On Belief Systems and Learning
A debate from the Alextech forum on the validity
of the premises of the Alexander Technique

go to FIRST part | go to INDEX

INTRODUCTION:

Direction Journal is pleased to act as host to the first of these compilations of interesting discussions that have taken place on the various discussion lists devoted to the Alexander Technique.

This is a record of an e-mail debate that began on the AlexTech e-mail discussion list in June 1998 when David Gorman stepped into an existing discussion (on the Alexander Technique vs. other modalities) with a challenge as to the validity of the Alexander concepts and premises. The 'debate' raged for some weeks and then died away as these things do...

In the meantime there was plenty to chew on and a lot of dynamic responses. You will see for yourself as you read through them, and you can make up your own mind about what is going on...

So that you can make sense of what was going on when David dropped into the discussion, we have included the 10 articles that precede his first posting. The debate is divided into 12 section with links (below in the index) to each section and to all the separate messages

Please note that the email shown in these archives for David Gorman is out of date. If you would like to contact David and offer feedback, please email him at -

David Gorman - deegee@learningmethods.com

Note: All messages are copyright (C) 1998 by their respective authors.

INDEX
The debate is split into a number of separate sections so that loading time is not too long (though it may still take a while). The 'articles' below are the contributions to this debate in chronological order (more of less). You can jump to any part of the debate by clicking on the appropriate link. There is a link back to this index on each page.

Introduction to the debate

Section One -- Articles leading up to David's invitation to debate

  1. David Langstroth -- Compatibility -- 17 June/98
  2. Robert Rickover -- Re: Compatibility -- 18 June/98
  3. Kay Hooper -- Compatibility with forward and up -- 18 June/98
  4. David Langstroth -- epistemology -- 19 June/98
  5. John Coffin -- Re: epistemology -- 18 June/98
  6. John Wynhausen -- compatible epistemology -- 19 June/98
  7. Robert Rickover -- Re: epistemology -- 19 June/98
  8. Kay Hooper -- Re: epistemology -- 19 June/98
  9. John Coffin -- Re: More heat, less light -- 19 June/98
  10. David Langstroth -- A few responses -- 20 June/98
  11. David Gorman -- re: Epistomology et al. -- 20 June/98

Section Two -- the initial responses to David's invitation

  1. Peter Ruhrberg -- epistomology, sensory appreciation -- 19 June/98
  2. Kay Hooper -- re: epistomology et al. -- 20 June/98
  3. Nancy Lebovitz -- re: epistomology et al. -- 20 June/98
  4. Franklin Serrano -- please go on -- 20 June/98
  5. John Coffin -- Re: Feelings -- June 21/98
  6. David Gorman -- re: Epistomology et al. -- June 22/98
  7. David Langstroth -- To David Gorman -- June 22/98
  8. David Gorman -- re: To David Gorman -- June 22/98
  9. John Coffin -- Re: epistomology et al -- June 22/98
  10. Peter Ruhrberg -- Re: To David Gorman -- June 23/98
  11. Patrick Snook -- re: epistomology et al -- June 23/98
  12. Ian Kleiman -- re: re: epistomology et al -- June 23/98
  13. Peter Ruhrberg -- To_Patrick_Snook,_FMA_quote_belief? -- June 23/98
  14. Peter Ruhrberg -- epistomology, sensory appreciation -- June 23/98

Section Three -- The article by David Gorman which sparked the debate

  1. David Gorman -- On Belief Systems and Learning -- June 25/98

Section Four -- The debate begins...

  1. John Coffin -- Re: On Belief Systems and Learning, part 3 of 3 -- June 26/98
  2. Kay Hooper -- Gorman's Essay -- June 26/98
  3. Peter Ruhrberg -- Re: Re: On Belief Systems and Learning -- June 27/98
  4. David Langstroth -- Re: On Belief Systems and Learning -- June 27/98
  5. John Coffin -- Re: On Belief Systems and Learning -- June 27/98
  6. Nina Aledort -- Re: On Belief Systems and Learning -- June 27/98
  7. John Coffin -- Re: brain dead cultural relativists -- June 28/98
  8. Peter Ruhrberg -- Re: On Belief Systems and Learning -- June 27/98

Section Five -- and continues...

  1. David Gorman -- replies to replies to "On Belief..." -- June 28/98
  2. Peter Ruhrberg -- David Gorman, belief systems, questions and consistency -- June 29/98
  3. John Coffin -- Re: More on Gorman essay -- June 29/98
  4. David Gorman -- Reply to John Coffin -- July 1/98

Section Six -- and continues...

  1. Robert Rickover -- Re: Re: More on Gorman essay -- June 30/98
  2. John Coffin -- Re: More on Gorman essay -- June 30/98
  3. David Langstroth -- A final thought on belief systems -- June 30/98
  4. John Wynhausen -- D.G. ‘s sonata in 3 parts -- June 30/98
  5. Jim Whiteside -- David’s Teaching Technique -- July 1/98
  6. David Gorman -- Re: David’s Teaching Technique -- July 2/98
  7. Patrick Snook -- Re: David Gorman, belief systems, questions and consistency -- July 1/98
  8. Mike Blayney -- On belief systems and learning -- July 1/98
  9. John Coffin -- Re: On belief systems and learning -- July 1/98
  10. David Gorman -- reply to Mike Blayney and John Coffin -- July 2/98
  11. Kirk McElhearn -- Re: David’s Teaching Technique -- July 1/98
  12. David Gorman -- reply to Kirk McElhearn -- July 2/98

Section Seven -- and continues...

  1. Tom Vasiliades -- RE: epistemology, David Gorman, beliefs, etc. -- July 1/98
  2. David Langstroth -- reply to Thomas Vasiliades - July 2/98
  3. John Coffin -- Re: Dewey quote and Primary Control -- July 1/98
  4. John Coffin -- Re: Reply to Reply to John Coffin -- July 1/98
  5. Kirk McElhearn -- Re: Reply to Reply to John Coffin -- July 2/98
  6. John Coffin -- Re: Reply to Reply to John Coffin -- July 2/98
  7. Peter Ruhrberg -- Re: David Gorman -- experiences in lessons -- July 2/98
  8. Rajal Cohen -- Re: David Gorman -- experiences in lessons -- July 3/98
  9. John Coffin -- Re: reply to Mike Blayney and John Coffin -- July 3/98
  10. David Gorman -- Re: reply to Mike Blayney and John Coffin -- July 3/98

Section Eight -- and continues...

  1. John Coffin -- Re: reply to Mike Blayney and John Coffin -- July 3/98
  2. David Gorman -- Re: reply to Mike Blayney and John Coffin -- July 4/98
  3. Ann Penistan -- replies to replies on Mr. Gorman's article -- July 2/98
  4. David Gorman -- Beliefs, etc: reply to Peter Ruhrberg -- July 4/98
  5. John Coffin -- Re: replies to replies on Mr. Gorman's article -- July 3/98
  6. David Gorman -- final reply to John Coffin’s argument -- July 4/98
  7. Peter Ruhrberg -- replies to replies etc. on Mr. Gorman's article -- July 4/98
  8. David Gorman -- replies to replies etc. on Mr. Gorman's article -- July 5/98
  9. Alex Leith -- Re: David Gorman -- experiences in lessons -- July 4/98
  10. Alex Leith -- Objective Reality -- July 4/98
  11. John Coffin -- Re: final exercise in futility -- July 4/98

Section Nine -- and continues...

  1. Rajal Cohen -- Re: final exercise in futility -- July 5/98
  2. Carol McCullough -- The Elegance of the Alexaner Technique -- July 1/98
  3. David Langstroth -- Re: The Elegance of the Alexander Technique - July 3/98
  4. David Langstroth -- The Intellectual Shell Game - July 3/98
  5. Peter Ruhrberg -- Re: The Intellectual Shell Game - July 3/98
  6. Rajal Cohen -- all this stuff -- July 5/98
  7. David Gorman -- re: all this stuff (Rajal Cohen) -- July 5/98
  8. Urban Larsson -- hello everybody -- July 4/98
  9. Carol McCullough -- The Alexander Technique and the Gorman Technique -- July 1/98
  10. David Langstroth -- Re: The Alexander Technique and the Gorman Technique -- July 6/98
  11. David Gorman -- The Alexander Technique and the Gorman Technique -- July 6/98

Section Ten -- and continues...

  1. Brian McCullough -- teaching violinists and "ironists" -- July 5/98
  2. David Langstroth -- Re: teaching violinists and "ironists" -- July 6/98
  3. Matt Stapleton -- Re: The Alexander Technique and the Gorman Technique -- July 6/98
  4. Peter Ruhrberg -- re: reply to reply etc. to David Gorman, v. 2 -- July 5/98
  5. Urban Larsson -- question to Peter Ruhrberg -- July 5/98
  6. Peter Ruhrberg -- Re: Urban Larsson's question/comment -- July 7/98
  7. David Langstroth -- Judging our success or failure -- July 7/98
  8. David Gorman -- re: Judging our success or failure -- July 7/98

Section Eleven -- David bows out and a few others carry on...

  1. John Coffin -- SON of final exercise in futility -- July 7/98
  2. Tom Koch -- Re: On Belief Systems and Learning, part 3 of 3 -- July 7/98
  3. David Gorman -- Reply to Tom Koch -- July 8/98
  4. David Langstroth -- inhibiting and directing -- July 7/98
  5. Brian McCullough -- inhibiting and directing -- July 7/98
  6. Urban Larsson -- Reply Peter Ruhrbergs reply to Urban -- July 7/98
  7. Linda.Birmingham -- Thanks everyone and DG's work. -- July 9/98
  8. Tom Vasiliades -- RE: reality, judging our success or failure, the Gorman Technique -- July 12/98

Section Twelve -- The final messages... at least for now...

  1. Stacy Gehman -- Reflections on recent postings -- July 12/98
  2. Stacy Gehman -- Excerpt from "Exploring an Act of Will" -- July 12/98