Human Nature and Conduct: An introduction to social psychologyDewey, John
Philosophy
Human Nature and Conduct: An introduction to social psychology
Dewey, John
Habit; Social psychology
This account is more or less strange as psychology but certain aspects
of it are commonplaces in a static logical formulation. It is, for
example, almost a truism that knowledge is both synthetic and analytic;
a set of discriminated elements connected by relations. This combination
of opposite factors of unity and difference, elements and relations, has
been a standing paradox and mystery of the theory of knowledge. It will
remain so until we connect the theory of knowledge with an empirically
verifiable theory of behavior. The steps of this connection have been
sketched and we may enumerate them. We know at such times as habits are
impeded, when a conflict is set up in which impulse is released. So far
as this impulse sets up a definite forward tendency it constitutes the
forward, prospective character of knowledge. In this phase unity or
synthesis is found. We are striving to unify our responses, to achieve a
consistent environment which will restore unity of conduct. Unity,
relations, are prospective; they mark out lines converging to a focus.
They are "ideal." But _what_ we know, the objects that present
themselves with definiteness and assurance, are retrospective; they are
the conditions which have been mastered, incorporated in the past. They
are elements, discriminated, analytic just because old habits so far as
they are checked are also broken into objects which define the
obstruction of ongoing activity. They are "real," not ideal. Unity is
something sought; split, division is something given, at hand. Were we
to carry the same psychology into detail we should come upon the
explanation of perceived particulars and conceived universals, of the
relation of discovery and proof, induction and deduction, the discrete
and the continuous. Anything approaching an adequate discussion is too
technical to be here in place. But the main point, however technical and
abstract it may be in statement, is of far reaching importance for
everything concerned with moral beliefs, conscience and judgments of
right and wrong.
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