Friday, November 25, 2016

A Pragmatist’s Take On Socio-Political Change



In practical life, there are many recognitions of the part played by social factors in generating personal traits. One of them is our habit of making social classifications. We attribute distinctive characteristics to rich and poor, slum-dweller and captain of industry, rustic and suburbanite, officials, politicians, professors, to members of races, sets and parties. These judgments are usually too coarse to be of much use. But they show our practical awareness that personal traits are functions of social situations. When we generalize this perception and act upon it intelligently we are committed by it to recognize that we change character from worse to better only by changing conditions—among which are our own ways of dealing with the one we judge. We cannot change habit directly: that notion is magic. But we can change it indirectly by modifying conditions, by an intelligent selecting and weighting of the objects which engage attention and which influence the fulfillment of desires.
--John Dewey*

* "Habits as Social Functions",
   from Human Nature and Conduct
   "The Place of Habit in Conduct"



Sunday, November 13, 2016

Reaction


Americans say the darnedest things like--
"It Can't Happen Here," but it can, and--
New York was a living lock, I knew, but--
Posted my absentee ballot 'cause, "Hey--
You Never Know!" And now I'm back--
Buried with piles and piles of dead leaves--
To rake, to bag, or just to slowly burn--
And miles and miles to go before I'm--