Habit and Custom as the Foundation of Conduct

Where it surfaces

• Human Nature and Conduct

  Dewey argues that habits, not innate instincts or rational deliberation, are the primary drivers of human conduct, shaped by social customs and environments.

• Part I: The Place of Habit in Conduct

  Dewey argues that habits are the primary units of conduct, shaping character and moral action, and that they are formed through social customs and environmental conditions.

• Habits as Social Functions

  Habits are presented as acquired dispositions that incorporate environmental forces, functioning like physiological processes or arts, and are the basis of all conduct.

• Habits and Will

  Dewey redefines habit as an acquired predisposition that is projective, dynamic, and constitutes the self, emphasizing that habits are the will and rule our thoughts and desires.

• III: Character and Conduct

  Dewey argues that will is constituted by habits, which incorporate the environment and project into consequences, making habit the core of character and conduct.

• Custom and Habit

  Dewey emphasizes that customs precede and shape individual habits, and that habit is the primary mechanism of social continuity.

• Custom and Morality

  Dewey asserts that morals are practically synonymous with customs and collective habits, which supply the standards for personal activities and generate expectations and emotional responses when breached.

• I: Impulses and Change of Habit

  Dewey emphasizes that acquired habits, not native impulses, are primary in shaping conduct, and that customs arise from social interaction.

• Plasticity of Impulse

  Explores how rigid customs suppress youthful impulse and create a dichotomy between conformity and license.

• III: Changing Human Nature

  Dewey argues that custom has the greatest inertia and is least susceptible to alteration, while instincts are readily modifiable. He emphasizes that habits of thought persist even after external political changes.

• Impulse and Conflict of Habits

  Dewey argues that habits, once formed, perpetuate themselves by shaping impulses and creating a world in their own image, and that the persistence of institutions is due to the inertness of established habit, not unalterable human nature.

• Impulse and Thought

  Custom is described as sluggish and prone to stagnation, needing impulse to prevent decay, yet impulse alone is insufficient without intelligent direction.

• Habit and Intelligence

  Dewey argues that habits are the sole agents of perception, memory, and judgment, and that they both restrict and enable intellectual efficiency.

• The Psychology of Thinking

  Dewey explains that knowledge and judgment are rooted in habits, which are disrupted by obstacles, leading to reflective thought.

• III: The Nature of Deliberation

  Habits and impulses are the raw materials of deliberation; reason is a quality of their effective relationship, not a force opposed to them.

• Deliberation and Calculation

  The chapter emphasizes that deliberation serves to redirect and harmonize existing habits and impulses, and that the quality of our habits determines the scope and sensitivity of our moral judgments.

• The Uniqueness of Good

  Habits and impulses are the primary determinants of conduct; thought is needed to cultivate and coordinate them, especially when they conflict.

• The Nature of Principles

  Dewey defines principles as 'intellectually what a habit is for direct action,' linking the generalizing function of principles to the habitual grooves of conduct, and warning against rigid habits that masquerade as fixed rules.

• Part IV: Conclusion

  Dewey emphasizes that habit, impulse, and intelligence are not separate but interwoven, with habit forming a core part of conduct.

• Endnotes

  Discusses how habits provide ballast and how their disintegration releases impulse, as seen in mob psychology.