I believe this to be quite right. Dewey's Progressive education movement, birthed from a hack of utilitarianism, reformed the notion of education to include at its core the charge of acculturating the student into the mainstream; to turn them into cogs in the machinery of society. He, rightly (in certain cases), rejected the method of education via wrote memorization but failed to note or denied the need for a solid structure to guide the student in their academic explorations. He was more interested in seeing a schoolyard full of little Emiles running around and blabbering about how great their society is. The bigger that school yard the better for it allowed greater dynamics of interaction to take place further, hopefully, ingraining a strong sense of cultural adhesion. Gimme a break.
The problem is that education is not about social cohesion. It's about mastering mental skills and tools in a wide range of subjects, training to be critical about when and how those skills and tools should be applied, and how to use those skills and tools to enlarge and hone the skills and toolset.
I firmly believe that the problem is the result of seeds of the Progressive education movement which were planted by Dewey. The evolution away from this flawed educational philosophy should probably start with a moving away from the huge factories of social cogs we now call schools. Schools should be smaller; much, much smaller. That's a first step. I think it would also be better if the schools were K-12.
I too am not a Libertarian. You hint at what I see as a terminal problem within the rough ideology of the Libertarian party. It's the same tragedy as Wilson's doctrine of Self-Determination. Where does this perpetual fracturing of control end in its pursuit of maximized individual happiness? It would seem that we're unavoidably led to anarchism. However, I'm skeptical that it would ultimately end in that. At some point I would hope the valuing and fostering of a community would begin to outweigh the anarchic, hording hermit for which you envision at the end of the line.
Another issue I find myself uncomfortable with is the seeming dogmatic idea that if "propertizing" increases the conservation and efficiency of some consumable, and that's a good, than it must follow that the "propertizing" of any and all consumables must be much better. Rarely have I seen a reasonably thorough investigation of this issue. Perhaps someone on this board will point me to one.
Overall I find myself intrigued and drawn towards the Libertarian movement. I have my doubts that I'd ever really be able to embrace it.
Just a quick note on this and similar issues: Typically the debate revolves around the issue of the _federal_ goverrnment's role in the project. Should it be involved or not? The Libertarian will often answer that it should be involved. That, however, doesn't impact or address the debate of publicly funded education or other projects that could be overtaken at the state or county/parish level. It introduces a granularity of managment that more easily tailors itself to the localized community.
The human eye's inability to focus on blue is one of the reasons I didn't buy a Volkswagen. I don't have a clue as to what the designers were thinking. They were probably going after the tweaker and raver segment. Fortunately their cell phones would match their new VW.
I should really think that Feynman's QED should come after a fair amount of layman's primer. That is unless your goal was to impress the/. readership with your versed reading habits.
Slashdot Mirror
I should add that I think the idea of rigid and graduated classes should be abandoned.
The problem is that education is not about social cohesion. It's about mastering mental skills and tools in a wide range of subjects, training to be critical about when and how those skills and tools should be applied, and how to use those skills and tools to enlarge and hone the skills and toolset.
I firmly believe that the problem is the result of seeds of the Progressive education movement which were planted by Dewey. The evolution away from this flawed educational philosophy should probably start with a moving away from the huge factories of social cogs we now call schools. Schools should be smaller; much, much smaller. That's a first step. I think it would also be better if the schools were K-12.
I too am not a Libertarian. You hint at what I see as a terminal problem within the rough ideology of the Libertarian party. It's the same tragedy as Wilson's doctrine of Self-Determination. Where does this perpetual fracturing of control end in its pursuit of maximized individual happiness? It would seem that we're unavoidably led to anarchism. However, I'm skeptical that it would ultimately end in that. At some point I would hope the valuing and fostering of a community would begin to outweigh the anarchic, hording hermit for which you envision at the end of the line.
Another issue I find myself uncomfortable with is the seeming dogmatic idea that if "propertizing" increases the conservation and efficiency of some consumable, and that's a good, than it must follow that the "propertizing" of any and all consumables must be much better. Rarely have I seen a reasonably thorough investigation of this issue. Perhaps someone on this board will point me to one.
Overall I find myself intrigued and drawn towards the Libertarian movement. I have my doubts that I'd ever really be able to embrace it.
Cheers,
gurple
That should read, "The Libertarian will often answer that it should not be involved."
Cheers,
gurple
Just a quick note on this and similar issues: Typically the debate revolves around the issue of the _federal_ goverrnment's role in the project. Should it be involved or not? The Libertarian will often answer that it should be involved. That, however, doesn't impact or address the debate of publicly funded education or other projects that could be overtaken at the state or county/parish level. It introduces a granularity of managment that more easily tailors itself to the localized community.
Cheers,
gurple
The human eye's inability to focus on blue is one of the reasons I didn't buy a Volkswagen. I don't have a clue as to what the designers were thinking. They were probably going after the tweaker and raver segment. Fortunately their cell phones would match their new VW.
I have been exceedingly happy with my laptop backpack from Spire. It's Stylish, rugged, and simple. What more could I ask for?
What is it that makes you think they are actually breeding? It's just all in their head. Cheers!
That's the first chuckle I've gotten out of this thread. Cheers!
Stage right: Enter Bluetooth
Jackass
I should really think that Feynman's QED should come after a fair amount of layman's primer. That is unless your goal was to impress the /. readership with your versed reading habits.