Our current day Iconoclast, Don Norman, loves to coin new words from old.
Affordance as defined by J. J. Gibson and later used by Dr. Donald Norman and others, describes the characteristic of a physical object that "affords" an additional value from its traditional one. Norman cites, as an example, a pencil. In addition to a writing instrument, it can be used to pry, scratch, point &c. In fact, while working at the National Institutes of Health, I learned of an additional one. Seems a biker was using one to clean the wax from his ear as he peddled merrily along on a sidewalk alongside a building. Turned the corner and discovered the sidewalk stopped abruptly against a wall. Alas, the bike, biker and pencil stopped as well. And the pencil via affordance became an instrument to pierce an eardrum. Fortunately all ended well for the bicyclist. Never did find out what happened to the pencil. Which leads us to my use of avoidance.
When some object, lacks benefit, one avoids it. Thus in the case of the pencil, avoidance describes the alternative uses of a physical object so that a "knowing one" can choose alternatives. In the case of an instrument to clean ears "avoidance"is obvious.
There are many other instances of avoidance. In the case Norman builds against use of the computer to determine airline flight schedules, one certainly should use the official airline travel guide rather than the computer one unless no other alternative exists. Unfortunately, since your travel agent may be a computer devotee, you may discover that it is not so easy to practice avoidance.
Daniel C. Dennett in his book, Darwin's Dangerous Idea, which delves into evolution and the meanings of life has much to say along the same lines as the Dr. Norman, although from a different point of view. Dennett looks at those practical objects which we see about us and sees that they can, should, will be placed to an alternative use, i.e., affordance (?). As example, he describes the used of the old flat iron which was heated on the cast-iron top of the family cook stove. This object which he calls a sadiron* did a passable job of flattening cloth when "pressed" into service, however, with the inventions of today, Dennett suggest it serves better as a bookend or doorstop.
Affordance typically moves through progressive steps which are reasonable extensions of the past use. The sadiron, when it was invented was a marvel. Imagine the difficulty in preparing a garment suitable for your Sunday best with no means of flattening the lumps and creases. And as a source of heat was readily available, the marriage was arranged. Eureka!
Electricity is made available to the common folk and it is soon discovered, when it is abundant and inexpensive, that it can be used to heat by passing it through a resistance. Voila, the electric iron is forthcoming, and with its arrival the sadiron loses its prominence in the home. But wait, along the way, affordance played another role in finding a use for the hand iron. Before electric blankets, bed warmers were sought out. Not everyone welcomed jumping into a bed that had the same temperature as the room and perhaps in some cases below freezing. Our handy sadiron found a place; taking this hot iron and wrapping it in a covering of towels or other fabrics, it could be used as a foot warmer or whatever. So affordance is progressive, first using the object in an extension of its intended use and then recognizing another property, placing it to use in that capacity.
In many homes, a brick covered with cloth served as a suitable door stop. The brick was heavy, the cloth prevented marring the door and the fabric gave a bit of color to the scene. Why replace the brick with an iron object on which one can stub the toe in the dark.. Culture becomes the justification. Everyone wants a bit of culture and to show it off to those who might be influenced. Dr. Norman's final contribution, affordance; flaunt it. So it is with education.
We have the educator's tendency toward aberrance which may cause some to think he is in abeyance of good sense. Some find abhorrence of his actions, others take the higher ground of absolvence. But his vision is not clouded, there is plenty of transmission of light and only a bit is subject to absorbance. Expecting him to practice abstinence where there is such an abundance of though and it is likely that at least some of his new words will find acceptance in accordance with the current accrueance in acquaintance of knowledge. There is no acquiescence on his part, although his acquittance of his debt to society and his adherence to his own rules grants admittance of his premises. Perhaps the adolescence of our education system permits advance of advertence without affectance. His is an affiance where by the affluence of the old and new merge and yield another. There is great affluence in what he teaches, especially the affordance of values over the traditional ones. Maybe it looks albinescence or black but after dark all cats are grey and this is the affluence of which is written. The educator has an allegiance to his profession and has formed many alliances gaining allowance from his peers who want ambiance.
He is no ambulance chaser. Annoisance brought about by the miss-use of words is a great annoyance, although they have the same appearance, his appetence is the use of appliances as appurtenances, similar to arborescence limbs. Arrogance has no place in the educator's ascendency and it cannot be described as askance because it has assonance and even with his personal assurance that if attendance is practiced, it is likely the audience will practice avoidance.
Hey, we haven't even finished with the "a" words and there's a whole dictionary before us.
More on the "a" words - from a variety of sources including the cobwebs of my mind.
Aberrance - wandering
Abeyance - suspended
Abhorrence - distasteful
Absolvence - to forgive and forget
Absorbence - As in light passing through a substance
Abstinence - temperance
Abundance - great plenty
Acceptance - Ok as submitted
Accordance - In agreement
Accrueance - piling on or adding up
Acquaintance - passing knowledge
Acquiescence - given in to
Acquittance - written testimony that a debt exists (and may or not have been
paid)
Adherence - stick-to-edness
Admittance - entry permitted
Adolescence - somewhere between the cradle and grave
Advance - to go forward
Advertence - Attention (as in advertizing)
Affectance - putting on airs
Affiance - a marriage contract
Affluence - flowing toward
Affluence - wealth by any measure
Affordance - an additional value to the traditional one
Albinescence - looks white
Allegiance - loyal to
Alliance - in conjunction with
Allowance - permitted
Ambiance - having it all
Ambulance - the vehicle next to last resort (Is there an hearseance?)
Annoisance - public hurt
Annoyance - Bugs
Appearance - looks like
Appetence - strong desire
Appliance - May not be the refrigerator after all.
Appurtenance - appendage
Arborescence - like a tree
Arrogance - Making much of one's self
Ascendence - Heading up
Askance - crooked or distorted (or maybe it just looks that way)
Assonance - sounds good (as in music)
Assurance - OK
Attendance - waiting on another
Attractance - Come hither
Audience - Listen Up
And we end with "Avoidance - i.e., going around," which brings us back to the beginning of the entreatment of "Affordance" as extra value. Vale.
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Darwin's Dangerous Idea (Evolution and the Meanings of Life), Daniel C. Dennett, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1995.
* Dennett's sadiron was not the more popular. The iron most in use had a handle permanently affixed and was square on one end, pointed on the other.
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