Jefferson's 10 Rules

On my recent visit to Monticello, Jefferson's Virginia farm estate, I ran across something called "Jefferson's 10 Rules", and I liked them so much I thought I'd share them here with perhaps a little commentary:

1. Never put off until tomorrow, what you can do today.
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
3. Never spend money before you have earned it.
4. Never buy what you don't want because it is cheap.
5. Pride costs more than hunger, thirst, and cold.
6. We seldom repent of having eaten too little.
7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
8. How much pain the evils cost us that never happened.
9. Take things always by the smooth handle.
10. When angry, count to ten before you speak; if very angry, count a hundred.

I thought these were wise aphorisms worth sharing. I particularly like numbers three and four. I think if people followed those two, they would have much less stress and strife in their lives.

"The Story of English in 100 Words" (By: David Crystal)

Cover image copied from Amazon.com

I noticed that some of my brilliant friends from college were reading this book, and it sounded interesting, so I decided to take the plunge.

The author has selected 100 words from the English language, and for each word, he takes two to three pages to describe the history of the word and how it has been used, and how its usage has changed over time. It's a very easy book to pick up and read a couple chapters and then put down again. There are many interesting quirks and footnotes in the history of English that Crystal points out. Overall, I'd say this is a book I would highly recommend to any person who finds the English language and its history fascinating (if you aren't one of those people, you might want to try the book anyway...you might discover that its more interesting than you thought!).

Next week: comments about Thomas Jefferson (in light of my recent visit to Monticello) and more thoughts from Francis Bacon and "The Advancement of Learning"

Cheers!

Francis Bacon: "The Advancement of Learning"

I delved into this text a while ago, and recently picked it back up. A little history about Bacon for those who are unfamiliar would be in order. Sir Francis Bacon lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries in England where he held many important political positions. He helped develop the scientific method and examined and experimented on many natural phenomena. He was one of the major intellectual figures of his time, and much of what he discovered has served as the foundation for modern science. Last night I ran across this passage:

"The corrupter sort of mere politiques, that have not their thoughts established by learning in the love and apprehension of duty, nor never look abroad into universality, do refer all things to themselves, and thrust themselves into the centre of the world, as if all lines should met in them and their fortunes, never caring in all tempests what becomes of the ship of state, so they may save themselves in the cockboat of their own fortune; whereas men that feel the weight of duty and know the limits of self-love use to make good their places and duties, though with peril..."

I was struck by this description of the un-learned person as bringing everything back to him or herself, and how "in all tempests" this person cars only for his or her own fortune and not for the "ship of state" or the common good, trusting in his or how own fortune to save him or herself. How well this describes so many of our modern life-arrangers and persons of power today!! I was struck by the manifold examples of this attitude in recent news:

1) Joe Paterno and other PSU authorities: they were so concerned with the reputation of their football program and how much money it was making for them (i.e. their "fortune") that they were willing to let a serial child molester go unpunished and free to repeat his crimes to "save themselves in the cockboat of their own fortune".

2) Politicians who are so beholden to the gun-lobby that they won't even consider a bill that would limit gun users to ammunition clips of 10 bullets or less. Given the national tragedies involving guns in the United States of America, one would think that we could all agree that there's no legal need to have an ammunition clip that holds more than 10 bullets... And yet, these politicians are more interested in "saving themselves in the cockboat of their own fortune" (i.e. the campaign donations they receive from the gun lobby), than in caring for the "ship of state", because they "thrust themselves into the centre of the world".

3) Those involved in the LIBOR scandal: need I point out the degree to which these individuals tried to "save themselves in the cockboat of their own fortune" and to which they "thrust themselves into the centre of the world"?

4) Fourthly (I say, fourthly and not finally, because there is no "finally" to this list, it could go on and on...), there are those individual citizens of the United States and corporations who continually "save themselves in the cockboat of their own fortune": those who use off-shore bank accounts to shield themselves from paying the full weight of their taxes (What could be more "un-American" than a bank account that is literally not in the US?); those who ship jobs overseas, shutting down whole factories in the United States, destroying communities and the lives of individual workers to "save themselves in the cockboat of their own fortune" rather than make the ethical choice to make a narrower profit margin as a company, but continue to employ hard-working citizens; those who engage in dangerous financial practices that create these "bubbles" which we are suffering through (housing, banking, etc.), and those who lie, cheat, and steal from those who trusted them, like Bernie Madoff. Surely these men and women cared only for themselves and their fortunes, and never considered either the good of the country (in some cases the world) or their fellow citizens.

It is striking to imagine how things could be different if powerful decision makers in our country "felt the weight of duty" and knew "the limits of self-love". How much heart-ache could have been avoided if Joe Paterno had gone to the police instead of the president of his university? Or if politicians could pass sensible gun control laws that limit an individuals ability to commit acts of terrorism against his or her fellow citizens? Or if the financial masters of the world and the country considered what was best for the common good instead of what would line their own pockets?

It seems we have much to learn from Francis Bacon. As dismayed as I am by the rampant examples of this kind of behavior in the news (and it is striking how well Bacon's quote describes so much of what is in the news right now), I find some solace in the fact that apparently, this problem is a very old one, and that it has been plaguing humanity for some time. Virtue, it seems, has long been in short supply.

Perhaps it is time for a conversation about how authentic learning and education support the growth of virtue, and can help safeguard us as a country from this pernicious problem.

New Words...

I love learning! I recently finished re-reading "Foucault's Pendulum" by Umberto Eco. While I thought the book lacked the brilliant plot and dialogue of "In the Name of the Rose" (another brilliant Eco book), I was delighted by all the words I had to look-up while reading this book. Here is a list of fun words I read and their definitions from Google.

• isochronal - equal in duration or interval
• ogive - a Gothic arch
• chthonian - dwelling beneath the surface of the earth
• macumba - Brazilian religious cult using socery, ritual dance, and fetish
• catoptric - relating to a mirror, reflector, or reflection
• alembic - distilling apparatus; rounded necked flask
• eolopile - a device that, when heated, spins, spewing steam
• athanor - a furnace that feeds itself to maintain a consistent temperature
• homunculus - a very small humanoid creature
• notarikon - method for deriving a word using each of its initial or final letters to stand for another word, forming a sentence or idea from the words
• plerome - central core of primary meristem of a plant
• ogdoad - eight
• apothegm - a concise saying or aphorism
• hypallage - a transposition of the natural relations of two elements in a proposition
• zeugma - figure of speech in which one word applies to two other words in two different senses
• labile - easily changed ; having emotions that are easily aroused or freely expressed
• catafalque - decorated wooden framework supporting the coffin of a distinguished person during a funeral
• simoom - a desert wind that often carries dust/sand
• oriflamme - banner or standard ; a principle around which people rally
• syncretism - the practice of combining different beliefs while melding practices of various schools of thought
• austral - having to do with the south
• askesis - severe self-discipline
• couchette - railroad car with seats that turn into sleeping berths
• conventicle - secret or unlawful religious meeting
• telluric - of the earth or the soil
• philosopheme - a philosophical statement, theorem, or axiom
• rocaille - 18th century artistic style of decoration defined by elaborate ornamentation with pebbles, shells, or little beads
• cicatrix - scar of a healed wound, or on the bank of a tree
• menhir - tall upright stone erected in prehistoric times in Europe
• anamnesis - remembering things from a supposed previous existence
• grimoire - a book of spells
• hieratic - concerning priests
• sclerotic - being rigid or unresponsive, not able to adapt
• ithyphallic - having an erect penis
• auscultation - listening to sounds from the heart or lungs
• terraqueous - having both land and water
• tenebrous - dark, shadowy, or obscure

A Case for Back Roads...

I enjoy driving...a lot. I have a history of taking long solo road-trips (22 consecutive hours of solo driving from Miami, FL to Dayton, OH is my record). I must admit that much of my long trip driving experience has been on the interstate system, which, like all systems, has its pro and cons. Allow me to take a moment to examine them:

Pros of driving on an interstate:

• They tend to go between major cities in a relatively straight line (i.e. the shortest path)
• They tend to have the highest available speed limits (thus cutting down total travel time)
• They have standardized marking features such as milage markers, exit markers, and milage signs for distances to cities
• They advertise the services (i.e. gas, lodging, attractions, and food) available at each exit
• You are never that far from the next gas station
• They are kept in relatively good repair (i.e. no potholes that will swallow your car whole)

Cons of driving on an interstate:

• They tend to be boring
• The scenery is often not that attractive (although there are some exceptions to this rule)
• They often have many 18-wheel trucks driving on them, which can be troublesome for a regular car traveler (no offense intended to big-rig truck drivers! Keep on truckin'!)
• They are prone to have long-lasting construction projects that often bring them down to one lane, and dramatically reduce the speed limit (which is important for construction worker safety)
• When they aren't traveling through a major city they often travel through farm fields, and while farms are important, farms provide limited visual excitement on a lengthy trip.
• They sometimes have tolls

On my most recent road-trip to Charlottesville, VA from Cincinnati, OH (8 hours, 450 miles), Google maps service recommended that I begin my 8 hour journey with a three hour stint on non-interstate roads (Ohio state route 32, and US route 35). After examining the options, this seemed logical, and I gave it a go.

I was pleasantly surprised by my extended "back road" section of the trip, and was reminded of how delightful back roads can be, and thought for a moment, I would ramble on about the advantages of back roads from my own experience.

First of all, traveling on back roads was more convenient in that you often find yourself passing through little towns with gas stations and food places (some are even local instead of chains!) where one can pull off the drive and eat or get gas without having to get off at an interstate exit and then get back on (which sometimes seems to take a while depending on traffic).

The scenery is far more entertaining and enjoyable on those back roads. I spent some of my time driving through US 35 in West Virginia, and was just blown away by the beauty and grandeur of their mountains and forests.

You also sometimes find radio stations on back roads that you might not otherwise find on an interstate. For example, while on US 35 in West Virginia, I stumbled across a state sponsored classical radio station (89.9 I think), which happened to be playing my favorite Bach violin concerto (the one for two violins in D minor)! What a find! And who would have ever expected to find that, in those remote hills of all places!

There is WAY less traffic on these back roads. As I was driving along these back roads, I was struck by how few other cars I saw. I could go miles without seeing anyone.

As I reflect back on it, some of my other favorite drives have been "back road" drives. Followers of this blog will know that my wife and I recently took a vacation in the Pacific Northwest, and spent a lot of time driving the coasts of both Oregon and Washington: both of which were beautiful back roads.

I've also driving Route 1 in California which follows the coast there as well, and that is a beautiful stretch of road.

So, the next time you're planning a road-trip, consider routing in some back roads, just to give yourself a treat, and a taste of what goes on in those vast spaces between the interstates. I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised with what you find!

Until next time...keep reading!

BD

Galileo and thoughts on education...

I'm back from vacation! Here's a picture just to give you a taste of what I saw in Oregon and Washington...

"You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself." (Galileo)

As a teacher, I often think about learning: the things which aid it and which hinder it. Motivation is always a key ingredient in the recipe of learning. If you've read any of my other posts, you'll know I think Alfie Kohn had some great insight into motivation in his book "Punished by Rewards", in which he discusses the "Three Cs": Collaboration, Content, and Choice. He believes that when these three things are maximized and made relevant to people's lives, that they are more motivated.

I liked this quote above from Galileo because it summarizes so much of what I try to teach students and parents. I can explain something, I can demonstrate something, I can develop projects based around a concept, I can suggest readings about it, I can practice a skill with students in class, but if a student isn't actively engaged in the work, then it just washes over him or her without making any lasting impression. Each person must decide what's important for himself or herself, and pursue that with vigor and passion. Unfortunately, our education system isn't setup that way right now. So this is all a difficult sell to students who have had 8-10 years of what I call "sit, get, and spit" education. It's hard to break those habits. At school, we call this "shifting from a teaching centered culture to a learning centered culture". I think that sums it up pretty well.

This isn't a philosophy blog, and I don't want to get too deep into the realm of epistemology, but the second part of Galileo's quote reveals an interesting assumption: that the knowledge and skills we seek are already within us, waiting to be discovered or "found". This is a very "eastern" philosophy of knowledge. In the post-industrial west, we tend to think of knowledge as something that is outside of us that we somehow ingest and make part of us, like food. Even our colloquial verbiage around learning and thinking reflects this: "I need to sit back and digest that thought for a moment." or "I need to let that percolate in my mind." (percolation is a method for brewing coffee) "I need to let that soak in." Rarely if ever do you hear someone say, "Ah! Yes, you've helped me discover that idea in my mind!" Consider for a moment, the vastly different implications these perceptions of where knowledge comes from can have on how we approach the process of "learning."

The astute reader will have noticed that I haven't said whether I agree or disagree with Galileo's perspective on the origin of knowledge. Perhaps I'll save that for another day...

Happy reading!