Gilbert Ryle

Hi!

It has been a while since my last post. Unfortunately, time moves ever forward. I am currently reading "The concept of Mind" by Gilbert Ryle in my spare time, which is few these days. It deals with our misconceptions between states and processes. One among other interesting quote:

"It should be noticed that someone is not said to know how to play chess, if all that he can do is to recite the rules accurately. He must be able to make the required moves. But he is said to know how to play if, although he cannot cite the rules, he normally does make the permitted moves, avoid the forbidden moves and protest if his opponent makes forbidden moves. His knowledge how is exercised primarily in the moves that he makes, or concedes, and in the moves that he avoids or vetoes. ... The distinction between habits and intelligent capacities can be illustrated by reference to the parallel distinction between the methods used for inculcating the two sorts of second nature. We build up habits by drill, but we build up intelligent capacities by training. Drill (or conditioning) consists in the impositions of repititions. ... The practices are not learned until the pupil"s responses to his cues are automatic, until he can 'do them in his sleep'. Training on the other hand, though it embodies plenty of sheer drill, does not consist of drill. It involves the stimulation by criticism and example of the pupil's own judgement. He learns how to do things thinking what he is doing, so that every new operation performed is itself a new lesson to him how to perform better. ... Drill dispenses with intelligence, training develops it."