[Xmca-l] Re: Habits (Greek: ethos)

[Christopher Schuck]

This is already such a rich set of reflections on this new thread that it's
hard to know where to jump in. I'm tempted to go all the way back to the
beginning since that would feel less complicated, but maybe I'll pick up at
the end since that's probably where people's heads are now. I just wanted
to say quickly in reference to that Julia Annas book (which I really liked
too), that not too long ago there was a book forum devoted to it in Journal
of Value Inquiry: a brief precis of the book from Annas, three
commentaries, and her response. A couple of the commentaries get into these
developmental themes, and one person even discusses "affordances" (but
interestingly, in terms of Ulrich Neisser's understanding of the
"sophisticated unconscious"; not Gibson's version which Annalisa alluded
to). I have no idea what the protocol is about attaching individual journal
articles here as opposed to books -- let me know what is kosher for future
reference -- but I would be happy to either attach some of them or send
them to individuals.

I also wanted to mention that at least among a certain group of theoretical
psychologists (Division 24 of the APA where I have had some involvement),
the Aristotelian paradigm is hugely popular and influential right now in
debates over human morality and how to better integrate psychology with
ethics. Often he is invoked there as a solution or at least counterweight
to the problems surrounding the positive psychology movement (a big topic
in that division). Also indirectly by way of Charles Taylor and Alasdair
MacIntyre....He is almost always juxtaposed favorably with Plato as the one
who actually "got it right." My impression is that he dovetails very well
with cultural critiques of liberal individualism and narcissism in
contemporary Western society (e.g. Lasch, Bellah, more recently William
Deresiewicz), which I have been hearing a lot of lately. In that sense, he
appeals to a certain traditionalist or anti-postmodern strain that
emphasizes the importance of strengthening communities through shared
practices and norms, and the role of deliberately cultivating moral
development in resisting the tendency toward relativism. I think his
scientific and practical sensibilities also appeal to those who are
frustrated by the failures of contemporary philosophy to relate to
real-world concerns and/or want to keep a place for rigorous scientific
inquiry.

I personally have had some issues with some of the more conservative
implications of the Aristotelian worldview and how readily he might be
co-opted by more conservative agendas, but of course that is just one of
many ways to read him (and certainly not the only way that I read him
either!). I think it's really important to try to bring him into the modern
era and engage fully with our modern set of conditions and concerns, not
just idealize his timeless ancient wisdom, wise as much of it may be.

Chris

On Mon, Jul 11, 2016 at 4:12 PM, Jonathan Tudge <jrtudge@uncg.edu> wrote:

> Hi, Annalisa,
>
> I'm not sure that I'm able to distribute it to an entire online group, but
> I'll send it to you via your personal email.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jon
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> Jonathan Tudge
>
> Professor
> Office: 155 Stone
>
> http://morethanthanks.wp.uncg.edu/
>
> Mailing address:
> 248 Stone Building
> Department of Human Development and Family Studies
> PO Box 26170
> The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
> Greensboro, NC 27402-6170
> USA
>
> phone (336) 223-6181
> fax   (336) 334-5076
>
> http://www.uncg.edu/hdf/facultystaff/Tudge/Tudge.html
>
>
> On Mon, Jul 11, 2016 at 4:06 PM, Annalisa Aguilar <annalisa@unm.edu>
> wrote:
>
> > Hi Jon,
> >
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> >
> > Is there a chance of attaching the paper? I do not have access.
> >
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> >
> > Annalisa
> >
> >
>