We have thus fields of consciousness, that is the first general fact: and the second general fact is that the concrete are always complex. They contain sensations of our bodies and of the objects around us, memories of past experiences and thoughts of distant things, feelings of satisfaction and dissatisfaction, desires and aversions, and other emotional conditions, together with determination of the will, in every desire of permutation and combination. (p. 8)
James discussion of how the mind is always receiving, retrieving and analyzing information is very interesting. I found that this particular passage I had to read several times, not because it was difficult to comprehend the concept but because there were so many other things I was thinking about. I agree that we do drift in our thinking to areas that we tend to be more drawn to. In the classroom day dreaming becomes a monumental challenge for any teacher, how does a teacher compete with all the external stimulus which dominate the mind of students?.
Great question. I think this is why James began his talks with this important reminder to teachers about what they're up against.
ReplyDelete