Learning to Think, frontispiece

A young girl sews a piece of clothing while seated in a chair in a tastefully furnished middle- class home. While the connection to the title may seem tenuous, I am reminded of Elizabeth Hamilton's example of sewing, in Thoughts on Education (1801), as an activity that becomes habitual through constant practice yet remains under the direction of her conscious will. Hamilton's point is that contrary to what determinists argued, human beings cannot take action without thinking and exerting their will, however automated their actions become through practice.