Man's Supreme Inheritance: Conscious Guidance and Control in Relation to Human Evolution

by Frederick Matthias Alexander, John Dewey

1918. Contents Part I. Man's Supreme Inheritance: From Primitive Conditions to Present Needs; Primitive Remedies and Their Defects; Subconsciousness and Inhibition; Conscious Control; Applied Conscious Control; Habits of Thought and of Body; Race Culture and the Training of Children; Evolutionary Standards and Their Influence in the Crisis of 1914; Part II. Conscious Guidance and Control: Synopsis of Claim; The Argument; The Processes of Conscious Guidance and Control; Conscious Guidance and Control in Practice; Apprehension and Re-Education; Individual Errors and Delusions; Notes and Instances; Part III. The Theory and Practice of a New Method of Respiratory Re-Education: The Theory of Respiratory Re-Education; Errors to be Avoided and Facts to be Remembered in the Theory and Practice of Respiratory Re-Education; and The Practice of Respiratory Re-Education.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health

376 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

Frederick Matthias Alexander (20 January 1869 – 10 October 1955) was an Australian actor who developed the educational process that is today called the Alexander Technique: a form of education that is applied to recognize and overcome reactive, habitual limitations in movement and thinking.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think this is Alexander's best work. His incredibly long run-on sentences make his writing confusing. Many of my teachers were confused when they first read this but have since changed their views. Maybe in 10 years I'll understand what he's talking about. For now I'm glad I'm finished with it and will stick with The Use of the Self.

[Dean Paradiso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by the founder of the Alexander Technique, this book reads like it was written in the early 1900s. It is quite hard to penetrate, though lays down some of the foundation principles in regards to posture, body use, 'conscious guidance' of movement, habit, and the Alexander Technique in general. Probably best suited to those with some experience in the method, or hardcore AT fans, rather than beginners. Sets the scene for how the technique started and where it currently sits today.

[Chris Hogan]

Very strange to read. I wonder how people will view things written today 100 years later.