Life and Habit

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Pages: 159

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About this book

The discussion of reading argues that readers perceive every letter of every word they read, even though attention may register only the general result of perception. The text suggests that a reader able to attend to individual characters cannot yet read fluently, whereas fluent readers remain unconscious of the processes by which they read. Walking appears as another example of rapid volition accompanied by little perception of each individual act of exercise.

The example of a singer or pianoforte player distinguishes probable memories of only the last few days' performances from the influence of all previous performances on the present one. The discussion of variation observes that many human ideas and inventions have been conceived independently but simultaneously.

About the author

Samuel Butler

Samuel Butler (1835-1902) was an English author, painter, and iconoclast who spent formative years sheep farming in New Zealand. A relentless critic of Victorian religion and morality, he is best known for the satire Erewhon and the posthumous novel The Way of All Flesh.