1. I AM A HEDGEHOG
First, let me begin my response by making it explicit that I am hedgehog and not a fox. If you are unfamiliar with the meaning of the hedgehog/fox dichotomy it is this: A hedgehog is focused one thing and sees unity, a fox, on the other hand, is focused on many things and engages in distinctions. Put another way, a hedgehog believes that education should be “an inch wide and a mile deep”. A fox, on the other hand, believes that education should be “a mile wide and an inch deep.” I am a hedgehog and I will strive for focus in all of my posts. That brings me to point #2

2. THRESHOLD QUESTION: WHICH ETHICAL THEORY?

A threshold question is how we are even approaching/defining “ethics” – for there are a number of competing approaches which I will not get into. But the take home point is “ethics” encompasses a variety of theories and approaches to “the right and the good”. For my part, I am an Aristotelian and a virtue ethicist. What that means is that I believe that ethical issues are issues about the traits that persons should have in order to lead a flourishing life (p.s. I have a view about what a flourishing life is). This is not the only ethical framework out there, mind you – and even positive psychologists disagree about the nature of flourishing. But I come at these questions with a very specific viewpoint.

3. READINGS VS. QUESTIONS
The readings and the questions are asking very different things and to answer all adequately would require me to avoid my hedgehog nature. So I am going to focus my comments on the paper about MPH (Ritalin).

4. THE ETHICS OF MPH
Adele Diamond, a neuroscientist who works on ADHD, has suggested that ADHD is the result a child’s failure to learn to self-regulate and develop cognitive control known as EXECUTIVE FUNCTION (EF). EF enables one to “stay on target” to stay focused – hedgehog like – on the task at hand. EF enables one to stay on a goal without getting derailed by temptations/distractions. Many students are unable to do this. Indeed many adults are able to do this. But it is a skill that can be learned with practice and effort. Indeed, the learning and mastery of such a skill has, in my view, tremendous effects on the individual and on flourishing. In fact, I think it is necessary for human flourishing.

Aristotle was aware of he brains natural reward system involved in learning and mastery. And he exhorted people to learn, learn, learn, so as to engage in the highest pleasure known to man and to further stimulate this natural reward system. But I also believe that he claimed that EF must be conquered first. Csikszentmihalyi, who I have mentioned before, refers to the interplay of the brain’s natural reward system and a challenging activity as flow. He also suggests that one can become addicted to the brain’s natural rewards that come from intense focus and concentration. He notes that virtually all human accomplishments are products of the flow state – a natural state of intense focus in which one is completely absorbed in an activity. Such a state presupposes a well developed EF.

(more…)

Hello everyone.  My name is Hope May.  I am a professor of philosophy (specializing in ancient philosophy) and recently completed my J.D. degree.   I recently authored a book “Aristotle’s Ethics: Moral Development & Human Nature” in which I argue for an interpretation of Aristotle’s ethics that is compatible with a view of autonomy that one finds in a theory of motivation called “Self-Determination Theory”.   Put most simply, I am interested in the neurobiology of flourishing and optimal experience.  Deeply influenced by the ideas of Mihalyi Csikszentmihayi, I would like to understand what, neurobiologically, is beneath feelings of “flow”, “intrinsic motivation” and the feeling of knowing.  Aristotle claimed that the purpose of law is to promote human flourishing and I whole heartedly agree.  I think that human rights law should absolutely take into account the ideas of flourishing put forth by Aristotle and his modern voice, Csikszentmihalyi.  Anyway, I am interested in this class for the aforementioned reasons and also because I am interested in the potential of the internet to promote human flourishing — because you see, for both Aristotle and Csikszentmihayi, knowledge, mastery, and a fellowship of inquiry are essential components of flourishing.   P.S. I do an internet radio show everyweek with my students.  You can listen on the archives at itunes or live via blogtalk radio at 7pm EST.  Tonight we are doing a show on the ideas of Walter Ong.  If you do not know who he is, listen because he is very cool!  The website of the show is:

http://ethicstalk.cmich.edu