EXISTENCE PRECEDES ESSENCE. APPLICATION PRECEDES ACHIEVEMENT. EFFORT ENHANCES EXCELLENCE. COMPETENCE MAXIMISES MERIT

One cannot run a marathon, be an opera singer, a surgeon, a dentist, engineer, an electrician, plumber, or be skilled, knowledgeable or have mastery or expertise in any trade, profession or discipline without the constant daily application of hard work with its associated adherence to the universal standards of excellence, pertaining to the discipline in question.

?

In terms of advancing excellence, yesterday’s work and application for excellence is important. Tomorrow’s application to work towards achieving excellence is important. However, the only time when effort and application can take place – and make any difference at all – is in the existential present.

?

From an Existential perspective, this means existence precedes essence, application precedes achievement, effort enhances excellence. competence maximises merit.

?

The Existential Universal Present

The research dealing with Existentialism is vast. The research informs that Existentialism is a philosophical movement that emphasises individual existence, freedom, and choice, can only take place in the present. The past is gone; yesterday was yesterday, and yesterday no longer exists. Tomorrow is the future. Tomorrow and the future is nothing more than an intellectually constructed hope. The only aspect of life that exists, and which can be lived and experienced, is the present.

?

Individuals Exist Without Any Initial Predetermined Purpose or Essence

As the vast body of existential research informs, the statement "existence precedes essence" is, perhaps, the central tenet of existentialist philosophy. This statement is particularly associated with that of Jean-Paul Sartre. According to Sartre, when he presented the statement “existence precedes essence," Sartre was declaring that individuals first exist without any predetermined purpose or essence.

?

Personal Responsibility and Freedom

Sartre argued that humans are born without any inherent meaning and, because of this existential universal truth, the individual is the one who must create their own meaning by and through the application of their thoughts, actions, choices and behaviours; all of which is about the individual creating, living and experiencing life; i.e., their life. This existential universal living reality, according to Sartre, then places a great deal of emphasis on personal responsibility and freedom.

?

Like No Other

This existential universal reality also informs that the individual is entirely responsible for what they think and do, what they become, and how they define their existence, by and through their thoughts, their choices, their actions and behaviours, that the individual is constantly involved in making. As such, it is this personal application of thoughts, choices, actions and behaviours (that the individual is constantly making), all of this then begins to shape and create an individual’s “essence” i.e., all of what makes a human a human; a person a person; an individual an individual; who is like no other person or individual in existence.

?

Universal Co-existing Individual

From a universal co-existing existential reality of how immensely complex and uniquely individual each-and-every-person is, the universal biological fact is that all individuals share one common universal condition, that of being human. As such it would be reasonable to declare that all humans can be traced back to our shared DNA; which is the fundamental blueprint for life. This genetic material carries the instructions for building and maintaining an organism (which in this case is the entire human race).

“Deoxyribonucleic acid (abbreviated DNA) is the molecule that carries genetic information for the development and functioning of an organism. DNA is made of two linked strands that wind around each other to resemble a twisted ladder — a shape known as a double helix. … The sequence of the bases along DNA’s backbone encodes biological information, such as the instructions for making a protein or RNA molecule. … Ribonucleic acid … is a nucleic acid present in all living cells that has structural similarities to DNA. Unlike DNA, however, RNA is most often single-stranded.” (National Human Genome Research Institute).

?

Shared Evolutionary History

This genetic material is then passed down from parents to offspring, thus universally ensuring the continuity of life. At a deeper level, (irrespective of their universal one-of-a-kind existential individuality) every human being is made up of cells that originated from a common ancestor, that links all human beings (irrespective of their unique individual existence), to the very beginning of human existence. All human cells operate through complex biochemical reactions that are remarkably similar – to that of even being exactly the same – for all humans, all of which reflects every human being’s shared evolutionary history.

?

The Human Genome Project

Further to this, the human genome project has revealed that all humans share 99.9% of their DNA, highlighting the intrinsic biological connection that exists in the human race. And yet each-and-every-human being is universally unique. Even for this universal individuality and uniqueness, the universal biological reality informs that this genetic similarity is the basis for our ability to reproduce with one another and is a testament to our common heritage. Thus, from a biological standpoint, we are all connected through the very fabric of life – our DNA. And yet existentially each-and-every-human being is a unique and an independent universe in their own right.

?

Human Consciousness

In terms of being, in his presentation pertaining to “Existentialism Is a Humanism:” Jean-Paul Sartre declared that “Man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world — and defines himself afterwards.” From a human development biological perspective, what this suggests is that it is when the biological human being’s brain and body (the hólos) has sufficiently developed enough (in terms of its ongoing complex connections and neurobiological capabilities) it is only then, from this immense array of complex human biological brain and body connections (with all of its profound complex functioning), it is at this time, when the brain and body (the hólos) has developed enough complex neurobiological connections and interactions, along with its ongoing firing and rewiring, that human consciousness will come into existence.

?

Each Individual is Unique

It is when this consciousness comes into existence, this will be the moment when the self will become aware of the self. It is only then – with this self-reflective cognitive intellectual insight – that the self will have the conscious capacity to self-reflect and to announce to the self (and also to the world): “I exist.”

?

The Journey to Knowing Self

This notion of existence was also the journey of human existence exploration that was taking place since the time of Aristotle and continued through to the 17th century that now included the philosopher, scientist and mathematician René Descartes. In his explorations, that dealt with the questions such as: how did he know what he knew? How did he know that the world existed? How did he know that he existed in the world? Or, how did Descartes even know and prove that he was thinking? It was these explorations of these types of questions that led Descartes to eventually acknowledge that it was he who was doing the questioning, the analysing and also the doubting. With this self-reflective recognition taking place, it was then that Descartes was able to recognise – and prove – that it was “he – the self” (and no one else) that was doing the thinking, the analysing , the questioning and the doubting.

?

Cogito Sum (Cogito Ergo Sum)

This thinking (of, by and through the self for the self), meant that he as he noted – that it was Descartes, and no one else – who was both the initiator and the receiver of all of his thoughts. It was this self-reflective recognition that then, according to Descartes (in absolute universal terms), proved to Descartes (both to himself and the world) of his existence. This universal revelation also proved to himself (and to the world), that he existed in the world. This universal recognition then led to Descartes writing his Meditations; which is described by Richard Watson as follows:

“Descartes finds certainty in the intuition that, when he is thinking – even if he is being deceived – he must exist. In the Discourse, Descartes expresses this intuition in the dictum “I think, therefore I am”; but because “therefore” suggests that the intuition is an argument – though it is not – in the Meditations he says merely, “I think, I am” (“Cogito, sum”). The cogito is a logically self-evident truth that also gives intuitively certain knowledge of a particular thing’s existence – that is, one’s self. Nevertheless, it justifies accepting as certain only the existence of the person who thinks it. If all one ever knew for certain was that one exists, and if one adhered to Descartes’s method of doubting all that is uncertain, then one would be reduced to solipsism, the view that nothing exists but one’s self and thoughts. To escape solipsism, Descartes [argued] that all ideas that are as “clear and distinct” as the cogito must be true, for, if they were not, the cogito also, as a member of the class of clear and distinct ideas, could be doubted. Since “I think, I am” cannot be doubted, all clear and distinct ideas must be true.”

?

Existence Precedes Essence

This Existential thinking and analysis also confirm what is taking place in the brain and the body (the hólos). It is this ongoing and profound neurobiological firing, rewiring and development, that is taking place in the brain and body (the hólos), that eventually brings consciousness into existence. It is this neurobiological advancement of the brain and the body (the hólos), that (from an Existential perspective) also brings into existence the intellectual existential capacity to declare and to intellectually prove that “existence precedes essence.”

?

The Hólos

Hólos derives from the Greek: ?λο? ?? ólos. The English word holistic is derived from hólos. In terms of definition, holistic and hólos offer the same classification. Holistic and hólos incorporate the concept of holism. The idea is that the brain and body, as noted, is more than merely the sum of their parts. Therefore, when a single brain and body holistic descriptor is required to explain the brain and body in action, the construct that should be considered is the word hólos. As Guy Claxton notes: “We do not have bodies; we are our bodies.”

?

Brain and body connectivity

Clive Cookson, writing in the European edition of the Financial Times, acknowledges that neuroscience research has focussed almost exclusively on the brain since the rise of this particular discipline in the first half of the last century. However, Cookson also points out that brain research is now also beginning to include brain and body connectivity.

?

Intelligence in the flesh

This brain and body research, as undertaken by Guy Claxton (Emeritus Professor of the Learning Sciences at the University of Winchester), and published in his book: “Intelligence in the flesh: why your mind needs your body much more than it thinks,” Claxton points out that the brain and body is one holistic “massive, seething, streaming collection of interconnected communication systems that bind the muscles, the stomach, the heart, the senses and the brain so tightly together that no part – especially the brain – can be seen as functionally separate from, or senior to, any other part.”

?

Designed to blend all

As such, according to Guy Claxton, the body and brain “is designed to blend all” internal and external “influences together” in one seamless operating holistic entity. This means that all tissues, cells, transmitters, electrical transmissions, hormones, ions, molecules, organs and more – of the brain and body – play a role in the way our body moves, thinks and feels, and how we perceive and interact with our internal world and external world.

?

How the Brain Responds to Increased Environmental Stimulation

Ian Hunter referring to studies undertaken by Mark Rosenzweig and others that there are many studies that show “that increased environmental stimulation” leads to greater neurological development and neurological potential, all of which then leads to “improved performance.” Interestingly, not only did “increased stimulation produce increased abilities, it [also] actually [increased] brain growth.”

?

The Benefits of Informing Students About the Brain

In her ongoing search to discover how to improve student academic performance and encourage high levels of self-motivated educational engagement Daniel Coyle reported on how Carol Dweck?set out to test the hypothesis of her two rules: “pay attention to what?… children are fascinated by;” regularly “praise [the children] for their effort.” (Bold added).

?

A Significant Social and Educational Study That Involved Seven Hundred Students

Coyle reported that Dweck added a third rule. Inform the students about the value and importance of brain anatomy and myelin development in the brain. To test these rules Dweck undertook what could only be described as a significant social and educational study. Dweck took seven hundred low-achieving middle schoolers and split these seven hundred students into two equal groups. Coyle reported on what took place:

“The first group were given an eight-week workshop of study skills; the second were given the identical workshop along with something extra: a special fifty-minute session that described how the brain functions and how it grows when it’s challenged. Within a semester, the second group had significantly improved their grades and study habits. The experimenters didn’t tell the teachers which group the kids were in, but the teachers could tell anyway. The teachers couldn’t put their finger on it, but they knew something big had changed.”

?

Powerful Evidence

The evidence from this study by Carol Dweck, where, as noted, she divided seven hundred low-achieving middle schoolers and split these seven hundred students into two equal groups, is startling, one could even say powerful. This study by Dweck indicates that if students are informed about how the brain functions and grows neurologically in response to effort, the evidence strongly suggests, as noted by Dweck, that this information (about how the brain functions), led to the situation where the students became self-motivated to apply themselves to their studies, and to also work harder.

?

Student-centred Motivation

As noted, this significant 700 student-centred study led to the situation where the students engaged with greater personal effort, i.e., they were more highly self-motivated; as result of this change in thinking and behaviour, this then led to the situation where the students improved in their academic results. Again, this outcome was achieved because the students were informed about how their brain functions and how the brain responds positively to physical and cognitive effort, such as reading, writing and active thinking. As noted, because of this conscious effort by the students, the brain immediately responded by developing, growing and creating more myelin, more axons, more dendrites?and more synapses. All of which led to greater neurological, cognitive and intellectual potential being achieved.

?

The Immediacy of the Present

From a Responsibility Theory? perspective, the results of this experiment by Dweck signifies that when a student is asked, “Who’s got the power?” The correct – universal – response from each student is: “I’ve got the power.” This question and this answer, for me, essentially and effectively exemplifies the immediacy of the present, and the existential nature and essence of Responsibility Theory?.

?

Application, Achievement, Effort, Excellence, Competence, Merit

This premise for me, is best epitomised by the following Responsibility Theory? maxims: (1) Application precedes achievement; (2) Effort enhances excellence; (3) Competence maximises merit. As noted, these three RT maxims support and uphold the immediacy of the present, and the existential principle as espoused by Jean-Paul Sartre: Existence precedes essence.

?

The Brain Responds to What is Presented to it

The outcome of all this leads to the conclusion that the brain responds to what is presented to it; in the existential present. With this taking place, the brain then develops and enhances pathways that are engaged (it is noteworthy to point out that the brain also prunes and discards neurological connections and pathways that are not being used). Therefore, it is an imperative to continue to work at whatever goals one is trying to achieve. It is this ongoing process that also helps to advance critical thinking.

?

Critical Thinking

There are numerous studies, that includes, Bonnie Potts; Richard Paul and Linda Elder, and many more publications that have shown that the action of reading and writing complex text and literature is what challenges the brain and the mind to process information much more deeply and critically. That is because complex text, narrative and literature requires the reader to engage with multiple layers of meaning, context, perspective, argumentations and analyses.

?

Thoughts. Inventions. Circumstances

Complex texts also have the potential to cognitively and intellectually stimulate the writer to organise their thoughts in a manner that can help the student to think at deeper levels that may not otherwise take place. It is these deeper thought processes, as history has irrefutably informed, that it is these complex and deeper thoughts that have led to inventions and circumstances that would otherwise not have taken place. The human race would not have been able to have a man walk on the moon; neither can one run a marathon, be an opera singer, a surgeon, a dentist, engineer, an electrician, plumber, or be skilled, knowledgeable or have mastery or expertise in any trade, profession or discipline without the constant daily application of hard work with its associated adherence to the universal standards of excellence, pertaining to the discipline in question.

?

Application Precedes Achievement. Effort Enhances Excellence. Competence Maximises Merit. Existence Precedes Essence. Critical thinking creates critical thinking.

?

Critical thinking involves the ability to effectively analyse information, to compare and contrast information and to form judgements that support what is being read, and again, to consider contrary points of view. Critical thinking also involves being aware of biases and broad-based opinions and assumptions, and to be constantly and critically evaluating what is being read as well as the research sources itself. And so, the potential for the development of skills, knowledge, education and advancements takes place. Ultimately, in terms of academic and skills, personal application, all that ultimately matters to the brain, and the body (the hólos) is the effort the individual applies. It is all of this that then leads to the situation where society advances. There is no other way: Application precedes achievement. Effort enhances excellence. Competence maximises merit. Existence precedes essence.

?

Dr Ragnar Purje

PhD; M.Ed.; M.Ed.(Guid.&Couns.); M.Ed.(Lead.&Man.); B.A.(Psych.); B.App.Sc.(P.E.); Grad.Dip.Ed.; Grad.Dip.SportSci.; Grad.Dip.Ex.&SportSci.; Grad.Cert.(Comm.); Grad.Dip.(Health Couns.); Certificate IV in Assess.&Workplace Training; Adjunct Senior Lecturer at CQUniversity in the Department of Education and the Arts. Dr Purje works with Professor Ken Purnell, specialising in personal and classroom behaviour management strategies. Dr Purje is the author of Responsibility Theory? and also Responsibility Theory? and the Neuroscience of Self-empowerment. For presentations, Dr Purje is represented by the Saxton Speakers Bureau.

https://www.saxton.com.au/speakers/ragnar-purje