Monday, October 29, 2007

It is surprising what an enormous fuel value certain foods have which



are eaten very carelessly, and what a very low fuel value others have
which are quite satisfying to hunger
It is surprising what an enormous fuel value certain foods have which
are eaten very carelessly, and what a very low fuel value others have
which are quite satisfying to hunger. For example: One would have to eat
$9.00 worth of lettuce and tomato salad to furnish 2,500 calories, the
amount of fuel for the day"s requirements (Lusk), while about 30 cents"
worth of butter, or 10 cents" worth of sugar would furnish the same
amount of energy. No one would think of feeding exclusively on any one
of these foods, but it is easy to see how the elimination of butter and
sugar and the introduction of such foods as lettuce, tomatoes, celery,
carrots, spinach and fruits, all of which have a low fuel value, would
enormously reduce the available energy and therefore the fat-forming
elements in the diet, yet fill the stomach and satisfy the
hunger-craving. Hunger is largely dependent upon the contractions of the
empty stomach and not upon a general bodily craving for food.




Sunday, October 28, 2007

Both systems are liable to objections



Both systems are liable to objections. Against the scheme of Pleasure,
it is urged that we never, in fact, identify virtue as merely useful.
Against the scheme of Virtue, it is maintained that virtue is a matter
of opinion, and that Conscience varies in different ages, countries,
and persons. It is necessary that a scheme of Morality should surmount
both classes of objections; and the author therefore attempts a
reconciliation of the two opposing theories.




Saturday, October 27, 2007

Reason must, however, he thinks, make another discovery before there is



a truly moral state--must from general ideas rise to ideas that are
universal and absolute
Reason must, however, he thinks, make another discovery before there is
a truly moral state--must from general ideas rise to ideas that are
universal and absolute. There is no real equation, he holds, between
Good and the satisfaction of the primitive tendencies, which is the
good of egoism. Not till the special ends of all creatures are regarded
as elements of one great End of creation, of Universal Order, do we
obtain an idea whose equivalence to the idea of the Good requires no
proof. The special ends are good, because, through their realization,
the end of creation, which is the absolute Good, is realized; hence
they acquire the sacred character that it has in the eye of reason.




Thursday, October 25, 2007

There is a second objection to Utility, more perplexing to deal with



There is a second objection to Utility, more perplexing to deal with.
How can we know fully and correctly all the consequences of actions?
The answer is that Ethics, as a science of observation and induction,
has been formed, through a long succession of ages, by many and
separate contributions from many and separate discoverers. Like all
other sciences, it is progressive, although unfortunately, subject to
special drawbacks. The men that have enquired, or affected to enquire,
into Ethics, have rarely been impartial; they have laboured under
prejudices or sinister interests; and have been the advocates of
foregone conclusions. There is not on this subject _a concurrence or
agreement of numerous and impartial enquirers_. Indeed, many of the
legal and moral rules of the most civilized communities arose in the
infancy of the human mind, partly from caprices of the fancy (nearly
omnipotent with barbarians), and partly from an imperfect apprehension
of general utility, the result of a narrow experience. Thus the
diffusion and the advancement of ethical truth encounter great and
peculiar obstacles, only to be removed by a better general education
extended to the mass of the people. It is desirable that the community
should be indoctrinated with sound views of property, and with the
dependence of wealth, upon the true principle of population, discovered
by Malthus, all which they are competent to understand.




Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Both systems are liable to objections



Both systems are liable to objections. Against the scheme of Pleasure,
it is urged that we never, in fact, identify virtue as merely useful.
Against the scheme of Virtue, it is maintained that virtue is a matter
of opinion, and that Conscience varies in different ages, countries,
and persons. It is necessary that a scheme of Morality should surmount
both classes of objections; and the author therefore attempts a
reconciliation of the two opposing theories.




MAKING DIFFERENT KINDS OF ATTENTION REENFORCE EACH OTHER



MAKING DIFFERENT KINDS OF ATTENTION REENFORCE EACH OTHER.--A very close
relationship and interdependence exists between nonvoluntary and
voluntary attention. It would be impossible to hold our attention by
sheer force of will on objects which were forever devoid of interest;
likewise the blind following of our interests and desires would finally
lead to shipwreck in all our lives. Each kind of attention must support
and reenforce the other. The lessons, the sermons, the lectures, and
the books in which we are most interested, and hence to which we attend
nonvoluntarily and with the least effort and fatigue, are the ones out
of which, other things being equal, we get the most and remember the
best and longest. On the other hand, there are sometimes lessons and
lectures and books, and many things besides, which are not intensely
interesting, but which should be attended to nevertheless. It is at this
point that the will must step in and take command. If it has not the
strength to do this, it is in so far a weak will, and steps should be
taken to develop it. We are to '_keep the faculty of effort alive in us
by a little gratuitous exercise every day_.' We are to be systematically
heroic in the little points of everyday life and experience. We are not
to shrink from tasks because they are difficult or unpleasant. Then,
when the test comes, we shall not find ourselves unnerved and untrained,
but shall be able to stand in the evil day.




Tuesday, October 23, 2007

In the uncivilized state the stress of life was chiefly



physical
In the uncivilized state the stress of life was chiefly
physical. The civilized man has to a large degree reversed this
old order, in that the use of the body is incidental in his
work, the stress being placed upon the brain. He piles his life
high with complexities and in place of life being for
necessities, and they few and simple, it is largely for
comforts which we call necessities, and Professor Huxley has
said that the struggle for comforts is more cruel than the
struggle for existence.




On the whole, either there exist no moral instincts, or they are



undistinguishable from prejudices and habits, and are not to be trusted
in moral reasonings
On the whole, either there exist no moral instincts, or they are
undistinguishable from prejudices and habits, and are not to be trusted
in moral reasonings. Aristotle held it as self-evident that barbarians
are meant to be slaves; so do our modern slave-traders. This instance
is one of many to show that the convenience of the parties has much to
do with the rise of a moral sentiment. And every system built upon
instincts is more likely to find excuses for existing opinions and
practices than to reform either.




Everything thus turns upon practice: and Aristotle reminds us that his



purpose here is, not simply to teach what virtue is, but to produce
virtuous agents
Everything thus turns upon practice: and Aristotle reminds us that his
purpose here is, not simply to teach what virtue is, but to produce
virtuous agents. How are we to know what the practice should be? It
must be conformable to right reason: every one admits this, and we
shall explain it further in a future book. But let us proclaim at
once, that in regard to moral action, as in regard to health, no exact
rules can be laid down. Amidst perpetual variability, each agent must
in the last resort be guided by the circumstances of the case. Still,
however, something may be done to help him. Here Aristotle proceeds to
introduce the famous doctrine of the MEAN. We may err, as regards
health, both by too much and by too little of exercise, food, or
drink. The same holds good in regard to temperance, courage, and the
other excellences (II.).




Monday, October 22, 2007

The condition is one which should be treated by a physician or surgeon,



and not by a shoemaker
The condition is one which should be treated by a physician or surgeon,
and not by a shoemaker. The ordinary arch supports supplied by
shoemakers do not cure flat foot. Shoes for such feet should be made to
order, and have a straight internal edge.




INSTINCTS AS STARTING POINTS



INSTINCTS AS STARTING POINTS.--Most of our habits have their rise in
instincts, and all desirable instincts should be seized upon and
transformed into habits before they fade away. Says James in his
remarkable chapter on Instinct: 'In all pedagogy the great thing is to
strike while the iron is hot, and to seize the wave of the pupils"
interest in each successive subject before its ebb has come, so that
knowledge may be got and a habit of skill acquired--a headway of
interest, in short, secured, on which afterwards the individual may
float. There is a happy moment for fixing skill in drawing, for making
boys collectors in natural history, and presently dissectors and
botanists; then for initiating them into the harmonies of mechanics and
the wonders of physical and chemical law. Later, introspective
psychology and the metaphysical and religious mysteries take their turn;
and, last of all, the drama of human affairs and worldly wisdom in the
widest sense of the term. In each of us a saturation point is soon
reached in all these things; the impetus of our purely intellectual zeal
expires, and unless the topic is associated with some urgent personal
need that keeps our wits constantly whetted about it, we settle into an
equilibrium, and live on what we learned when our interest was fresh and
instinctive, without adding to the store.'




Sunday, October 21, 2007

It should be said that a few astronomers doubt whether the



order of evolution is so clearly defined as I have outlined it;
in fact, whether we know even the main trend of the
evolutionary process
It should be said that a few astronomers doubt whether the
order of evolution is so clearly defined as I have outlined it;
in fact, whether we know even the main trend of the
evolutionary process. We occasionally encounter the opinion
that the subject is still so unsettled as not to let us say
whether the helium stars are effectively young or the red stars
are effectively old. Lockyer and Russell have proposed
hypotheses in which the order of evolutionary sequence begins
with comparatively cool red stars and proceeds through the
yellow stars to the very hot blue stars, and thence back
through the yellow stars to cool red stars.




Tuesday, the twenty-fifth of September saw the end of a life



full of promise; one more name, that of Jesse W
Tuesday, the twenty-fifth of September saw the end of a life
full of promise; one more name, that of Jesse W. Lazear, was
graven upon the portals of immortality. And we may feel justly
proud for having had it, in any way, associated with our own.




Reid illustrates his positions against Hume to a length unnecessary to



follow
Reid illustrates his positions against Hume to a length unnecessary to
follow. The objections are exclusively and effectively aimed at the two
unguarded points of the Utility system as propounded by Hume; namely,
first, the not recognizing moral rules as established and enforced
among men by the dictation of authority, which does not leave to
individuals the power of reference to ultimate ends; and, secondly, the
not distinguishing between obligatory, and non-obligatory, useful acts.




He complains that, in the enquiry as to the foundation of morals, the



two distinct questions--as to the Standard and the Faculty--have seldom
been fully discriminated
He complains that, in the enquiry as to the foundation of morals, the
two distinct questions--as to the Standard and the Faculty--have seldom
been fully discriminated. Thus, Paley opposes Utility to a Moral Sense,
not perceiving that the two terms relate to different subjects; and
Bentham repeats the mistake. It is possible to represent Utility as the
_criterion_ of Right, and a Moral Sense as the _faculty_. In another
place, he remarks that the schoolmen failed to draw the distinction.




There seems very little doubt that the home of smallpox was



somewhere on the continent of Africa, although it is true that
there are traditions pointing to its existence in Hindustan at
least 1000 B
There seems very little doubt that the home of smallpox was
somewhere on the continent of Africa, although it is true that
there are traditions pointing to its existence in Hindustan at
least 1000 B.C. One Hindu account alludes to an ointment for
removing the cicatrices of eruption. Africa has certainly for
long been a prolific source of it: every time a fresh batch of
slaves was brought over to the United States of America there
was a fresh outbreak of smallpox.[2] It seems that the first
outbreak in Europe in the Christian era was in the latter half
of the sixth century, when it traveled from Arabia, visiting
Egypt on the way. The earliest definite statements about it
come from Arabia and are contained in an Arabic manuscript now
in the University of Leyden, which refers to the years A.D. 570
and 571. There is a good deal of evidence that the Arabs
introduced smallpox into Egypt at the sacking of Alexandria in
A.D. 640. Pilgrims and merchants distributed it throughout
Syria and Palestine and along the north of Africa; then,
crossing the Mediterranean, they took it over to Italy. The
Moors introduced it into Spain whence, via Portugal, Navarre,
Languedoc and Guienne it was carried into western and northern
Europe. The earliest physician to describe smallpox is Ahrun, a
Christian Egyptian, who wrote in Greek. He lived in Alexandria
from A.D. 610 to 641. The first independent treatise on the
disease was by the famous Arabian physician, Rhazes, who wrote
in Syriac in 920 A.D., but his book has been translated into
both Greek and Latin. The first allusion to smallpox in English
is in an Anglo-Saxon manuscript of the early part of the tenth
century; the passage is interesting--'Against pockes: very much
shall one let blood and drink a bowl full of melted butter; if
they [pustules] strike out, one should dig each with a thorn
and then drop one-year alder drink in, then they will not be
seen,' this was evidently to prevent the pitting dreaded even
at so early a date. Smallpox was first described in Germany in
1493, and appeared in Sweden first in 1578.




Saturday, October 20, 2007

Reading is at once an imitative and an appreciative art on the part of



the pupil
Reading is at once an imitative and an appreciative art on the part of
the pupil. He must be trained to appreciate the meaning of the writer;
but he will depend upon the teacher at first, and, indeed, for a long
time, for an example of the true mode of expression. This the teacher
must be ready to give. It is not enough that she can correct faults of
pronunciation, censure inarticulate utterances, and condemn gruff,
nasal, and guttural sounds; but she must be able to present, in
reasonable purity, all the opposite qualities. The young women have not
yet done their duty to the cause of education in these respects; nor is
there everywhere a public sentiment that will even now allow the duty to
be performed.




And now, ladies and gentlemen, before I conclude, allow me to remove, or



at least to lessen, an impression that these remarks are calculated to
produce
And now, ladies and gentlemen, before I conclude, allow me to remove, or
at least to lessen, an impression that these remarks are calculated to
produce. I have assumed that teaching is a profession--an arduous
profession--and that perfection has not yet been attained. I have
assumed, also, that there are many persons engaged in teaching,
especially in the primary and mixed district schools, whose
qualifications are not as great as they ought to be. But let it not be
thence inferred that I am dissatisfied with our teachers and schools.
There has been continual progress in education, and a large share of
this progress is due to teachers; but the time has not yet come when we
can wisely fold our arms, and accept the allurements of undisturbed
repose.




Friday, October 19, 2007

Prior to the middle of the 16th Century, the use of tobacco was confined



to the American Indians
Prior to the middle of the 16th Century, the use of tobacco was confined
to the American Indians. In 1560 the Spaniards began to cultivate
tobacco as an ornamental plant, and Jean Nicot, the French Ambassador at
Lisbon, introduced it at the court of Catherine de Medici in the form of
snuff. Smoking subsequently became a custom which spread rapidly
throughout the world, although often vigorously opposed by Governments.
In the 17th Century, smoker"s noses were cut off in Russia.




Wednesday, October 17, 2007

9



9. Irregularities in the direction of the plumb-line and in the
force of gravity as observed widely and accurately over the
Earth"s surface indicate that the surface strata are very
irregular as to density. To harmonize the observed facts
Hayford has shown the need of assuming that the heterogeneous
conditions extend down to a depth of 122 km. from the surface.
Below that level the Earth"s concentric strata seem to be of
approximately uniform densities.




Tuesday, October 16, 2007

The shortest way of summarizing the position is to say that woman



stands for the idea of Sanity; that intellectual home to which
the mind must return after every excursion on extravagance
The shortest way of summarizing the position is to say that woman
stands for the idea of Sanity; that intellectual home to which
the mind must return after every excursion on extravagance.
The mind that finds its way to wild places is the poet"s;
but the mind that never finds its way back is the lunatic"s. There must
in every machine be a part that moves and a part that stands still;
there must be in everything that changes a part that is unchangeable.
And many of the phenomena which moderns hastily condemn are really parts
of this position of the woman as the center and pillar of health.
Much of what is called her subservience, and even her pliability,
is merely the subservience and pliability of a universal remedy;
she varies as medicines vary, with the disease. She has
to be an optimist to the morbid husband, a salutary pessimist
to the happy-go-lucky husband. She has to prevent the Quixote
from being put upon, and the bully from putting upon others.
The French King wrote--




Monday, October 15, 2007

DEATH RATE PER 1000 IN DENMARK BY AGE GROUPS 1880-1889--1890-1900



--------+-------------------++-------------------
| 1880-1889 || 1890-1900
Ages +---------+---------++---------+---------
| Males | Females || Males | Females
--------+---------+---------++---------+---------
0-5 | 53
DEATH RATE PER 1000 IN DENMARK BY AGE GROUPS 1880-1889--1890-1900
--------+-------------------++-------------------
| 1880-1889 || 1890-1900
Ages +---------+---------++---------+---------
| Males | Females || Males | Females
--------+---------+---------++---------+---------
0-5 | 53.1 | 46.0 || 48.5 | 40.8
5-10 | 7.2 | 7.7 || 5.6 | 6.0
10-15 | 4.4 | 5.6 || 3.6 | 4.6
15-20 | 4.9 | 5.8 || 4.5 | 4.7
20-25 | 7.0 | 6.1 || 6.0 | 4.9
25-30 | 6.5 | 7.4 || 5.5 | 5.6
30-35 | 6.8 | 7.9 || 6.1 | 6.5
35-40 | 7.8 | 8.4 || 7.7 | 7.5
40-45 | 9.8 | 9.3 || 9.3 | 8.2
45-50 | 12.6 | 10.2 || 11.6 | 9.1
50-55 | 16.8 | 12.2 || 15.7 | 11.8
55-60 | 22.6 | 17.0 || 22.0 | 16.4
60-65 | 33.3 | 26.1 || 30.7 | 24.2
65-70 | 46.9 | 39.2 || 44.7 | 36.7
70-75 | 70.0 | 58.3 || 74.5 | 65.0
75-80 | 104.9 | 92.9 || 115.0 | 98.9
80-85 | 178.7 | 157.4 || 169.4 | 151.6
85-90 | 246.7 | 210.9 || 250.1 | 226.5
90-over| 392.3 | 350.1 || 425.6 | 373.2
--------+---------+---------++---------+---------




Sunday, October 14, 2007

The last and most elevated form of Stoical happiness was the



satisfaction of contemplating the Universe and God
The last and most elevated form of Stoical happiness was the
satisfaction of contemplating the Universe and God. Epictetus says,
that we can accommodate ourselves cheerfully to the providence that
rules the world, if we possess two things--the power of seeing all that
happens in the proper relation to its own purpose--and a grateful
disposition. The work of Antoninus is full of studies of Nature in the
devout spirit of "passing from Nature up to Nature"s God;" he is never
weary of expressing his thorough contentment with the course of natural
events, and his sense of the beauties and fitness of everything. Old
age has its grace, and death is the becoming termination. This high
strain of exulting contemplation reconciled him to that complete
submission to whatever might befall, which was the essential feature of
the "Life according to Nature," as he conceived it.




Alexander the Second, the emancipator of forty-six million



serfs, may have had some world peace ideal in mind when he in
1874 promoted a conference in Brussels to codify the usages of
war, but the reaction from his earlier liberalism was setting
in about this time and, growing worse, led to his assassination
in 1881
Alexander the Second, the emancipator of forty-six million
serfs, may have had some world peace ideal in mind when he in
1874 promoted a conference in Brussels to codify the usages of
war, but the reaction from his earlier liberalism was setting
in about this time and, growing worse, led to his assassination
in 1881.




THE QUALITIES OF OBJECTS EXIST IN THE MIND



THE QUALITIES OF OBJECTS EXIST IN THE MIND.--Yet even in the relatively
simple description which we have proposed many puzzles confront us, and
one of them appears at the very outset. This is that the qualities which
we usually ascribe to objects really exist in our own minds and not in
the objects at all. Take, for instance, the common qualities of light
and color. The physicist tells us that what we see as light is
occasioned by an incredibly rapid beating of ether waves on the retina
of the eye. All space is filled with this ether; and when it is
light--that is, when some object like the sun or other light-giving body
is present--the ether is set in motion by the vibrating molecules of the
body which is the source of light, its waves strike the retina, a
current is produced and carried to the brain, and we see light. This
means, then, that space, the medium in which we see objects, is not
filled with light (the sensation), but with very rapid waves of ether,
and that the light which we see really occurs in our own minds as the
mental response to the physical stimulus of ether waves. Likewise with
color. Color is produced by ether waves of different lengths and degrees
of rapidity.




Saturday, October 13, 2007

As a preface to the account of the Ethical Systems, and a principle of



arrangement, for the better comparing of them, we shall review in
order the questions that arise in the discussion
As a preface to the account of the Ethical Systems, and a principle of
arrangement, for the better comparing of them, we shall review in
order the questions that arise in the discussion.




But though the essential of the woman"s task is universality,



this does not, of course, prevent her from having one or two severe
though largely wholesome prejudices
But though the essential of the woman"s task is universality,
this does not, of course, prevent her from having one or two severe
though largely wholesome prejudices. She has, on the whole,
been more conscious than man that she is only one half of humanity;
but she has expressed it (if one may say so of a lady) by getting her
teeth into the two or three things which she thinks she stands for.
I would observe here in parenthesis that much of the recent
official trouble about women has arisen from the fact that they
transfer to things of doubt and reason that sacred stubbornness
only proper to the primary things which a woman was set to guard.
One"s own children, one"s own altar, ought to be a matter of principle--
or if you like, a matter of prejudice. On the other hand,
who wrote Junius"s Letters ought not to be a principle or a prejudice,
it ought to be a matter of free and almost indifferent inquiry.
But take an energetic modern girl secretary to a league
to show that George III wrote Junius, and in three months she
will believe it, too, out of mere loyalty to her employers.
Modern women defend their office with all the fierceness of domesticity.
They fight for desk and typewriter as for hearth and home, and develop
a sort of wolfish wifehood on behalf of the invisible head of the firm.
That is why they do office work so well; and that is why they ought
not to do it.




Friday, October 12, 2007

Work on the Florissant fauna is going forward, though not so



fast as one could wish
Work on the Florissant fauna is going forward, though not so
fast as one could wish. It is very much to be hoped that the
Wangen quarries will receive attention before many years have
passed. Labor is comparatively cheap in Germany, and with a
force of a dozen men it would not take long to open up the
quarries and get at the best beds. It is really extraordinary
that no one has seen and taken advantage of the opportunities
presented. Probably no obstacles of any consequence would be
put in the way; at least the owner of the quarries came by when
we were digging, and expressed only his good will. With new
researches in the field, combined with studies of the rich
materials awaiting examination at Zurich and elsewhere, no
doubt the knowledge we possess of the European Miocene fauna
could be very greatly increased, to the advantage of all
students of Tertiary life.




Gum infection is not always due to conscious neglect



Gum infection is not always due to conscious neglect. Some people do not
know how to properly cleanse the teeth. Others have tissues of low
resistance, and need to give extra care to tooth- and gum-cleansing
under the closest dental supervision. Others have spent large sums for
dental work that has filled the mouth with crowns and bridges difficult
to keep aseptic or surgically clean. There are various means which the
individual can use to prevent or cure these dental evils.




The extraordinary strain put upon human nature by the full Stoic



_ideal_ of submerging self in the larger interests of being, led to
various compromises
The extraordinary strain put upon human nature by the full Stoic
_ideal_ of submerging self in the larger interests of being, led to
various compromises. The rigid following out of the ideal issued in one
of the _paradoxes_, namely.--That all the actions of the wise man are
equally perfect, and that, short of the standard of perfection, all
faults and vices are equal; that, for example, the man that killed a
cock, without good reason, was as guilty as he that killed his father.
This has a meaning only when we draw a line between spirituality and
morality, and treat the last as worthless in comparison of the first.
The later Stoics, however, in their exhortations to special branches of
duty, gave a positive value to practical virtue, irrespective of the
_ideal_.




Wednesday, October 10, 2007

The interpretation of the subtler emotions of those about us is in no



small degree an art
The interpretation of the subtler emotions of those about us is in no
small degree an art. The human face and form present a constantly
changing panorama of the soul"s feeling states to those who can read
their signs. The ability to read the finer feelings, which reveal
themselves in expression too delicate to be read by the eye of the gross
or unsympathetic observer, lies at the basis of all fine interpretation
of personality. Feelings are often too deep for outward expression, and
we are slow to reveal our deepest selves to those who cannot appreciate
and understand them.




It is through the action and interaction of these two factors, then,



that man is to work out his destiny
It is through the action and interaction of these two factors, then,
that man is to work out his destiny. What he _is_, coupled with what he
may _do_, leads him to what he may _become_. Every man possesses in some
degree a spark of divinity, a sovereign individuality, a power of
independent initiative. This is all he needs to make him free--free to
do his best in whatever walk of life he finds himself. If he will but do
this, the doing of it will lead him into a constantly growing freedom,
and he can voice the cry of every earnest heart:




Monday, October 8, 2007

2



2. Are you naturally responsive to the emotional tone of others; that
is, are you sympathetic? Are you easily affected by reading emotional
books? By emotional plays or other appeals? What is the danger from
overexciting the emotions without giving them a proper outlet in some
practical activity?




Sunday, October 7, 2007

WHEWELL



WHEWELL. Opposing schemes of Morality. Proposal to reconcile them.
There are some actions Universally approved. A Supreme Rule of Right
to be arrived at by combining partial rules: these are obtained from
the nature of our faculties. The rule of Speech is Truth; Property
supposes Justice; the Affections indicate Humanity. It is a
self-evident maxim that the Lower parts of our nature are governed by
the Higher. Classification of Springs of Action. Disinterestedness.
Classification of Moral Rules. Division of Rights.




Saturday, October 6, 2007

DELIBERATIVE THINKING



DELIBERATIVE THINKING.--Deliberative thinking constitutes the highest
type of thought process. In order to do deliberative thinking there is
necessary, first of all, what Dewey calls a 'split-road' situation. A
traveler going along a well-beaten highway, says Dr. Dewey, does not
deliberate; he simply keeps on going. But let the highway split into two
roads at a fork, only one of which leads to the desired destination, and
now a problem confronts him; he must take one road or the other, but
_which_? The intelligent traveler will at once go to _seeking for
evidence_ as to which road he should choose. He will balance this fact
against that fact, and this probability against that probability, in an
effort to arrive at a solution of his problem.




Friday, October 5, 2007

It is by contemplating this awful record, and much more there



is which for the sake of brevity I leave unstated, that one
realizes the boon to mankind which the successful researches of
the Army Board have proved
It is by contemplating this awful record, and much more there
is which for the sake of brevity I leave unstated, that one
realizes the boon to mankind which the successful researches of
the Army Board have proved. The work of prevention, the only
one that may be considered effective when dealing with the
epidemic diseases, was entirely misguided with regard to yellow
fever until 1901: the sick were surrounded by precautions which
were believed most useful in other infectious diseases, the
attendants were often looked upon as pestilential, and so
treated, in spite of the fact that evidence from the early
history of the disease clearly pointed to the apparent
harmlessness even of the patients themselves. All this
notwithstanding, cases continued to develop, in the face of
shotgun quarantine even, until the last non-immune inhabitant
of the locality had been either cured or buried.




No defence, excuse, or palliation, can be offered for such movements;



and their triumph will safely produce all the evils which it is possible
for an enlightened people to endure
No defence, excuse, or palliation, can be offered for such movements;
and their triumph will safely produce all the evils which it is possible
for an enlightened people to endure. Our system of instruction is what
it professes to be,--a public system. As sects or parties, we have no
claim whatever upon it. A man is not taxed because he is of a particular
faith in religion, or party in politics; he is not taxed because he is
the father of a family, or excused because he is not; but he contributes
to the cause of education because he is a citizen, and has an interest
in that general intelligence which decides questions of faith and
practice as they arise. It is for the interest of all that all shall be
educated for the various pursuits and duties of the time. The education
of children is, no doubt, first in individual duty. It is the duty of
the parent, the duty of the friend; but, above all, it is the duty of
the public. This duty arises from the relations of men in every
civilized state; but in a popular government it becomes a necessity. The
people are the source of power--the sovereign. And is it more important
in a monarchy than in a republic that the ruler be intelligent,
virtuous, and in all respects qualified for his duties?




As to the stock argument, that people will pervert utility for their



private ends, Mr
As to the stock argument, that people will pervert utility for their
private ends, Mr. Mill challenges the production of any ethical creed
where this may not happen. The fault is due, not to the origin of the
rules, but to the complicated nature of human affairs, and the
necessity of allowing a certain latitude, under the moral
responsibility of the agent, for accommodation to circumstances. And in
cases of conflict, utility is a better guide than anything found in
systems whose moral laws claim independent authority.




Monday, October 1, 2007

By this time we had decided, the weather having cooled



considerably, that it was better to keep the mosquitoes at a
higher temperature and nearer to the men who were to be
inoculated; therefore it was planned to put up another small
wooden structure, which was to be known as the 'Mosquito
Building' in which an artificial temperature could be
maintained; at my suggestion, the building was so designed that
it might serve to infect individuals; by liberating infected
mosquitoes on the inside and exposing some person to their
stings, we could try to reproduce the infection as we felt it
occurred in nature
By this time we had decided, the weather having cooled
considerably, that it was better to keep the mosquitoes at a
higher temperature and nearer to the men who were to be
inoculated; therefore it was planned to put up another small
wooden structure, which was to be known as the 'Mosquito
Building' in which an artificial temperature could be
maintained; at my suggestion, the building was so designed that
it might serve to infect individuals; by liberating infected
mosquitoes on the inside and exposing some person to their
stings, we could try to reproduce the infection as we felt it
occurred in nature. Another reason for the mosquito house was
the need to obviate the transportation of the insects from the
Military Hospital, where I kept them, to our camp, which could
not be easily done without subjecting them to severe injury.
Upon one occasion I was taking four infected mosquitoes in the
pocket inside my blouse from the laboratory in Havana to the
experimental camp, accompanied by my attendant Private Loud;
the horse which pulled my buggy, a rather spirited animal,
becoming frightened at a steam roller, as we went around the
corner of Colon Cemetery, started to race down the hill towards
the Almendares River: Loud was thrown out by the first
cavortings of the horse, who stood on its hind legs and jumped
several times before dashing away, while I held tightly to the
tubes in my pocket, as the buggy upset and left me stranded
upon a sand pile in the middle of the road; the mosquitoes were
quite safe, however, and upon my arrival at Camp Lazear I
turned them over to Carroll for his subsequent care.