Adams Family Values

Astral Facts, October 2012

Astral: (Theosophy) Consisting of, belonging to, or designating, a kind of supersensible substance alleged to be next above the tangible world in refinement; as, astral spirits; astral bodies of persons; astral current.

Adams Family Values

At our house we often read something for inspiration or insight between the evening meal and dessert.  Sometimes we pick a short selection from one of the “Chicken Soup” type sources.  Other times we read from collections of writings from famous figures from the past.  Not only is this a way to expose our children to such materials, but my wife grew up in Austria, so she enjoys hearing some of the short fiction selections that I cover in my classes in order to fill in gaps her background of American culture. 

In this way, we have been able to discuss ideas expressed by people such as Jonathan Swift, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Abraham Lincoln, Plato, Ernest Hemmingway, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, John Steinbeck, Confucius, Machiavelli, Mark Twain, Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, James Joyce, etc. during dessert and before the children scatter to watch episodes of The Office, face challenges in World of Warcraft, update their Facebook pages, etc. 

Recently we read a selection from The Spirit of America, a collection of early American writings edited by William Bennett.  The selection was quite short – just excerpts from a couple of short newsy letters between John and Abigail Adams in 1776 and 1780 regarding the choice of the national seal for the new republic.  Such short selections are usually chosen by one of the children, based on length rather than content, but often these short pithy bits offer a lot to chew on for the Humanities Scientist within us all.  This is especially true in times like this when we are bombarded by the campaign ads and ethical choices they draw upon (or contradict).

In the initial letter, dated August 14, 1776, barely a month after the Declaration of Independence, Adams writes to his wife about the choices put forth by Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, followed by his own more secular choice:

Dr. F. [Benjamin Franklin] proposes a Device for a Seal. Moses lifting up his Wand, and dividing the Red Sea, and Pharaoh, in his Chariot overwhelmed with the Waters.—This Motto. Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God.

Mr. Jefferson proposed. The Children of Israel in the Wilderness, led by a Cloud by day, and a Pillar of Fire by night, and on the other Side Hengist and Horsa, the Saxon Chiefs, from whom We claim the Honour of being descended and whose Political Principles and Form of Government We have assumed.

I proposed the Choice of Hercules, as engraved by Gribeline in some Editions of Lord Shaftsburys Works. The Hero resting on his Clubb. Virtue pointing to her rugged Mountain, on one Hand, and perswading him to ascend. Sloth, glancing at her flowery Paths of Pleasure, wantonly reclining on the Ground, displaying the Charms both of her Eloquence and Person, to seduce him into Vice. But this is too complicated a Group for a Seal or Medal, and it is not original. http://www.masshist.org/publications/apde/portia.php?&id=AFC02d060

Here is a view of the concept: 

http://jaffro.net/files/Gribelin_Shaftesbury_Characteristics_Hercules.htm

A more colorful rendering is used in this YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idm2HxgUTpM&feature=related

When in Paris during the spring of 1780, Adams makes a further reference to this image in another letter to his wife with elaboration on its significance to him:

There is every Thing here that can inform the Understanding, or refine the Taste, and indeed one would think that could purify the Heart. Yet it must be remembered there is every thing here too, which can seduce, betray, deceive, deprave, corrupt and debauch it. Hercules marches here in full View of the Steeps of Virtue on one hand, and the flowery Paths of Pleasure on the other—and there are few who make the Choice of Hercules. That my Children may follow his Example, is my earnest Prayer: but I sometimes tremble, when I hear the syren songs of sloth, least they should be captivated with her bewitching Charms and her soft, insinuating Musick.

http://www.masshist.org/publications/apde/portia.php?id=AFC03d254

 In his preface to the selection, William Bennett notes that  at this fork in the road, the woman to Hecules’ left (Sloth) suggests taking the smooth path for an easy life of pleasure, while the other woman (Virtue) points to a more rugged upward path that will offer nothing except what he can make of it with his own work and strength. 

Bennett notes, “I have often told this story to audiences asking them which road they would choose.  Some simply disbelieve that anyone would choose the second road, but it is surprising how many choose it, still.  One young person has told me it sounded like the choice between television and homework” (225).

Perhaps this weekend I will sign up to referee some soccer matches in spite of the rain.  I might even  take a walk with my wife and enjoy the fall colors together with her before this season ends rather than being tied down by cable watching yet another game of another season. 

Walter Lowe
Astral Facts is a somewhat regular presentation of Humanities Science, produced in the bowels of the Humanities Science offices during the academic year.

Astral Facts, September 2012
Astral: (Theosophy) Consisting of, belonging to, or designating, a kind of supersensible substance alleged to be next above the tangible world in refinement; as, astral spirits; astral bodies of persons; astral current.

Stuff and Bother

29 September 2012,

Once again, we have made it through the month of September, when lots of issues come up as schools stagger into a new academic year. While we did endure recent issues with replacement sanitation workers and referees, last year’s teacher contract issues didn’t remerge to  cause further disruptions.  Of course, when we heard on the news that the drivers of the recycling trucks had rejected the contract offer that would have paid them $98,000 by the end of the six-year extension, my thirteen-year-old son was thinking it might be better to focus on a career as a garbage truck driver rather than the more glamorous but lower paying career on a SWAT team.  Fortunately, being more realistic and mature, I wasn’t swayed by such child-like thoughts, however, …..

In the background of the educational scenery, vibrations around “merit” pay and adequate compensation have been an issue for some time.  We’ve heard about the problems of attracting energetic young teachers in fields such as science and technology when they can look forward to several years of service before hitting the top of the salary scale at less than $60,000 per year, while the private sector jobs  have them starting at $75,000 and higher fresh out of school.  As they say, “you don’t have to be a rocket scientist ….”  Thus, the discussion around merit pay has delved into the area of perhaps having different pay scales for educators (and support staff) depending on the relative value of the disciplines of their expertise.

This is when those of us in the “Humanities Sciences” feel the attention toward the lack of attention in our direction.  In many ways, we are viewed as a stumbling block for the other disciplines, where their access to a variety of learning opportunities becomes constricted by required coursework in the Humanities Sciences.  As someone in another discipline once mentioned (perhaps it was on another campus where I used to teach), “My students can learn all they need to know about the Humanities through reading stuff on their own.”

Since I heard that reference several years ago, I’ve reflected on the stuff I've been reading on my own, and I’m wondering if perhaps the statement is quite accurate.  When I’m reading stuff on my own, I don’t run into many opportunities to consider the chemistry of protein digestion, the math principles allowing me to stream live video on my smart phone (if I could afford one), the configuration of support necessary to keep the concrete bridge floating when I cross Lake Washington, etc. 

This brings to mind an experience attending a basketball game as a senior at the UW in Hec Edmundson Pavilion (now the Alaska Airlines Arena and previously the Bank of America Arena).  During halftime Jim Griffin, one of my friends sitting next to me (majoring in one of those other disciplines), pointed at the steel beams on the ceiling and commented that he could figure how much stress was being placed on each of them.  That was over 40 years ago, and in spite of all the stuff I have read on my own, I still don’t have a clue how to come up with that answer myself.

However, I have noted that stuff related to Humanities Sciences pops up all the time when I read on my own.  Issues about ethics, references to literary works, images from art, and such seem to permeate the stuff we encounter regularly.  For example in last Sunday’s comics (September 23^rd), Sherman’s Lagoon brought up issues about the purpose behind certain behaviors.  In this text, the characters ask some philosophical questions, such as “what is the point of shopping if you don’t buy anything?”  (click on the graphic to view a larger version)

Further, the character asks, “If you do buy something, is it a bargain if you don’t need it?”  The female character concludes by stating, “I’m not sure I can answer that question!  It shakes the very foundation of the meaning of life for me!” 

Of course, someone could take a philosophy class and discuss the deeper implications of these questions and statements, but since the questions are already raised in the “stuff” we can all read on our own, maybe it wouldn’t be such an important class after all.  At any rate, probably the teacher wouldn’t deserve to be paid as much as someone teaching one of the more important classes where salaries are much higher in the private sector.  After all, how much does an ethicist earn in the private sector?

      In that same issue of the Sunday comics appearing in the Seattle Times, the Get Fuzzy cartoon also had stuff about the meaning of life and other philosophical questions.  Although the characters’ comments seem a bit fuzzy, I guess it just goes with the overall theme related to the title.  Although many of the references wouldn’t make sense if I didn’t recognize the original philosophical questions that are being misstated, I probably could have learned about those other questions by reading stuff on my own. 

Certainly if the discussion had been about some proton that had dropped an electron and was acting positive, I wouldn’t have a clue because that kind of information is not in the stuff I would read on my own.  Likewise, I wouldn’t react if someone told me the gas chromatograph went to the psychologist because of his separation anxiety.  Again, that’s not the kind of stuff I usually read about.  (Who does?)

On the other hand, since various components of Humanities “stuff” show up on a regular basis not only in the funny papers, but in references in campaign speeches, television sitcoms, video games, popular music, Disney movies,  and even scientific journals, perhaps maybe this “stuff” might be quite important after all.  For example, Barry Mazur, Professor of Mathematics at Harvard, recently spoke at a conference on “Number Theory as Gadfly,” where

Mazur describes number theory as a field which produces, without effort, innumerable problems which have a sweet, innocent air about them, tempting flowers; and yet... number theory swarms with bugs, waiting to bite the tempted flower-lovers who, once bitten, are inspired to excesses of effort!  (http://www.scienceandliterature.org/speakers)

Forty years ago, when Jim Griffin and I were at that basketball game contemplating the earthly forces pressing on the ceiling above us, he noted that, even though he could easily compute the amount of pressure on each of the beams, he wondered about any importance  in knowing those numbers.

Since the Humanities content shows up so regularly in the stuff around us that we read on our own, I guess we can also wonder about the value of the answers to the questions asked and discussed in the areas of the Humanities Sciences - including the reference implied by the title of this entry!

Walter Lowe
Astral Facts is a somewhat regular presentation of Humanities Science, produced in the bowels of the Humanities Science offices during the academic year.