[ExI] all we are is just llms

[efc at swisscows.email]

On Fri, 21 Apr 2023, William Flynn Wallace via extropy-chat wrote:

> What is a liberal education?  Exposing students to the worlds of literature, history, the sciences and behavioral sciences.  Etc. 
> With professional help and guidance.  In other words, nothing that is not on the web, including professional help, and all or mostly

Well, I'd add exposing students to these subjects, exposing them to each
other, and exposing them to teachers and vice versa.

Another benefit is to make sure they do get exposed to a broad set of
ideas and not just one side of the argument. On the other hand, with
todays trigger warnings and polarization, I think that tradition is
perhaps going away?

I valued it, deeply, and I think that part of what is causing todays
polariztion is a lack of being exposed to uncomfortable views, people,
and being taught how to argue ones point in a civilized manner.

I do not, given the amount of discipline in the typical teenager today,
that a purely online environment can achieve this, except for the best.
The rest will get left behind.

> colleges except in those cases where graduation from them is a huge plus for getting hired - Harvard, Wharton and such.

Agreed, the network is another benefit. Meeting people you would never
meet online, starting companies together etc.

> Colleges get tons of money from the feds for research in all fields.  Would it be better if those research parts of colleges just go
> commercial and leave the education business?  They could still get fed money, no?  I really don't know anything about this aspect of

Well, a lot of fundamental research never has immediate commercial
value. If academic research would be for profit only, a lot less
fundamental research would be done. On ther other hand, as the
libertarian I am, IBM for instance, has done a lot there, and it could
be argued that todays system is restricting the private sector, since it
actually does not have to do the same amount of fundamental research.

Another aspect is that non-profits can also exist alongside companies,
and they can be private as well.