In 1924, after John B. Watson declared that Behaviorism could train any child to become a “doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief,” he added the following qualification: “please note that when this experiment is made I am to be allowed to specify the way the children are to be brought up and the type of world they have to live in.”

Watson admitted that he was exaggerating but was trying to make a point: The world we live in is critical to our development and the early years are especially important. Although Aristotle would have been appalled by Watson's methods of child rearing, he would have agreed about the importance of the environment and the early years. For Aristotle a good life requires virtue and childhood is where virtue begins.

Remember, virtue includes desire, thinking, feeling, and action (see Figure 9.1). For each of us there is an optimal response to every situation. We might respond differently yet correctly. Because “right action” depends on individual differences and circumstances, teaching specific correct behaviors is almost impossible. How could we ever anticipate every situation and take into account our manifold differences as well? The possibilities are endless. Virtue can not be reduced to a set of behaviors or even rules.