HOWWETHINK(JOHNDEWEY)外文电子书籍Word格式.doc
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I.VariedSensesoftheTerm
Foursensesofthought,fromthewidertothelimited
Nowordsareofteneronourlipsthanthinkingandthought.Soprofuseandvaried,indeed,isouruseofthesewordsthatitisnoteasytodefinejustwhatwemeanbythem.Theaimofthischapteristofindasingleconsistentmeaning.Assistancemaybehadbyconsideringsometypicalwaysinwhichthetermsareemployed.Inthefirstplacethoughtisusedbroadly,nottosayloosely.Everythingthatcomestomind,that"
goesthroughourheads,"
iscalledathought.Tothinkofathingisjusttobeconsciousofitinanywaywhatsoever.Second,thetermisrestrictedbyexcludingwhateverisdirectlypresented;
wethink(orthinkof)onlysuchthingsaswedonotdirectlysee,hear,smell,ortaste.Then,third,themeaningisfurtherlimitedtobeliefsthatrestuponsomekindofevidenceortestimony.Ofthisthirdtype,twokinds―or,rather,twodegrees―mustbediscriminated.Insomecases,abeliefisacceptedwithslightoralmostnoattempttostatethegroundsthatsupportit.Inothercases,thegroundorbasisforabeliefisdeliberatelysoughtandits
(2)adequacytosupportthebeliefexamined.Thisprocessiscalledreflectivethought;
italoneistrulyeducativeinvalue,anditforms,accordingly,theprincipalsubjectofthisvolume.Weshallnowbrieflydescribeeachofthefoursenses.
Chanceandidlethinking
1.Initsloosestsense,thinkingsignifieseverythingthat,aswesay,is"
inourheads"
orthat"
goesthroughourminds."
Hewhooffers"
apennyforyourthoughts"
doesnotexpecttodriveanygreatbargain.Incallingtheobjectsofhisdemandthoughts,hedoesnotintendtoascribetothemdignity,consecutiveness,ortruth.Anyidlefancy,trivialrecollection,orflittingimpressionwillsatisfyhisdemand.Daydreaming,buildingofcastlesintheair,thatloosefluxofcasualanddisconnectedmaterialthatfloatsthroughourmindsinrelaxedmomentsare,inthisrandomsense,thinking.Moreofourwakinglifethanweshouldcaretoadmit,eventoourselves,islikelytobewhiledawayinthisinconsequentialtriflingwithidlefancyandunsubstantialhope.
Reflectivethoughtisconsecutive,notmerelyasequence
Inthissense,sillyfolkanddullardsthink.Thestoryistoldofamaninslightreputeforintelligence,who,desiringtobechosenselectmaninhisNewEnglandtown,addressedaknotofneighborsinthiswise:
"
Ihearyoudon'
tbelieveIknowenoughtoholdoffice.IwishyoutounderstandthatIamthinkingaboutsomethingorothermostofthetime."
Nowreflectivethoughtislikethisrandomcoursingofthingsthroughthemindinthatitconsistsofasuccessionofthingsthoughtof;
butitisunlike,inthatthemerechanceoccurrenceofanychance"
somethingorother"
inanirregularsequencedoesnotsuffice.Reflectioninvolvesnotsimplyasequenceofideas,butaconsequence―aconsecutiveorderinginsuchawaythat
(3)eachdeterminesthenextasitsproperoutcome,whileeachinturnleansbackonitspredecessors.Thesuccessiveportionsofthereflectivethoughtgrowoutofoneanotherandsupportoneanother;
theydonotcomeandgoinamedley.Eachphaseisastepfromsomethingtosomething―technicallyspeaking,itisatermofthought.Eachtermleavesadepositwhichisutilizedinthenextterm.Thestreamorflowbecomesatrain,chain,orthread.
Therestrictionofthinkingtowhatgoesbeyonddirectobservation
Reflectivethoughtaims,however,atbelief
II.Evenwhenthinkingisusedinabroadsense,itisusuallyrestrictedtomattersnotdirectlyperceived:
towhatwedonotsee,smell,hear,ortouch.Weaskthemantellingastoryifhesawacertainincidenthappen,andhisreplymaybe,"
No,Ionlythoughtofit."
Anoteofinvention,asdistinctfromfaithfulrecordofobservation,ispresent.Mostimportantinthisclassaresuccessionsofimaginativeincidentsandepisodeswhich,havingacertaincoherence,hangingtogetheronacontinuousthread,liebetweenkaleidoscopicflightsoffancyandconsiderationsdeliberatelyemployedtoestablishaconclusion.Theimaginativestoriespouredforthbychildrenpossessalldegreesofinternalcongruity;
somearedisjointed,somearearticulated.Whenconnected,theysimulatereflectivethought;
indeed,theyusuallyoccurinmindsoflogicalcapacity.Theseimaginativeenterprisesoftenprecedethinkingoftheclose-knittypeandpreparethewayforit.Buttheydonotaimatknowledge,atbeliefaboutfactsorintruths;
andtherebytheyaremarkedofffromreflectivethoughtevenwhentheymostresembleit.Thosewhoexpresssuchthoughtsdonotexpectcredence,butrathercreditforawell-constructedplotorawell-arrangedclimax.Theyproducegoodstories,not―unlessbychance―
(4)
knowledge.Suchthoughtsareanefflorescenceoffeeling;
theenhancementofamoodorsentimentistheiraim;
congruityofemotion,theirbindingtie.
ThoughtInducesbeliefintwoways
III.Initsnextsense,thoughtdenotesbeliefrestinguponsomebasis,thatis,realorsupposedknowledgegoingbeyondwhatisdirectlypresent.Itismarkedbyacceptanceorrejectionofsomethingasreasonablyprobableorimprobable.Thisphaseofthought,however,includestwosuchdistincttypesofbeliefthat,eventhoughtheirdifferenceisstrictlyoneofdegree,notofkind,itbecomespracticallyimportanttoconsiderthemseparately.Somebeliefsareacceptedwhentheirgroundshavenotthemselvesbeenconsidered,othersareacceptedbecausetheirgroundshavebeenexamined.
Whenwesay,"
Menusedtothinktheworldwasflat,"
or,Ithoughtyouwentbythehouse,"
weexpressbeliefsomethingisaccepted,heldto,acquiescedin,oraffirmed.Butsuchthoughtsmaymeanasuppositionacceptedwithoutreferencetoitsrealgrounds.Thesemaybeadequate,theymaynot;
buttheirvaluewithreferencetothesupporttheyaffordthebeliefhasnotbeenconsidered.
Suchthoughtsgrowupunconsciouslyandwithoutreferencetotheattainmentofcorrectbelief.Theyarepickedup―weknownothow.Fromobscuresourcesandbyunnoticedchannelstheyinsinuatethemselvesintoacceptanceandbecomeunconsciouslyapartofourmentalfurniture.Tradition,instruction,imitation―allofwhichdependuponauthorityinsomeform,orappealtoourownadvantage,orfallinwithastrongpassion―areresponsibleforthem.Suchthoughtsareprejudices,thatis,prejudgments,not
(5)judgmentsproperthatrestuponasurveyofevidence.[1]
Thinkinginitsbestsenseisthatwhichconsidersthebasisandconsequencesofbelief
IV.ThoughtsthatresultinbeliefhaveanimportanceIattachedtothemwhichleadstoreflectivethoughttoconsciousinquiryintothenature,conditions,andbearingsofthebelief.Tothinkofwhalesandcamelsinthecloudsistoentertainourselveswithfancies,terminableatourpleasure,whichdonotleadtoanybeliefinparticular.Buttothinkoftheworldasflatistoascribeaqualitytoarealthingasitsrealproperty.Thisconclusiondenotesaconnectionamongthingsandhenceisnot,likeimaginativethought,plastictoourmood.Beliefintheworld'
sflatnesscommitshimwhoholdsittothinkingincertainspecificwaysofotherobjects,suchastheheavenlybodies,antipodes,thepossibilityofnavigation.Itprescribestohimactionsinaccordancewithhisconceptionoftheseobjects.
Theconsequencesofabeliefuponotherbeliefsanduponbehaviormaybesoimportant,then,thatmenareforcedtoconsiderthegroundsorreasonsoftheirbeliefanditslogicalconsequences.Thismeansreflectivethought-thoughtinitseulogisticandemphaticsense.
MenthoughttheworldwasflatuntilColumbusthoughtittoberound.Theearlierthoughtwasabeliefheldbecausemenhadnottheenergyorthecouragetoquestionwhatthoseaboutthemacceptedandtaught,especiallyasitwassuggestedandseeminglyconfirmedbyobvioussensiblefacts.ThethoughtofColumbuswasareasonedconclusion.Itmarkedthecloseofstudyintofacts,ofscrutinyandrevisionofevidence,ofworkingouttheimplicationsofvarioushypotheses,andof
Reflectivethoughtdefined
(6)comparingthesetheoreticalresultswithoneanotherandwithknownfacts.acts.BecauseColumbusdidnotacceptunhesitatinglythecurrenttraditionaltheory,becausehedoubtedandinquired,hearrivedathisthought.Skepticalofwhat,fromlonghabit,seemedmostcertain,andcredulousofwhatseemedimpossible,hewentonthinkinguntilhecouldproduceevidenceforbothhisconfidenceandhisdisbelief.Evenifhisconclusionhadfinallyturnedoutwrong,itwouldhavebeenadifferentsortofbelieffromthoseitantagonized,becauseitwasreachedbyadifferentmethod.Active,persistent,andcarefulconsiderationofanybelieforsupposedformofknowledgeinthelightofthegroundsthatsupportit,andthefurtherconclusionstowhichittends,constitutesreflectivethought.Anyoneofthefirstthreekindsofthoughtmayelicitthistype;
butoncebegun,itisaconsciousandvoluntaryefforttoestablishbeliefuponafirmbasisofreasons.
2.TheCentralFactorinThinking
Thereisacommonelementinalltypesofthought:
Thereare,however,nosharplinesofdemarcationbetweenthevariousoperationsjustoutlined.Theproblemofattainingcorrecthabitsofreflectionwouldbemucheasierthanitis,didnotthedifferentmodesofthinkingblendinsensiblyintooneanother.Sofar,wehaveconsideredratherextremeinstancesofeachkindinordertogetthefieldclearlybeforeus.Letusnowreversethisoperation;
letusconsiderarudimentarycaseofthinking,lyingbetweencareful