AT and burglars

Hi friends and collegues,

I'm translating Alexander's book ”The Use of the Self”. Not a simple task, so I would really appreciate your thoughts on the subject! I have written some raw versions of the first chapter “The Evolution of a Technique” and have now reverted to Dewey's Introduction.

Dewey writes: “They [the readers of the book UoS] will find a series of such observations in which the mind is carried from observation of comparatively coarse, gross, superficial connections of causes and effect to those causal conditions which are fundamental and central in the use which we make of ourselves.”

When I had just started taking Alexander lessons I remember one of my teachers said that the technique will help to make your performance better, regardless on what you do. If you are a burglar the technigue will make you a better burglar, he said. I’m not sure that Dewey would agree with that. He doesn’t speak of moral in the Introduction of ”The Use of the Self” but he speaks of it in his other introductions to Alexander’s books. For instance in ”The Man’s Supreme Inheritance” he speaks about physical and moral health. I think this comes down to the old question of nature versus nuture. Is there in our DNA - or somewhere - some info that prohibits us from hurting other human beings? So that when we have inner harmony and are in balance both mentally and physically, this info is allowed to work and we won’t harm others. And possibly even want to be of use to others and our whole society?

And here some other usefull translations, I hope!

kommentoi kirjoitusta = comment on the post
kommentti = comment
nimi = name (you can use an alias also)
kotisivun osoite = home page address (not obligatory)
sähköpostiosoite = email address (if you want to be automatically informed that someone has commented)