This sort of thing frustrates me
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I'm interested in your comment about teaching critical thinking in some Western countries. I'd like to know more, do you have any references?
I'd have to google. It's just something I remember reading about ... Norway I think?
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
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If you try to introduce critical thought into a conversation you're immediately plastered with the worst caricatures of the opposition and labeled a 'hater'. News: "So Eric enjoys sticking nails up his nose." Me: "That seems like that might hurt." News: "What are you, some kind of Nazi?" Eric's Mother (crying): "My god, how long will the hate continue?" If people want to believe a nose full of iron is good then I say have at it. I no longer care. Chew on arsenic tablets, surf naked in shark filled waters with a ham around your neck, believe an alien mothership is monitoring your every more - I no longer elephanting care because when you try to help you just get kicked in the head. Did that come across as bitter?
Several times a day I find myself wondering where we went wrong as a species, and come back to the moment when we decided it would be a good idea to put warning labels on basic household items.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
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They do not want the gen-pop thinking critically, it would make it harder for them to control the masses with FUD. As for the Harvard scientist and Pentagon official's conjecture, it sounds to me like nothing more than they're trying to justify their grants/budget.
There are no solutions, only trade-offs.
- Thomas SowellA day can really slip by when you're deliberately avoiding what you're supposed to do.
- Calvin (Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes)Who's the "they" you refer to? Some unknown, anonymous (therefore not disprovable) group that are 'controlling' everything in true conspiracy theory form? If you know who 'they' are why not not share the name with us together with your hard evidence. If not, admit you are talking BS.
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I think once societies achieve a certain level of advancement, or at least - I struggle for the word here - "decadence" almost covers it but I don't like moral connotations of it generally they tend to rest on their laurels, and even pursue more frivolous aims. Douglas Adams sort of touched on this in his books at a couple of points.
Quote:
“The history of every major galactic civilisation tends to pass through three distinct and recognisable phases, those of Survival, Enquiry and Sophistication, otherwise known as the How, Why and Where phases. For instance, the first phase is characterised by the question How can we eat?, the second by the question Why do we eat?, and the third but the question Where shall we have lunch?”
There's a longer, better quote that dovetails more with what I'm getting at, but it's about shoe stores. It's also too long to comfortably post here. It's basically a short story. I think in the end, there's a global ebb and flow among competing civilizations, as one gets comfortable, the ones that are still hungry will eventually overtake them, but then the comfortable become the hungry. For a long time, China wasn't competitive. Then they were. Maybe it's just our turn.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
Civilisations come and go; it was ever thus. Read "The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers" by Paul Kennedy (ISBN 0-394-54674-1) for a plausible study and explanation of how and why this happens. Comparing the the demise of previous Great Powers (the ancients through to the more recent European powers, Netherlands, Spain, France, Britain etc) to today is eerily familiar. It's broadly similar to the Peter Principle - that at work people rise to their own level of incompetence, which is where their demise begins. So, it appears, do nations.
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Who's the "they" you refer to? Some unknown, anonymous (therefore not disprovable) group that are 'controlling' everything in true conspiracy theory form? If you know who 'they' are why not not share the name with us together with your hard evidence. If not, admit you are talking BS.
Well, aren't you the sweet talker? Of course I'm talking BS and speculation, I thought that was evident. Is it a conspiracy? Did a bunch of people with power and influence get together one day to plan, hatch and implement a plot to dumb down our children? Not likely. Is it the result of decisions made by educators who share ideas through networking both professional and personal, and the DoE and government agencies that partially fund public schools and often dictate through that funding what is or isn't taught? Obviously. Was the decision not to teach logic and critical thinking made for non-nefarious purposes, like to make room for other subjects deemed more important? Who knows? Whatever the reason it was made I suspect no one who has something to sell (politicians, businesses, media companies, etc.) is trying to convince our educators to do anything differently. The second "they" is the scientist and the Pentagon official. Surely that much of my intent was evident.
There are no solutions, only trade-offs.
- Thomas SowellA day can really slip by when you're deliberately avoiding what you're supposed to do.
- Calvin (Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes)