Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Dr. James Lamiell (Photo: Roland Dimaya)

What do you regard as your greatest academic success?
My 2003 book, Beyond Individual and Group Differences: Human Individuality, Scientific Psychology, and William Stern’s Critical Personalism.

What is your idea of happiness?
For me, the epitome of happiness has been realized through my long and fulfilling relationship with my wife, and through my collaboration with her in the raising of our two children.

Who or what was the greatest influence in your life that led to your career?
I think that my attendance at a Catholic high school was very influential, not because of the religious instruction (I have long since separated myself from the Church), but because many of the teachers I had at that school—most but not all of them religious brothers—were such inspiring examples of learned persons.

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I would have been gentler and less self-centered in my youthful years.

What do you enjoy about teaching?
I think what I enjoy most about teaching is seeing my own enthusiasm for my subject transmit to the students—especially those whose interest level at the beginning was perhaps not so high.

Who are your favorite heroes/heroines in real life (and why)?
My favorite living heroine is, hands down, my wife. She is the kindest, gentlest, and most commonsensical person I have ever known. My favorite real life hero, though now long deceased, is William Stern. He, too, was a gentle man of great modesty and of great achievement.

Who is your favorite musician?
Earl Scruggs.

Who is your favorite thinker?
William Stern.

What historical figure would you most like to meet and why?
William Stern. His works have intrigued me for years, and I would find it immeasurably thrilling to be able to sit down with him to discuss both those works and his personal life. Outside of academia, I think I’d most like to meet Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809). He led, with William Clark (1770-1838) the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition. Lewis was a tragic figure, however, and three short years after the completion of that expedition, an enormous achievement by any standard, he took his own life. (In the summer of 1999, my brother-in-law and I took a 3,000 mile bicycle trip in which we re-traced the route of the Lewis and Clark expedition from St. Charles, Missouri, to Astoria, Oregon. In the context of this trip, I read a lot about the expedition and about Lewis and Clark.)

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
I would restore the most resource-blessed country in the world to a force for world health and prosperity.

If you could change one thing at Georgetown, what would it be?
I would remake Georgetown in a fashion closer to its historical roots as a small liberal arts college.

If you could come back to life as a plant/animal/thing, what would it be?
Large birds captivate me, largely because of the majesty of their soaring. So I think I’d choose to be one of them, perhaps a hawk or eagle.

What is your favorite word?
Thanks.

How do you have fun?
I travel with my wife, I ride my bicycle long distances (e.g., day trips of 70–100 miles), I play my banjo—often together with friends playing other instruments, and I attend sporting events (especially baseball) with my wife and children.

What is the best piece of advice you could give to your students?
When we interpret the world, we change it. When we interpret the world falsely, we change it for the worse. So think critically.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
The above; all I’m really doing is passing it on!

What is your motto?
Do not compare yourself with others.

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