[ExI] focus

[Stuart LaForge]

BillW wrote:

> Why would you limit these skills to programmers?  These are the very
> foundations of scientific thinking.  The bee in my bonnet several times
> in this group has been to decry the absence of teaching thinking in
> school.  We teach superstitions practically from birth.  Should we wait
> until college to provide means of disputing superstitions and religions? 
> Even there I have seen curricula that are very wanting in such, unless
> the principles are taught in science classes, which I certainly did ab
> ovo.   The reason for the lack of these classes must be the opposition of
> the superstitious and religious - am I right? 

I am sure religion is a contributing factor at least historically but with
a nod to Chomsky, another factor would be the plutonomically-driven wealth
inequality.
For example, I would wager that in prestigious prep-schools such skills
ARE taught from an early age. However for those students in diploma-mill
public schools, rote-learning and teaching to the test are the rule of the
day.

This policy of teaching the masses what to think, instead of how to think,
is essential to the maintenance of wealth inequality. The plutonomy relies
on the vast herds of consumers never questioning the wisdom of going into
perpetual debt in order to finance the life-styles of the rich and famous.

But it's not just the churches and the schools, it is also the media. I
mean look at how Hollywood recycles the same stories through sequels and
remakes over and over like religious rituals. Look at the stories
themselves, wherein conflicts are largely resolved with violence with
heroes punching or shooting their problems away instead of using problem
solving skills to find win-win outcomes.

That is if you are lucky enough to get a coherent story at all in this day
and age of reality television where the media glorifies shallow people
being vapid on camera.

In fact, I can't think of any societal institution that promotes or
rewards critical thought, original ideas, or technological innovation
except in so far as they serve to make the rich richer and poor poorer.
Certainly not the government with its imposition of steep financial
barriers to entry into practically every industry with permits, licensure,
zoning, and regulatory approvals.


Stuart LaForge