Competence characterizes the quality of attainment at the second level of development in our relations to the world. ... Read More about Being Competent
Week 19: Obligation in the World
Being Serious and Attentive
Johannes Vermeer, The Geographer (1668)The characteristic attitude at this level is attentiveness, as in "Pay attention." A person who characteristically and as a matter of routine pays attention to ... Read More about Being Serious and Attentive
Being Careful, Prudent and Cautious
Not only sands and gravels Were once more on their travels, But gulping muddy gallons Great boulders off their balance Bumped heads together dully And started down the gully. Whole capes caked off in ... Read More about Being Careful, Prudent and Cautious
Working
To survive, at least some of us must work. Let me but do my work from day to day, In field or forest, at the desk or loom, In roaring market-place or tranquil room; Let me but find it in my heart to ... Read More about Working
Reasoning
Reason is a level beyond rationality. To understand the world is never a matter of simply recording our immediate perceptions. Understanding inescapably involves reasoning. [Amartya Sen, The Idea ... Read More about Reasoning
Being Interested
Beyond mere willingness is interest, the emotional component of level-two responsibility in all our relations. Taking an interest is an essential building block to learning and to ... Read More about Being Interested
Meeting Obligations in the World
A functioning society depends on a citizenry that functions at a certain level of competence. Throughout the United States, we have mandatory education laws to ensure that children will attain a basic ... Read More about Meeting Obligations in the World