John B. Calhoun
John B. Calhoun (May 11, 1917–September 7, 1995) was an American ethologist and behavioral researcher.
Quotes
[edit]- We need better establishment to allow interrelationships to protect us from too many contacts, but to allow us for those contacts which we do engage in to be more meaningful for our own lives, and for, meaningful to others in a compassionate sense of each of us being involved in helping the other to fulfill his role. We’ll have many more roles, and this is where the notion of compassion comes in, in helping, each of us helping others to fulfill their programs for development. And so, we’re at this peculiar stage where you’re highly optimistic, at the same time highly pessimistic, and you wish to throw your weight, intellectual weight, to moving towards the optimistic side, to opening up continuing evolution.
- John B. Calhoun Film 7.1 (1972)
- The need for challenge and exploration arises mostly out of the blockage of fulfillment of lower level needs, giving rise to a pervading restlessness. Out of this restlessness there arises much pathology as searchers collide with established structuring and functioning of the environment. Out of this restlessness there also arises a small cadre of creative deviants whose insights and inventions have provided the leverage which has enabled man to increase his standard of living and his compassionate concern for his fellows. Our success in being human has so far derived from our honoring deviance more than tradition. Template changing has always gained a slight, though often tenuous, lead over template obeying. Now we must search diligently for those creative deviants from whom alone will come the conceptualizations of an evolutionary designing process which can assure us an open ended future—toward whose realization we can all participate.
