Everyone uses the word, usually somewhat in awe, certainly with respect; Alfred Nobel by means of his will left an immense estate in perpetuity awarding annually a small fortune to those who during the previous year had accomplished something great for the benefit of mankind which according to the spirit of his will embodied it; a few brave souls seemingly try to actually achieve it; leaders frequently use the word inspirationally to try to motivate; it conjures up visions of the ideal; history abounds with examples of wars and revolutions fought over difference of opinion over it; President Carter before his presidency wrote a book about certain aspects of it; the idea of it elevates, enthuses, and excites; when comparing things on some basis one stands out above the others for manifesting some high quality that warrants being labeled it; it seems to mean definitely a cut above the rest; it comes from some kind of measurement; some set of criteria; it certainly means something to everybody; but … try asking someone to define the noun form of the word, not the adjective form, or the adverb, but the noun; suddenly there will be seen puzzled then blank expressions; mouths move, but nothing comes out.

As a clinical psychologist, Dr McDill has spent his life at the intersection of human behavior and ethics. Alongside his clinical practice, which extends to both correctional and non-correctional settings, he has taught psychology and ethics at various colleges and universities in the Southern California region. His teaching spans undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. Outside his professional life, he enjoys a happy marriage with three children and five grandchildren.

Customer Reviews

5.0

1 reviews

David Keranen

On Human Excellence gives an exceptionally good analysis of what constitutes excellence and how we can strive to obtain it. But then the question is: why should we strive for excellence at all? McDill starts by showing that many of the major religions strive for excellence through their values and then goes on to highlight people in the secular sphere (although they may be religious also) that achieved excellence in their lifetime: people such as Henry Ford, John Dewey, Richard Feynman, Abraham Lincoln, Plato, Aristotle, Mandela, Wiesel, and others. Of course everyone should seek excellence, since the opposite of excellence is mediocrity and inferiority and nobody in their right mind would seek these as life’s goals. McDill goes on to describe many of the features of excellence of character: we seek to find harmony of directions, movements, and energy from everything that we experience, try to keep everything in their appropriate importance, avoid getting bog-downed in nonessentials, and make the most fitting decisions in life. In the process we will evolve “from a pool of infinite developmental possibilities those which serve to move man (humans) in the direction of the most perfecting growth.” This produces sweetness, gentleness, reverence, and a sense of mystery – an existential experience. Martin Buber (1878-1965), an Austrian-born Jewish philosopher is a prime example of a life of excellent character. He emigrated to Palestine in 1938, where he became a professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Buber describes the ideal man (i.e., excellent character) as having a purity of soul, an acuteness of mind relative to the level of intelligence, and an ability to live a life of dialogue, community, and relationships. On Human Excellence is excellent guide for anyone seeking excellence in one’s life. Highly recommended. David Keranen, retired community college mathematics professor.