic or dualistic view. So, while Vigotsky recognised three or four aspects, Dooyeweerd recognised fifteen.

This means that Dooyeweerd could perhaps enrich Vigotsky, by suggesting Vigotskyan exploration of other aspects.

Enriching Vigotsky

Dooyeweerd can enrich many thinkers by offering aspects they had not explored. There might be new kinds of activity and new kinds of mediation. For example:

Aspect Activity (examples) Mediator (examples)

Social
(to do with social interaction) Activity in relating, activity in working together in teams, activity and roles in organisations Relationships, teams and organisations can mediate activity.

Economic
(to do with frugal use of resources) Being-frugal, working to deadlines, carefully conserving Exchange value, especially in money, is an economic mediator by which we function economically.

Aesthetic
(to do with harmony, surprise, fun) Beautifying, harmonizing, enjoying life, relaxing, playing. In various media, both persistant and performance. Is not the joke a powerful mediator? Is not art a powerful mediator?

Juridical
(to do with what is due, appropriate; rights and responsibilities) Judging, rewarding Our natural feeling for appropriateness or justice is an important mediator, especially if codified into rules or laws. Systems of reward and punishment also mediate justice to some degree (less effectively than politicians and legislators and managers assume but more effectively than anarchists assume).

Ethical
(to do with self-giving love) Giving of oneself. Attitude is much under-estimated as a powerful mediator - attitude of self-giving versus self-interest, attitude of cynicism versus vulnerability, attitude of forgiveness versus revenge.

Pistic
(to do with vision, aspiration, commitment, creed, religion) Believing, committing. Faith is possibly the most powerful mediator of all. Not so much a mediator, perhaps, as a motivator. Without this aspect there is no motivation.

Aspect	Activity (examples)	Mediator (examples)
Social (to do with social interaction)	Activity in relating, activity in working together in teams, activity and roles in organisations	Relationships, teams and organisations can mediate activity.
Economic (to do with frugal use of resources)	Being-frugal, working to deadlines, carefully conserving	Exchange value, especially in money, is an economic mediator by which we function economically.
Aesthetic (to do with harmony, surprise, fun)	Beautifying, harmonizing, enjoying life, relaxing, playing. In various media, both persistant and performance.	Is not the joke a powerful mediator? Is not art a powerful mediator?
Juridical (to do with what is due, appropriate; rights and responsibilities)	Judging, rewarding	Our natural feeling for appropriateness or justice is an important mediator, especially if codified into rules or laws. Systems of reward and punishment also mediate justice to some degree (less effectively than politicians and legislators and managers assume but more effectively than anarchists assume).
Ethical (to do with self-giving love)	Giving of oneself.	Attitude is much under-estimated as a powerful mediator - attitude of self-giving versus self-interest, attitude of cynicism versus vulnerability, attitude of forgiveness versus revenge.
Pistic (to do with vision, aspiration, commitment, creed, religion)	Believing, committing.	Faith is possibly the most powerful mediator of all. Not so much a mediator, perhaps, as a motivator. Without this aspect there is no motivation.

I recommend these as possible lines of exploration and inquiry to the Vigotskyan community, and Vigotsky's notion of mediator to the Dooyeweerdian community. These examples are of course limited by my own viewpoint, and you might find many others I have not thought of.

This page is part of a collection of pages that links to various thinkers, within The Dooyeweerd Pages, which explain, explore and discuss Dooyeweerd's interesting philosophy. Email questions or comments would be welcome.

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Created: 6 February 2002. Last updated: 16 June 2010 .nav, .end, rid unet. 27 December 2013 Enriching V; also a lot more on differences; rewrite intro and other parts.