What a character!

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coberst
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What a character!

Post #1

Post by coberst »

What a character!

One significant advantage engineering, physics and much of the natural sciences has is that they speak in mathematical terms. The individuals often speak in formulas or mathematical verbiage that is clear and concise and understandable by all the members. The use of every day words like habit can be confusing because of a lack of clarity.

What is character? Character is the network of habits that permeate all the intentional acts of an individual.

I am not using the word habit in the way we often do, as a technical ability existing apart from our wishes. These habits are an intimate and fundamental part of our selves. They are representations of our will. They rule our will, working in a coordinated way they dominate our way of acting. These habits are the results of repeated, intelligently controlled, actions.

Habits also control the formation of ideas as well as physical actions. We cannot perform a correct action or a correct idea without having already formed correct habits. “Reason pure of all influence from prior habit is a fiction.”

“The medium of habit filters all material that reaches our perception and thought.” “Immediate, seemingly instinctive, feeling of the direction and end of various lines of behavior is in reality the feeling of habits working below direct consciousness.” “Habit means special sensitiveness or accessibility to certain classes of stimuli, standing predilections and aversions, rather than bare recurrence of specific acts. It means will.”

Because each job requires a different type of character a journalist would make a lousy military officer and vice versa.

Quotes from “Human Nature and Conduct” by John Dewey

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Metatron
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Re: What a character!

Post #2

Post by Metatron »

This is along the lines of your "how to decide' thread.

In both cases, you've made an essentially philosophical statement without posing a question for debate. You also haven't tied it into Christianity and Apologetics. Left as is, this should probably be moved over to the Philosophy section and a question posed. Or pose a tie in religious question so it will be relevant to this section.

Just my opinion.

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McCulloch
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Post #3

Post by McCulloch »

coberst,

I have moved this to Random Ramblings since there is no clear question for debate.

Please read, otseng's excellent guide, Tips on starting a debate topic.
Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.
First Epistle to the Church of the Thessalonians
The truth will make you free.
Gospel of John

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