> On Wed, 29 Oct 2003, Jon Johanning wrote:
>
>> Of course, this is not a "theory" at all -- it's a way of poking fun
>> at
>> people who think it's necessary to have a theory for the phenomenon of
>> people watching sports. I suppose I should have explained the joke, to
>> avoid all misunderstandings.
>>
>
> It's strange to me that most people take it for granted that careful,
> scientific investigation of the natural world is useful. Why is
> the same type of investigation directed at human experience
> frivolous or unimportant? In my view, it's just as crucial to
> understand human behavior in various social settings as it is
> to understand the movements of electrons in electrical
> circuits or the reactions of molecules when combined.
I meant: a *political theory,* or *critical-theory theory,* not a psychological theory. A psychological theory of sports fandom would be just as useful or necessary as any other psychological theory, considered in purely scientific terms.
Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org __________________________________ A sympathetic Scot summed it all up very neatly in the remark, 'You should make a point of trying every experience once, excepting incest and folk-dancing.' -- Sir Arnold Bax