The Arab world, China and India at a point in their history turn to the study of religion and away from science and inventiveness. Well in China it more the study literature and morals, but the point is the turning away from questioning the universe and how it works. Are we going the same way in North America?
We are making everything into a religion being lead there by environmentalists and atheists. They seem like religions to be me as they have their dogma and theirs is the only true way. They are dismissive of everyone who does not think or feel the way that they do. They feel people that think differently are either stupid or evil.
We are not producing enough university graduates in courses of science and engineering. That is why we must import people from other countries, like India. Our kids in university do not seem much interested in the sciences. They get decrees say in history and wonder why there are no jobs for them.
Kids in universities do not want to be presented with any new ideas and any idea that might upset them. They want the universities to be safe places. They want universities to be so safe that they will never hear any word that might possibly unset them.
No one today seems to want free speech. They seem to only believe in free speech for themselves but not for anyone that might think or heaven forbid say some that is not deemed to be absolutely and totally politically correct.
Is the election of Donald Trump a protest of all this and the start of change or just another form of groupthink?
Can this end well?
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I like your daily commentary on stocks but this opinion piece really misses the mark. To be brief I will limit myself to the following points.
ReplyDelete1) China is extremely focussed on science and business development (consult PISA reports) as is funding for classes and research at most universities in North America
2) if the pool of courses at a university is equivalent to a market, then let the customers (students) and market decide. Furthermore, the decision to study history might a good one for student and society's economic well-being. Companies, non-profits, politics and society needs a variety of voices. Read this piece on philosophy as a business major. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/06/the-management-myth/304883/
It would also be nice to see claims that kids these days "do not seem much interested in the sciences" backed with a little evidence.
3. The business / engineering community is as full of dogma ("They feel people that think differently are either stupid or evil.") as any area of study and practice -- and perhaps more so given that these fields often have their hands on the levers of power. Look at the fight over climate change -- the short term dogma of corporate profits, against almost all scientific evidence, appears to be leading us to long-term societal / environmental losses.
4) the core business of the humanities and social sciences is the clash of ideas. It is their mandate to challenge students and help them find their own stance and voice, and yet to do so in ways that respects the rights of others to disagree. And it is their mandate to challenge societies in these ways as well, so that space is made for the voices of others (women, children, racial groups, sexual orientations, etc.) which have been previously denied, often through legal or moralistic means, full participation in society.
Sorry for the rant -- but to suggest that this new groupthink is negative or somehow equivalent to or worse than past dogma is incorrect. Recent events have resulted in a step backwards. Here's hoping we will soon take two forward.
I have my worries and you think everything is fine. OK. Bye the way, I was talking about China losing to the West re science and innovation around 1750 not the present day. I did say at one point in history.
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