The Situationist is one of the oodles of pages of internet goodness that I never knew was there. I've been digging through a limited survey of their archives and papers, and am enjoying myself immensely. If I could captivate, in one quote, why I like this site, and this content, it would be:
"Try to be aware of what you bring to this article; be aware of how you read, why you are reading, and even that you're reading."
Handon, Jon. Yosifon, David (2004). "The Situation: an introduction to the situational character, critical realism, power economics, and deep capture."
So far it's well worth the read. I'm enjoying myself immensely. Ever since the fundamental attribution error was discussed in social psych (although I don't think that the name of this bias should include the word "error" because it defines an action that one can't prevent) I've been playing with it in the back of my mind. I've always thought that I over-empathized with people. It certainly does get me into trouble from time to time. However, defining the true authority of the situation on individual behaviors is a worthwhile task.
Questions like those presented by Handon and Yosifon are worth asking, and not just in the realm of law. The limits of individual responsibility, and individual change are inherently teasing; these limits produce a concept of a world where no behavior is unaffected, no matter how trivial. The naturalness and disposition of any individual is immediately suspect. This is broader than my view, but matches a longstanding hunch I've had about others.
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