Human Nature and Conduct

Human Nature and Conduct by John Dewey

The work explores the intricate relationship between human habits, impulses, and the environment, emphasizing that habits are not merely personal traits but are shaped by social contexts. It argues that habits function similarly to physiological processes, requiring interaction with the environment to manifest effectively. The author critiques the traditional view of morality as an individualistic trait, asserting that moral actions are deeply embedded in social interactions and conditions. The text posits that habits are akin to arts, requiring skill and technique, and that moral dispositions should not be viewed as isolated characteristics but as adaptations influenced by both personal capacities and external forces. The author highlights the importance of recognizing the social dimensions of moral behavior, arguing that conduct is inherently social and that individuals cannot be held solely responsible for their actions without considering the societal context that shapes them. The work further discusses the role of impulse in human behavior, suggesting that impulses can lead to both constructive and destructive outcomes depending on how they are channeled. It emphasizes the need for a balance between impulse and habit, advocating for a dynamic interplay that allows for growth and adaptation in response to changing circumstances. The author critiques the notion of fixed moral standards, arguing that morality must evolve with societal changes and that rigid adherence to outdated customs can stifle progress. Instead, the text calls for a more flexible understanding of morality that accommodates the complexities of human behavior and the diverse influences of social environments. In conclusion, the work advocates for a holistic view of human nature that recognizes the interplay of habits, impulses, and social conditions, urging a reevaluation of moral frameworks to better reflect the realities of human conduct. It emphasizes the necessity of fostering environments that encourage positive habits and constructive impulses, ultimately aiming for a more just and equitable society.

By John Dewey · First published 1922 · Genre: Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology · 27 chapters · 86,953 words

First lines

Habits may be profitably compared to physiological functions, like breathing, digesting. The latter are, to be sure, involuntary, while habits are acquired. But important as is this difference for many purposes it should not conceal the fact that habits are like functions in many respects, and especially in requiring the cooperation of organism and environment. Breathing is an affair of the air as truly as of the lungs; digesting an affair of food as truly as of tissues of stomach. Seeing involves light just as certainly as it does the eye and optic nerve. Walking implicates the ground as well as the legs; speech demands physical air and human companionship and audience as well as vocal organs. We may shift from the biological to the mathematical use of the word function, and say that natural operations like breathing and digesting, acquired ones like speech and honesty, are functions of the surroundings as truly as of a person. They are things done by the environment by means of organic structures or acquired dispositions. The same air that under certain conditions ruffles the pool or wrecks buildings, under other conditions purifies the blood and conveys thought. The outcome depends upon what air acts upon. The social environment acts through native impulses and speech and moral habitudes manifest themselves. There are specific good reasons for the usual attribution of acts to the person from whom they immediately proceed. But to convert this special reference into a belief of exclusive ownership is as misleading as to suppose that breathing and digesting are complete within the human body. To get a rational basis for moral discussion we must begin with recognizing that functions and habits are ways of using and incorporating the environment in which the latter has its say as surely as the former.

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Philosophy · Psychology · Humanism · Behavioral Science · Social Theory · Ethics · Morality · Conduct · Human Nature · Sociology · Anthropology · Cultural Studies

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