I finally finished Asimov’s New Guide to Science, a heavy tome that I started about a year ago. If Bryson’s science book (A Short History of Nearly Everything) is too light, short, and anecdotal, Asimov’s is too heavy, long, and technical (not to mention that Asimov’s book is somewhat dated). So I can’t recommend Asimov’s book enthusiastically.
According to Asimov,
| Nature did not design the brain; it came about as the result of a long series of evolutionary accidents, so to speak, which happened to produce helpful features that at each stage gave an advantage to organisms possessing them.1 |
Is evolution accidental? Or is there some force behind it — a life-instinct (to use Freud’s term), or synchronicity (to use Jung’s term)? In my view, Asimov’s argument that the brain is accidental is hard to swallow, and since we see the life-instinct in action elsewhere, and since we see synchronicity elsewhere, why not consider these forces as possible factors in evolution?
Asimov has a good sense of history, and since the past is embedded in words, Asimov is interested in etymology. He reminds us that “digit,” which is commonly used to mean “number,” originally meant “finger” (since fingers were used for counting). And he tells us that “calculate” comes from the Latin word for “pebble” (since pebbles were used to calculate). Pebbles (or beads) could be manipulated more easily if they were strung on a thread or rod, hence the abacus was invented.
Asimov tells us that the word “assassin” comes from “hashishin” meaning “user of hashish” because the original assassins were a Muslim cult who used marijuana.
I discovered a psychologist named Hans Eysenck. Eysenck left Nazi Germany at a young age, and settled in England, where he held an academic position for many years. He developed a theory of personality that is akin to the ancient theory of choleric, melancholic, sanguine, and phlegmatic personalities. His theory of personality has two dimensions, extraversion and neuroticism. The choleric personality, according to Eysenck, has high extraversion and high neuroticism, the melancholic personality has low extraversion and high neuroticism, the sanguine personality has high extraversion and low neuroticism, and the phlegmatic personality has low extraversion and low neuroticism.
Eysenck’s views on race and intelligence were controversial, and he defended a controversial book called The Bell Curve. Like many modern psychologists, Eysenck was fond of statistics, experiments, and scientific methodology; he was critical of Freud’s approach. “Despite this strongly scientific interest, Eysenck did not shy, in later work, from giving attention to parapsychology and astrology. Indeed, he believed that empirical evidence supported the existence of paranormal abilities.”2 He wrote dozens of books, including Know Your Own I.Q., Know Your Own Psi-Q, Crime and Personality, and Psychology is about People.
I recently read Malcolm Gladwell’s bestseller, The Tipping Point. I didn’t like it as much as Gladwell’s Blink. It discusses marketing, fads, epidemics, and doesn’t say much about human nature; it doesn’t have as much philosophical import as Blink. Nonetheless, Tipping Point is clear, readable, and sometimes interesting, so I don’t regret reading it.
In earlier issues of this e-zine, I’ve often discussed thinkers like James Allen, who believe that our mind, our attitude, molds our circumstances. Gladwell argues the opposite — that our environment molds our mind, “our inner states are the result of our outer circumstances.”3 Gladwell calls this the Power of Context.
He discusses the Broken Windows Theory, which says that criminals are influenced by little things in their environment, such as broken windows, and if you clean up these little things, you can reduce the crime rate.4 Gladwell also discusses Emotional Contagion, that is, the way a person can transmit his emotions to those around him; our facial expression isn’t simply the result of our inner state, it’s molded by the people around us. “Emotion... goes outside-in.”5 Gladwell discusses an experiment at Stanford in which a mock prison was created, to see how people responded to such an environment.6 The guards became sadistic, the prisoners went crazy, and the experiment had to be aborted. All these studies emphasize the Power of Context, the power of circumstances to mold the mind.
As he reviews the findings of contemporary psychologists, Gladwell sometimes discusses an idea that is familiar to me from my study of the classics. For example, Gladwell argues that we don’t have one personality, rather we have a multitude of personalities that emerge in different situations. He discusses a study of 11,000 schoolchildren. The study concluded that students were honest in one situation, dishonest in another; “A child may cheat on an arithmetic test and not on a spelling test.”7 Proust made the same point:
| There was not a single one of the people whom he knew who might not, in certain circumstances, prove capable of a shameful action.... Each one of us is not a single person, but contains many persons who have not all the same moral value... If a vicious Albertine had existed, it did not mean that there had not been others.8 |
Gladwell discusses an anthropologist named Robin Dunbar. Dunbar argues that “brains evolve, they get bigger, in order to handle the complexities of larger social groups.”9 The human brain is big enough to handle a social group of 150, which Gladwell calls “the magic number.” Primitive man often lived in groups of about 150 people, and soldiers are usually grouped into units of 150. Above this magic number, people become strangers, and the group starts to fragment into sub-groups. 150 is the “tipping point.”
In Chapter 7, Gladwell compares the epidemic of teenage smoking in the U.S. to the epidemic of teenage suicide in Micronesia. In both cases, destructive behavior was regarded as “cool,” and spread through the society like a contagious disease. Gladwell begins his argument by saying that, in any society, committing suicide inspires others to commit suicide. (One thinks of the recent spate of suicides at Cornell.) Gladwell says that “Marilyn Monroe’s death [probably a suicide] was followed by a temporary 12 percent increase in the national suicide rate.”10 When a suicide is on the front page of the newspaper, the suicide rate spikes, and so does the rate of fatal car accidents.
Gladwell credits Hans Eysenck with a “groundbreaking” work on smoking, a work that connects smoking to a certain type of personality. The hard-core smoker
| is sociable, likes parties, has many friends, needs to have people to talk to.... He craves excitement, takes chances, acts on the spur of the moment and is generally an impulsive individual.11 |
In a teenager’s eyes, smoking is cool because the people who smoke are cool — the defiant, impulsive, risk-taking teenagers who smoke are cool.
| Over the past decade, the anti-smoking movement has railed against the tobacco companies for making smoking cool and has spent untold millions of dollars of public money trying to convince teenagers that smoking isn’t cool. But that’s not the point. Smoking was never cool. Smokers are cool.... In this epidemic, as in all others, a very small group — a select few — are responsible for driving the epidemic forward.12 |
I think there’s much truth in Gladwell’s argument, but he doesn’t ask, “Is suicide merely contagious, or is there another factor?” Gorky consorted with radical students, and said, “how many of the people I have known have abandoned life of their own choice!”13 Is this an epidemic? Perhaps, but it’s also, in my view, a reflection of nihilism, of the breakdown of traditional religion, traditional values.
Likewise, the suicide epidemic in Micronesia isn’t just a matter of contagion, there are probably other factors involved. Contagion can happen anywhere, anytime. Why Micronesia? Why now? There may be some sort of nihilism in modern Micronesia, some sort of spiritual breakdown. Perhaps modern media have introduced Micronesians to the world outside, and they feel cut off, left out. Perhaps they can’t find satisfaction in simple things, as their ancestors could.
Should we believe in the Power of Context, or the Power of Intention? Should we believe that circumstances mold the mind, or that the mind molds circumstances? Should we believe the Gladwell view or the James Allen view? I incline toward the James Allen view, but I think there’s some truth in Gladwell’s view, too. Truth is complicated, even contradictory. Just as we can say that man is both fated and free, so too we can say that the mind both molds, and is molded by, circumstances. Perhaps some people are more inclined to mold, while others are more inclined to be molded; perhaps we should speak of ‘molders’ and ‘moldees.’
Perhaps Gladwell’s view is easier for academics to substantiate, hence it’s more popular with academics. The mind’s effect on circumstances is more mystical, more occult, more difficult to prove. For example, we may believe that Hamlet’s negative thinking creates the pile of corpses with which the play ends, but it’s difficult to prove that link.
Shakespeare is on both sides of the question, as he often is; Shakespeare believes the mind molds circumstances, and he also believes that circumstances mold the mind. Shakespeare seems to realize that truth is contradictory, truth is both/and. Shakespeare writes, “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.”13B This is mind shaping circumstances. If you’re depressed by rain, that’s because it’s raining in your heart. Elsewhere Shakespeare expresses the other view:
I see men’s judgements are
A parcel of their fortunes; and things outward
Do draw the inward quality after them
I discovered a young Swedish writer, Johan Norberg, a champion of free markets, globalization, Ayn Rand, etc. He’s affiliated with The Cato Institute, a think-tank that promotes libertarian ideas. Norberg writes good English prose. He’s the author of In Defense of Global Capitalism and Financial Fiasco: How America’s Infatuations with Homeownership and Easy Money Created the Economic Crisis. Both these books have been made into films.14 Norberg admires reason and scorns mysticism and religion. He’s fond of Star Trek and science fiction; one of his favorite novels is The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein.
I recently received an e-mail on the subject of enantiodromia (running toward the opposite, as in Hegel’s dialectic):
| Regarding enantiodromia, even though writers define it as a cyclical phenomenon, neither Jung nor Marx viewed it this way, so far as I can tell. I never read anything in Jung suggesting that an excess of the unconscious led to an outbreak of conscious thought. And in Marx’s dialectical materialism, I don’t recall him predicting that the dictatorship of the proletariat would collapse of its own internal contradictions (although in fact that’s what transpired). I found you by googling “enantiodromia” upon reading the recently-published “Red Book” of Jung. |
I responded thus:
| If I may differ with your view, you say “writers define it as a cyclical phenomenon,” but it seems to me that enantiodromia means “running toward the opposite,” it doesn’t mean “running in a circle.” In some cases, a complete circle may be made, but I don’t think we need a complete circle in order to use the term enantiodromia. My theory of history is a complete circle, often needing 400 years to complete. But you’re right, Marx probably didn’t speak of a complete circle, or he would have weakened his argument (he preferred to say that history would move to the Communist nirvana, and then stop).
As for Jung, I think he and his disciples argue that an excess of super-ego (conscience) can trigger a revolt by the unconscious (in dreams, FreudianSlips, etc.). They also say that an excess of shadow/vice/evil (for example, a murderer) can trigger dreams/images of virtue, holiness, etc. They base this argument on an analysis of the dreams of criminals. They also base this argument on the case of the Roman emperors (Nero, Caligula, etc.) who exemplify an excess of shadow/vice/evil. Jung argues that this excess of shadow/vice/evil was not unique to the individual emperors, but rather was characteristic of their society. It gave rise to its opposite, namely an excess of conscience/virtue. Jung wrote thus: “Humanity does not thrive in a state of licentiousness. The meaning of these cults — Christianity and Mithraism — is clear: moral subjugation of the animal instincts.... We can hardly realize the whirlwinds of brutality and unchained libido that roared through the streets of Imperial Rome.”15 We find a similar argument in Kierkegaard, who analyzed the Roman emperors and said that their licentiousness triggered “dread”: “The spirit wills to break through, wills that he shall possess himself in his consciousness, but that he is unable to do, and the spirit is repressed and gathers new wrath.”16 The spirit/conscience can be repressed, just as the unconscious/id can be repressed, and in both cases the result is the activation of what is repressed. |
I moved my Providence notes here.
Bristol is one of the most charming and historic towns in Rhode Island. Bristol is a harbor town on the east side of Narragansett Bay; Bristol is a 20-minute drive south of Providence. Click here for an excellent description of Bristol houses by preservation professor Philip C. Marshall (the description focuses on Hope Street, starting at the south end and moving north). More Bristol tours can be found here and here.
I recommend the Beaver River Preserve in Richmond, Rhode Island. It’s owned by The Nature Conservancy. It’s rather small (240 acres) and the trail is rather short (2 or 3 miles). There’s no parking lot, but there’s roadside parking. It has a spectacular collection of boulders, most of which are probably glacial erratics; one might say that most of the Preserve is a boulder field. Many of the boulders have been split in two, probably by water freezing and thawing. The terrain is hilly, typical of a glacial moraine. In the western section of the preserve, in the middle of the loop trail, is a hill that may be a glacier-formed drumlin (in the map below, I marked this possible drumlin with a “D”).
When I was there, beavers had dammed the river, creating a large pond; the pond had lots of dead trees, interesting ducks (ring-necked ducks?), beaver lodges, and beavers swimming along with just their noses visible. There were many signs of recent beaver chewing — trees felled, bark eaten, etc.
Pond created by beaver dam
Beaver River Preserve, Richmond RI
A few traces of an old mill are visible. A mill race comes out of the pond, and is roughly parallel with the river for perhaps 100 yards, before joining the river; the beavers have dammed the mill race as well as the river. A few years ago, there was a rickety bridge over the river, and a short trail on the opposite shore, but the bridge is gone. This “eastern trail” may be accessible from Hillsdale Road, but its use is discouraged, and it doesn’t appear on the NatureConservancy map. (For more on this “eastern trail,” see Walks and Rambles in Rhode Island, p. 71, by Ken Weber, 3rd edition, 1999.)
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Here’s a 5.5-mile route that crosses the Wood River, the Flat River, Parris Brook, etc. It also climbs Mount Tom, and has some good views. And there are few grassy areas, so there’s little chance of ticks. The trail is well marked. It’s in Arcadia Management Area. |
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This trail, the Ben Utter Trail, is a 3-mile loop that stays close to the Wood River. It goes north to Stepstone Falls, then comes back to the starting-point. The trail is rocky, but not steep. It’s a woodsy trail—you won’t get a sunburn. It isn’t easy to find the trailhead. Here are some tips: Let’s start in Exeter, Rhode Island, at the junction of Route 3 and Route 165. Drive west on Route 165 for 3 miles, turn right on Frosty Hollow Road. Drive 1.5 miles, then turn left on Plain Road. Drive 2.1 miles to a bridge over the Wood River (you’ll pass a bridge over the Flat River). Park just beyond the bridge. You’ll see the trail on the right side of the road. (Both Frosty Hollow Road and Plain Road are dirt roads, and they’re often rough.) |
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Here’s a 4.5-mile route that circles Barden Reservoir in Foster, Rhode Island (part of the route is in western Scituate). This route is mostly on dirt roads, and has a few hills. I put a “D” on the map to mark a Dam, the dam that crosses the Ponaganset River to create the reservoir. The dam was probably built around 1925 (when the Scituate Reservoir was created by damming the north branch of the Pawtuxet River). Near the dam you’ll see an old mill race, which is probably 100 years older than the dam (a mill race channels water into a mill). I put a “C” on the map to mark a small bridge that has been Closed (closed to cars, but probably safe for walkers). You may want to combine this walk with a visit to Foster Center (marked with an “F” on the map). Foster Center has an old town hall, an old jail, etc. |
If you prefer wild nature to the works of man, one of the biggest mountains in the Providence-Boston area is Mt. Wachusett, which is 60 miles northwest of Providence, and 60 miles west of Boston. You can drive to Wachusett’s summit, or take a chair-lift at the Wachusett ski area, or hike whatever distance you want. The summit has no water, so you should bring water.
From the summit of Wachusett, you can see both Boston and the Berkshires. Wachusett Reservoir is visible to the southeast, slightly further south is Lake Quinsigamond. Mt. Monadnock is clearly visible to the north (slightly west of north). I could see Mt. Greylock with binoculars; since it was early March, I could see snow on Greylock; the snow created a straight white line, where trees had been cut for a powerline.
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This route is only 1.6 miles from trailhead to summit (I marked the trailhead “A.”). If you want a 1-mile route, park along Mountain Road, at the spot that I marked “B”. If you want a 2-mile route, park at the spot marked “C”. If you want a 3-mile route, park at the spot marked “D”. If you want a 4-mile route, park at Audubon’s Wachusett Meadow Sanctuary (“E”).16C Both A and B are at an altitude of about 1,100 feet. Since the summit is about 2,000 feet, you’re climbing about 900 feet. A sign at the summit describes Wachusett geology; it says that Wachusett was originally 20,000 feet tall, but has eroded over time. Park at the Wachusett ski area (marked “F”) to hike the Balance Rock Trail (one mile round-trip). Balance Rock is a glacial erratic balancing on top of another boulder. On my map, Balance Rock is marked “G.” Redemption Rock is marked “H.” Redemption Rock is a flat ledge on which Mary Rowlandson was redeemed from the Indians.
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Below is a loop trail on Wachusett; the trail is described in Fifty Hikes in Massachusetts, by Brady and White. The total length of the loop is about 3 miles.
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This route is 3.8 miles from trailhead to summit. It begins at Audubon’s Wachusett Meadow Sanctuary.
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Mt. Wachusett from Merriam Road in Princeton, Massachusetts
If you look closely, you may be able to see the towers at the summit
Mt. Monadnock from the summit of Mt. Wachusett,
a distance of about 30 miles. Note the two windmills
in the foreground. There are several windmills around Mt. Wachusett.
High Meadow Trail, Mt. Wachusett
At the bottom of the meadow trail,
you can see Great Blue Hill to the east
(slightly south of east)
Further west is the 3,500-acre Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts. The Harvard Forest is adjacent to other protected spaces, such as an Audubon preserve.
Purgatory Chasm is 30 miles northwest of Providence, on the road to Worcester, in Sutton, Massachusetts; it’s 50 miles from Boston. The trails aren’t long, but the scenery is spectacular. The trail through the chasm has tall cliffs on both sides; the trail is challenging, but not extremely difficult. (There’s also a Purgatory Chasm in Middletown, Rhode Island, near Newport. It’s a narrow ravine on the coast, with water rushing in and out. The trail from the parking area is short.)
small beagle, big cliff
Purgatory Chasm, Sutton, Massachusetts
A narrow crevice known as Fat Man’s Misery
Purgatory Chasm
For more on early New England, consider the writings of James Truslow Adams (no relation to John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Henry Adams, etc.). James Truslow Adams wrote The Founding of New England, which won a Pulitzer Prize for history in 1921; it’s the first volume in a 3-volume history of early New England. (James Truslow Adams also wrote a study of the famous Adams family, and a biography of Henry Adams.)
If you want to explore New England towns, I recommend a website called WalkTheTown, created by Doug Gelbert. Doug creates walking tours and sells them as e-books and as printed books. His tours combine history, architecture, and exercise. Doug writes about not only New England, but many other regions of the U.S.16D Another useful source of information is the National Register of Historic Places (Rhode Island list here, New York City here or here; also you can google a property name or address + “nomination form”). Consider also the books published in the 1930s by the Federal Writers’ Project. These books contain much useful information about history, architecture, etc. There’s one on Massachusetts, one on Connecticut, one on Rhode Island, etc.
There are several bike-paths near Providence. Perhaps the longest and most interesting is the EastBay BikePath, which runs along the east side of Narragansett Bay, from East Providence to Bristol; it’s about 14 miles long. It is said to be the 5th busiest bike-path in the country.
Near the Bristol-Warren border is the Bristol Audubon, which has a boardwalk crossing the bikepath (I marked the spot with a black pin). It’s a pleasant walk from the bikepath in either direction — toward the water, or toward the Visitor Center. They made pollinator gardens near the Visitor Center.
The above map shows the Washington Secondary Bikepath, and some points of interest near it. This is a 19-mile bikepath, and there are plans to extend it west to the Connecticut border.
The above route doesn’t extend to the west end of the path. The Washington Secondary Bikepath is part of the East Coast Greenway, which runs from Maine to Florida. When you get to the west end of the Washington Secondary Bikepath, the Greenway continues, along some busy roads, to Pomfret, Connecticut, where it connects with a dirt bikepath, called Airline North.
Airline North was a railroad; it’s flat and straight, but somewhat dull. It runs 20 miles southwest to Windham (more precisely, a neighborhood in Windham called Willimantic). In Windham, you can pick up Airline South, which continues in a southwest direction for about 20 miles. Or you can cycle west from Windham to Hartford, along the East Coast Greenway.
The BlackstoneRiver BikePath runs from Cumberland, Rhode Island to Woonsocket, a distance of 11 miles; eventually it will go to Worcester. Much of it runs along the Blackstone River and the nearby canal; a free museum called Kelly House discusses the history of the river, the canal, the railroads, etc.
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This section of the Blackstone BikePath goes along the Blackstone Canal (it’s built on the old towpath), and it’s near the Blackstone River. At the start of this section (the southern end) is a parking lot. This section is 1.3 miles long (2.6 miles round-trip). If you go another 1.3 miles north, you’ll come to Kelly House (a canal museum), picnic tables, etc. |
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This section of the Blackstone Bikepath is 11.5 miles (23 miles round-trip). It includes the above section. It starts in Cumberland, RI and goes north to Woonsocket, RI. Like many river towns, Woonsocket has some steep hills; this route avoids those hills. |
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This is one of the most scenic walks in the Providence-Worcester-Boston area, especially if the river is running strongly. It’s about .75 miles each way (1.5 miles round-trip). At the start (the northern end), there’s a good parking lot. Rolling Dam is near the parking lot. You’ll see a trail following the river; stay close to the river for the best scenery. There are many cliffs overhanging the river, offering good views even for acrophobes. For elderly walkers, the trail might be too rough. |
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This section of the Blackstone River GreenWay is 3.75 miles long. The scenery is rather dull. This section is part of a much longer trail, a 22-mile trail called the Southern New England Trunkline Trail (SNETT). Much of the SNETT is unpaved, rough, but this section is paved and landscaped. At the start and end of this section are parking lots. The western part of SNETT intersects the Mid-State Trail. |
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This 2.75-mile walk (5.5 miles round-trip) is one of the most pleasant and scenic in the area. It’s especially scenic when the river is flowing strongly but not overflowing. The southern end of the route has a nice Visitor Center and parking lot (there’s another parking lot at the northern end). In the southern half of the route, you may want to stay along the river (the route I’ve marked goes up Goat Hill, which isn’t very scenic). To lengthen the route, you can go 1.25 miles south from the Visitor Center (this southern section of the trail is smoother, but less scenic, than the northern section). Below is a 4-mile route (8 miles round-trip) that includes the above route, but skips Goat Hill.
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This trail is 1.5 miles (3 miles round-trip). It climbs to a lookout, which offers a view of the river. There are impressive cliffs at the top. Unfortunately, the best “lookout rock” is covered with graffiti. |
You can also ride on a riverboat: “Spring and summer cruises depart from Central Falls and tour the Valley Falls ‘Wilderness Area’. Autumn cruises depart near the Museum of Work & Culture in Woonsocket and tour from the ‘Thundermist’ dam north.” The riverboat has a guide who can teach you much about the river — its ecology, its history, etc. The National Park Service is a good resource for exploring the Blackstone Valley.
The Woonasquatucket River BikePath is west of Providence, and is about 3 miles long, but there are plans to extend it for another 3 miles to the north. Click here for information about the path, and the annual ride in September. The Woonasquatucket River flows into Providence, under the ProvidencePlace Mall, through Waterplace Park, and meets the Moshassuck River to form the Providence River.
The Ten Mile River BikePath runs for 3 miles through Slater Park, and along the Ten Mile River and the Turner Reservoir; it’s in the towns of East Providence and Pawtucket. It’s quite scenic, and quite popular. The Cranston-Coventry BikePath starts in Cranston and runs south into Warwick and WestWarwick, before heading west into Coventry; it’s 19 miles long, and there are plans to extend it another five miles toward the Connecticut border.17 The SouthCounty BikePath is about 6 miles long.18 For information about all Rhode Island bike-paths, click here. For information about the annual 4 Bridges Ride, click here.
The best biking organization is Rhode Island is the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen. Their rides are on Sunday mornings. Their website has printable maps, GPS maps, etc. There’s also a great website listing bike rides in Connecticut: ctbikeroutes.org.
In southeastern Connecticut, just over the border from Rhode Island, are Stonington and Mystic (click here for a walking tour of Mystic).
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Here’s a 34-mile bike tour (or car tour) of southeast Connecticut, with historic towns and coastline views. |
And don’t forget the charming town of North Stonington, which has several historic buildings and no modern development. Doug Gelbert has written a useful guide to North Stonington. One of the town’s historic buildings is now the home of the historical society; the society has a collection of old photos and paintings by Fred Stewart Greene.
Bike New York is an organization that arranges bike trips in New York State, including an annual ride around New York City, a tour of the Hudson Valley, and perhaps a tour of LongIsland harbors.19 Click here for information about cycling along the Erie Canal. RailsToTrails and AdventureCycling are non-profit organizations that plan bike trips in the U.S.
Finally, I’d like to mention a website that lists “America’s Top 10 Road Trips.”
© L. James Hammond 2010
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| Footnotes | ||
| 1. | Ch. 17, p. 818 back | |
| 2. | Wikipedia back | |
| 3. | Ch. 4, section 4, p. 152. Has Gladwell converted me to his position? Have I abandoned the view that the mind molds circumstances? No, I still adhere to that view, but I think there’s some truth to Gladwell’s view, too. back | |
| 4. | Ch. 4, section 3, pp. 140-151. “It is possible,” Gladwell writes, “to be a better person on a clean street or in a clean subway than in one littered with trash and graffiti.”(Ch. 4, section 5, p. 168) The Broken Windows Theory was set forth in 1982, in an Atlantic Monthly article by James Q. Wilson and George Kelling. Perhaps Wilson and Kelling were inspired by the Subway Graffiti Theory.
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| 5. | Ch. 2, section 11, p. 85 back | |
| 6. | Ch. 4, section 4, pp. 152-155. What Gladwell calls “Emotional Contagion” is related to the power of mind, which in turn is related to the occult. Goethe said that he knew a man “who, without saying a word, could suddenly silence a party engaged in cheerful conversation, by the mere power of his mind. Nay, he could also introduce a tone which would make everybody feel uncomfortable.” Doubtless this un-named man is Goethe himself. Goethe was acquainted with the occult power of the shadow. So while Gladwell emphasizes the power of circumstances to mold the mind, Goethe notes the power of mind to mold mind. (See Conversations With Great Thinkers ==> “Education” ==> “Shakespeare and Goethe”) back | |
| 7. | Ch. 4, section 4, pp. 155-158. Gladwell quotes a psychologist named Walter Mischel: “Perhaps nature is bigger than our concepts and it is possible for the lady to be a hostile, fiercely independent, passive, dependent, feminine, aggressive, warm, castrating person all-in-one.”(Ch. 4, section 4, p. 162) back | |
| 8. | The Sweet Cheat Gone, ch. 1. Everybody is courageous in certain circumstances, cowardly in others. The elephant that’s afraid of a mouse may be fearless when confronting a lion. Faulkner said, “No man deserves praise for courage or opprobrium for cowardice, since there are situations in which any man will show either of them.” back | |
| 9. | Ch. 5, section 2, p. 178 back | |
| 10. | Ch. 7, section 2, p. 222 back | |
| 11. | Ch. 7, section 3, p. 230 back | |
| 12. | Ch. 7, section 3, p. 232 back | |
| 13. | My Universities, by Maxim Gorky back | |
| 13B. | This is from Hamlet, the next quote is from Antony and Cleopatra. See R. H. Blyth, Zen in English Literature, Ch. 5, p. 83. back | |
| 14. | Another author who has written about globalization is Joseph Stiglitz; his book is called Globalization and Its Discontents. Another author who converts his books into documentary films is Niall Ferguson. back | |
| 15. | Symbols of Transformation, par. 104. I discuss license and conscience here. back | |
| 16. | Either/Or, part 2 back | |
| 16C. | There’s also a hike of about 5 miles from Thompson Road, but the Audubon Society doesn’t want people entering their refuge at this point.
Wachusett is known for downhill skiing. If you like cross-country skiing, consider Great Brook, in Carlisle, Massachusetts, or the Weston Ski Track, or WindBlown, in southern New Hampshire. F. Gilbert Hills State Forest straddles the border of Foxboro and Wrentham. Though it’s not as attractive as Borderland, it has a nice variety of trails; the trails are well-marked, and many are wide. From this State Forest, you can connect with the 30-mile Warner Trail. Massasoit State Park, on the eastern edge of Taunton, Massachusetts, has trails for mountain-biking and horseback-riding as well as hiking, but it’s not attractive or well-maintained, so I don’t recommend it. back | |
| 16D. | I sent Doug e-mail, and asked him if he had studied architecture in college. He responded, “No classes; like most things I picked it up on my own. I was traveling in Lawrence, Kansas about 15 years ago, actually interested in the burning of the town during pre-Civil War days, and they had this amazing pamphlet on the architecture of the town. I wound up cutting up the drawings and descriptions and pasting them on 3 x 5 cards to carry with me to other towns. When you look at buildings with a specific eye you get familiar with the styles pretty quickly since there aren’t that many of them. I have a history background so in my mind I was able to overlay architectural styles with periods of American history which really makes for a richer experience in travel that I didn’t have before. You can look at a building and immediately link up Italianate=1860s=Civil War or Queen Anne=1890s=Gilded Age or Art Deco=1930s=Depression. It’s more nuanced than that but you don’t really need to delve any deeper. A good example near you would be New Bedford. If I didn’t know anything about architecture the town would be whaling and rich sea captains built big houses. Nothing wrong with that — it is enough to make New Bedford a unique travel experience. But with a little background in architecture the era of the town’s importance and decline jumps off the streetscape and makes it one of the best walking tours in America.” back | |
| 17. | The Cranston-Coventry BikePath is sometimes called the Washington Secondary BikePath and the Coventry Greenway.
For more information about EastProvidence history and architecture, click here. Rehoboth, the town east of Seekonk, once embraced all of what is now Rehoboth, Seekonk, Pawtucket, and East Providence. The map below shows “big Rehoboth,” and the dates when the various “sub-towns” became separated:
The first settlement in “big Rehoboth” was probably at what is now Rumford, in East Providence. Here’s a map of Rumford’s “Ring of the Green”: | |
| 18. | Sometimes called the William C. O’Neill BikePath. back | |
| 19. | Wikipedia has an article on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. back | |
