Francis Galton

Summary of “Inquiries into Human Faculty and Its Development”

After reading the entire work, I settled in and re-examined the section titled Early Sentiments. A very brief summary of this section would read, nurture can explain behavior within differing people groups. Behavior can also differ within the classes of people that make up the larger groups. But nurture has very little influence on the differences between individuals of the same class. Galton relies on Darwin’s ideas to explain the individual differences including the idea that, “Conscience is now known to be partly transmitted by inheritance in the way and under the conditions clearly explained by Mr. Darwin.” (Galton, 1907)

Galton’s definition of the word “religion” in this writing is quite fascinating,

“The word religion may fairly be applied to any group of sentiments or persuasions that are strong enough to bind us to do that which we intellectually may acknowledge to be our duty, and the possession of some form of religion in this larger sense of the word is of the utmost importance to moral stability. The sentiments must be strong enough to make us ashamed at the mere thought of committing, and distressed during the act of committing any untruth, or any uncharitable act, or of neglecting what we feel to be right, in order to indulge in laziness or gratify some passing desire.” (Galton, 1907)

Following this section, Galton introduces examples of how animals are conditioned to learn behaviors that seem to be passed down from generation to generation. He also briefly states his position on inherited behaviors with examples consisting of children of criminals. Galton seems to be all over the map in this short portion of the larger writing. He does land close to lucidity when discussing Dante’s writings and referring to paintings from the same time.

He suggests that,

“Revenge and torture had been so commonly practised by rulers that they seemed to be appropriate attributes of every high authority, and the artists of those days saw no incongruity in supposing that a supremely powerful master, however beneficent he might be, would make the freest use of them.” (Galton, 1907)

I believe he could have been making reference to Giotto’s Last Judgment owing to the gruesom way Giotto depicts hell in this painting.

Galton’s emphasis in Early Sentiments revolves around nurture being the source of religious thoughts, terror, aversion, and, “in giving a fallacious sense of their being natural instincts.” (Galton, 1907)

Reaction to “Inquiries into Human Faculty and Its Development”

At first glance what Galton says seems to be reasonable. On some levels it probably is reasonable, but like most of the people influenced by Darwin, his reasonable arguments take ideas in untenable directions.

Galton’s definition of religion does not just end with the utilitarian view; he continues to make the following claim about the content of the religious belief, “it seems reasonable to believe that the particular dogma is comparatively of little importance.” (Galton, 1907)

This statement is very interesting when one considers what he is saying is that as long as someone is taught religion, it does not matter what is taught. The main issue is that content makes all the difference. I will try to briefly explain my thoughts.

The Bible provides us with an interesting discussion between Pontius Pilate and Jesus. Chapter eighteen in John’s Gospel tells of how Jesus is brought to Pilate because the high priests wanted him executed given that Jesus claimed to be equal with God. The conversation between Jesus and Pilate closes with this exchange,

“ ³³Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"

³⁴Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?"

³⁵Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?"

³⁶Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."

³⁷Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

³⁸Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"
(NASB 1995)

Jesus’ answer is restrained and bold. The most basic of all problems that we, as finite created beings, face is exposed in this short exchange. What we find here in this passage is that there is no scarcity of truth for us to know, but more often people fall short because of the insincerity of their search. Jesus teaches that truth proceeds from the inside out, or put another way, intent is prior to content.

Does dogma matter? According to Jesus, it makes all the difference in the world. 

Works Cited

Galton, F. (1907). Inquiries into Human Faculty and Its Devlopment. Retrieved 3 2, 2010, from Gutenberg Project: http://gutenburg.net/1/1/5/6/11562

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

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Edward B. Titchener

Summary of On “Psychology As the Behaviorist Views It”

Joseph B. Watson’s idea of Behaviorism can be defined as a philosophy of psychology based on the proposition that all things that organisms do, including acting, thinking, and feeling can be regarded as behaviors. “Behaviorism comprises the position that all theories should have observational correlates but that there are no philosophical differences between publicly observable processes (such as actions) and privately observable processes (such as thinking and feeling).” (Fraley 2001)

Apparently Watson’s mentor, James Rowland Angell, was not happy with the fact that Watson had espoused the idea of Wundt’s experimental method being not scientific. Therefore Angell wrote to Titchener about the need to bring Watson down a few rungs on the ladder of his success. Titchener subsequently wrote this paper in reference to Watson’s behaviorist point of view. In this paper Titchener hammered home a vigorous case against Watson’s misuse of the word “science,” and how behaviorist theories, although beginning with science, ignore certain facts in order to maintain their positions. He goes on to point out the deficiency of only looking at the peripheral (physical actions) without examining the central (internal) effects of behavior. Watson leans heavily on blending sciences to form what Titchener calls “technology.” Titchener defines psychology as science and not a synthesis of many different sciences. He goes on to state that behaviorism is, by nature, biological. Titchener says,
“Either the behaviorist is just biologist; and in that case he has no nearer relation to psychology than have his coworkers who are content to call themselves biologists: or the behaviorist sees expression where the biologist sees ultimate fact; and in that case he may equally well be called psychobiologist, seeing that the phenomena expressed or reported by the organic changes which he studies cannot be anything else than psychical.” (Titchener, 1914)

Reaction to On “Psychology As the Behaviorist Views It”
If I were to toss my hat into this fray, I would have to side with Titchener. Behaviorism embraces the view that all theories should have observational correlates but that there are no philosophical differences between publicly observable actions and privately observable things such as thinking and feeling. So my conclusion might be the same as that of Titchener using his definition science. Restated in my terms, I believe that the problems of science are observational and analytical to the extent we can exhaust our knowledge and capabilities.
There are always going to be things just past the line we reach in any given field. New discoveries in science prove this every day. Where I would probably differ with Titchener would be in the last half of my definition stated above. I believe when we think we cannot know more than what can be observed through experimental science, and we see the limits of science to be an impassable line, we need to remember that in order to draw the impassable line we must first cross it. I believe it is only possible to cross the line when we have a full understanding of who God is, and who we are.
While I appreciate Titchener’s dogmatic view of science, I appreciate the fact that God tells us there is so much more than we could ever imagine.





Bibliography
Fraley, L. (2001). Stategic Interdisciplinary Relations between a Natural Science Community and a Psychological Community. The Behavior Analyst Today , 2 (4), 209-324.
Titchener, E. B. (1914). On "Psychology As The Behaviorist Views It". Retrieved 3 1, 2010, from Classics in the History of Psychology: http://psychclassics.asu.edu/Titchener/watson.htm




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Are You Committed to Success?

Here Are Some Things You Need To Do: 

1. Have one main source of income but, at the same time, keep working on ways of developing additional sources of income. Over time, this will allow you move away from spending all your time on your “regular” job, so you can generate a passive stream of income.

2. Read broadly. This doesn’t necessarily heavy or serious books. Reading blogs and magazines can generate ideas and turn you into someone who knows something about a lot of things.

3. Have a few close friends and many other business and personal contacts. That provides you with support and people who can help you, and open doors for you.

4. Possess specialist knowledge in a couple of areas, and also know a little about many other things. This helps you understand the developing trends so you can use and adapt your knowledge more effectively.

5. Be willing to experiment. It’s good to know what tends to work for you, but you need to branch out and experiment as well. That will help you avoid being stuck in a rut.

6. Add new experiences into your life. It keeps you adaptable, open to new thinking, energetic, and full of life. 

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Humanity

“Very often the true Bible-believing Christian, in his emphasis on two humanities — one lost, one saved — one still standing in rebellion against God, the other having returned to God through Christ — has given a picture of exclusiveness which is ugly.
 

   There are two humanities. That is true. Some men made in the image of God still stand in rebellion against him; some, by the grace of God, have cast themselves upon God’s solution.
 

   Nonetheless, there is in another very important sense only one humanity. All men derive from one origin. By creation all men bear the image of God. In this sense all men are of one flesh, one blood.
 

   Hence, the exclusiveness of the two humanities is undergirded by the unity of all men. And Christians are not to love their believing brothers to the exclusion of their non-believing fellowmen. That is ugly. We are to have the example of the Good Samaritan consciously in mind at all times”    
 Francis Schaeffer



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Rules For Life

- Give more than is required

- Learn as much as you can

- Be strong and courageous

- Speak and live your truth

- Be true to your values

- Resist mediocrity

- Seek to inspire others

- Love wholeheartedly


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7 Easy Ways to Change a Negative Mood

1. Change your environment, or leave the room.

2. Switch your thinking, or redirect your thoughts

3. Go outside and get some exercise

4. Listen to the music that usually lifts your mood

5. Look at those old photographs that always make you laugh

6. Text or call a friend who’s really going through tough times

7. Be nice to a stranger – play it forward – and be kind


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Common chemical in mothers may negatively affect the IQ of their unborn children

I tend to read on quite a wide variety of topics. The following caught my interest enough to want to repost a synopsis of the article. 

In some women abnormally high levels of a common and pervasive chemical may lead to adverse effects in their offspring. The study, published recently in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, is the first of its kind to shed light on the possible harmful side effects of perchlorate in mothers and their children.

Using data from the Controlled Antenatal Thyroid Study (CATS) cohort, researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Cardiff University studied the effect of perchlorate, an environmental contaminant found in many foods and in some drinking water supplies, and its effects on children born to mothers with above average levels of this substance in their system. They studied 487 mother-child pairs from women with underactive thyroid glands and in the 50 women with the highest levels of perchlorate in their body, their offspring had below average IQ levels when compared to other children.

"The reason people really care about perchlorate is because it is ubiquitous. It’s everywhere," said Elizabeth Pearce, MD, MSc, associate professor of medicine at BUSM. "Prior studies have already shown perchlorate, at low levels, can be found in each and every one of us."

Perchlorate is a compound known to affect the thyroid gland, an organ needed to help regulate hormone levels in humans. According to Pearce previous studies have attempted to implicate this anti-thyroid activity in pregnant mothers as a possible cause of hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid gland. Hypothyroidism in newborns and children can lead to an array of unwelcome side effects, including below average intelligence.

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