Section H1 gets bonus material, thanks to the Labor Day Holiday...
William James, Pragmatism lecture 1; Gymnasiums of the Mind **(on the Peripatetic philosophy); Pale Blue Dot, & WATCH: Pale Blue Dot (Sagan); What's Philosophy for? School of Life
Also recommended: Who's Your Favourite Philosopher? (PB Philosophy Bites). And check out the This I Believe website, for examples of others' personal philosophies succinctly summarized.
READ: William James, Pragmatism lecture 1 (excerpt below); WATCH: What's Philosophy for? School of Life (SoL)
- What do you think James means when he says "the philosophy which is so important in each of us is not a technical matter; it is our more or less dumb sense of what life honestly and deeply means"?
- Do you agree with James about "the most interesting and important thing about each of us"?
- Is your own philosophy, do you think, more "tough-" or "tender-minded"? How so?
- What did James think, and what do you, of Leibniz's attempts "to justify the ways of God to man, and to prove that the world we live in is the best of possible worlds"?
- According to the video "What is Philosophy For?" being wise means what? Do you agree?
- Did Aristotle's followers have a better approach to learning?
- Do you ever have good ideas while walking? How do you remember them? (Do you wish you had a stick like Hobbes's?)
- Do you (like Rousseau) find meditation possible only while moving?
- What did Emerson call walking? Was he right?
- Have you ever tried to walk before writing, like Russell? What were your results?
- Have you watched or read "Pale Blue Dot"? Does it enlarge your perspective?
- Should humans explore and eventually live elsewhere than earth?
Robert Richardson's excellent book on James here... Mine here... More on James here
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Lecture I. — The Present Dilemma in Philosophy
The Gymnasiums of the Mind
Christopher Orlet wanders down literary paths merrily swinging his arms and pondering the happy connection between philosophy and a good brisk walk.
If there is one idea intellectuals can agree upon it is that the act of ambulation – or as we say in the midwest, walking – often serves as a catalyst to creative contemplation and thought. It is a belief as old as the dust that powders the Acropolis, and no less fine. Followers of the Greek Aristotle were known as peripatetics because they passed their days strolling and mind-wrestling through the groves of the Academe. The Romans’ equally high opinion of walking was summed up pithily in the Latin proverb: “It is solved by walking.”
Nearly every philosopher-poet worth his salt has voiced similar sentiments. Erasmus recommended a little walk before supper and “after supper do the same.” Thomas Hobbes had an inkwell built into his walking stick to more easily jot down his brainstorms during his rambles. Jean- Jacques Rousseau claimed he could only meditate when walking: “When I stop, I cease to think,” he said. “My mind only works with my legs.” Søren Kierkegaard believed he’d walked himself into his best thoughts. In his brief life Henry David Thoreau walked an estimated 250,000 miles, or ten times the circumference of earth. “I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits,” wrote Thoreau, “unless I spend four hours a day at least – and it is commonly more than that – sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields absolutely free from worldly engagements.” Thoreau’s landlord and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson characterized walking as “gymnastics for the mind.”
In order that he might remain one of the fittest, Charles Darwin planted a 1.5 acre strip of land with hazel, birch, privet, and dogwood, and ordered a wide gravel path built around the edge. Called Sand-walk, this became Darwin’s ‘thinking path’ where he roamed every morning and afternoon with his white fox-terrier. Of Bertrand Russell, long-time friend Miles Malleson has written: “Every morning Bertie would go for an hour’s walk by himself, composing and thinking out his work for that day. He would then come back and write for the rest of the morning, smoothly, easily and without a single correction.”
None of these laggards, however, could touch Friedrich Nietzsche, who held that “all truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.” Rising at dawn, Nietzsche would stalk through the countryside till 11 a.m. Then, after a short break, he would set out on a two-hour hike through the forest to Lake Sils. After lunch he was off again, parasol in hand, returning home at four or five o’clock, to commence the day’s writing.
Not surprisingly, the romantic poets were walkers extraordinaire. William Wordsworth traipsed fourteen or so miles a day through the Lake District, while Coleridge and Shelley were almost equally energetic. According to biographer Leslie Stephen, “The (English) literary movement at the end of the 18th century was…due in great part, if not mainly, to the renewed practice of walking.”
Armed with such insights, one must wonder whether the recent decline in walking hasn’t led to a corresponding decline in thinking. Walking, as both a mode of transportation and a recreational activity, began to fall off noticeably with the rise of the automobile, and took a major nosedive in the 1950s. Fifty plus years of automobile-centric design has reduced the number of sidewalks and pedestrian-friendly spaces to a bare minimum (particularly in the American west). All of the benefits of walking: contemplation, social intercourse, exercise, have been willingly exchanged for the dubious advantages of speed and convenience, although the automobile alone cannot be blamed for the maddening acceleration of everyday life. The modern condition is one of hurry, a perpetual rush hour that leaves little time for meditation. No wonder then that in her history of walking, Rebecca Solnit mused that “modern life is moving faster than the speed of thought, or thoughtfulness,” which seems the antithesis of Wittgenstein’s observation that in the race of philosophy, the prize goes to the slowest.
If we were to compare the quantity and quality of thinkers of the early 20th century with those of today, one cannot help but notice the dearth of Einsteins, William Jameses, Eliots and Pounds, Freuds, Jungs, Keynes, Picassos, Stravinskys, Wittgensteins, Sartres, Deweys, Yeats and Joyces. But it would be foolish to suggest that we have no contemporaries equal to Freud, et al. That would be doing an injustice to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Edward O. Wilson, James D. Watson, and the recently departed Stephen J. Gould. But as to their walking habits, they varied. Gould, a soft, flabby man, made light of his lack of exercise. Edward O. Wilson writes that he “walks as much as (his) body allows,” and used to jog up until his forties. Watson, the discoverer of the DNA molecule, frequently haunts the grounds of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, particularly on weekends, and is said to be both a nature-lover and bird-watcher.
There seems no scientific basis to link the disparate acts of walking and thinking, though that didn’t stop Mark Twain from speculating that “walking is good to time the movement of the tongue by, and to keep the blood and the brain stirred up and active.” Others have concluded that walking’s two-point rhythm clears the mind for creative study and reflection. Though not every man of letters bought into this. Max Beerbohm, in his essay ‘Going Out for a Walk,’ found walking to have quite the opposite effect:
“My objection to it is that it stops the brain. Many a man has professed to me that his brain never works so well as when he is swinging along the high road or over hill and dale. This boast is not confirmed by my memory of anybody who on a Sunday morning has forced me to partake of his adventure. Experience teaches me that whatever a fellow-guest may have of power to instruct or to amuse when he is sitting on a chair, or standing on a hearth-rug, quickly leaves him when he takes one out for a walk.”
And while Einstein may have been a devoted pedestrian (daily hoofing the mile-and-a-half walk between his little frame house at 112 Mercer Street and his office at Princeton’s Fuld Hall), the inability to walk has not much cramped Stephen Hawking’s intellectual style.
There is also reason to suspect that creative contemplation in the solitude of one’s automobile may be as beneficial as a walk in the woods, though considerably more hazardous. J. Robert Oppenheimer was known to think so intensely while driving that he would occasionally become a danger to motorists, pedestrians and himself. He once awakened from a deep academic reverie to find himself and his car resting at the top of the steps of the local courthouse.
While the intellectual advantages of walking remain open to debate, the health benefits are beyond doubt, though you would never know it by the deserted American streets. Here, where the average citizen walks a measly 350 yards a day, it is not surprising that half the population is diagnosed as obese or overweight. Despite such obscene girth, I have sat through planning commission meetings and heard civil engineers complain that it would be a waste of money to lay down sidewalks since no one walks anyway. No one thought to ask if perhaps we do not walk because there are no sidewalks. Even today, the typical urban planner continues to regard the pedestrian as “the largest single obstacle to free traffic movement.”
To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, walking remains for me the best “of all exercises.” Even so, I am full of excuses to stay put. My neighborhood has no sidewalks and it is downright dangerous to stroll the streets at night; if the threat does not come directly from thugs, then from drunken teens in speeding cars. There are certainly no Philosophers’ Walks in my hometown, as there are near the universities of Toronto, Heidelberg, and Kyoto. Nor are there any woods, forests, mountains or glens. “When we walk, we naturally go to the fields and the woods,” said Thoreau. “What would become of us, if we only walked in a garden or a mall?” I suppose I am what becomes of us, Henry.
At noon, if the weather cooperates, I may join a few other nameless office drudges on a stroll through the riverfront park. My noon walk is a brief burst of freedom in an otherwise long, dreary servitude. Though I try to reserve these solitary walks for philosophical ruminations, my subconscious doesn’t always cooperate. Often I find my thoughts to be pedestrian and worrisome in nature. I fret over money problems, or unfinished office work and my attempts to brush these thoughts away as unworthy are rarely successful. Then, again, in the evenings I sometimes take my two dachshunds for a stroll. For a dog, going for a walk is the ultimate feelgood experience. Mention the word ‘walkies’ to a wiener dog, and he is immediately transported into new dimensions of bliss. I couldn’t produce a similar reaction in my wife if I proposed that we take the Concorde to Paris for the weekend. Rather than suffer a walk, my son would prefer to have his teeth drilled.
In no way am I suggesting that all of society’s ills can be cured by a renaissance of walking. But maybe – just maybe – a renewed interest in walking may spur some fresh scientific discoveries, a unique literary movement, a new vein of philosophy. If nothing else it will certainly improve our health both physically and mentally. Of course that would mean getting out from behind the desk at noon and getting some fresh air. That would mean shutting down the television in the evenings and breathing in the Great Outdoors. And, ultimately, it would involve a change in thinking and a shift in behavior, as opposed to a change of channels and a shift into third.
© CHRISTOPHER ORLET 2004
Christopher Orlet is an essayist and book critic. His work appears often in The American Spectator, the London Guardian, and Salon.com. Visit his homepage at www.christopherorlet.net.
- Pragmatism Lecture 1 (w/help from Pita & Nell)
- The Value of Philosophy etc. (recorded 8.30.18)
H03
ReplyDelete"What does James consider the most interesting and important thing about each of us?"
The way our own personal philosophies change our perspective of the world.
How does James define "the philosophy which is so important in each of us"?
He says it's pretty much an idea of what life "honestly and deeply means".
What's the difference between "tough- and tender-minded" philosophies?
Tender-minded philosophies go by principles. They're defined as religious and idealistic. Tough philosophies go by facts. They're pessimistic and materialistic.
HO1
ReplyDeleteI believe that walking is a sort of gateway towards more effective thinking and philosophizing. In my experience, walking makes ideas flow more freely and productively, possibly as a way to pass the time while doing, to the brain, a seemingly meaningless task. I think the monotony of walking, putting one foot in front of the other, is the reason for this. When I have good ideas while I'm walking, I use a notepad to write them down and review my notes at the end of each day. However, I am able to meditate and have a steady flow of ideas when I am not walking as well, usually by performing a ritual for a mental reset, such as making a snack or washing dishes. Walking before writing is also very effective for me because it refreshes my thoughts and helps me to think clearly and see where a story, essay, or paper needs to go. I find that, usually, my best work is done shortly after a walk.
That sounds like it probably works, I will definitely have to try walking before writing.
DeleteWhat do you think James means when he says "the philosophy which is so important in each of us is not a technical matter; it is our more or less dumb sense of what life honestly and deeply means"?
ReplyDelete- I think he means that philosophy can seem confusing at times, but really it's an explanation of parts of life.
Is your own philosophy, do you think, more "tough-" or "tender-minded"? How so?
- I'd say im tender-minded, I believe somewhat in religion and freewill.
Do you ever have good ideas while walking? How do you remember them? (Do you wish you had a stick like Hobbes's?)
- Yes I do have ideas while walking, I usually forget about them. I guess a stick like Hobbes would be beneficial, or just my notes on my phone.
Do you (like Rousseau) find meditation possible only while moving?
-I completely agree, i find it hard to relax being still sometimes, walking outside is very therapeutic.
Have you ever tried to walk before writing, like Russell? What were your results?
-Iv'e never tied that, but id like to in the future.
Should humans explore and eventually live elsewhere than earth?
-It'll probably happen eventually, I don't really know if thats a good or bad thing.
When I walk, I like to be listening to something or going somewhere. I plan on meditating next time I walk because it sounds relaxing. However, I doubt I will be bringing a stick.
DeleteH1
ReplyDeleteOn some occasions, I do get good ideas while walking. I like to walk my dog when working on assignments, as it sometimes helps me think better. I dont do this often, though, I tend to do it only when I am struggling to complete an assignment. In order to remember them, I either repeat them in my head until I get inside, or i write them down in the notes app on my phone.
I have in fact taken walks before writing. Sometimes I walk before a planned writing time, and other times I am working on a piece when I have time. I have found that walking helps me think clearly. It gets the extra energy out and helps me remain focused. Usually, I am able to get some pretty good ideas for writing during my walks.
H03- I generally use philosophy as a way to discover what others think and truly discover what I personally don’t know. In many parts of the world, philosophy differs than that of Western philosophy.
DeleteIn the video, the narrator covered philosophy by referring to its function. Many use philosophy to
Solve big questions
Fully submit logic to reason
Expand self-knowledge
Discover the meaning of true happiness
Strengthen the mind
These reasons the philosophers in the video use philosophy lines up with how I use it as well.
In my opinion, I believe philosophy is for both the weak minded and tough minded. The perspective shift is what is important to the individual. I get epiphanies sometimes while walking and I feel that it could happen to anyone. Evidence of this is the subreddit of r/showerthoughts. I do not know, though, what affects this state of open-mindedness or wondering throughout my day. Some days I have more questions than other days.
H01
ReplyDelete- Do you (like Rousseau) find meditation possible only while moving?
I think meditating is possible while moving,but I find it is also possible while stagnate. In both situations I just focus on stablizing the mind.
- Have you ever tried to walk before writing, like Russell? What were your results?
I have not done thos before, but it sounds like an ideal way to organize thoughts.
- Have you watched or read "Pale Blue Dot"? Does it enlarge your perspective?
I watched it and it reminded me how small and insignifigant the world is in comparison to the rest of the universe.
- Should humans explore and eventually live elsewhere than earth?
Yes. By living elsewhere we can discover more about the Universe and even the beginning of time and space.
Looking at the other comments I think I definitely need to go on more walks before writing. When I write I find myself easily distracted, so I think taking myself away from the distraction will be helpful.
DeleteWhat do you think James means when he says "the philosophy which is so important in each of us is not a technical matter; it is our more or less dumb sense of what life honestly and deeply means"? Philosophy is not a materialistic object or something you can physically see. Philosophy dives deeper into questions regarding life, not physical problems in it.
ReplyDeleteIs your own philosophy, do you think, more "tough-" or "tender-minded"? How so?
MY own philosophy is to keep pushing forward. I wouldn't necessarily call it tough or tender minded, but I would call it a more stubborn mind. I am very hard headed and if I think I can do something, I will do it!
Did Aristotle's followers have a better approach to learning?
They didn't necessarily have a better approach to learning, however, with their constant walking and thinking it helped them get their minds moving.
Do you ever have good ideas while walking? How do you remember them? (Do you wish you had a stick like Hobbes's?) When I walk I usually think about theoretical situations and sort of day dream, but I do not think about real life problems.
Do you (like Rousseau) find meditation possible only while moving? I do not think this is always true for every person who meditates. A lot of the time people just sit in a quiet room to relax and meditate and it doesn't involve walking. Also, yoga is a very common thing to do while meditating, and it does involve moving, but it is not technically walking per say.
H1
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of peripatetic philosophy. It combines exercising the brain and body which is a nice concept. In my mind both have to be beneficial. I certainly want to try more of both. Hopefully this will help my physical and mental health. I do have good ideas while walking sometimes but I would not say that that is the only time I have good ideas. I also have good ideas in restaurants out of all places. I do not think that meditation is only possible while in motion thought because many great thinkers have made an effort to relax their whole body with stillness and in doing this have meditated a great deal.
ReplyDelete(H2)
ReplyDeleteIn your own philosophy, do you think, more “tough” or “tender-minded”? How so?
In my personal philosophy, I possess traits of both a tender-minded and tough-minded thinker. For instance, I typically base my decisions and beliefs more on facts rather than principles because facts are proven and truthful information while principles tend to represent assumptions that follow a personal truth. However, the majority of the terms used to characterize a “tender-minded” thinker align better with my method of thought: optimistic, free-willist, idealistic, and intellectualistic.
Do you ever have good ideas while walking? How do you remember them? (Do you wish you had a stick like Hobbes’s?)
Walking is a fairly tranquil activity for me because it allows my mind to produce novel ideas and clear itself from my typical thoughts. Many of the ideas that form in my mind tend to be good and creative. For instance, I may think of verses from a song, lines of a poem, or new concepts. Usually, I am able to remember these ideas by typing them in the notes app on my phone and revisiting them when my walk has concluded.
Have you ever tried to walk before writing, like Russell? What were your results?
Occasionally, I have decided to walk without writing down any of my ideas and see the results. However, it usually ends with me forgetting or misremembering several details from my ideas. Perhaps, if I attempt to “walk before writing” more frequently, I could strengthen my memory and not feel obligated to disrupt my thought process to write down ideas while walking.
H3 - In your own philosophy, do you think, more “tough” or “tender-minded”? How so?
ReplyDeleteI take things seriously in life, I show up, I work hard, and I try to find the best in everything. I'm not fighting to live my life, and for that I am thankful. I take things on tenderly and thoughtfully; it's my best approach, and it takes much less stress. I'll put up a fight against things needing fighting for, but I don't find myself a tough minded person, I just take it easy.
- Have you watched or read "Pale Blue Dot"? Does it enlarge your perspective?
no
- Should humans explore and eventually live elsewhere than earth?
It's very tricky. I believe that people will never be able to agree enough for us to settle on another planet. Could you imagine the sudden race for outer-space weaponry and demand for galactic vehicles? We are not technologically ready to travel space, and we definitely are not ready as a society, it will become a big political clusterfrick.
Exploration is cool though
H03
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think James means when he says "the philosophy which is so important in each of us is not a technical matter; it is our more or less dumb sense of what life honestly and deeply means"?
I feel James was saying that philosophy doesn't really have a set dictionary term to it when it comes to how individuals may go about defining or living by philosophies they find important.
Is your own philosophy, do you think, more "tough-" or "tender-minded"? How so?
I would say I’m more tender minded in most circumstances. I say this because I do try to be optimistic because I think it’s important to have some type of positive mindset to make things in life go a little better, instead of always being doubtful. Because to me if you at least try to be open minded any task that you do won’t seem impossible to accomplish.
Do you ever have good ideas while walking? How do you remember them? (Do you wish you had a stick like Hobbes's?)
I sometimes do have good ideas when walking. Usually, I try to remember them by making a quick mental note, type some of the thoughts on my phone or laptop, or even grab a pencil or piece of paper to write the ideas down.
Have you ever tried to walk before writing, like Russell? What were your results?
I have walked before writing and the results have come out to be good because it feels like the ideas flow better for whatever project I’m working on.
Should humans explore and eventually live elsewhere than earth?
I think if people can find the time and have the finances they should explore and find other places to live because sometimes when someone or people live outside of their hometown or even travel a little bit it can contribute to learning new things in regards to new languages, culture, foods, and gain more education on topics they don’t know about.
(H2)
ReplyDeleteDo you agree with James about "the most interesting and important thing about each of us"?
I do agree with James. He says that what is interesting and important about us is the fact that we each come with our own interpretation of what life is. Whether we know our interpretation fully or not, we at least have the ability to interact with the world the way we see fit, positively or negatively. Separate from an actual philosophy, this internal guidance is at the very least what carries us day by day.
According to the video "What is Philosophy For?" being wise means what? Do you agree?
They say that being wise is getting smart to what activities in your life will be beneficial. I agree, but as a Wiseman I believe there is more to it than that. Learning what activities you should and should not do is a great start on the path to becoming virtuous in your own right. Removing negative activities or burdens from your life is the first step. But that doesn't overtly mean you've changed as a person. One also needs to learn how to interact with people in a new way once they're in that headspace. You can't apply the same techniques you've used before in a new way, that will only cause internal conflict.