R2: Weekly response to readings from William James

R2

Weekly response to readings from William James

Talks to Teachers on Psychology and to Students on Some of Life’s Ideals

Question: My question was formulated after reading the passage beginning on page 34, in which James instructs one to use “every aid you know” when initiating a habit change; either acquiring a new habit or dropping an old habit.  His argument is that by using “every aid you know” the habit change is started with the strongest initiative (backing) possible.  This assertion led me to think about modern technology versus the world in which James lived at the end of the 19^th century.  Information is global and access has changed from the world that James knew and was talking about in his speech about habits.  This led to the question; does modern technology help or hinder you when it comes to changing habits? 

Quotation:  “But the fact is that our virtues are habits as much as our vices.” (p. 33). Soon after this quote, James encourages teachers to talk to their students about the “philosophy of habit” and its importance in shaping one’s character.  He believed that habits literally shaped one’s life, not only in mannerisms and actions, but on a biological level as well; that habits can shape the nervous system, the cells of a person.  In an educational context, this quote made me think of the time and attention that is spent on bad behavior in our schools.  The attention paid to bad behavior, and the prevention of it, seems to far outweigh the attention and time focused on encouraging good behavior, or even praising existing good behavior. 

Passage/Direct Experience: I really liked the fact that James mentioned the reactions from the “accomplished Hindoo visitors at Cambridge” in his passage beginning on page 37.  He recants how these visitors talked to him about the American culture of work, tension and anxiety.  They made comparisons to their culture where children are taught to mediate daily and the practice is continued into adulthood.  James makes note that the “good fruits of such a discipline were obvious” in the visitors and that it would be beneficial in America to adopt such a habit.  He concludes this passage with, “Yet, from its reflex influence on the inner mental states, this ceaseless over-tension, over-motion, and over-expression are working on us grievous national harm.” (p. 38).  I would agree with this statement over 100 years later.  I think the American work and educational cultures are focused on more, more, more versus what is truly best for the individual because what is truly best for individuals would probably include daily mediation time built into the culture; it would be an expected part of daily life.

Passage/Other Experience:  James takes the time to present a lengthy quote from Darwin on page 36.  This quote focuses on Darwin’s regret later in life for not continuing his interests and studies in certain areas such as music and poetry.  The quote ends with Darwin lamenting the atrophy of these parts of his brain.  Following this quotation, James expands on the notion that habits are only formed by regular exercise which builds associations.  In the context of our educational system, this passage made me think of interdisciplinary learning versus discipline-focused learning.  When our educational system begins to focus on one way of learning (i.e. – the scientific focus) then the students begin to atrophy in the other areas that are not focused upon (i.e. – arts, music).  In today’s educational system, funding and demand drive much of the curriculum.  However an interdisciplinary approach to learning, one that incorporates many ways of learning and focuses on the relations between disciplines, provides a learner with a much more rounded view of the world.  As James states, “The more copious the associative systems, the completer the individual’s adaptations to the world.” (p. 42).