Jordan Peterson with Rafe Kelley on Rough and Tumble Play and Parour
Parents need to play-tussle with children as soon as their musculoskeletal development allows it to be done safely. As the child grows older he needs to be gradually exposed to martial arts training in physical contact styles such as judo, aikido, and jiu jitsu. Wrestling is another excellent training for young children, if taught by coaches who understand how to ease the child into the training safely.
Western societies are currently suffering through a social phase where all forms of competition and touch-based play are forbidden by teachers who have themselves been starved for physical contact over their entire lifetimes.
Boys thrive on rough and tumble play, and often form their closest friendships out of physical competition and tussle.
Children Also Need to Learn “Nice Contact”
Boys also need to learn to dance with girls, in order to learn forms of nice contact and gentle contact. It is paradoxical that both rough and tumble play AND gentle contact dance have the effect on boys of calming them down, ultimately. If both of these contact forms are practised by boys from an early age, the likelihood of developing ADHD is much less.
Teaching Kids Parkour
Parkour involves running, jumping, climbing, scrambling, and more advanced forms of moving over changing terrain. As the child advances in technique over increasing levels of difficulty, he develops parts of his body and brain that cannot be developed any other way — particularly at young ages.
We fall a lot in parkour! In fact, sometimes we fail more than we succeed. It’s such a normal occurrence that we practice falling safety at every session: bounce backs, breakfalls, rolls. For each move, there are a variety of ways you can fall. We have to practice these in order to be safe.
Learning how to fail safely and get back up is crucial for kids’ emotional development. In parkour, failure is not only expected, it’s embraced. Kids, like any other human, can be afraid of failure. Parkour helps children grapple with their fears and accomplish physical and mental challenges they never thought possible.
When children are deprived of rough and tumble play, contact dance, and fast paced competitive sport, they can suffer from an assortment of neurological impairments. More
The video above delves into a large number of related topics and is well worth watching in its entirety.
Acton is a unique school where students self-learn the things they need to be successful as adults. This includes teaching themselves math and English through books and online resources at school, but it also means self-learning to overcome obstacles, to deal kindly with others, and to develop motivation.
You have first chance in educating your own children. If you squander that chance, you take a huge risk with the future of your child’s mind.
Teachers do not generally have your child’s future welfare very high on their lists of priorities. They are more concerned with the immediate problems of their lives. You are your child’s champion, and if you do not do your job, being forewarned, there is no one else to blame.
The video above provides many useful reasons why conventional schools are destructive and out of control, and includes ways in which a better approach can be forged for your own children.
Jordan Peterson has immense knowledge and great insight, but he could sometimes exercise a bit more restraint when interviewing fascinating guests — he could listen more. But he makes up for his occasional lapses with the quality of his guests, as well as with the occasional gems he himself drops within his interruptions.
I suspect that more and more people will become aware that they are not alone in their frustration with the established schools and school systems. Not everyone can establish new schools of higher quality, but if you can, consider it.
Otherwise, look closely into the choices in your community, and you may find an excellent alternative to government education and other conventional “woke” approaches to education.
When training the Dangerous Child, it is important to addiction-proof him at an early age. Children are being exposed to potentially addictive substances while still quite young, by their peers and by older children and adults. If the child already has strong feelings against addictions and dependency, he will be better prepared for those inevitable confrontations that will occur.
Simply put, while the child is still an infant, parents must understand how natural hungers turn into perceived needs, which are then converted into drives that propel behavior.
Notice the considerable overlap in the definitions above. We are born with the ability to feel hunger (and other depletion states) long before we understand what the feeling means. But as we grow older and join social groups, we learn to expand our list of hungers and needs. If this expansion occurs on the subconscious level only — without any conscious insight into our internal feelings — we will be extremely vulnerable to outside pressures to accept the viewpoint of need that comes with our immediate social environment.
Need vs. Drive
Need
We need to do something that is necessary. We also have needs that are physiological, social, and emotional. There are needs that are pressing and urgent, but there are also needs that are not immediate but also intermediate such as the need for a safe environment, need for recreation, need for insurance etc. There are also other so called needs that are not even needs per se but rather our wants such as a big house, a big car, and vacations in exotic locations abroad, and so on. It is these wants that make us work hard all our life to be able to satisfy these needs. We are motivated to keep working to achieve these goals that we set for ourselves in life.
Drive
Drive is a state of mind that gets arisen from a need. When we are hungry, we are motivated or driven to act in ways that will help us in satisfaction of hunger. However, hunger is a primary drive. It is a state of imbalance that activates an organism to work in ways so as to achieve balance. If we think according to this theory and conceive of a situation when the primary drives of hunger, thirst, and sleep are satisfied, there is no drive for the organism until that achieves some imbalance. This theory called drive reduction was developed by Clark Hull and explained the motivation through drive reduction..
According to Clark Hull, human beings work to reduce the state of tension. Once a behavior is successful in reduction of drive, the likelihood of repetition of that behavior in future increases…
There are both biological drives such as hunger, thirst, sex etc. that dictate our behavior that takes us closer to the satisfaction of these drives and secondary or unlearned drives such as fear and curiosity that make us behave accordingly. In fact, curiosity is one drive that keeps human beings search, explore and learn new things in life.
It should be mentioned that Clark Hull’s theory of drive reduction is still important for many types of drive. Thrill sports such as skydiving and scuba diving in tight caves where you cannot turn around, represent special cases, and have little to do with normal everyday drive theory.
Most of this takes place below the level of consciousness. That works out fine for ordinary children as long as they are provided with good levels of love and guidance along the way. But for Dangerous Children, life is “speeded up” in many ways. Any child who is provided the knowledge and abilities of a Dangerous Child, must also be given the resilience and strength to resist injurious social pressures.
That means rehearsal games, beginning fairly early. Children can sense an enormous amount of meaning in social interaction, long before they can express themselves in words. As the child grows, he will become more sophisticated in detecting underlying motivations of people around him. Play rehearsal games can accelerate and augment this understanding significantly.
Many of these games will elicit temporary apprehension and fright. As long as these are kept within the bounds appropriate for the particular child(ren) involved, the recruitment of the child’s amygdala in the training can be effective and non-harmful. Children love to be frightened — within bounds and for brief periods of time, with ample time for recovery and explanation, if needed.
As the Dangerous Child grows older, he will provide all the frightening experiences he needs for himself — and more than you need as a parent.
Simply put, while the child is still an infant, parents must understand how natural hungers turn into perceived needs, which are then converted into drives that propel behavior.
It is a misconception to believe that a Dangerous Child should be isolated from his peers until he is at least 16 or 18. But the Dangerous Child should be prepared to interact with outsiders and outsider peers from a very young age. The common language of all children (and most humans of any age) is play. The Dangerous Child must be prepared to deal with situations where play goes wrong. But if he is given an early beginning in his training, that should not be a problem.
Experience is the Best Teacher
Adults are often impressed by children who exhibit large quantities of factual knowledge and advanced vocabulary well beyond their years. But what truly impresses the most accomplished adults is the child who displays skillful use of knowledge, language, AND physical abilities. I have never seen a 3 year old who is capable of skillfully operating a large construction crane for building a high rise. But if I had, I would have been very impressed.
All jokes aside, it is skills that are taught by experience — often complex and intricate experience — that impresses adults who are on admission committees of good schools or who hire new employees for difficult work. Hazardous experiences must first be simulated, as best as possible. Observation, simulation, basic skills learning under supervision, graduating to more and more potentially hazardous skills, step by step as expertise is demonstrated at each level.
Dangerous Children learn to teach themselves didactic material from the age of 8 or 10. They learn to teach themselves practical beginning by the age of 12. And they will have learned at least three ways to support themselves financially by the age of 18. After that, they can put themselves through further schooling as they wish.
Advanced Societies are Losing Too Many People to Addictions
Drug addiction is a highly personal matter. If the person is resistant to the idea of passive dependency on any substance, he is less likely to surrender to an addiction. There are no drug laws or drug enforcement agencies that can keep a person from being addicted, if he is so inclined.
The high numbers of addicts and drug overdose deaths in every country suggests that these societies are losing human infrastructure that they cannot afford to lose.
The answer is almost always to improve the human infrastructure in every way possible. Making young minds stronger, more self-reliant, and more resistant to the outside pressures that try to make them weaker and more dependent.
Not every child can be a Dangerous Child. But in a rational society, most children would be encouraged to acquire strength and fortification against injurious outside social pressure. Instead, most cultural institutions seem to be at work tearing down the personal strengths of children and making them more vulnerable to indoctrination and groupthink pressures.
That is one more reason why training such as Dangerous Child training is so important at this time.
A child is born with innate reflexes, instincts, predispositions, aptitudes, and limitations. When confronted with the outside world, the child begins to assimilate experiences of the world into his internal milieu — and he is permanently changed, every single day.
What Does That Have to Do With Dangerous Children and Politics?
Consider how a child’s experiences combine with his innate dispositions to create knowledge, science, and wisdom — leading to philosophy:
Experience is the first and basic level of knowledge. The Greeks called experience empeiria, which is at the basis of such English philosophical terms as:
empirical: which means based on the data of the senses, especially if that data can be presented in a quantifiable manner. empiricism: the philosophical doctrine that knowledge consists primarily (or only) in sensations, and that ideas are sophisticated combinations of sensations stored in memory. The most radical and thorough empiricist was probably David Hume (1711-1776) empeiria or empiria: sometimes used to mean sense experience in general…
Science is the next level of knowledge. This is a knowledge that does not consist in a store of facts, but in general principles of cause and effect…
Wisdom, which the Greeks call sophia is a knowledge of causes and principles as is science, but it differs from science. Science looks for general principles in a certain defined domain. Every new law that a science is able to understand in turn is treated like a principle (a starting point in explanation). However, the scientist is a specialist. His expert knowledge of principles applies within a certain domain. One reason for this is that different sciences apply different methods, and the same methods cannot be used to answer every sort of question. Wisdom is as knowledge of first principles of all being…
Philosophy is the search for wisdom, the discipline that cultivates wisdom, as the knowledge of first principles known by the natural light of the intellect… __ Philosophy and Wisdom
Politics Falls in the Realm of Ideology, Which is Quite Different from Philosophy
The difference between philosophy and ideology is a crucial distinction, for anyone who wishes to understand the world and the best way for him to live in the world.
There are very fundamental differences between philosophy and ideology. Ideology refers to a set of beliefs, doctrines that back a certain social institution or a particular organization. Philosophy refers to looking at life in a pragmatic manner and attempting to understand why life is as it is and the principles governing behind it.
Philosophy tries to understand the world, and to find good ways of living in the world.
Ideology underlies the construction and propagation of organisations for change, such as religions, political movements, and all types of activist organisations. Look for instances of war, genocide, terrorism, enslavement, and mass murder, and you are likely to find an ideology behind them — for purposes of justification if nothing else.
Not all ideologies are put to bad purpose, of course. But because ideological organisations are put to the use of a small number of controlling elites, they can be easily turned to corrupt and cruel ends.
The Dangerous Child Method is Applied in Unique Fashion to Each Child
The purpose of Dangerous Child training is to facilitate the unfolding of the potential of each child according to his aptitudes, inclinations, and the wisdom he is able to develop. Each Dangerous Child will “go his own way,” according to a unique combination of several individual factors. Networking and cooperation with other Dangerous Children and with Dangerous Communities, will usually be ad hoc in nature, for purposes of establishing critical infrastructure which suppports the building of an abundant and expansive human future.
This is quite different from “saving the world,” which is the oft-stated aim of many ideologies. When an ideologue talks about “saving the world,” he is talking about forcing the world to conform to the strictures of his own ideology.
Each Dangerous Child Builds His Own Unique Ideology
The Dangerous Child “philosophy” can branch and morph to take many forms. But when appled to the world in the form of “ideology,” the philosophy builds a unique ideology of action suited specifically to the one child.
Dangerous Children are contrarian in nature when it comes to established modes of thinking. They are allergic to pre-fabricated thinking systems such as established ideologies, and reject them out of hand. Any attempt to indoctrinate, brainwash, or “consciousness raise” a Dangerous Child is apt to be met with polite dismissal, at first. Continued attempts at programming a Dangerous Child are likely to be met with progressively firmer signs of rejection — and any would-be indoctrinator would be wise to desist before the attempt reaches a certain level.
Dangerous Children Do Practise an Ideology, But it is Unique to Themselves
Because they have so much energy, competence, and aptitude, Dangerous Children are moved to act in the world in such a way as to change it in ways that they see as “better” — creating a more abundant and expansive human future while at the same time building a successful base of operations. Each Dangerous Child has his own ideas for going about this task in a peaceful and generally non-confrontational manner.
Remember, by age 18, each Dangerous Child will have mastered at least three ways of supporting himself financially, and will be more than prepared to face the world on his own psychologically and emotionally. And he never stops learning and developing new skills and competencies. This type of independence inevitably generates a certain attitude toward life, an attitude of confidence built upon multiple strong competencies.
And so, other than for purposes of building critical infrastructure of independent living, Dangerous Children do not often bind themselves together for purposes of “change action.” They will cooperate in enterprises of business, research, exploration, and innovation. But they tend to move and grow far too quickly for any currently known political, religious, or activist organisations and ideologies.
The Life of A Dangerous Child Involves a Unique Lifelong Packing and Unpacking of Knowledge, Wisdom, and Philosophy
Think of it as being analogous to the way that DNA is constantly being packed and unpacked in the cell nucleus, to support all the functions of living. Each tissue type enlists different sets of DNA “competencies,” depending upon whether it is liver, brain, heart, bone, etc. In the same way, each Dangerous Child will combine a unique set of competencies, inclinations, and wisdoms to generate his own way of acting in the world — his own unique ideology.
It is not the same, of course. We are born with our DNA and it functions more or less independently of our conscious control. But a wise parent will begin packing a Dangerous Child’s experience and inclination from before birth — even before conception. And the work begins in earnest at birth. But it is happy work — although intense and unrelenting — because each Dangerous Child is learning to pack and unpack his own experience, knowledge, and wisdom in order to find his own best way of living in the world. And that is something that no one else can do for him.
This is a classic piece by a father who temporarily lost sight of the stages of childhood. It is a helpful reminder for all who have small children, with tender hearts.
Father Forgets
Listen, son: I am saying this as you lie asleep, one little paw crumpled under your cheek and the blond curls stickily wet on your damp forehead. I have stolen into your room alone. Just a few minutes ago, as I sat reading my paper in the library, a stifling wave of remorse swept over me. Guiltily I came to your bedside.
There are the things I was thinking, son: I had been cross to you. I scolded you as you were dressing for school because you gave your face merely a dab with a towel. I took you to task for not cleaning your shoes. I called out angrily when you threw some of your things on the floor.
At breakfast I found fault, too. You spilled things. You gulped down your food. You put your elbows on the table. You spread butter too thick on your bread. And as you started off to play and I made for my train, you turned and waved a hand and called, “Goodbye, Daddy!” and I frowned, and said in reply,
“Hold your shoulders back!”
Then it began all over again in the late afternoon. As I came up the road I spied you, down on your knees, playing marbles. There were holes in your stockings. I humiliated you before your boyfriends by marching you ahead of me to the house. Stockings were expensive‐and if you had to buy them you would be more careful! Imagine that, son, from a father!
Do you remember, later, when I was reading in the library, how you came in timidly, with a sort of hurt look in your eyes? When I glanced up over my paper, impatient at the interruption, you hesitated at the door. “What is it you want?” I snapped. You said nothing, but ran across in one tempestuous plunge, and threw your arms around my neck and kissed me, and your small arms tightened with an affection that God had set blooming in your heart and which even neglect could not wither.
And then you were gone, pattering up the stairs. Well, son, it was shortly afterwards that my paper slipped from my hands and a terrible sickening fear came over me. What has habit been doing to me?
The habit of finding fault, of reprimanding‐this was my reward to you for being a boy. It was not that I did not love you; it was that I expected too much of youth. I was measuring you by the yardstick of my own years.
And there was so much that was good and fine and true in your character. The little heart of you was as big as the dawn itself over the wide hills. This was shown by your spontaneous impulse to rush in and kiss me good night. Nothing else matters tonight, son. I have come to your bedside in the darkness, and I have knelt there, ashamed!
It is feeble atonement; I know you would not understand these things if I told them to you during your waking hours. But tomorrow I will be a real daddy! I will chum with you, and suffer when you suffer, and laugh when you laugh. I will bite my tongue when impatient words come. I will keep saying as if it were a ritual: “He is nothing but a boy‐a little boy!”
I am afraid I have visualised you as a man. Yet as I see you now, son, crumpled and weary in your cot, I see that you are still a baby. Yesterday you were in your mother’s arms, your head on her shoulder. I have asked too much, too much.
There is a period of time in a child’s life when the young heart responds well to love from the object of his admiration and respect. If that period is not made good use of, some children can be lost forever. If the child is very brave or the parent is incurably hardheaded, the parent may never understand what has happened.
There is a school where criminals go to learn the skills of the trade. It’s called prison, and the punishments for not paying attention are severe. One of the most important lessons is how to spot an easy target:
A favorite target of the criminal are those citizens who appear weak or elderly. Just like the lion on the plains of Africa, they will single out the old or infirm, and for the same reason; they are an easier target. Now, we can’t do anything about our age and we can often do little about being infirm. But we do have the power to get in as good a physical shape as possible our particular situation. We can also realize, as the years and miles go by, that we look like easy pickings and do something about it. It may just mean that we rely more on friends and family for support and protection. It does mean that we never give up on training, practice, and finding ways to make ourselves a harder target.
Criminals also like victims who are preoccupied and not paying attention. It is simply easier to slip up on this kind of victim and gain control before they are really aware of what is going on. Some years ago, I visited with an armed robber who told me that his favorite convenience store clerks were young women. He said they would often stand behind the counter, reading a magazine, totally oblivious to what was going on around them. And, today, you might notice how many people you see walking around with their head down, engrossed in their smartphone.
It is also the preoccupied citizen who continually forgets to lock their doors, at home and in the car. They are also the people who wander around the big parking lot because they can’t seem to remember where they parked their car. For whatever reason, they are not paying attention to what is going on around them and this makes them a likely candidate for the criminal.
The young and small are likewise seen as soft targets by criminal predators. But some young, small people are clearly less vulnerable than others. Youngsters with their heads up, always scanning their vicinity, without earbuds or headphones, not playing with their iPhones or videogames as they walk — but constantly aware of what is happening around them and showing no signs of fear.
Dangerous Children, of course, will always be in possession of at least 10 concealed lethal weapons and will be well practiced in their use.
Here’s more on being a hard target:
Walk with a purpose, and when you are alone don’t appear weak.
Speak with authority when a stranger approaches and never negotiate your own security with a stranger in the name of politeness. Avoid soft responses like “maybe.” Or “Sorry.” Or “I think I’ve got it.” Instead, you need to be firm and say “No.”
We live in a world where helicopter parents have made children and young people weak, dependent, and fearful. Instead of having been taught to watch out for themselves, they were instead limited unnecessarily at every turn in their upbringing. Their parents meant well, but by not exposing their children to the rough and tumble of the real world, they have turned their children into likely victims.
I’ve noticed a huge uptick in the numbers of kids who are afraid of trying something new or hard. Many of them are afraid just to think anything that seems new to them, or the least bit difficult. Kids who are learning to walk or talk or ride a bicycle are not naturally afraid of failing. They just keep trying until they can do it. So where are the vile and despicable people who are teaching our kids to be afraid of trying new things?
The “success industry” is full of books, magazine articles, and speakers that tell us how to keep trying. But kids don’t tend to look at things like that. If the parent doesn’t get the idea of “bouncing back from failure” permanently introduced into the child’s mind, it is certain that society and the educational system is going to teach them to be afraid of failure.
1. Optimism. Find the benefit in every bad experience.
Thomas Edison redefined the failures in his experiments as “10,000 ways that won’t work.” He expected failure and counted it as one of the costs of finding a way that would work. By finding the benefit in the failure, he was able to keep attempting something great.
Optimism is not limited to a few people as a personality trait. Optimism is a choice. And while it doesn’t guarantee immediate positive results, it does result in higher motivation and stronger character.
2. Responsibility. Change your response to failure by accepting responsibility.
When we fail at something, it’s easy to blame someone or something else. Perhaps the circumstances or the people that we worked with. But failure is a learning opportunity. If I blame someone else, I’m just cheating myself out of that lesson.
Responsibility is more important than reputation. And it tends to lead to reward, which can lead to more responsibility. Your willingness to take responsibility marks you as someone who’s mature and can be trusted to learn from the failure and keep trying.
3. Resilience. Say goodbye to yesterday.
The ability to move on from failure is key to continuing to attempt great things. The mind can only focus on so much, so if we’re still too focused on what we did wrong, we can’t give all of our attention to attempting to do things right.
Here are five behaviors of people who haven’t gotten over past difficulties:
Comparison. Either measuring your failures against those of others, or convincing yourself that your circumstances were harder than theirs.
Rationalization. Telling yourself and others that you have good reasons for not getting over past hurts and mistakes. Believing that those who encourage you “just don’t understand.”
Isolation. Pulling back and keeping yourself separate from others, either to avoid dealing with the issues, or to continue to feel sorry for yourself.
Regret. Getting stuck lamenting or trying to fix things that cannot be changed.
Bitterness. Feeling like a victim and blaming others for negative outcomes.
4. Initiative. Take action and face your fear.
When we make mistakes and then consider trying again, we all feel some measure of fear. Facing the unknown, we easily come up with a list of things to worry about. But the act of worrying doesn’t help us at all in accomplishing our goals. As Corrie ten Boom said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.
Just believing that failure can be good isn’t enough to help us succeed. We need to act on that belief and take a step forward again in pursuit of our dream. Only then do we learn from our mistakes and make progress.
Children who have fallen into the fearful traps above are usually easy to spot. By the time these behaviors become fixed, your work is certainly cut out for you in trying to convince him to start taking bigger and bigger risks of failure. But for most kids, learning that the world doesn’t end just because they fail a few times in the middle of learning something hard, is the best path to resilience — and getting back up time after time.
But remember — the child will watch you closely to test your reaction to every failure. If you laugh at him or otherwise show contempt for his sincere efforts to learn, you are making the steep uphill slog even steeper. You have to show the way, for it is your example that speaks louder than any of your words.
The developed world is filling up with cute trophy kids with self-esteem that is sky-high. They have no skills, competencies, or achievements to speak of. But they’ve always been told by their parents how special and how smart they are — why, “you can do anything you set your mind to, you’re so special!”
And so we are filling up schools and universities with narcissists and self-centered sociopaths who expect the world to be handed to them on a platter — but who on their own will never amount to anything.
In the old days, kids had to actually win a competition to get a trophy or a medal. Today’s trophy kids just have to show up and look cute. Their parents will make sure they get a trophy. No rites of passage for these special little things.
Kids don’t know any better. If their parents groom them for narcissism, their trajectories are set — unless a spoiler arrives on the scene in the nick of time to upset carefully laid plans.
An obsession with image, a constant concern with how one is perceived, has the effect of turning life into a performance, demoting others to the role of mere spectators. Nothing is genuine or sincere or authentic, but instead everything is done for the sake of the impression it creates on others. Everybody is Willy Loman, worried about being “well-liked.”
To hell with all that. Life as an endless high-school popularity contest is only interesting to people whose egos are so badly damaged they are consumed with a self-hate which they attempt to mask with sociopathic manipulations. They deliberately cause problems and then blame others for the problems they’ve caused, because their entire lives are an evasion of responsibility. They are incapable of recognizing themselves as the source of their own problems, because this would require them to admit error, a recognition of personal shortcoming that their fragile egos could never withstand.
They may be cute, but they are certainly not special. Not a tiny fraction as special as their parents think they are, parents who are too busy grooming sociopathic narcissists to stop and consider what they are doing.
Here’s what a therapist should say: “too perfect” parents who coddle and overprotect their kids aren’t doing it for their kids, they are doing it for themselves, in defense of their own ego; and that, not the bike helmets, is why their kids end up adrift and confused. The problem isn’t that kids are too wussy to go out and play, but that their parents do not trust themselves, their generation (“if I graduated Wellesley and I’m this stressed out, that other mom must be a pedophile”), their impulses and instincts, so kids must be dandelions made of cotton candy in a rainstorm made of lava, which makes no sense yet it makes perfect sense: paranoia. Ego vs. reality, and you can’t appraise either. And then one day your kid is punched by some bully raised by Nascar fans or baby mommas and you shut down the school because you think the problem is the bully. The problem is you. The bully may have punched your Edward in the belly but you mobilized a school district to DEFCON 2, who has more power? Who is the biggest bully?(3)
The problem is you are in therapy not to become better parents or to do better work but to… to what? Do you have any idea?
More than likely kids overcome all this, everybody finds their own way, but to those who feel stuck the only solution is to forsake all attempts at figuring out who you are, conveying who you are– because you aren’t anybody yet– and just accomplish stuff, yet be ready to discover in 50 years that the sum total of your life’s real accomplishments may be very different than what you expected, and it must be enough. In the irreplaceable words of Marshall McLuhan: “there’s nothing God hates more than some mofo with a cable subscription running out the clock.”
Look at the antifa/BLM riot generation. The generation of snowflakes and perpetual victims. They were always told how smart and special they were. They were told that they could do anything they wanted with their lives. But that was just a lie their own narcissistic parents told them.
For those who are committed to raising Dangerous Children with broad skills and competencies — who will be able to support themselves financially at least three different ways by the age of eighteen — it just means that skills shortages in the overall population will grow acutely worse. Running a business will get harder because competent employees will get much harder to come by. There are likely to be a lot more protests that turn into riots and city-burning fests, because even young adults with college degrees will be unqualified to do anything else outside the fields of protest, agitation, and “community organizing.”
Which means that deciding where you locate your homes and businesses will become much more important. Think it over. Whatever you do, don’t be part of the problem.
Individual children develop quirks of behavior for many reasons. Sometimes the umbilical cord is wrapped around their necks during labor, and sometimes they are dropped on their heads at birth. But in this age of mostly competent obstetrical and neonatal care, curious traits of personality and behavior usually occur for subtler reasons than those.
Complex heredity plays a strong role in the personality that a child will display both early, middle, and late.
… social potency is 61% influenced by genes; traditionalism, 60%; stress reaction, 55%; absorption (having a vivid imagination), 55%; alienation, 55%; well-being, 54%; harm avoidance (avoiding dangerous activities), 51%; aggression, 48%; achievement, 46%; control, 43%; and social closeness, 33 percent.
As mentioned above, heredity of personality traits, cognitive styles, and character, is very complex, and changes somewhat over time — growing stronger with advancing age.
The first law of behavioral genetics is that all human behavioral traits are heritable; the second law is that the effect of being raised in the same family is smaller than the effect of genes. The third law merely qualifies that much of the complexity of human behavior is not accounted for by genes or families. Five years later, a team of behavioral geneticists proposed a fourth law, which accounted for advances in molecular biology: “A typical human behavioral trait is associated with very many genetic variants, each of which accounts for a very small percentage of the behavioral variability.” In other words, it takes many genes to create one personality trait.
So are children genetically predisposed to certain traits? “The answer is clearly yes,” explains Philipp Koellinger, who studies how genes influence economics at the University of Amsterdam. “Children resemble their parents both for genetic and for environmental reasons, but genetics contribute to almost all traits to some extent, even for things like subjective well-being or political affiliation.” And those influences only become stronger with time.
Environment also plays a part, as when the darling of the house is “replaced” by a new baby, who seems to get all the attention. Sibling jealousy can lead to murder or it can lead to a more complex long term entanglement often involving abusive behavior patterns that can persist and grow ever more byzantine in nature.
It is the job of parents to monitor inter-sibling interactions. This is not merely to prevent siblings from harming each other, but also to prevent siblings from nurturing an internal personality dynamic which is deeply harmful to himself, apart from others. If the older sibling hones abusive behaviors on younger siblings, he may later turn these tendencies against others that he comes across.
Sibling jealousy, including obsessing over who is “mommy’s favorite,” is one tipoff that unhealthy feelings toward another sibling are being harbored, nurtured, and obsessed over in an unhealthy way. If the obsessed sibling is also given responsibility over the younger sibling during formative times of the younger sibling’s development, one may witness the development of some odd quirks of behavior in the younger child, as a direct result of the older child’s “training” of the hapless younger child.
A wide range of entangled interactions — some benign and some less benign — can develop over the years, if the jealous child can hide his envy and keep its effects relatively subtle and out of sight.
All parents of siblings should be aware of the broad range of personality types which may display in their children — some of them quite different from the dominant personality traits of either parent. And they should always be on the lookout for signs of behavior that originates in inter-sibling combat or hostility of a deeper nature than that of the everyday give and take.
Parents who are attempting to raise Dangerous Children should be particularly on the lookout for potential imbalances in their children which can lead to troubling social behavior — first between siblings, and later in the larger world beyond.
Your children are not your children, and your child is not your friend or confidant.
Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness; For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable
Your children are not your possessions, they are not your prisoners, and they are not your friend and confidant.
You are your child’s authority—that’s your role and responsibility. Do you have an emotional relationship with your child? Yes. But if you try to be friends with your child, it comes at the cost of your authority, and it undermines your role as a parent.
Even worse is the phenomenon where the parent tries to fill all roles — including the role of the very harsh disciplinarian at one time and at another time the role of the close friend and confidant of deep and occult secrets.
No matter how much an expert a parent wants to be, it can be easy to let down one’s guard — especially with a favorite child with whom the parent may identify excessively. In such cases, one may forget the necessary boundaries and forget the necessary skepticism and “x-ray vision” with which a parent must always view the words and the antics of children.
Most children are given a horrible start in life. Left largely to the mercy of schools, peers, social media, mass media and mass entertainment, who can blame them for becoming vapid and easily manipulated by “celebrity culture” and by equally clueless peers? But what if kids were given something solid to work with, from the earliest years of their lives? Then they would be the actors, rather than the helplessly acted upon.
Whatever is at the center of our lives will be the source of our security, guidance, wisdom, and power.
Security represents your sense of worth, your emotional anchorage
Guidance means your source of direction in life
Wisdom is your perspective on life, your sense of balance
Power is the capacity to act, the potency to accomplish something
These four factors are interdependent. Security and clear guidance bring true wisdom. Wisdom becomes the spark or catalyst to release and direct power. When these four factors are harmonized together, they create the great force of a noble personality, a balanced character, a beautifully integrated individual. __ Adapted from Stephen Covey … The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
These are not “all or nothing” factors. They can each be charted on a continuum. Each can be developed and integrated with the others. But everything that a parent says to the child and each activity performed, should be said and done with those factors in mind.
Let’s go back to Covey’s idea of “center of influence vs. center of concern.”
Essentially, at the beginning, our circle of influence is rather small and we can control only a few things, most pertaining only to ourselves. At the same time, our circle of concern is huge and cluttered, leading to a feeling of helplessness/frustration. If we commit to focusing our energy on the things that we can control, we start changing from within. This in turn, changes dramatically the influence we have over others. So, we end up increasing the scope of our circle of influence while at the same time crowding out clutter from our circle of concern.
Try to see things from the child’s point of view.
If you want to raise responsible, self-disciplined children, you have to keep the end clearly in mind as you interact with your children on a daily basis. You can’t behave toward them in ways that undermine their self-discipline or [self confidence]. __ 7 Habits
Imagine new generations of children who are raised to be integrated, harmonized, and grounded in wisdom. Imagine if they are given true competence to act in the world. Imagine the power they might bring to the challenges of the future. Then contrast them with the generations of thugs, arsons, terrorists, and violent insurrectionists who haunt the cities of the modern world.
Much of the chaos of the world is the result of parents abdicating their responsibility to their children — both born and unborn.
Note: It was many years ago that the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” was recommended to me. But since I had read so many self-help books and psychology books already, I decided to skip this one. Now, after receiving yet another recommendation, I am taking a closer look. And the ideas are proving very provocative.
Sometimes it is not the ideas in a book which are helpful, but rather the way the ideas are put together. And sometimes you just have to read them at the right time for them to have an impact.
Parents who are intent upon raising a Dangerous Child will find helpful guidance in a wide range of sources. Never stop searching for new ideas.
All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits,—practical, emotional, and intellectual,—systematically organized for our weal or woe, and bearing us irresistibly toward our destiny, whatever the latter may be. __ William James in 1892
Our habits make us who we are. Once learned, these habits tend to be unconscious from start to finish. Clearly it is best to learn good habits well, beginning in childhood. Habits of thought, habits of action — the principle is the same.
The typical “habit loop” consists of a “cue” — a “craving” — a “routine” — and a “reward.” Something inside or outside of us triggers a conscious or unconscious cue. This cue calls up a craving which then motivates us to perform a routine. Successful performance of the routine results in a reward. To set good habits for young children, we need to exercise some ingenuity to make the learning of good habits as easy as possible.
Making a New Habit Easy
Jim Cathcart’s tale of the running shoes:
I needed an action that I knew I could get myself to do, so I set a minimum commitment: Even if I could not make myself run every day, at least I could make myself available for a run. I grabbed a piece of paper, picked up my pen, and wrote, “I will put on my jogging shoes and walk outside to the curb every day, no matter what else is going on.” __ The Self-Motivation Handbook by Jim Cathcart
By setting an easy goal, Jim Cathcart built a lifelong habit of health and fitness that served him for 30 years and counting. Once he was at the curb with his jogging shoes on, it was easy to walk or run some distance on suitable days. This allowed him to drop 30 pounds to his ideal weight, and maintain ideal weight ever since.
BJ Fogg’s tale of dental floss:
I asked myself: How can I make flossing easier to do?
I came up with an answer I didn’t dare tell my hygienist. She would have been horrified.
I decided to floss just one tooth.
Seriously.
After I brushed my teeth in the morning I would floss just one tooth. __ BJ Fogg in Tiny Habits
Once you have flossed one tooth, it is easy to floss the rest.
James Clear’s “Make it Easy” advice on habits:
Habits are easier to build when they fit into the flow of your life. You are more likely to go to the gym if it is on your way to work . . .
The central idea is to create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible. Much of the battle of building better habits comes down to finding ways to [make good habits easier and bad habits harder].
Making the Habit Cue Easy and Obvious Reinforces the Behaviour
Putting a full bottle/thermos of water in plain sight and within easy reach makes it more likely that it will be used. The same principle applies to a toothbrush, a bath towel, dish-washing tools, or any other useful cue that helps to encourage a good habit.
Below is another way to look at the habit loop with the emphasis on the “hook” concept that is popular in writing, advertising, public speaking, and political/religious/military recruiting. In this approach, finishing the “habit lazy eight” with an investment, the author turns the loop into a growth tool.
The trigger is the actuator of a behavior—the spark plug in the Hook Model. Triggers come in two types: external and internal.
After the trigger comes the intended action.
Research shows that levels of dopamine surge when the brain is expecting a reward. Introducing variability multiplies the effect, creating a frenzied hunting state, activating the parts associated with wanting and desire. Although classic examples include slot machines and lotteries, variable rewards are prevalent in habit-forming technologies as well.
The last phase of the Hook is where the user is asked to do bit of work… now that the user’s brain is swimming in dopamine from the anticipation of reward in the previous phase, it’s time to pay some bills.
This approach to habit formation was new to me, but I am beginning to see that what I first thought was a “lazy eight” is actually an infinity sign. Just as in a loop, the infinity loop feeds back into itself, but it includes an “investment” step that raises the performance bar for the next time through — hence the reference to infinity (as in “approaching infinity”).
Remember, once habits are learned they tend to remain largely unconscious as long they fit smoothly into your routine. Newer habits are built on top of older habits or work alongside. Sometimes a new habit will displace an older habit if it seems to serve a purpose in a better way.
Since habit formation is such a crucial part of raising a child, we will be spending more time with the underlying ideas — and findings from cognitive science research that further our understanding of the underlying concepts of habit formation and dissolution.
So far as we are thus mere bundles of habit, we are stereotyped creatures, imitators and copiers of our past selves. And since this, under any circumstances, is what we always tend to become, it follows first of all that the teacher’s prime concern should be to ingrain into the pupil that assortment of habits that shall be most useful to him throughout life. Education is for behavior, and habits are the stuff of which behavior consists. __ William James
Some children hide behind a screen of indifference, boredom, or defiance when encouraged to devote time to their studies or to a new hobby that seems too challenging. This is less common in young children, but grows more common in the teenage years.
To solve the problem of a child’s lack of motivation, we need to return to first principles: Children, when they are not angry or discouraged, want to do well. They want to feel good about themselves—and about others. They want to earn our praise and approval, and they want us to be proud of them. Children say that they don’t care, but they do care.
Sustained effort is a different matter. Our ability to work hard, to sustain effort at any task, requires a feeling of accomplishment or progress along the way, and some confidence in our eventual success. All constructive activity involves moments of anxiety, frustration, and discouragement. Children who are “not motivated” too readily give in to these feelings; __ Source
If the milieu of learning incorporates too much “arousal,” if the child feels anxious — or if he is depleted by the environment and feels apathy — he will not feel motivated to learn, nor will he be in a proper state for learning most difficult tasks or concepts.
Most students have experienced this need to maintain optimal levels of arousal over the course of their academic career. Think about how much stress students experience toward the end of spring semester—they feel overwhelmed with work and yearn for the rest and relaxation of summer break. Their arousal level is too high. Once they finish the semester, however, it doesn’t take too long before they begin to feel bored; their arousal level is too low. Generally, by the time fall semester starts, many students are quite happy to return to school. This is an example of how arousal theory works. __ https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-psychology/chapter/theories-of-motivation/
Extrinsic vs Intrinsic Motivation
Motivation to learn or to complete a task is related to the full set of incentives that are perceived by the child. A child may respond well in the short-term to external incentives, but in the long run he will be better served by incorporating internal incentives inside himself.
Intrinsically motivated behaviors are performed because of the sense of personal satisfaction that they bring. According to Deci (1971), these behaviors are defined as ones for which the reward is the satisfaction of performing the activity itself. Intrinsic motivation thus represents engagement in an activity for its own sake. For example, if you are in college because you enjoy learning new things and expanding your knowledge, you are intrinsically motivated to be there.
Extrinsically motivated behaviors, on the other hand, are performed in order to receive something from others or avoid certain negative outcomes. Theorists define extrinsic motivation as “engaging in an activity to obtain an outcome that is separable from the activity itself” (deCharms, 1968; Lepper & Greene, 1978). The extrinsic motivator is outside of, and acts on, the individual. Rewards—such as a job promotion, money, a sticker, or candy—are good examples of extrinsic motivators. Social and emotional incentives like praise and attention are also extrinsic motivators since they are bestowed on the individual by another person. __ https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-psychology/chapter/theories-of-motivation/
Good teachers can provide external incentives for learning — a supportive atmosphere for learning — but one cannot always count on having such support in every learning environment. For Dangerous Children self-teaching is based upon a network of intrinsic motivations that are cultivated inside the child from a time well before he can walk or talk.
Mastery and Performance Goals
Mastery goals tend to be associated with the satisfaction of mastering something—in other words, gaining control, proficiency, comprehensive knowledge, or sufficient skill in a given area (such as mastering the art of cooking). Mastery goals are a form of intrinsic motivation (arising from internal forces) and have been found to be more effective than performance goals at sustaining students’ interest in a subject. In one review of research about learning goals, for example, students with primarily mastery orientations toward a course they were taking not only tended to express greater interest in the course, but also continued to express interest well beyond the official end of the course and to enroll in further courses in the same subject (Harackiewicz, et al., 2002; Wolters, 2004).
Performance goals, on the other hand, are extrinsically motivated (arising from external factors) and can have both positive and negative effects. Students with performance goals often tend to get higher grades than those who primarily express mastery goals, and this advantage is often seen both in the short term (with individual assignments) and in the long term (with overall grade point average when graduating). However, there is evidence that performance-oriented students do not actually learn material as deeply or permanently as students who are more mastery-oriented (Midgley, Kaplan, & Middleton, 2001). __ Source
Grades and test scores are often used as motivators. But for many children and youth, the “knowledge” only lasts until the test or the class is over. After that it is almost all forgotten.
Children who are motivated toward mastery will find ways to tie new knowledge to older knowledge — particularly to relevant knowledge that has already been retained for significant periods of time because of its perceived relevance. Needless to say, new knowledge that is incorporated into practical knowledge skills, competencies, and sequences, are more likely to be retained and refreshed over a longer time scale.
More:
Motivation begins with interest. Interest leads to exploration and learning, and to the development of projects. Projects then become ambitions and goals. Like all of us, children want to do what they are “good at.” They want to shine and feel proud. And, again, they want us to be proud of them.
A child’s motivation is also sustained by ideals. Children want to become like, to learn from, and to earn the respect of the people they admire. Too often, we overlook this fundamental aspect of children’s motivation and emotional development. We do not stop often enough, I believe, to consider our idealization in the eyes of our children—how children look to us and look up to us—and how we remain for our children, throughout life, sources of affirmation and emotional support. __ PT
Young children crave the praise and approval of their parents and others they admire. For the purpose of learning most skills, this is enough motivation. As a child gets older, he tends to grow more critical of adult authority figures, but if the parents have treated him fairly and with respect, he will continue to enjoy displaying skill and competence to them, and will enjoy their praise. But with time, his own approval will be sufficient praise to motivate a continued mastery of more skills of living.
Gauss’ mathematics and
physics continued; general
thermodynamics, the work
of Boltzman Clausius and
Gibbs, Maxwell’s demon,
the inventions of Edison
and Tesla; the work of
Mendeleev and the
beginning of organic
chemistry; probability
theory as understood by
Gauss and Galton
Construction of AC
generators and regulators,
simple radios, light bulbs,
and recording devices;
begin design and
construction of simple
internal combustion
engine; experiments in
organic chemistry and
synthesis of organic
compounds
The life and work of
Charles Darwin and
Wallace, the evolution of
evolutionary ideas, the
theory of natural selection,
and the three laws of
thermodynamics; the work
of Pasteur continued
Each student gathers
evidence for and against
Darwinian evolution,
taking into account basic
genetic knowledge and
probability
10.25
12.25
Non-Euclidean geometry
and statistical mechanics;
introduction to systematic
probability theory and
statistics; continue work in
thermodynamics and
organic chemistry; the
work of W.R. Hamilton
and Henri Poincare is
studied
Continue work of previous
quarter; construct
interferometers and repeat
the Michelson/Morley
experiments; repeat
experiments of Planck to
derive Planck’s constant;
develop and derive the
special theory of relativity;
begin construction of
automobile; continue
internal combustion engine
project
Neo-Darwinian theories of
evolution and evolutionary
genetics up to R.A.
Fisher’s The Genetical
Theory of Evolution;
explain disease and
parasites in evolution
Do genetic experiments
with fruit flies and molds,
giving evidence for and
against neo-Darwinism,
theories of evolution,
bacteriology; systematic
study and laboratory work
10.50
12.50
The physics of the 20th
century, including the
General Theory of
Relativity up to the
discovery of quantum
mechanics, is presented as
a year course in modern
physics (with an advanced
calculus prerequisite) as it
might have been given at
Harvard, Cambridge, or
Gottingen in 1925;
physical and organic
chemistry, also a year
survey course; finish study
of Henri Poincare
Continue work on
automobile; repeat
experiments leading up to
Bohr atom; handmade
basic tubes for radio and
oscilloscope; construct a
more advanced radio and
oscilloscope using tubes;
make photocells,
synthesize organic
compounds
Introduction to cell
biochemistry and advanced
genetics; begin
chromatography and
electrophoresis for
separating common
biochemical constituents of
mammals
The chemical structure of
the constituents of life;
isolating nucleic acids and
proteins, determining their
properties through
chemical and
spectrographic analysis;
create genetic mosaics
10.75
12.75
Continuation of previous
quarter; relate physical
chemistry and organic
chemistry to biochemistry;
theory of x-ray machines
and electron microscopes
Continuation of previous
quarter; finish automobile;
study of x-ray machines
and electron microscopes;
organic chemistry
laboratory; motion pictures
Continuation of previous
quarter; introduction to x-ray crystallography and
electron microscopy for the
study of large molecules
and viruses
Continuation of previous
quarter; use of x-ray
crystallography to
determine chemical
structure; electron
microscopy of viruses and
large molecules
Psychosocial
Integration
Avg.
Level
Avg.
Age
Psychosocial Theory
Pyschosocial Practice
Integrative Theory
Integrative Practice
10.00
12.00
The theories of Marx and
Engels in detail, Das
Kapital and the Dialectics
of Nature; the ideas of
August LeComte and
social science in general;
the psychology of William
James
Critical essay on Marxism
and dialectic materialism;
what is wrong and what is
right about theory, what is
the scientific evidence for
and against the theory; why
is social science so full of
nonsense?
Ethical analysis of Marxist
philosophy and ethics; how
and why Marxism violates
the evolutionary ethic; read
The Brothers Karamazov
by Dostoyevsky
The music of Arnold
Schoenberg, the plays of
Frank Wedekind, the early
paintings of Picasso and
the Cubists; the opera Lulu
by Alban Berg is
performed
10.25
12.25
The philosophy of
Nietzsche and Spencer;
evolutionary ethics as
propounded by Spencer;
ethical Darwinism, an
introduction to the life and
ideas of Sigmund Freud,
the rise of racist fascism in
Europe
Essay comparing the neo-Darwinian ethics with
Marxism; the incipient
Lamarckianism in
Marxism compared to its
ethics; essay on European
racism and fascism
growing out of social
Darwinism
Ethical analysis of neo-Darwinian philosophy and
of social Darwinism; how
and why social Darwinism
and fascism violate the
evolutionary ethic; Freud
as a Newtonian
psychologist looking for
mechanistic explanations
which may not exist;
ethical implications of the
unconscious
The music of Richard
Strauss, Ein Heldenleben,
Also Sprach Zarathustra,
and the opera Elektra; Man
and Superman by G.B.
Shaw is also performed
10.50
12.50
World history from 1910
to 1925; the basic writings
of Lenin and a study of his
life; World War I and the
Russian Revolution, the
world fear of communism,
Leon Trotsky as an
idealized communist;
Freud’s later works
Essay on the origins and
consequences of World
War I; essay on the origins
and consequences of
communism in Russia;
essay on how the brilliant,
ethical Trotsky went wrong
and helped create a
Frankenstein
An ethical analysis of how
the Soviet Union betrayed
its own revolution and
turned into a monster; how
the centralization of power
makes corruption
inevitable; read Darkness
at Noon by Koestler and
Animal Farm by Orwell
The music of Prokofiev
and Shostakovich; the
films of Sergei Eisenstein,
including Ivan the Terrible;
perform the Shostakovich
opera Lady Macbeth of
Murmansk and
Mussorgsky’s Boris
Gudenov
10.75
12.75
World history 1925 to
1939; the basic writings of
Mussolini, Hitler, fascism,
Stalin, and Soviet
communism; a study of
Hitler and Stalin as
complementary
personalities who changed
history; early works of
Pavlov and Jung
Essay comparing the
conflicting ideologies and
economic factors leading to
World War II; what could
have been done to prevent
World War II; why the
United States was so
immune to both
communism and fascism
An ethical anlysis of how
capitalistic greed and the
political cowardice and
vindictiveness of the
European democracies
made World War II
inevitable; Read Winds of
War by Wouk
The music of Stravinsky,
the early art of Dali, the
films of Chaplin, Bu_nuel,
Lang, and Pabst, plus
Academy Award winners;
perform Hindemith’s opera
Mathis der Mahler and
Brecht’s Mahagonny
Begin advanced calculus
and partial differential
equations; detailed study
of the work of Lagrange
and Euler, the calculus of
variations from Newton to
Lagrange, elementary
probability theory from
Pascal to Cauchy and
LaPlace; applications in
optics, astronomy, theory
of heat
Begin construction of
simple steam engine,
making from scratch, doing
all machining of parts by
treddle-driven lathes and
water and windmill power;
check the detailed
mathematical models
against astronomical
observations
Conclusion of the study of
human anatomy and
embryology
Conclusion of dissections
and microscopic
observations; the general
functioning of the human
body has been observed
9.25
11.25
Continue work of previous
quarter; detailed theory of
steam engine, the work of
Lavoisier, Priestley, and
Dalton
Continue above project,
switching to electrical
machinery; do early
experiments in electricity
by Gauss, Coulomb,
Amp^ere, and Volta; the
atomic model of chemistry
and experiments
Begin study of animal
physiology and describe
biochemistry through mid
19th century; repeat
experiments of Helmholtz
in biophysics
Experiments in basic
physiology showing how
human body consumes
oxygen and produces
carbon dioxide; human
body as a heat engine
9.50
11.50
Continue work in
chemistry; the work of
LaPlace and Carnot, the
laws of thermodynamics,
the experiments of
Faraday; advanced studies
in partial differential
equations; wave mechanics
in optics; begin study of
the works of Gauss
Continue chemistry
experiments; finish work
on steam engine; test
efficiency using Carnot’s
concepts; begin repeating
the experiments of Faraday
and empirically derive the
basic laws of electricity
and magnetism, including
Ohm’s law
Animal physiology and
biochemistry continued;
the work and life of
Pasteur
Experiments in animal
physiology and
biochemistry continued
9.75
11.75
Maxwell’s work on the
wave theory of light and
the derivation of Maxwell’s
equations and their
applications; continue
study of Gauss’
mathematics and physics
Electromagnetic motors
and generators,
construction of batteries,
transmission of
electromagnetic waves,
early work of Tesla, the
telegraph and the wireless
constructed
A course in botany and
plant physiology; begin
experiments in plant
genetics after Gregor
Mendel
Study and dissection of
major plant species; field
studies, microscopic
dissection, plant breeding
per Gregor Mendel
Psychosocial
Integration
Avg.
Level
Avg.
Age
Psychosocial Theory
Pyschosocial Practice
Integrative Theory
Integrative Practice
9.00
11.00
Detailed analysis of the
American and French
Revolutions; detailed
analysis of the writings of
Jefferson and his
correspondence;
comparisons between
Jefferson, Washington, and
Napoleon; how Napoleon
betrayed the French
Revolution in the pursuit
of personal power; how the
U.S. government betrayed
the Libertarian ethic
Write essays comparing
the ethical course of the
American and French
Revolution; relate the
ethics of Spinoza to these
revolutions; relate to
evolutionary ethics and
show where they went
wrong
Artistic synthesis in the
early work of Goethe and
the music of Beethoven;
ethical synthesis in the
philosophy of Lessing,
Goethe, and Moses
Mendelssohn and their
interpretations of Spinoza
Reorchestrate and perform
Beethoven’s Grosse Fugue
for octet; read Goethe’s
prophetic poetry; write a
sequel to the Sorcerer’s
Apprentice
9.25
11.25
The philosophy of Kant,
biography, The Critique of
Pure Reason and The
Critique of Practical
Reason; compare to
Spinoza; Kant’s cosmology
compared to LaPlace;
explain Catholic hostility
Write essays on the
scientific and ethical
implications of Kant’s
philosophy; analyze in
terms of the evolutionary
ethic
Artistic synthesis
continued in the work of
Goethe and Beethoven;
Goethe’s Sorcerer’s
Apprentice and pessimism,
the romantic hope and self-delusion
Produce as a group project
Goethe’s Faust and
performance of
Beethoven’s Ninth
Symphony for several
octets
9.50
11.50
The philosophy of Hegel–how he could be so wrong
and so influential; Hegel
and the misinterpretation
of Spinoza; Hegel’s theory
of history and ethics; Hegel
as the father of Marxism
and Naziism; de
Tocqueville as a visionary
and prophetic historian
Essay explaining Hegel’s
influence through present
times; a comparison of
Spinoza and Hegel–how
could Hegel so
misunderstand Spinoza
and deceive himself and
others? Why was de
Tocqueville so accurate in
his predictions?
The romantic poets, Byron,
Shelley, and Wordsworth;
the art of Watteau,
Houdon, David, and
Degas; the music of
Berlioz and Liszt; Wagner
as the musical equivalent
of Hegel
Write epic poetry on a
hopeful future from a
romantic perspective; do a
musical satire on a Wagner
opera; paint a heroic
romantic painting
9.75
11.75
A history of the world
from 1775 to 1910;
development of major
ideas and philosophies,
with particular attention to
USA, Britain, France,
Germany, Japan, and
Russia; basic economics
from Adam Smith to Marx
and Engels
An essay explaining the
Newtonian model and its
influence on the intellectual
history of the world; why
Islam, India, and China
were so far behind, why
Japan was able to catch up
An ethical analysis of
European and American
imperialism; libertarian
and socialistic ethics; the
ethical turmoil of the age
of liberty and social
obligation; read War and
Peace by Tolstoy; the
paintings of Turner and the
Impressionists
Read and analyze Pushkin,
Melville, Dickens, Hugo,
Balzac, Dostoyevski,
Tolstoy, George Eliot;
study the music of Mahler
and perform Das Lied von
der Erde
Note: This curriculum is meant to provide concepts and ideas. It stretches the ordinary vision of what young children can understand and what they can do. This enlarging of vision is necessary if young people are to be given a fair go of it.
John David Garcia Curriculum for a precocious age 10:
Physical
Biological
Avg.
Level
Avg.
Age
Physical Theory
Physical Practice
Biological Theory
Biological Practice
8.00
10.00
Continue with study of
analytical geometry; begin
solid analytical geometry
using Cartesian notation;
study the design of clocks,
thermometers, and
astronomical instruments;
a study of Kepler and his
ideas about nature and the
music of the spheres
Continue with mini-cathedral building project;
build full-fledged
observatory with
telescopes, but in spirit of
Tycho Brahe make
observations to deduce
Kepler’s laws; take two-week ocean voyage on
sailing ship; discuss how
Europe extended itself
throughout the world in the
16th century
Continue vertebrate
comparative anatomy
through higher mammals
and relate to human
anatomy; show how
embryology of all
vertebrates overlaps at
stages; relate to Greek
evolutionary theories
Dissect and study
vertebrate anatomy,
tissues, and organs; go
through modern
systematics for all major
mammalian orders; study
embryology of related
groups with microscope;
the fetal pig and its full
dissection
8.25
10.25
The early basis of the
scientific revolution,
Francis Bacon’s Novum
Organum, Boyle’s studies,
Galileo, the inventions of
Leonardo da Vinci, the
notion of experimental
“proof”; finish analytical
geometry and learn
elementary calculus of
variations, the concept of
limit, and early concepts of
calculus to explain
Kepler’s laws
Continue observation
project, build improved
clocks, finish sextant,
finish mini-cathedral, study
map making and various
forms of map projections;
set up experiments to test
Boyle’s laws, simple gas
laws, experiments to test
circulation of the blood
Human anatomy in detail;
all organs, tissues and
bones, gross structure of
the brain; embryology
using the fetal pig; use
anatomical drawings of da
Vinci and Vesalius, plus
Gray’s Anatomy; these
integrated studies will last
a year
Dissect human cadavers,
male and female; observe
tissues, and relate to other
mammals; show similarity
of all organs for all
mammals; note how
different human brain is
8.50
10.50
The Newtonian synthesis;
full study using modern
notation of Principia
Mathematica and the
Opticks; derive Newton’s
laws from Kepler’s
observations; derive
calculus from the need to
mathematically describe
the laws of motion and
gravity
Begin making windmill
and waterwheel; predict the
orbits of the planets using
Newton’s laws and a few
astronomical observations;
predict the eclipses of the
sun by the moon at
different spots of interest
on the earth; repeat
Newton’s experiments
showing that light is a
system of particles, and
that white light contains
the spectrum
Continue studies of human
anatomy and embryology
Continue anatomical
dissection and microscopic
studies; learn micro-techniques and make your
own slides
8.75
10.75
Derive the calculus up to
the use of simple
differential equations;
derive the formulas for
optics and the creation of
compound lenses; compare
Newton’s and Leibnitz’
approach
Continue work on windmill
and waterwheel; build a
Newtonian reflecting
telescope; built a
chromatically-corrected set
of compound lenses for the
telescope already
constructed; make an
improved microscope
Continue studies of human
anatomy
Continue work of previous
quarter
Psychosocial
Integration
Avg.
Level
Avg.
Age
Psychosocial Theory
Pyschosocial Practice
Integrative Theory
Integrative Practice
8.00
10.00
The rise of humanism
leading to the Renaissance
and the Reformation; the
writings of Erasmus,
Luther, and Calvin; the
Council of Trent and the
rise of the Jesuit order;
Giordano Bruno, the
philosophy of Descartes,
and a review of his
contemporaries
Essay on the ethical
implications of the
Reformation; were the
Protestants any less
bureaucratic? mutual
discussion of essays
among the octets; essay on
the ethical implications of
the scientific method and
the new philosophy
The literary synthesis,
Dante’s Divina Comedia,
Cervantes’ Don Quixote,
Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus; the
music of Monteverde and
Palestrina; the art of
Bosch, Leonardo da Vinci,
and Michelangelo
Write an epic poem about
the Christian view of Hell;
write a play about a
modern Don Quixote;
continue study of organ
and harpsichord; compose
and perform music in the
style of Monteverde and
Palestrina
8.25
10.25
Hobbes, Montaigne, and
Spinoza; read Spinoza’s
Ethics without analyzing
proofs and note how this is
a huge leap over the
philosophy of Descartes
and is the first totally
rational treatment of ethics
in history
Apply Spinoza’s ethics to
solving problems in
practical ethics, politics,
and religion; relate
Spinoza’s ethics to
Christianity, Islam, and
Judaism; apply Spinoza’s
model to formulating a
model of the universe and
evolution; write an essay
on the meaning of Spinoza
The literary synthesis
continues; read critically
Shakespeare’s Romeo and
Juliet, Othello, and
Hamlet; study the music of
Handel; study advanced
musical theory and
composition
Continue study of organ
and harpsichord; build a
harpsichord as a group
project; write a last act to
Hamlet in which Hamlet
lives; play the music of
Handel
8.50
10.50
The philosophical
contemporaries of Spinoza,
Leibnitz, Locke, and Hume
on improving the
understanding; world
history from 1000 AD to
1775
Essay on the hostility to
Spinoza; an ethical
analysis of the lives of
Spinoza and Leibnitz;
essay on why Europe
embraced the scientific
method and modern
philosophy while the rest
of the world did not
Spinoza’s ethics,
Christianity, Judaism, and
respect for human rights;
the rise of democratic
ideology; Islam becomes
totally entropic;
conservative belief systems
in the rest of the world;
European predation
Group project to perform
St. Matthew or St. John
Passion of Bach; all learn
to play the Musical
Offering, the Art of the
Fugue, in an octet; each
octet does its own
orchestration for the Art of
the Fugue
8.75
10.75
Human rights and 18th
century philosophy;
Voltaire, Rousseau,
Diderot, and the
Encyclopedists; the
American Revolution; the
philosophy and writings of
Thomas Jefferson, the
social contract, and the
Federalist Papers
Essay on Rousseau and
irrationalism; essay on the
libertarian ideal and the
democratic compromise;
essay on the U.S. founding
fathers allowing slavery to
continue–was losing the
revolution and hanging a
better alternative? Write
scenario on what would
have happened if there had
not been tolerance of
slavery
The artistic synthesis
continues; further study of
the Art of the Fugue and
the music of Mozart; the
pessimistic writings of
Jonathan Swift, a tragic
interpretation of the
democratic experiment
Compose and perform a
conclusion to the Art of the
Fugue; perform as a group
project one Mozart opera
of students’ choice
Consolidation of Greek
mathematics and geometry
using modern notation;
practical chemistry in
purifying common
elements from their ores
and making chemical
compounds such as
sulphuric acid, nitric acid,
hydrochloric acid, aqua
regia, and gun powder
Use geometry and
mathematics to design a
cathedral using Roman
arches, vaults, and
buttresses; isolate elements
from their ores; make acids
and simple compounds,
gun powder, and paints;
make mortars and cements;
continue modification of
sailing ship
Further study of
microscopic life, protozoa,
mites, worms, and other
microorganisms that live
on and in mammals;
diseases they cause and
symbiosis they provide
Microscopic observation of
microorganisms,
classification in modern
terms; observe sea
plankton, sponges, and
hydra, and observation of
their life cycles
7.25
9.25
Mathematical modeling of
nature through advanced
algebra, geometry, and
trigonometry; derive
solutions to quadratic and
cubic equations; advanced
navigation, the compass
and the theory of the
sextant; advanced
geometry, trigonometry of
arches, domes and vaults
Masonry work, making
stone arches & vaults;
begin construction of small
wooden house with some
masonry; continue to work
with lenses and practical
optics, make large
reflecting telescope, make
better microscope; make
additional chemical
compounds, acids and
paints, dyes and cements;
construction of an
astrolabe; practical
astronomy; finish
modifications on sailing
ship
Animal systematics,
invertebrate zoology,
comparative organ
systems, organ structure
and function, cell theory of
animal structures
Laboratory dissection and
study of the invertebrate
phyla in an evolutionary
context; detailed
experimentation for
function of organ systems
and microhistology
7.50
9.50
Mathematical modeling of
nature continued; quartic
equations; heliocentric
model of solar system
compared to Ptolemaic;
comparison of Viking
ships as fast raiders to
more seaworthy sailing
ships; prepare for two-week ocean trip, theory of
alchemy
Continue work with wood
and masonry in house;
begin construction of
accurate water and
weighted clock; begin
construction of
astronomical telescope
with instruments;
alchemical preparation for
isolating elements and
making compounds; the
alchemical symbols as
archetypes
Continue classification of
invertebrates for all
remaining major phyla,
specifying organ functions
and histology; show how
all metazoa have same
types of cells and all start
as single cell, simple
embryo egg
Laboratory dissection and
microscopic observation of
major invertebrate phyla;
tissue and embryology;
transition species to
vertebrates, tunicates, and
amphioxus
7.75
9.75
Begin study of conics and
analytical geometry; begin
study of the dynamics of
falling bodies and the
pendulum; continue study
of alchemy, showing how
acceptance of wrong
hypotheses impeded
progress; consider
measurements of time,
temperature, and position
Finish wooden house;
using telescope and clocks,
begin observations of
movements of planets and
earth relative to sun, and
deduce Kepler’s laws; take
a two-week ocean trip;
begin construction of
sextant
Continue classification of
invertebrates; compare
with anatomy of simpler
vertebrates; study all
organs and their
physiology and function;
identify cells common to
vertebrates and
invertebrates
Microscopic observations
and dissection of simple
vertebrates and their
organs; observation of
simple embryology and
comparison to invertebrate
embryology; full dissection
of shark
Psychosocial
Integration
Avg.
Level
Avg.
Age
Psychosocial Theory
Pyschosocial Practice
Integrative Theory
Integrative Practice
7.00
9.00
The Roman Empire and its
interaction with
Christianity, the Greco-Roman disdain for manual
labor, the Christian disdain
for the natural world, the
Gnostic Christians, the
stagnation and
disintegration of the
Roman Empire until the
rise of Islam
Write speculative essay on
how Roman Empire might
have endured and what the
world would be like if it
had; write speculative
essay on how Christianity
would have developed if
the Gnostics had not been
persecuted
The ethical decay of Rome;
Roman bureaucracy; how
the Catholic bureaucracy
established itself; Catholic
intolerance of deviant
views; persecution of
heretics; inferiority
complex about pagan
knowledge; the destruction
of Alexandrian library;
Hypatia
Finish design of cathedral;
paint Christian symbols
that express what is best in
Christianity; sing
Gregorian chants in Latin
after studying translations;
do an art project
expressing the meaning of
the Catholic church
7.25
9.25
The rise of Islam; read the
Koran; early history of
Arabia to 7th century;
relationship of Islam to
Zoroastrianism, Judaism,
Christianity, and the
surrounding cultures; the
political vacuum in the
Middle East
Essay on why so many
Jews rejected Islam; essay
on why Islam was able to
grow and expand so
rapidly; essay on the
ethical contradictions
within Islam compared to
Judaism and Christianity
Islam as a closed system;
how Islam induces
fanaticism; its comparison
to Christianity; why
Christianity is more open
in spite of church
bureaucracy; Islam and
creativity; the reason for
Islam declining as
Christianity rose
Islamic abstract art; how
lack of representational art
diminishes creativity; draw
abstract designs in the
Islamic style; Islamic
mandalas; paint
representational art of
Islam; compare to Persian
and Mogul art forms
7.50
9.50
The great theologians, St.
Augustine, St. Gregory,
Averroes, Avicena,
Maimonides, St. Anselm,
Abelard; show their depth
and breadth of vision; the
weakness of having
orthodoxy to defend; the
Holy Roman Empire and
its relationship to Islam,
India, and China;
Charlemagne and his
successors
Essays on the “proofs” of
the existence of God and
the ontological arguments;
essay on the humanizing
role of the Church while it
bureaucratically decayed;
essay on priestly celibacy
and its implications; write
your own ideas about God
The dominance of ideology
and bureaucracy over
ethics and truth, the
preservation and distortion
of the teachings of Jesus,
the fundamental power of
the teachings of Jesus in
spite of the negative
elements
Compare Byzantine with
Western religious art and
paint a synthesis of the
two; paint a synthesis of
Christian, Chinese, Hindu,
and Muslim art of the
period; begin study of the
organ
7.75
9.75
St. Thomas Aquinas and
the rise of the Holy Roman
Empire; the feedback
produced by the great
schism; the decline of
Byzantium relative to the
newly emerging West;
Roger Bacon and the rise
of science; the apparent
cultural superiority of
Islam, India, China, and
Byzantium
Write essay on the
theology of St. Thomas
Aquinas, indicating the
holes in his arguments;
essay on Thomistic ethics;
the schism analyzed in
theological and
bureaucratic terms, why
schism was so important to
Western progress
The relationship of rational
theology to mathematics;
the church as an arbiter of
power between barbarian
states; the moral authority
of the church in a world of
brute force; the cathedral
as the synthesis of Western
technology, art, and
religion
Study and do detailed
drawings of major
cathedrals; plan to
implement construction of
cathedral design; begin
construction on scale
model in stone
The geometry of Euclid
using modern algebraic
notation, introduction to
algebra as it applies to
geometry, use of geometry
and vectors to sail against
the wind; give many
examples of the practical
applications of geometry in
many fields; the Atomic
Theory of matter of
Democritus; other Greek
theories of water, earth,
air, and fire
Use geometry to calculate
size of the earth, distance
to the sun, size of the sun;
use geometry to construct
and use a large catapult;
build a bridge by geometric
design; work with glass
making lenses and mirrors;
begin design of ship that
can sail against the wind;
practice sailing the ship
built last year
Internal anatomy of
vertebrates, fish, frog, rat,
and pig; the true role of
each organ and what
Aristotle and Galen
thought they were for;
Greek theories of evolution
compared to modern
theory; point out how
dangerous it is for
authorities to be wrong; the
value of doubt
Dissection of fish, frog,
rat, and pig; identification
of all major organs and
bones; practice in meat
processing, packaging, and
preservation without
refrigeration; continue
practice in caring for
young infants in first year
6.25
8.25
Continue the previous
work and continue with the
geometry and science of
Archimedes; use modern
algebraic notation and
point out how difficult the
work of Archimedes was
because of notation; theory
of pullies and parabolic
mirrors; show how abacus
gives answers to the
notational problem
Construct a system of
pulleys and a block and
tackle; construct parabolic
mirrors to collect solar
energy by heating water,
and work out schedule for
how mirrors should be
aligned as function of time
of year and day; finish
design of ship
Detailed survey of Greco-Roman medicine and the
modern versions of these
beliefs; the complete guide
to the use of herbs and
medicines for curing and
preventing illnesses;
taxonomy of herbs; review
Greco-Roman theories of
biology
Plant a garden of medicinal
herbs, take field trips to
collect medicinal herbs,
prepare poultices and
medicines as have been
verified by time and
modern usage
6.50
8.50
The works of Archimedes
continued, the school of
Alexandria, and the
continuation of Greek
mathematics, science, and
technology; full
development of algebra
and trigonometry using
modern notation; solid
geometry and
trigonometry, applications
to navigation, the
construction of lenses
The design and
construction of water
pumps, the design and
construction of steam
turbines; practical lens
making continued; begin
modification of ship made
in fifth year to sail against
the wind; glass blowing
continued
Study of preventive
medicine; germ theory of
infection and how hygiene
can prevent it (although
Greeks had lenses, no one
discovered germs for 2000
years), parasites and their
life cycles, the danger of
eating meat, the
importance of cooking and
cleanliness
Use lenses to study small
organisms, examine
parasites in intestines of
animals, show how
maggots hatch from fly’s
eggs; basic entomology
observed; use microscope
to study basic parasitology
6.75
8.75
Continuation of the study
of the science, technology,
and mathematics of the
School of Alexandria
Continuation of the above;
make crude telescope and
microscopes
The study of microscopic
life; how lack of scientific
method inhibited medical
practice for 2000 years;
how to prevent the spread
of disease; viruses as
submicroscopic organisms
not to be discovered for
2000 years
Study of amoebas and
major human parasites;
animals as sources of
infection for humans; the
parasitic worms
Psychosocial
Integration
Avg.
Level
Avg.
Age
Psychosocial Theory
Pyschosocial Practice
Integrative Theory
Integrative Practice
6.00
8.00
Greek history from Thales
to the Roman conquest, the
Dialogues of Plato, a
survey of Aristotle, a
survey of the Greek plays
and the fables of Aesop,
the ethical teaching of
Socrates, the Macedonian
interlude and Alexander
Perform one play by
Sophocles and one by
Euripides; write a critique
of Greek culture and why it
failed; write a critique on
Socrates’ life and on
whether Socrates should
have drunk the hemlock;
write an epic poem on
Greece
Ethical analysis of the
teachings of Socrates,
Plato, and Aristotle; show
how the lack of love and
the will to power forced
Greece to destroy itself;
consider that the great
thinkers of Greece never
had power nor were they
free of tyrants except at
first
Write a play in the Greek
style on Greek themes,
critique one another’s
plays, finish sculpture in
the Greek style, do a group
art project on the meaning
of Greece
6.25
8.25
Greco-Roman history from
the start of Rome to the
time of Jesus; analysis of
the works of Lucretius;
what the Romans had of
their own and what they
learned from the Greeks;
Roman ethics and theories
of government; how
tyranny can always replace
a democracy by promising
to take from the rich and
give to the poor
Learn Greek and Latin
roots to English and
scientific and technical
terms, emphasis on nouns;
the Greek alphabet, brief
survey of Greek and
Roman grammar and its
complexity; show how
English grammar is
simpler, more practical;
show how as vocabulary
expands grammar can be
simplified; write essay
comparing Greek and
Roman culture
Sexual ethics and how the
Greeks and Romans
related to them; pleasure as
an end in itself; the
exploitation of women,
exclusion of women from
all important decision
making, women as sexual
objects, the absolute
authority of the father;
Roman law and
evolutionary ethics,
subservience to the state
and ethical principles
Design a domed and
vaulted building made of
wood and masonry,
calculate stresses, and
show the use of the arch
and dome; play Roman
music and practice sports,
do a group art project on
the meaning of Rome
under Augustus
6.50
8.50
The history of the Jews;
read all of the Old
Testament, the ethical
principles derivable from
the Old Testament, the
mixing of ethics,
techniques, and ritual; the
Jewish interaction with the
Aryans after the
Babylonian captivity, the
resistance to Hellenization,
the conquest by Rome, the
Jewish bureaucracy,
sampling of the Talmud
Essay analyzing Old
Testament as a historical
account and as a myth;
compare to Iliad and
Odyssey; Jewish laws are
analyzed in terms of their
ethical value and their
political implication; essay
on Judaism as an ethical
system
Ethical analysis of the Old
Testament, personal ethics,
health implications of
many of the Jewish laws;
show how the means
became the ends and how
ritual destroys ethics; the
destructiveness of
becoming specialized in
one’s own religion
Jewish abstract art in the
form of the Menorah and
the Star of David; paint an
art work using Jewish
symbols to express a
Jewish theme without
including the human form
or animals; Jewish music
and Passover songs
6.75
8.75
The New Testament and
the life of Jesus, the ethical
teaching of Jesus, Jesus as
a Jewish reformer and
rabbi, the deification of
Jesus, the teachings of
Jesus in relationship to the
Greco-Roman religion, St.
Paul and Christianity as a
synthesis of Judaism,
Jesus, and Greco-Roman
religion and philosophy
Write an essay on Jesus
and the meaning of his life
and death, essay on the
criticisms of Jesus against
traditions and the Jewish
bureaucracy, essay on
whether Jesus could have
studied in India and/or
Tibet, essay on Jesus’
teaching and the school of
Alexandria
Ethical analysis of the New
Testament, the high ethical
content in the teachings of
Jesus compared to their
corruption by St. Paul, the
mythification & deification
of Jesus in the Roman
tradition by those who did
not know him, analysis of
synoptic gospels showing
how they were all derived
from a simpler, common
source
Draw and paint art
showing the unification of
Judaism, the teachings of
Jesus, and the Greco-Roman religion
(Michelangelo’s Sistine
Chapel is best model);
write a poem expressing
this synthesis; do a group
art project expressing the
essence of Christianity
This curriculum was devised in the 1970s for use with highly intelligent and motivated children. Much of the early years Dangerous Child curriculum is drawn from these guides.
Physical
Biological
Avg.
Level
Avg.
Age
Physical Theory
Physical Practice
Biological Theory
Biological Practice
5.00
7.00
The smelting of iron and
simple steels, forging iron
and blacksmithing; simple
astronomy and navigation,
advanced sailing ships that
might have crossed the
Atlantic; the iron forging
necessary for controlling a
horse in battle; pre-Greek
geometry and arithmetic
using Arabic numbers,
advanced theory of the
Babylonian abacus
Smelt ore, forge from iron
a complete set of tack for a
horse, plus horseshoes;
forge and make iron sword
and spear; make large clay
jars for storing grain, oils,
and wine; begin one-year
sailing ship construction
project for group; show
how geometry and
arithmetic help in the
above projects, build a
Babylonian abacus
Advanced study of
equestrianship for war,
shooting a compound bow
while riding horseback, the
use of the lance and the
sword from horseback;
mammalian reproduction
in detail, nursing and care
of young mammals;
processing milk into cheese
and yogurt
Horse handling, training,
and riding; grooming and
care of horses, shodding
and equipping the horse,
the use of different bits,
saddles, and stirrups;
mammalian reproduction
and breeding; comparisons
of dogs, cats, sheep, goats,
cows, and horses; cheese
and yogurt from cow’s
milk; extract oil from fruits
and nuts; make and store
wine; optimal physical
training of the human body
5.25
7.25
Continue with projects
begun previous quarter
Continue with projects
begun previous quarter
Continue with projects
begun previous quarter
Continue with projects
begun previous quarter
5.50
7.50
Advanced metallurgy,
casting bronze sculptures
through lost wax process;
making of hard steel
alloys, nails, bolts, and
screws; making advanced
presses and catapults;
fractions and decimals,
empirical basis of
Pythagorean Theorem,
right triangles, circles,
spheres, and
parallelopipeds
Continue work on sailing
ship, do precision bronze
castings; make knives
using hard steel alloys;
make nails, bolts, screws,
presses, and catapults;
show applications of
mathematics and geometry
to the above
Human reproduction,
comparative male and
female anatomy, hormonal
cycles, fertility cycles,
puberty and emotions,
lactation and nursing, care
of infants, normal patterns
of growth for young boys
and girls
Advanced breeding of
animals and plants,
extraction of fats and oils
from vegetables, fruits, and
seeds; extract animal fats
from carcasses and meat;
work in nursery caring for
small children 1-2 years
old
5.75
7.75
The geometry and
mathematics of
Pythagoras, several proofs
of his theorem, the
Pythagorean solids, the
harmonics of vibrating
strings and the physical
basis of music; geometry
applied to navigation,
astronomy, building and
surveying; the technology
of glass, glass blowing
Construct the Pythagorean
solids, use several
approaches to making
dodecahedron and
icosahedron; construct
navigational computer,
advanced abacus; construct
glass bottles, mirrors,
parabolic mirror; finish
sailing ship
Human health and the
Greek medical tradition,
Aesculapius and
Hippocrates; a healthy
mind in a healthy body;
physical culture and
optimal health; diet,
exercise, and health
Gardening and preparation
of food for optimal health,
an exercise plan for
lifetime health, strength,
and energy; construction of
a glass still; care of young
infants
Psychosocial
Integration
Avg.
Level
Avg.
Age
Psychosocial Theory
Pyschosocial Practice
Integrative Theory
Integrative Practice
5.00
7.00
The story of Zarathustra;
how he changed the
Persian people and how
they went on to create the
world’s greatest empire
until conquered by
Alexander; the Zoroastrian
religion and myths in detail
Analysis of ancient Persian
history and religion; write
a story of how Persian
history might have been
different if the religion had
been different
Ethical analysis of
Zoroastrian religion and
ethical system, strengths
and weaknesses, and how
it was doomed to failure
Ancient Persian art,
architecture, music;
analyze and reproduce
style according to your
own feeling about this
culture; do a group project
expressing ancient Persian
civilization
5.25
7.25
The story of Confucius and
his teachings and how they
changed China; the books
of Confucius are read,
discussed, and compared to
the philosophy of Lao Tse;
the interaction of Taoism
and Confucianism in
Chinese history is
discussed
Written analysis of each of
the books of Confucius and
stories about Confucius; an
analysis about Lao Tse;
writing of imaginative
stories about life in China;
essay on how you
personally feel about
Confucius and Lao Tse
Ethical analysis of
Confucianism and Taoism
as ethical systems, as ways
to knowledge, and the
civilization they produced;
what was right and what
was wrong and predictions
Ancient Chinese art to
Tang dynasty, analyze and
reproduce style in
sculpture, painting, and
music; use Chinese style to
express your feelings about
classical Chinese culture in
group art project
5.50
7.50
The story of Buddha and
his teachings and how they
changed India and the
East; emphasize the basic
ethical nature of Buddhism
and its tolerant compassion
toward others; show how
Buddhists became
psychosocial specialists
and stopped innovating in
the natural world; compare
to Hinduism
Write essays on the
meaning of Hinduism and
Buddhism and how they
relate to you; how
Buddhism and Hinduism
relate to each other, how
you would feel and act if
you were suddenly put into
a Buddhist or Hindu
society; give evidence for
and against reincarnation,
what impact these societies
have on the world,
predictions
Hinduism and Buddhism in
light of the evolutionary
ethic and the eight Ethical
Principles; the historical
impact and consequences
of those religions; the
ethics of the caste system;
why Buddhism is more
successful as an export;
common Aryan origins of
Hinduism, Buddhism and
Zoroastrianism
Experience directly
Buddhist and Hindu
meditation and its
comparison to autopoiesis;
Buddhist and Hindu art;
draw mandalas of your
own, sculpt in Buddhist
and Hindu style, make up
mandalas, learn to play
Buddhist and Hindu music;
perform dances, do art
works expressing how you
feel about Buddhism
and/or Hinduism
5.75
7.75
Early Greek history to
Thales; the Iliad and the
Odyssey; the story of
Thales and Pythagoras and
how they laid part of the
foundations of Western
civilization; the rational
and mystical as reflected in
those two men; Thales and
ethics; Pythagoras and
religion
Write an essay on the
ethics of the characters in
the Iliad and Odyssey, the
ethics of the mythical
characters and gods, the
attitudes toward women
and their role in Greece;
make up a Greek-style
myth of your own
The warlike Aryan
tradition and how it led to
Greek culture, the
obsession with domination
and personal freedom, the
oppressiveness of a slave-based culture, the extreme
military specialization of
Sparta; why a love of truth
and intelligence is not
enough if there is no love
for others
Geometric art using
Pythagorean and Greek
principles, composition of
music using Pythagorean
theory of harmonic scales;
begin a sculpture project in
the Greek style; Greek
music and dances including
those of Sparta
The young human mind is predisposed to learning practical skills
First the child must learn how to eat, see, touch, move, walk, talk, and how to get what it needs. We are given many instincts early in life which assist us in perfecting these practical skills. Many of these instincts are “invisible,” and others are apparent from birth. The “primal cry” at birth is a good example of a healthy instinct.
One of the first practical skills a child must learn is how to suck: Sucking as a practical skill: A Life or Death Matter
Practical Learning Keeps Children Alive
Practical Avoidance: Learning to avoid dangers such as fire, high places, deep water, edgy-looking strangers, and other hazards of life can keep babies and toddlers alive.
Active Practical Skills: Learning to safely manage fire, learning safe climbing, learning to swim, and learning to manage difficult people can keep older children and youth alive.
The point is that children are predisposed to practical learning, and it is unfortunate that our schools have spurned practical learning in favour of passive rote learning.
Why Schools Chose Passive Learning
Didactic teachers of the passive style of learning can prepare a lesson plan for any number of students, and re-use the same lesson plan over and over. Boys who are unruly can be medicated with drugs, allowing a large amount of material to be presented in the specified time frame.
Teachers of practical methods of active learning must flexibly shape each session to be responsive to the individual students who are present. This approach means that less material can be covered in any given time period. It also places a larger burden on teachers in terms of background knowledge, ability to improvise, and social skills.
A third approach is “independent learning” which incorporates a lot of self-teaching. We see a lot of this in Montessori schools, the Robinson Curriculum, and the Dangerous Child curriculum. The self-teaching approach utilises the natural affinity of young children toward practical skills and competencies.
Children Retain Practical Skills
It is rare for a child to have to re-learn how to walk or talk, once these skills are mastered. The same is true for riding a bicycle — as many adults can confirm after re-riding a bicycle after many years without having ridden. Once children can go through an active sequence of performing a skill — and receive the positive reward that tends to accompany the successful performing of the skill — their brains will tend to become more efficient at that skill with repetition. Such skills tend to be retained.
That type of learning — which is the same type of learning as in habit formation — tends to be almost automatic in childhood. Given how effective that type of learning has proven to be, we might think that parents and schools should emphasise that approach to learning for as long as it proves productive.
It is then difficult to defend the premature leap to “passive” teaching styles in conventional approaches to school. The young mind is begging to learn practical skills and habits that would make it more independently effective, while elitist educational systems are using didactic methods to indoctrinate young minds into groupthink.
Learning Requires a Scaffolding
Actually, learning requires several different scaffoldings, one after another in series. The first scaffolding for learning is innate instinct. Early learning built upon instinct provides a scaffolding for later learning that incorporates more cross-ties with related learning. This more sophisticated learning is then used as scaffolding for more sophisticated learning that begins to incorporate more abstract and second-hand knowledge. And so on . . .
Montessori Learning
Almost a hundred years ago, Maria Montessori developed an “active learning method” that is still wildly popular today. At Montessori schools, children are encouraged to explore — either independently or cooperatively with other children. By learning actively to explore areas of interest, the child engages his own built-in method of strong learning and long retention.
Yet another active-learning approach to schooling is the Forest School.
These are all early childhood approaches to schooling, but the methods could easily be employed throughout the grammar school years — particularly in the education of boys, but also for girls.
As this curriculum evolved, it retained the John David Garcia elements but also incorporated elements from other alternative educational approaches. A lot of practical financial, occupational, and business skills learning was added for teens, to be sure that 18 year olds would be capable of supporting themselves financially.
Other core learning curricula — such as the Robinson Curriculum — can also be utilised. The central elements for all Dangerous Child training include the hands-on practical approach plus the self-teaching approach.
Some high schools provide high quality vocational training, but most Dangerous Children need to seek out mentors by the age of 14, to provide apprentice-style skills training wherever parents or other family members are unable to provide such training.
Practical Skills Mastery Gives Confidence
Being able to support oneself financially three different ways by the age of 18, is a huge confidence booster. That is only possible when a youth has mastered practical skills of various types — skills that are of value to a wide range of employers in the marketplace, and skills that allow a young person to start their own rapidly profitable business.
More abstract and theoretical skills can always be added to the Dangerous Child’s repertoire of skills and knowledge. Youth and young adults who have already experimented with several ways of making a living — and who have mastered at least three — are in a better position economically and cognitively to pursue further educational goals.
Remember, practical knowledge incorporates theoretical knowledge. And theoretical knowledge is always built on practical knowledge — whether the learner understands this or not. The combination provides strong scaffolding for further learning in the future, incorporating all forms of learning including self-teaching.
The world of “future work” will include a lot more certification-style accreditation, with less emphasis on degrees if the actual competencies and skills can be demonstrated. In such contexts, the ability to self-teach — learned at an early age in the Robinson Curriculum and the Dangerous Child curriculum — is of great value.
The concept of the wheel;
smelting metal from ore;
making a simple calendar
from astronomical
observations; counting and
use of Arabic numbers to
1,000 for calendar making,
time-keeping, and other
uses
Making a potter’s wheel
and using it; making an
advanced bellows driven
by a pedaled wheel to heat
a charcoal, earth, and clay
oven; making a spinning
wheel, a sundial, a simple
loom
Advanced gardening; the
making of cloth from plant
and animal fiber; advanced
care and management of
sheep and goats; gourmet
cooking with spices and
herbs using ovens; making
more advanced permanent
shelters of wood and stone
Spinning fiber; simple
weaving of cloth with no
loom; wheat and corn
cultivation; making bread
with & without yeast;
breeding sheep and goats
with seasons; training
dogs; constructing small
stone and wood huts
4.25
6.25
More advanced metallurgy;
the saw and how to use it;
how to cast bronze tools,
nails, the chisel, and metal
hammer; advanced use of
wheels; simple arithmetic;
adding and subtraction
with Arabic numbers;
simple geometry
Construction of wheeled
push carts; construct
bronze tools and show how
inferior they are to steel
tools; use steel tools in all
construction; use pick and
shovel and push cart to
build small irrigation
system and buildings;
show how arithmetic and
simple geometry help
construct these projects
Group design of large
irrigated garden, suitable
for self-sufficiency of 16
persons; advanced looms
and weaving; advanced
animal husbandry and
selective breeding of sheep
and goats; care of chickens
and cattle
Construct and plant
garden; advanced cooking
and preserving of food;
fermentation to produce
alcohol, distillation of
alcohol with copper still
4.50
6.50
Advanced bronze-based
metallurgy and smelting of
other similar metals;
identify related ores and
other rocks; simple glass
technology; building an
oxcart from wood, leather,
and bronze; simple
multiplication with Arabic
numbers; more simple
geometry, right triangles,
and the circle; advanced
calendar-making & time-keeping; how to make a
simple boat with sail and
oars
Smelt and cast advanced
bronzes and similar
metals; make and cast
glass sheets; make mirrors
of metal and glass; build
an oxcart; show how
arithmetic and geometry
are useful; use detailed
astronomical observations
to make a better calendar,
and show how arithmetic
and geometry help; build a
small sailing and rowing
boat
Show how to use a simple
plow and fertilizer to
prepare land; show how to
make fertilizer from
minerals and organic
substances; show how to
cross-pollinate and
hybridize plants and trees;
show how to use advanced
fermentation techniques to
produce wine and alcohol;
discuss effects of alcohol
as preservative and drug;
storage and preservation of
grain
Advanced agriculture and
gardening projects; make
fertilizers, crossbreed and
hybridize plants; grow
grain and grapes; ferment
to alcohol, distill alcohol,
use alcohol as a fuel and
preservative, use as
disinfectant; cultivation of
yeasts, and advanced
baking
4.75
6.75
More advanced arithmetic
and geometry, division of
numbers, simple fractions;
creation of more advanced
sailing craft, the ideas
behind a horse-drawn war
chariot, the compound bow
with metal-tipped arrows,
how to construct the two-person war chariot and its
relationship to the oxcart;
the Babylonian abacus
theory
Show how arithmetic and
geometry contribute to
following technologies
built by groups; build a
more advanced sailing
craft; build a war chariot
using steel, wood, and
leather; show how much
more difficult it was with
only bronze; build
compound bow with
bronze-tipped arrows;
practice with bow until
expert, and practice with
war chariot
Domestication and use of
the horse as a biological
machine, special care and
breeding required by horse,
horse behavior and
anatomy, equipment for
controlling horse and how
to make it
Horse training and use for
farming and pulling
chariots, speed
comparisons, training
horse for chariots and
bareback riding
Psychosocial
Integration
Avg.
Level
Avg.
Age
Psychosocial Theory
Pyschosocial Practice
Integrative Theory
Integrative Practice
4.00
6.00
Reading stories in personal
terms about the possible
prehistory of the Sumerian
people; vocabulary
development and the
practical use of grammar
Write stories of fiction and
personal activity using
only alphabet; show how
convenient it is to know
when a sentence starts and
ends, and how punctuation
prevents misunderstanding
The ethics of larger
groups; how it is possible
for several octets to
cooperate if they have
common rules and
objectives; how ancient
civilizations were slave-based and ruled by priestly
bureaucracies
Students construct rules
and goals of cooperative
behavior in order to build
large-scale projects,
buildings, irrigation
systems to benefit
hundreds of persons
4.25
6.25
Realistic but fictionalized
history of the founding of
Sumer and how Sumerians
created their culture up to
the time of the invention of
writing; show how the
religion and its ritual
became overwhelmingly
important, and how by
controlling food the priests
controlled people, warriors,
and kings
Write stories of fiction and
personal activity; write
essays on behavioral
ethics; use proper
punctuation for clarity of
ideas and teach correct
punctuation for students;
have students ethically
analyze in writing the
history of Sumer and show
what might be wrong
The ethics of individual
rights; show that taking
rights away from
individuals for a larger
group damages the group it
is supposed to help; show
how creativity is important
to progress and how liberty
is important for creativity
Students study Sumerian
art and try to express their
own feeling about Sumer
in ceramic figurines similar
to the Sumerians; stone
sculpture project;
reproduction of Sumerian
relics and artifacts
4.50
6.50
Read a simple non-fictional history of Sumer,
show their writing and
accounting systems and
note their defects; show
how clay as prime resource
led to cuneiform;
endurance of clay records;
read full accounts of
Sumerian myths, including
Garden of Eden;
Gilgamesh, and Noah
Write an analysis of
Sumerians’ history and
their collapse; write an
analysis of their myths and
what they mean; write your
own myths to communicate
the same ideas as the
Sumerian myths; write a
creative story of your own
choosing
Ethical analysis of the rise
and fall of Sumer, the
ethical nature of the
conquerors of Sumer, their
strengths and weaknesses,
the weakness of theocracy
and hereditary aristocracy,
why these entropic systems
went on for so long
Creative synthesis; high
Sumerian art compared to
art of conquerors; artistic
group project to
communicate the rise and
fall of Sumer through
music, painting, sculpture,
and dance
4.75
6.75
Read a simple world
history of the Ecumene
from the fall of Sumer to
600 BC; show how little
progress and creativity
there was until then; show
how Aryans spread
Sumerian civilization to
the entire old world and
possibly to the Americas;
read literary examples of
each major culture
Write an ethical analysis of
each major culture and why
they could not significantly
improve on Sumerian
civilization; write an
analysis and interpretation
of their literary works;
write your own story to
express what you feel
about this period of history
An ethical analysis of the
Sumerian religion and
those that followed; show
how ethical vitality in
primitive cultures can lead
to conquest of more
advanced civilizations;
show how religions that
seek reward for ethical
behavior are destructive;
show how it was necessary
to invent morality
The art forms of Babylon,
Egypt, Crete, pre-Confucianist China, and
India; make your own
version of these art styles;
improvise music on the
instruments of these times;
do a group art project on
this period of history
The above curriculum excerpt is republished from the John David Garcia book Creative Transformation.
There is a great deal of flexibility in practise, to match the needs, aptitude, and interest of the child.
The first stage of the JDG curriculum is aimed at bright and motivated children between the ages of 3 and 6 years. Such children are capable of far more than they are generally given credit.
Physical
Biological
Avg.
Level
Avg.
Age
Physical Theory
Physical Practice
Biological Theory
Biological Practice
1.00
3.00
Cause and effect
The lever
The human body
Body care
1.25
3.25
Clubs and poles
Modifying trees and
branches
Animal bodies; small
domestic animals
How to care for a pet
1.50
3.50
Different stones and their
properties
Using stones
Edible plants and their
properties
Gathering edible plants
and mushrooms
1.75
3.75
Shaping stone
Building simple stone tools
Edible animals and fish
Hunting and fishing
2.00
4.00
Shaping wood with stone
Using stone tools to
modifu poles and clubs
Food preparation and
preservation
Cleaning and preparing
small game and fish using
bone, wood, and stone
2.25
4.25
Handling fire
Use of stone and wood to
control fire, use of fire to
harden spear points
Advanced food preparation
Cooking vegetables, fish,
and meat on open fires
2.50
4.50
Advanced fire handling
and control combining
wood and stone tools,
theory and design
Hafted axes and choppers
are made; stone fire
carriers, simple weaving
and knotting of vines and
leather
Elementary tanning and
use of bone, vines, and
vegetable fiber
Skinning animals and fish,
preserving leather,
advanced cooking.
preparing vines and
vegetable fiber
2.75
4.75
The bow and fire-making
Making bows and starting
fires
Advanced food
preparation; advanced
tanning and bone work
Advanced cooking; clothes
from animal hides; use of
sinew and thongs; hunting
with dogs
3.00
5.00
The use of clay and the
bow and arrow; design of
simple rafts
Making and baking clay
pots on an open fire;
making and using simple
bows and arrows
Advanced food preparation
including drying, smoking,
& curing; health care
Cooking, drying, and
smoking with clay pots;
preparing and using
medicinal herbs and
poultices
3.25
5.25
Advanced paleolithic stone
work of knives and axes;
advanced bow making;
advanced clay work
without wheel; large rafts
Making stone tools to
make other stone tools;
making advanced bows
and arrows; bellows and
advanced pottery; building
a large raft as a group
project
Gathering seeds and
planting edible plants;
basic first aid
Gardening; preparing soil
and cultivation; practice of
first aid
3.50
5.50
Neolithic tools;
construction of shelters;
advanced counting; how to
make a small dugout canoe
and paddle
Construction of simple
neolithic tools; the use of
tally marks and stored
pebbles; building a small
dugout canoe and paddle
The biological need for
shelter; building of lean-tos and simple teepees;
clothes for extreme cold;
simple agriculture
Construction of lean-tos
and teepees; more
advanced gardening;
making bone needles and a
parka
3.75
5.75
How to construct advanced
neolithic tools and work
stone and wood; more
advanced counting and
Arabic numbers to 10; how
to build a large dugout
canoe
Building advanced
neolithic tools; working
wood, simple carpentry,
building semi-permanent
structures; advanced
tallying systems; building a
large dugout canoe
How to make boots and
moccasins from leather and
plant fiber; how to know
when to plant and when to
harvest; taking care of
goats and sheep
Construction of complete
wardrobes of leather, plant,
and animal fiber; more
advanced gardening and
animal husbandry
Psychosocial
Integration
Avg.
Level
Avg.
Age
Psychosocial Theory
Pyschosocial Practice
Integrative Theory
Integrative Practice
1.00
3.00
How to communicate
Exchange of information
Ethics of personal
obligation
Free-form drawing and
painting, simple songs
1.25
3.25
Clubs and poles
Repeat same message from
different source
Truth and lying, paleolithic
stories
Free-form drawing and
painting, paleolithic
stories, drums
1.50
3.50
Games of information
Teams for sending and
receiving messages
Advantages of cooperating
vs competing; paleolithic
stories
Ethics of separating fact
from fiction; paleolithic
stories
Wood carving and free-form painting; paleolithic
stories created and drawn
2.25
4.25
Picture symbols which
stand for complex events
Team communications
games and “charades”
using picture symbols
The difference between a
symbol and the thing it
symbolizes; paleolithic
stories
Charcoal drawing on bark
and stone; universal
religious symbols; creating
stories
2.50
4.50
Advanced picture symbols
and counting
Making up stories by
stringing together picture
symbols which everyone
can understand
Creation myths of
paleolithic people
Making up creation myths
and testing them
2.75
4.75
Rebus writing combined
with picture writing
Making up stories with
rebus and picture writing
Advanced creation myths
of Native Americans and
some religious beliefs,
symbols
Native American art and
what it expresses; free-form art for what students
value
3.00
5.00
The notion of an alphabet
and sound symbols
Stringing sound symbols
together to make a word
The religions of native
Americans and the
evolutionary ethic
Percussion instruments,
music, carving, dance, and
art to express religious
feelings
3.25
5.25
Reading advanced
paleolithic stories with
evolutionary ethical theme
Writing simple stories and
accounts using alphabet,
rebus writing, or pictures
as desired
The importance of
separating truth from
fiction in our writing to
avoid misleading others
Late paleolithic art and
religion; student’s
expression of his own
feelings about them
3.50
5.50
Reading stories and history
of early neolithic life with
evolutionary ethics theme
More writing of stories and
accounts using alphabet,
rebus writing, and pictures
as desired
Simple analysis of
neolithic culture and
religions in light of the
evolutionary ethic
Neolithic art and stone
carving; clay figurines;
self-expression of students
3.75
5.75
Reading more complex
stories of neolithic life
about religion and
creativity in ancient Jericho
and Mesopotamia
More writing of stories and
accounts using alphabet
and rebus writing, but no
pictures, show difficulty of
communicating numerical
concepts over 10
Analysis of why neolithic
culture advanced so slowly
before the beginning of
Sumer; the energy that
went into religious ritual &
the corrupt priestly
bureaucracy
The flute and harp and the
neolithic music possible
for them; advanced
neolithic art and religion;
self-expression in all art
media
The studies and all the activities of the day are integrated so that the child knows what it will be doing and why. Children who wish to follow a different path will be encouraged to do so. After consulting with the child, the home room teachers are obligated to accommodate the elections of each child and try to arrange the child’s day so as to maximize the child’s creativity, keeping the child in safety, and not imposing any activities on the child.
During this period the children are introduced to ethics and why we have an obligation to never do anything to harm anyone, including ourselves, why we should always try to do our best to increase our own creativity and the creativity of everyone with whom we interact. The concept of “creativity” is discussed with all the students, and they give their own opinions on the subject.
The child is introduced in very simple terms to what is creativity and what is harm. The concepts of harm and creativity are discussed by the teachers with all the children in each circle. The children are introduced to the concept of patience, and why we should always wait for our turn. They are taught how to show respect for each other, their teachers, their parents, their siblings, and everyone else.
These lessons are combined with free drawing, painting, and simple songs. The children are taught about the themes they will be studying during the day in physical, biological, psychosocial sciences, as well their integration through ethics, humanities and art. The themes of fire, water, air, earth, the human body, the school, the home, the family, our neighbors, positive and negative emotions, the sun, colors, ego, and ecology are all touched upon and integrated with the sciences, ethics, humanities, and art. This process will continue during all future days of study at SEE, except the discussions shall become more sophisticated and comprehensive. _JDG Lifetime Curriculum
It is important to teach ethics at the same time as one is teaching a child to be competent, conscientious, persistent, and dangerous.
The coming crop of Dangerous Children will be most dangerous to any society that attempts to restrict their freedoms and opportunities unjustly. Sic semper tyrannis.
Note: Al Fin visited John David Garcia at his home in Oregon a number of times — including a three day workshop on “autopoiesis,” attended by roughly 15 other guests. Over the years, most of those who attended JDG workshops were initially attracted by the Garcia curriculum being republished on this blog.
The two traits of self-efficacy and self confidence are both useful, and come naturally to the Dangerous Child due to his training and experience.
Self Efficacy
Albert Bandura is arguably the most cited author on the subject of self-efficacy, and he defines self-efficacy as an individual’s beliefs about their capacity to influence the events in their own lives (Bandura, 1977). __ https://positivepsychology.com/self-confidence/
Self-efficacy is closely related to one type of self confidence — confidence in one’s ability to deal with situations as they arise:
… Psychology Dictionary Online defines self-confidence as an individual’s trust in his or her own abilities, capacities, and judgments, or belief that he or she can successfully face day to day challenges and demands (Psychology Dictionary Online).
… Typically, when you are confident in your abilities you are happier due to your successes. When you are feeling better about your capabilities, the more energized and motivated you are to take action and achieve your goals.
Self-confidence, then, is similar to self-efficacy in that it tends to focus on the individual’s future performance; however, it seems to be based on prior performance, and so in a sense, it also focuses on the past. __ https://positivepsychology.com/self-confidence/
People tend to enjoy doing things that they are good at. If a person is good at solving puzzles and problems — of whatever type — they will have more confidence and enthusiasm when faced with new puzzles and problems.
The way to build confidence is clearly to succeed at getting things done, over and over again. It is particularly useful in this regard to get meaningful things done — things that you can take pride in. It is also helpful if one is guided by his own inner compass rather than by outside opinion. Overcoming failure is just part of the experience of gaining confidence through getting things done.
Here are a few attributes of confident people:
They don’t seek attention
They don’t make excuses
They don’t avoid conflict
They aren’t afraid to make decisions
They seek feedback for informational purposes
They are not afraid of failure
They don’t ruminate on negative thoughts
They don’t broadcast negative energy outward
They focus on the task, not on themselves
They deal with criticism then move on
They know when to take action and do so without asking permission
As in self-efficacy, meaningful self confidence comes from proving oneself competent to solve problems and to achieve things that are often thought difficult. Think of it as a “habit of competent achievement.”
When this type of competence is combined with an unconventional vision and genius, we often find persons who are sources of disruptive innovation and change. True disruptive geniuses are rare. Either they arrive on the scene too early (Leonardo da Vinci), or they have a character flaw that limits their scope of vision, or they get caught up in the social milieu of the times and fail to step far enough out of the mainstream.
We are living in a time of hyper-conformity, when most of the public believes that “consensus” is more important than verifiability, accuracy, falsifiability, or precision in science. In truth, consensus is the shite of science, but how are the people to know this in this age of group mind?
And so it should be clear that this world needs a variety of youth movements that lead the young to think independently from the crowd, to immerse themselves in the deep science of pattern, movement, language, and the passions of humanity — past, present, and future. Movements such as the Dangerous Child movement, where youth are financially independent several different ways by the age of 18. Where youth are not intimidated by the appeal to authority or to the majority opinion. Where youth are not swayed by emotional arguments based upon any type of consensus at all — without having worked their way through the arguments and the evidence themselves.
To have a confident future we must have confident youth and young adults with the intelligence, creativity, and hands-on skills to see things through.
Writer Christina DesMarais contributes to Inc. magazine. Several of her pieces have to do with parenting from a scientific perspective. Some of this advice is quite good. Here is a sampling:
Christina backs up each of her recommendations with scientific sources. None of the advice is bad. I have put a star next to the items which seem particularly good overall.
Below you will find an assortment of other snippets of advice from Christina. Feel free to apply it or not, according to your own situation. The idea is to listen to strategies that work for a variety of people, just in case something they do will also work for you.
Take small but concrete steps to turn large visions into reality
“Large visions or dreams can be very daunting, which is why so many people will live their lives without even attempting to realize them. I have found that taking small but concrete steps towards my visions leads to relatively quick and tangible rewards.
If it can be done in a minute, do it now
“The best productivity advice I’ve received (and put into practice every day) is that if something comes across your desk that will take less than 60 seconds to complete, do it immediately.
Set aside a few minutes each night to reflect on all of the day’s events
“As I do so, I jot down in a journal the biggest takeaways from each day in an effort to retain lessons learned.
Say no often
“Focus on the trade-off. The more I think about what I’m giving up when I say ‘yes’ to something, the easier it is to say ‘no.’
Schedule time for self-care, both physically and mentally
“I specifically designate time in my calendar each day to work some sort of physical activity into my afternoon, and I prefer to spend this time alone. Whether through a full workout or simply a walk around the perimeter of the office, I find that being on my own during this time helps me think clearly without distractions.
Make the bed
“Making the bed each morning is the easiest way to start your day with a win.
Make connections
“I regularly invest 15 minutes in a day to talk with someone whom I typically wouldn’t talk with but is related or has some interest in something I am focused on–this could be either professionally or personally.
Make time for music
“Keeping a positive attitude about work is important to me. Positivity helps you better connect with colleagues, customers, and partners, and it makes you more memorable in their eyes. To stay positive, I make time for music every day.
Get outside your comfort zone
“Embrace the unexpected and pursue the unfamiliar. I try to do, read, listen to, watch (or even eat) something new every day. Whether that’s related to my professional development or personal enjoyment. I’ve observed over my career that those who are able to draw from a vast base of knowledge or variety of experiences have an advantage.
Read before picking up a device
“Every morning, before reaching for any electronic devices, I like to read for 30-40 minutes, generally books on philosophy or a good biography. Most recently, I read Seneca: Letters from a Stoic.”
Stretch, breathe, swim, and set goals
“It’s important to have a clear mind each morning in order to have the most productive day possible. I wake up each morning and have 15 minutes to myself to stretch and be aware of my breathing to relax my mind. Afterwards, I get my body moving by swimming for 30 minutes in order to increase my mental wellness, improve blood flow, and get ready to tackle the day.
Remember the difference between a productive innovator and an executive decision maker. Christina’s advice in the article above suggests that she is more of an executive decision maker, constantly distracted by meetings, interruptions, and memos. Deep-working innovators and creators will have a slightly different approach to getting things done.
It is hard enough raising an ordinary child to be successful. How much harder it is to raise a Dangerous Child, with all the sharp but polished edges that implies. So first learn the basics well, then refine your approach with the greater project in mind.
The spirit and determination for a successful life must come from within the child — you cannot provide it. But you can provide the wisdom of your experience to help shape and nurture that spirit and determination as it grows and becomes manifest. __ Source
The following article is republished from the Al Fin Next Level blog. Those who are familiar with the topics in the Dangerous Child blog find much that is familiar to them.
Mainstream Coed Schools are Failing Boys
Girls read more books. They outperform boys on tests for artistic and musical ability. More girls than boys study abroad. More join the Peace Corps. At the same time, more boys than girls are suspended from school. More [boys] are held back and more drop out. Boys are three times as likely to receive a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. More boys than girls are involved in crime, alcohol, and drugs. Girls attempt suicide more often than boys, but it is boys who more often succeed. __ The War Against Boys
For some odd reason, modern schools are designed around the needs of girls. It should be no surprise then that girls are thriving in schools from K through university, while in comparison boys are languishing.
Boys need more physical activity, more risk taking activities, and more rough and tumble play. Most female teachers are not comfortable with giving boys these needful things. And so schools continue to put boys through hell, which disadvantages many of them throughout their education — which is too often curtailed as a result.
Simple changes to the pace and tempo of the school day, such as incorporating several brief recesses throughout the day, devoting more time to physical education, and including more hands-on activities go a long way towards alleviating some of the natural restlessness of boys and harnessing male energy in positive ways. How much Ritalin could remain on the shelves if we created schools that are ready for boys rather than boys who are ready for schools? __ Lori Day
Boys have a different style of learning than girls. According to a study titled “Teaching Boys: A Global Study in Effective Practices” by Dr. Michael Reichert and Dr. Richard Hawley, eight categories of instruction seem to succeed particularly with boys:
Lessons that result in an end product—a booklet, a catapult, a poem, or a comic strip, for example.
Lessons that are structured as competitive games.
Lessons requiring motor activity.
Lessons requiring boys to assume responsibility for the learning of others.
Lessons that require boys to address open questions or unsolved problems.
Lessons that require a combination of competition and teamwork.
Lessons that focus on independent, personal discovery and realization.
Lessons that introduce drama in the form of novelty or surprise.
Most K-12 schools are not boy-friendly, and in the same way most modern universities are not man-friendly. But universities and university departments that still care about competing in male-dominant fields will usually find a way to treat male students in a fair and equitable manner.
Young men may be a vanishing breed on the college campus, but there are some colleges that have no trouble attracting them—schools whose names include the letters T-E-C-H. Georgia Tech is 68 percent male; Rochester Institute of Technology, 68 percent; South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 74 percent. This affinity pattern points to one highly promising strategy for reconnecting boys with school: vocational education, now called Career and Technical Education (CTE). __ How to Make School Better for Boys
Locking kids indoors for seven or eight hours each day may be good for most girls, but it is hell on boys. Boys need exercise — lots of exercise. And they need to learn to take physical risks, something that is strictly forbidden at most schools.
We overprotect kids, trying to keep them safe from all physical dangers–which ultimately increases their likelihood of real health issues.
We inhibit children’s academic growth (especially among boys), because the lack of physical activity makes it harder for them to concentrate.
When they fail to conform quietly to this low-energy paradigm, we over-diagnose or even punish kids for reacting the way they’re naturally built to react.
Most boys are rambunctious. Often they seem like they’re in a constant state of motion: running, jumping, fighting, playing, getting hurt–maybe getting upset–and getting right back into the physical action.
Except at school, where they’re required to sit still for long periods of time. (And when they fail to stay still, how are they punished? Often by being forced to skip recess–and thus sit still even longer.) __ Boys Need to Move
Researchers in Finland discovered that boys do better in reading and math when they are allowed more physical activity, with less time sitting in a classroom. Girls did not need nearly so much exercise as boys, according to the Finnish researchers. We should pay attention to the suggestion that boys and girls may benefit from entirely different approaches to schooling and child raising.
Very young children such as toddlers between 1 and 4 years, need at least three hours a day of exercise, broken up into shorter segments of time. Older children are said by various agencies of the US government to need at least one hour of exercise daily, but the real benefits for boys probably come from at least three hours a day of exercise for older children as well as younger ones. This would most easily take the form of roughly 15 minutes of exercise out of every hour of waking time. In other words, short periods of exercise throughout the day, interspersed with longer periods of other activities such as eating, dressing, schooling, homework, and occasional longer exercise periods.
The current guidelines for children 6 to 17 years of age include being physically active for at least 60 minutes or more each day with aerobic, muscle and bone strengthening activities. __ Source
Forest Schools
A unique approach to schooling known as “forest schools” seems to offer benefits for boys (and probably some girls) which cannot be obtained at conventional schools. Here are some possible benefits from forest schools:
1. Building confidence and independence
Building dens, navigating with a compass and using a knife in woodwork are just some of the activities that instil children with confidence and a sense of independence.
“Children feel empowered as they learn more about their own natural environment,” explains Worroll.
2. Feeling empathy for others and nature
Working as a team in a natural setting bonds children as a group. It also makes them aware of the need to care for each other and for the environment.
3. Physical fitness
Running around and climbing trees develops muscle strength, aerobic fitness, and coordination. A Scottish study found activity levels were 2.2 times higher in a typical Forest School day than during a school day that included PE lessons.
4. Health benefits
Studies have highlighted a multitude of health benefits to being outside -sunlight and soil microorganisms boost the body’s levels of serotonin, the chemical linked to feelings of wellbeing, while vitamin D, which is essential for bone and muscle health, is also provided by the sun’s rays.
5. Improved mental health
Today’s children are experiencing increased stress caused by a range of pressures, from school exams to social media. Mental-health professionals acknowledge that maintaining a relationship with nature can be very helpful in supporting children’s emotional and mental wellbeing.
6. Learning by experience
Research suggests young children learn best from experience, by using their senses actively rather than passively, and it’s via these experiences that learning remains with us into adulthood.
7. Exposure to manageable risk
At Forest School, children can run and make a noise, get their hands dirty and experience manageable risk, which is essential for healthy child development, through activities such as supervised fire building and cooking.
8. Better sleep and mood
Children – and adults – sleep more deeply after either playing outside or going for a long walk, and mood lifts just from breathing in a few lungfuls of fresh air.
9. Learning about spiritual meaning
Outside the confines of four walls, without the distractions of electronic devices and excessive supervision, children can move, explore and discover at their own pace, connecting to the natural world – a place not created by man, that had deep spiritual meaning for our ancestors. __ Benefits of Forest School
It should be clear that boys need more exposure to the outdoors and to manageable risks, as well as to rough and tumble play and physical exercise in general. Forest schools seem to offer one possible solution to this puzzle that is caused by innate sex differences in educational needs. Clearly many possible solutions to the needs of boy students are possible — if society chose to make boys as much a priority for the future as it has made of girls.
There is a strong argument to be made that boys and girls should be educated in separate classrooms — if not in separate schools. This is not politically correct, but then most wise and effective ideas and most profound truths in this world are not politically correct in this age. We must do the best we can anyway, and make sure that we outlive the insanity.
We may have to fight some of the most powerful corporations in big technology, however:
Big Tech is Making the Problem Worse
The average age of children given their first smartphone is 10 years, in the US. Boys are often given video games much earlier. These electronic devices can bring unhealthy obsessions — leading to less exercise, more sedentary time, and less direct face to face social contact with family and friends. The impact on children and adolescents of such obsessions with electronic devices and social media has yet to be well defined.
There is a preponderance of evidence that social media and smartphone usage seriously damage the mental health of adolescents. Suicide rates among adolescents and young women have skyrocketed from 2007 to 2017.
Smartphones and social media consumption by adolescents are intertwined. Almost all the social media platforms and smartphones are supplied by the following five Big Tech companies: Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, and Apple. These five companies have a total market cap of $3.5 Trillion. They are the wealthiest and most powerful companies in the world.
Both boys and girls should have limited contact with sophisticated electronic devices, social media, and uncontrolled access to the internet until at least the mid teen years. The social life of family, school activities, play, as well as their experiencing of the natural world around them — and reading — should take up most of their time. Developing their skills of movement, pattern, music, and language, should take up most of the rest of their waking hours that are not devoted to necessities such as eating and such.
The War Against Boys Continues
Boys are different from girls, and should be raised and educated differently. Modern feminists are determined to continue their war against boys, however. They see no need to accommodate the needs of males at this time, when men are disappearing from so many college campuses.
As long as radical feminists hold dominant positions in government, media, academia, foundations, NGOs, corporate human resources departments, etc., boys and men — and those who love them — will continue fighting an uphill battle. Homeschooling may work in some cases — if it incorporates self-teaching, self-discipline, and self-guidance — as in the Robinson Curriculum.
Vocational high schools and post-secondary schools can provide useful skills that allow boys to generate incomes and experience in the world of money. There are many areas of employment that continue to be dominated by males for strong practical reasons. And there are still some conventional grammar schools, high schools, colleges and universities that try to treat males fairly, overall.
In much of the western world, we are living in a politically correct age of insanity. But these things tend to occur in cycles, so look for your chance to wound this PC turkey at every opportunity — and be ready to finish it off when the time comes.
Are boys and girls the same on the inside? Are their hearts, lungs, and brains the same? Should we expect to see identical achievement and performance from men and women, once the playing field is leveled?
Perhaps twenty or thirty years ago an educated person might have been excused for denying any differences in structure and function between the brains of human males and human females. But things have changed.
… over the past 15 years or so, there’s been a sea change as new technologies have generated a growing pile of evidence that there are inherent differences in how men’s and women’s brains are wired and how they work. __ Neurobiologist Nirao Shah
SEX ON THE BRAIN: A mammalian embryo is female by default. Males develop when the Sry gene of the Y chromosome is expressed, spurring the development of testes. During fetal development, the testes produce large amounts of testosterone, much of which is converted to estrogen. Both hormones then act on the brain, inducing the cellular process of masculinization. https://www.the-scientist.com/features/sex-differences-in-the-brain-34758
If not for the Y chromosome gene Sry, no embryonic testicles would be produced. If not for embryonic testicles and their large-scale production of testosterone, no males — and no male brains — would be produced.
Many sex differences in adult brain structure and behaviors are the result of in utero organizational effects of gonadal steroid hormones, in particular androgens and their aromatized derivatives, estrogens, both of which are present in substantially higher concentrations in male fetuses due to testicular steroidogenesis. Brain differences between the sexes can also arise from diverse factors, including the expression of genes carried on the sex chromosomes and discrepancies in maternal treatment of male and female progeny. Together, these factors mediate differences in neurogenesis, myelination, synaptic pruning, dendritic branching, axonal growth, apoptosis, and other neuronal parameters. __ Neuroscientist Margaret McCarthy in The Scientist
Neuroscientists have been homing in on brain differences between men and women for many decades. Thanks to better tools for brain imaging and genetic analysis, our understanding of these stark sex differences is growing clearer and more detailed.
Sex differences in lower animals often reflect sex differences in humans, providing a clue that a large part of human sex differences in brain and behaviour have been programmed in by long periods of evolution.
… animal-research findings resonated with sex-based differences ascribed to people. These findings continue to accrue. In a study of 34 rhesus monkeys, for example, males strongly preferred toys with wheels over plush toys, whereas females found plush toys likable. It would be tough to argue that the monkeys’ parents bought them sex-typed toys or that simian society encourages its male offspring to play more with trucks. A much more recent study established that boys and girls 9 to 17 months old — an age when children show few if any signs of recognizing either their own or other children’s sex — nonetheless show marked differences in their preference for stereotypically male versus stereotypically female toys.
… “These findings have all been replicated,”… Women excel in several measures of verbal ability — pretty much all of them, except for verbal analogies. Women’s reading comprehension and writing ability consistently exceed that of men, on average. They outperform men in tests of fine-motor coordination and perceptual speed. They’re more adept at retrieving information from long-term memory.
Men, on average, can more easily juggle items in working memory. They have superior visuospatial skills: They’re better at visualizing what happens when a complicated two- or three-dimensional shape is rotated in space, at correctly determining angles from the horizontal, at tracking moving objects and at aiming projectiles. __ Stanford Medicine
A large meta-analysis of brain volumetric studies recently established that there are significant sex differences in the volumes of various compartments of the brain.
On average, males have larger total brain volumes than females. Examination of the breakdown of studies providing total volumes by age categories indicated a bias towards the 18–59 year-old category. Regional sex differences in volume and tissue density include the amygdala, hippocampus and insula, areas known to be implicated in sex-biased neuropsychiatric conditions.
… On average, males have larger grey matter volume in bilateral amygdalae, hippocampi, anterior parahippocampal gyri, posterior cingulate gyri, precuneus, putamen and temporal poles, areas in the left posterior and anterior cingulate gyri, and areas in the cerebellum bilateral VIIb, VIIIa and Crus I lobes, left VI and right Crus II lobes. Females on average have larger volume at the right frontal pole, inferior and middle frontal gyri, pars triangularis, planum temporale/parietal operculum, anterior cingulate gyrus, insular cortex, and Heschl’s gyrus; bilateral thalami and precuneus; the left parahippocampal gyrus and lateral occipital cortex (superior division). __ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3969295/
These results can only be considered preliminary, although they came from a large set of compiled data from 126 detailed scientific studies of male and female brain and brain compartment volumes.
Human Males and Females Have Complementary Brain Talents
The study below used brain tensor imaging to look at the brains of 428 young human males and 521 young human females.
Sex differences are of enduring scientific and societal interest because of their prominence in the behavior of humans and nonhuman species (1). Behavioral differences may stem from complementary roles in procreation and social structure; examples include enhanced motor and spatial skills and greater proclivity for physical aggression in males and enhanced verbally mediated memory and social cognition in females (2, 3). With the advent of neuroimaging, multiple studies have found sex differences in the brain (4) that could underlie the behavioral differences. Males have larger crania, proportionate to their larger body size, and a higher percentage of white matter (WM), which contains myelinated axonal fibers, and cerebrospinal fluid (5), whereas women demonstrate a higher percentage of gray matter after correcting for intracranial volume effect (6). Sex differences in the relative size and shape of specific brain structures have also been reported (7), including the hippocampus, amygdala (8, 9), and corpus callosum (CC) (10). Furthermore, developmental differences in tissue growth suggest that there is an anatomical sex difference during maturation (11, 12), although links to observed behavioral differences have not been established.
The study revealed fundamental sex differences in brain structural architectures of young human males and females. Such structural differences will need to be correlated with behavioural differences — such as the differences in choices of occupations which have proven to be so troubling to feminist academics and policy-makers.
Larger Study in Brains of Grown Men and Women Reveals More Sex Differences
In the new study, a team of researchers led by psychologist Stuart Ritchie, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Edinburgh, turned to data from UK Biobank, an ongoing, long-term biomedical study of people living in the United Kingdom with 500,000 enrollees. A subset of those enrolled in the study underwent brain scans using MRI. In 2750 women and 2466 men aged 44–77, Ritchie and his colleagues examined the volumes of 68 regions within the brain, as well as the thickness of the cerebral cortex, the brain’s wrinkly outer layer thought to be important in consciousness, language, memory, perception, and other functions.
Adjusting for age, on average, they found that women tended to have significantly thicker cortices than men. Thicker cortices have been associated with higher scores on a variety of cognitive and general intelligence tests. Meanwhile, men had higher brain volumes than women in every subcortical region they looked at, including the hippocampus (which plays broad roles in memory and spatial awareness), the amygdala (emotions, memory, and decision-making), striatum (learning, inhibition, and reward-processing), and thalamus (processing and relaying sensory information to other parts of the brain).
When the researchers adjusted the numbers to look at the subcortical regions relative to overall brain size, the comparisons became much closer: There were only 14 regions where men had higher brain volume and 10 regions where women did. __ Sciencemag
The point is not that men have larger brains than women. The important thing is to look at specific brain regions where men’s brains seem more developed, and compare this with the specific brain regions where women’s brains seem more developed. Then you can move forward in the attempt to correlate brain developmental and functional differences with the abundant real-world behavioural differences between men and women.
A Closer Look at the Above Study
… performance on mental rotation tasks (Maeda and Yoon 2013) and physical aggression (Archer 2004) are on average higher in males, whereas self-reported interest in people versus things (Su et al. 2009) and the personality traits of neuroticism (Schmitt et al. 2008) and agreeableness (Costa et al. 2001) are on average higher in females. A full explanation of these cognitive and behavioral phenomena might benefit from a better understanding of brain sex differences.
… There is more to sex differences than averages: there are physical and psychological traits that tend to be more variable in males than females. The best-studied human phenotype in this context has been cognitive ability: almost universally, studies have found that males show greater variance in this trait (Deary et al. 2007a; Johnson et al. 2008; Lakin 2013; though see Iliescu et al. 2016). This has also been found for academic achievement test results (themselves a potential consequence of cognitive differences, which are known to predict later educational achievement; Deary et al. 2007b; Machin and Pekkarinen 2008; Lehre et al. 2009a, 2009b), other psychological characteristics such as personality (Borkenau et al. 2013), and a range of physical traits such as athletic performance (Olds et al. 2006), and both birth and adult weight (Lehre et al. 2009a). __ Cerebral Cortex Ritchie et al 2018
The greater variance in cognitive ability in males as compared to females is another source of concern for feminists in academia, politics, and in both governmental and non-governmental bureaucracies.
Men Dominate at the Highest Levels
Whether looking at the number of male vs. female CEOs of large corporations, leaders of governments, winners of Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, top chefs, most skilled chess grandmasters, the best aircraft pilots, the most dominant athletes, top surgeons, best violinists, most successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, etc. etc. — males tend to outnumber females.
Charles Murray’s masterful book “Human Accomplishment” looked at the achievements of top mathematicians, scientists, artists, etc. between the years 800 BC and 1950 CE. Murray discovered that — just as in contemporary Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals — men vastly outnumber men when it comes to historical accomplishments.
Murray found that women consistently make different career choices than men, which divert them from the path of great achievement time after time.
The women with careers were 4.5 times as likely as men to say they preferred to work less than 40 hours a week. The men placed greater importance on “being successful in my line of work” and “inventing or creating something that will have an impact,” while the women found greater value in “having strong friendships,” “living close to parents and relatives” and “having a meaningful spiritual life.” As the authors concluded, “these men and women appear to have constructed satisfying and meaningful lives that took somewhat different forms.” The different forms, which directly influence the likelihood that men will dominate at the extreme levels of achievement, are consistent with a constellation of differences between men and women that have biological roots.
… Men take more risks, are more competitive and are more aggressive than women. The word testosterone may come to mind, and appropriately. Much technical literature documents the hormonal basis of personality differences that bear on sex differences in extreme and venturesome effort, and hence in extremes of accomplishment–and that bear as well on the male propensity to produce an overwhelming proportion of the world’s crime and approximately 100% of its wars.
But this is just one more of the ways in which science is demonstrating that men and women are really and truly different, a fact so obvious that only intellectuals could ever have thought otherwise. __ Charles Murray
And yet, both intellectuals and pseudo-intellectuals in positions of influence and power continue to force destructive policies on institutions such as universities, government agencies, corporations, and others — and are fully backed by the inferior intellectuals and pseudo-intellectuals who infest most mass media outlets.
In sports, a dominant female athlete such as Serena Williams would be lucky to reach a male rank of 700, in terms of tennis skill and endurance on the men’s circuit. Men play longer and harder games. In fact, Serena and her sister Venus were both soundly trounced by a smoking and beer-drinking german male tennis player years ago, when both women were stronger and faster.
…the two siblings had something of an inflated understanding of their abilities, developed from their being fresh-faced, and still in need of a few life lessons learned. So they marched themselves into the men’s ATP office to announce rather confidently they were ready to beat any tour player ranked around the Top 200 if someone wanted to take the challenge.
It just so happened that Karsten Braasch of Germany, once a top-40 player, but at the time ranked 203rd, was in ear shot. He thought it would be fun so stepped up to say he’d be happy to take them on.
The date was set and the day arrived. Braasch played a warmup round of golf in the morning, then came to Melbourne Park. The threesome went out to a back court where each sister would have a one-set shot at Braasch. Word had spread around the grounds that the event wsa taking place, which caused tournament officials to restrict admittance to the area to only those with badges.
Braasch would smoke cigarettes and sip beer during the changeovers, and to be honest no longer looked the part of a fit professional athlete. It made no matter. Braasch led 5-0 over Serena before winning the set 6-1, and then posted a 6-2 set victory over Venus.
Society cannot afford to live in a make-believe world where its best women are just as capable in all areas as its best men. It isn’t true, and it is a great waste of talent from both sexes to try to prove the egalitarian ideal.
And so we are faced with a world that needs the best of all of its talented people — male and female. But our bureaucratic planners and policy-makers refuse to allow our best people to do their best. Instead, these functionaries insist on quotas, mandates, affirmative actions, and a long list of other ruinously expensive and damaging regulations and policies that handicap us from doing our best.
In a large sample of mathematically gifted youths, for example, seven times as many males as females scored in the top percentile of the SAT mathematics test. We do not have good test data on the male-female ratio at the top one-hundredth or top one-thousandth of a percentile, where first-rate mathematicians are most likely to be found, but collateral evidence suggests that the male advantage there continues to increase, perhaps exponentially. __ Charles Murray
A strong dose of reality at the highest levels is needed, but it is not clear who will do the dosing — and whether anyone in need of the dose will be capable of learning anything from it.
Dangerous Children can provide a useful antidote to the zombie world of widespread academic lobotomy and politically correct drone minds that dominate in media, academia, government, corporate bureaucracies, activist groups, and other social institutions.
Social engineers would like to destroy the past and start afresh, programming young minds with the new agenda. But the past is written in our genes and manifest in our brains and bodies, generation after generation. The “new agenda” of the social engineers contradicts what any discerning person can see before their eyes — and today’s new agenda quickly becomes the “old agenda” as new whims and fads for social engineering invariably emerge. Without a solid foundation, such ideologies become like layers of slime upon slime.
The Dangerous Child 