Chapter 14 7. Let the children's senses develop first

In order to cope with the surrounding environment and to explore the different feelings caused by different things related to oneself, people have the first natural activities.This natural activity, so to speak, is a kind of experimental physics, the purpose of which is to maintain existence.During childhood, our main task is to become familiar with our relationship to the various things around us. Things first pass through our senses before they enter our minds.Therefore, our initial understanding of things is perceptual, and only on the basis of perceptuality can we build a rational edifice.

Our first teachers of philosophy are our own hands, feet and eyes.If we use books instead of practice, what we learn will be the results of other people's reasoning, and we will never have the ability to reason. Before engaging in a profession, we first have the tools to engage in this profession. These tools must be durable, so as to ensure our smooth work. So, before learning how to think, we should first have a strong body.Our limbs, senses and various organs are tools for us to dig out wisdom. In order to use these tools better, we need to exercise them.Human rationality is based on the body, and only with a healthy body can a sound rationality be established.

Among all the faculties, the senses are the first to be developed, but they are also the most easily neglected.Our purpose in training the senses is not to use them, but to form correct judgments through them. Training the senses refers to learning to feel what is around you.How to touch, how to see, how to listen, these abilities seem simple, but if we don't learn, we may not be able to do it right. There are some physical exercises, such as swimming, running, spinning top, throwing stones, etc., which are good for our arms and legs.While they exercise our bodies, they do little to improve our judgment.

Don't we have any organs other than arms and legs?Have not our eyes and ears aided in the movement of our extremities?Therefore, in addition to the body, we also need to exercise the various senses that guide the body, make full use of all the senses, and use the impression brought by one sense to confirm the impression brought by another sense. impression. We learn and get used to measuring, bearing, calculating and comparing.Before using your own strength, you must first estimate the resistance; before doing something, you must first estimate the possible effects, and then draw up a plan of action.

As for your physical strength, don't use it frequently, and don't use it for a long time.We need to get into the habit of estimating the effect in advance, and correcting mistakes in practice based on previous experience.As long as we can do this, our intelligence will increase with the increase of activity. Tactile We do not use our various senses equally.When we are awake, our sense of touch is very active, covering almost every inch of our body.It reminds us all the time, let us resist those external stimuli that may cause us harm. The sense of touch is what brings us to our first human experience, and it requires little training.

It is well known that blind people have a much sharper sense of touch than normal people, because they have lost the faculty of vision, so they can only make up for it with another faculty, that is, the sense of touch to perceive what we perceive with our eyes. We can practice walking at night or taking objects in the dark, sensing the environment, etc.In other words, blind people do everything in the dark. As long as we exercise ourselves in this way, we can improve our ability to distinguish things. It can be said that half of our lives are blind, and the truly blind are not affected by the dark, but we cannot move an inch at night.

Some people say that we can find a way to solve this problem, such as turning on the lights.But, can you guarantee that you have lights at hand at all times?If it were me, I would rather let Emile have eyes on his hands than let him buy some candles. If one night, you are locked in a room alone, at this time, you can clap your hands twice, and judge the size of the room and whether you are standing in the middle or the corner of the room through the echo.You can stand in place and turn around to feel the direction the wind is coming from, so as to judge the position of the door. There are many similar experiences that can only be gained in the dark, and in the daytime our eyes help us but also distract us.Therefore, even if we collect it with our hearts, we will still miss a lot of experience.

Fear of the night is a kind of nature, not only for people, but also for animals, so I suggest that everyone engage in more nocturnal activities.I have seen debaters, philosophers, and soldiers who are so conspicuous by day, but at night become like women, trembling at the sound of leaves falling to the ground. Some people say that this fear of the dark stems from the stories our babysitters told us when we were children, which is ridiculous.The feeling of fear is caused by natural causes, which are also the root of superstitions in deaf and ordinary people: ignorance of the unknown and its changes.

Usually we are used to observing things from a distance, and we can predict the impact of things, but in the dark night, we can't see anything, even if we stay in a safe place, we are afraid of being hurt by something around us.To combat this fear, we have to maintain a rational mind, but under the action of instinct, we simply cannot calm down. Now that we have found the crux of the problem, we must prescribe the right medicine.All fears are imagined by our minds, and the best way to fight imagination is habit.It's useless to talk about great principles, the only way is to often adapt to the darkness, no matter how profound the philosophical theory is, the effect of practice is not as fast.

Those construction workers will not feel dizzy no matter how high they stand.Likewise, those who are accustomed to the dark will no longer be afraid of the dark. Among all the senses, the sense of touch is the one we use most often, but judgments made only by the sense of touch are often one-sided or inaccurate. When we use the sense of touch, it is often accompanied by vision, because the speed at which the eyes reach the object is much faster than the speed at which the hand reaches the object, so in most cases, as long as we see something, we can make a judgment. From another perspective, judgment based on tactile sense is quite reliable, after all, what we can touch is limited.In addition, when the other senses deviate, the sense of touch can also be used to make up for it.The sense of touch can even replace the sense of hearing, since the sounding body vibrates as it makes a sound.

For example, we don't need to see with our eyes and hear with our ears, we just need to put our hands on the strings of the violin to judge its pitch and whether the sounding part is a high-pitched string or a low-pitched string. People's sensory ability is divided into high and low, and it can be trained. I dare say that as long as we practice hard, our fingers will sooner or later have the ability to listen to music.If so one day, we can exchange music with the deaf. Vision Of all the senses, vision is the most frequently used and least reliable.Since the vision can extend to a very far place, the range of action is too wide and the speed is too fast, so when it deviates, it is difficult to use other senses to make up for it. When training vision, we have to take a special approach: don't ignore it because it is simple, but combine visual training with training of other senses.For example, the stability of the sense of touch can be used to compensate for the rashness of vision, so that the accuracy of visual judgment is greatly improved. When we visually measure the height, length, depth or distance of things, there are often great deviations. The reason is not that there is a defect in vision itself, but that we are not proficient in using vision. As for those engineers, surveyors, architects or painters, they can give a fairly accurate figure just by looking at it, especially when it comes to visual inspection of space, their eyesight is even stronger.Out of professional needs, they have accumulated rich experience in long-term practice. We can use various methods to stimulate children's interest in measuring and estimating. There is a cherry tree full of fruits in front of us, but the tree is too tall, we can't pick the fruits at all, can we get a ladder from the warehouse?A brook blocked our way, but the brook was too wide for us to cross. Can we cross it with a plank from the yard? How much fishing line does it take to catch a ditch fish from a window?If the new house is only 25 square meters, will we live in a crowded place?Which of the two villages we can go to eat when we are hungry is nearer? so these. Among all the senses, the relationship between vision and mental judgment is the closest, so we need to spend a lot of time and energy to develop the ability of observation.Only by comparing vision and touch frequently can vision correctly grasp the relationship between the shape and distance of things. Without the sense of touch and movement, it is impossible to grasp the appearance of space with only a pair of eyes, even the most sensitive eyes in the world.It is only by walking, touching, measuring or calculating the size of things that we learn to see and estimate. However, there is a flaw in this. If we use this method for a long time, we will become dependent on these tools, which will make the senses more and more dull. I asked Emile to visually or estimate first, and then gave him tools to measure, so as to verify my judgment.After such training, his visual judgment will become stronger and stronger. Our height, the distance of a step, and the length of our arms can all be used as a reference for estimation.When estimating the height of a house, children can refer to the height of their teacher; when estimating the height of a clock tower, children can refer to the height of a house; when estimating the length of a road, children can refer to their own steps. All we have to do is teach them these methods, and when they actually do it, we don't want to interfere anymore. In order to have an accurate judgment of the size and extension of things, we must know their shapes and describe them in words.This requires us to be familiar with the rules of setting, otherwise, it will be difficult for us to judge the distance based on the shape of things. It is the nature of children to imitate, and they want to draw everything they see.Of course I have no objection to letting Emile learn this art, but I don't want to let him master the skill of painting, but to cultivate his keen observation and dexterity of fingers. Therefore, I will not choose a teacher for him who can only teach with imitations. I hope his teacher is nature, and his models are all he can see. I will let him draw the things in front of him instead of copying the pictures on the paper. I will let him sit in front of the house and draw a house, sit in front of a big tree and draw a big tree, sit in front of a person and draw a person, so that he can become more and more The more careful you are, the better you will develop the habit of observing things. I wouldn't let him draw from memory unless he already had something in his mind.His impression of things is likely to be biased, and the things he draws are weird and completely distorted their real appearance. In this case, he will never have the concept of proportion and the ability of aesthetics. I know that the result of such an education method may be that he has practiced for a long time, but he still can't draw anything well. His level is still far from a real painter, and the lines are not smooth at all, and the outlines are a little bit The child is not clear, and there is no ability to appreciate the work. But this does not mean that it is useless, you will gradually find that when he observes things more and more carefully, his fingers become more and more dexterous, and he can grasp the size and proportion of various animals and plants as well as various natural objects , and his composition skills are becoming more and more mature. These are the valuable experiences he has accumulated. This is my purpose, I don't ask him to draw everything accurately, as long as he can recognize what it is the next time he sees it. As I mentioned earlier, children are not yet capable of learning geometry, but the school insists on offering this subject.Children's way of thinking is different from that of adults. Geometry exercises people's reasoning ability, but children only have the ability of observation, and those teachers completely ignored this point. In order to prove a theorem, this requires us to reason with known theorems or conclusions and various logical relationships. Such a complicated process, even the most rigorous reasoner, if his imagination is not enough, he will not be able to do it. way to complete. The result of this is that what the teacher teaches children is not how to reason, but the conclusions drawn by reasoning. What is the significance of such education for children?At best, it's just training the child's memory. The teacher only needs to draw some graphics, put them together, or arrange or superimpose them, and let the children study the relationship between them.You don't need to give them definitions or reasoning, just observe carefully, and they will have a basic knowledge of geometry. When Emile studied geometry, I would not teach him, but he would teach me.I will let him take the initiative to discover those relationships, and then I will look for those relationships, but in the process of searching, I will guide him on how to discover those relationships. For example, I would not use a compass to teach Emile to draw a circle, but I would find a thread, fix one end of the thread to an axis, tie a pencil to the other end, and then make a circle. After drawing, I'll compare those radii.When Emile discovered the problem, he laughed at me and said that if the lines were straightened, the drawn radii would be equal. For another example, I want to draw an angle of 60°, and then draw a circle with the vertex of this angle as the center.At this time, I found that the arc between the two sides of the angle occupies 1/6 of the entire circumference. After that, I drew a bigger circle with the vertex of the corner as the center. After measuring, I found that the arc intercepted by the two sides of the corner still occupies 1/6 of the big circle. Then, I repeated the above action and drew another circle outside the big circle, but the result was still the same.When I was about to draw the fourth concentric circle, Emile couldn't hold back. He told me pleasantly that if a circle is always drawn with this point as the center, the arc intercepted by this corner will always occupy 100% of the whole circle. 1/6. In this way, Emile learned how to use a protractor. Usually, people always emphasize geometrical proofs, while ignoring the importance of construction.My approach is just the opposite. I pay great attention to cultivating children's drawing ability.Lines must be smooth, straight lines must be straight, and arcs must be smooth. I will use the different characteristics of different graphics to verify whether the graphics drawn by children are standardized. For example, I will fold a circle along a certain diameter, or fold a square along a certain diagonal line. If the two parts happen to coincide, it means that the figure is canonical.Of course, there are also parallelograms, and such methods can be used to verify their symmetry. It is enough for my students to know how to use a ruler or a compass to draw delicate figures. This is all the geometrical knowledge I require of them. Auditory The above training methods on touch and vision are also applicable to auditory training.I think that comparing hearing and vision should be able to receive a good argument, just like I compared touch and vision together before. The same thing or the same object can act on different senses, but the time to be received by the senses is different. For example, when we saw flames coming out of the muzzle of a cannon, we still had time to dodge, but when the sound of the explosion came, it was too late, because the shells had already reached us.For another example, we can judge the distance between lightning and thunder according to the interval time between it and us. These experiences of children should come from practice and reasoning from previous experience. If it is hearsay or what the teacher told them, I would rather they know nothing. Unlike vision, hearing has a corresponding organ, which is the vocal organ.When training hearing, we can combine active organs and passive organs, so the effect will be better. There are 3 types of human voices: speaking, singing and expressive.Among them, the last type can give emotion to the first two types, making it more beautiful.Children also have these three types at the same time, but they cannot use them comprehensively. Perfect music can present these three types well, but children do not yet have the ability to appreciate music.There is no passion in their singing, just as there is no emotion in the tone of their speech.Emile's voice was very flat, without ups and downs, because his passion had not yet been ignited. Therefore, I don't advocate asking children to recite those sad or happy lines, or to learn some debating skills.It is impossible for them to describe those things they do not understand vividly, and it is even more impossible for them to express those emotions they have never experienced sincerely. From the moment a child learns to speak, we should teach him to have a smooth and accented tone, and to have a clear and unaffected pronunciation.At the same time, dare to speak loudly to ensure that others can hear what he is saying clearly.The same is true when singing, the tone should be smooth and soft, the pronunciation should be clear and loud, and the ear should be able to grasp the rhythm and rhythm. If the child can do this enough, it is useless to teach him more. Due to their young age, children are not suitable for singing onomatopoeia or stage music.I even advocate not letting the child sing the lyrics, if he sings, try to let him sing some lyrics that match his age and level of understanding. Some people think that I do not teach children to read, nor do I teach children to read music.They are right, I don't want my children to spend time and energy on those rigid symbols. This is indeed difficult because children can sing without reading music, just as they can speak without reading.But singing is different from speaking. The former expresses other people's thoughts, while the latter expresses one's own wishes, so it is necessary to read music scores. Because hearing and vision are interlinked, hearing can be used instead of seeing.It's easier to hear with your ears than to see with your eyes, and you can learn to sing faster.In addition to learning to sing, you must also learn to compose music, so that you can be called a person who is proficient in music. First of all, you have to teach your children to write fluent and catchy sentences, then match these sentences with appropriate tones, and finally choose appropriate rhymes and rests, and use notes to mark the relationship between them. What needs to be emphasized is that the tune must not be neither fish nor fowl, or contain pessimistic and negative emotions.A good song should be simple and unpretentious, and marked with bass, which is very suitable for listening and singing.When training the voice and ears, it is best to sing along with the harpsichord, which will have a better effect. Taste Of all the senses, taste has the greatest impact.There are many things, after we hear, see or touch it, we often don't feel much.However, I haven't heard of a single thing that we can pass by as if it hadn't happened after we've tasted it. Taste, moreover, is a bodily or material activity in which little or the least of all the senses is admixed with the imagination.Because imagination is a subjective activity, other senses are easily influenced by subjective will. It has been said that taste is not as important as the other senses, and that appetite is not a noble act.I think on the contrary, taste plays an important role in children's education. Appetite is more harmless than vanity, and eating is a natural human desire, determined by human senses, while vanity is a product of society, related to various bad habits of human beings. Gluttony is the most natural and biggest desire of children, but as they grow older, other desires will become more and more, thus overshadowing the desire for food.With these new desires came a growing vanity, and in time vanity would eat away all his affections. However, this motivation is too low-level, and I don't want people to take advantage of it, and I don't want to reward correct behavior with delicious food.It is the nature of children to play and play freely. We can use some material things to make up for the physical energy consumed by children due to sports. For example, there was a little boy on the island of Mazurca, he saw a basket hanging from a tree, so he shot the basket with a slingshot, shouldn't we give him a big breakfast To make up for his lost strength?But this hearty breakfast was a compensation for his wasted energy, not a reward for his behaviour. I put a piece of snack on the stone, but this is by no means a reward for Emile's fastest running, but I want to let him know that in order to get that piece of snack, he must run to that stone before others. Don't restrict children's diet, as long as they are not picky eaters, let them eat as much as they want, and let them play however they want.Don't worry about them eating too much or having indigestion. Conversely, if they are constantly hungry and have a way of escaping your control, they will seek out food on their own and overeat until they can't walk. Some people eat in moderation because they violate the laws of nature.In the countryside, the vegetable cupboards and fruit boxes in farmers' homes are left open, but few children or adults suffer from indigestion. Smell Smell is related to taste as sight is to touch.Before the sense of taste, the sense of smell first makes a rough judgment on something, and then we make behaviors of tending or avoiding this thing based on this judgment. It is said that the olfactory mechanism of savages is different from ours. What they think smells good may be pungent to us.I believe this to be true.The stimulation of smell to human senses is very small. Rather than saying that it touches our senses, it is better to say that it touches our imagination. Those bodily responses we usually think of as triggered by smell are actually triggered by our imagination.It can be said that all smells trigger only our imagination. We should not stimulate the child's sense of smell too much, because the child has not yet had too much desire, the imagination has not been stimulated, and it is not easy to be infected by external emotions.Moreover, the child does not have the ability to predict impressions of another sense from impressions of one sense. There is no doubt about this, children's sense of smell is very slow, or even non-existent.This is not to say that children's olfactory organs are not fully developed, but because there are too few ideas in their minds to trigger many associations about happiness or pain just because they smell a certain smell. I think, if we train children's ability to distinguish things like training dogs to distinguish prey, the child's sense of smell will definitely become very sensitive.However, unless our purpose is to let them understand the relationship between smell and taste, otherwise, I think this kind of training is meaningless. The sixth sense I call the sixth sense synaesthesia, which is formed with the cooperation of various sense organs, and judges the nature of things by synthesizing various shapes of things.So, the sixth sense is not produced by a single sense, it comes from our brain. Sometimes, we also call this feeling "perception" or "idea".We can judge the breadth of a person's knowledge by the amount of these concepts, or judge the correctness of a person's thinking by the clarity and precision of these concepts.What is called human reason is the art of comparing these ideas. The combination of several senses forms simple ideas, which I call "perceptual understanding" or "children's understanding"; the combination of several ideas forms complex ideas, which I call "rational understanding" or "Adult Understanding".