I enjoyed the reading on education early this week. I though the book made some very valid points about education becoming too specialized, even to the point of removing culture from society. I really liked the quote from Alan Bloom about how substitutes for real diversity are dyed hair and other external differences that tell you nothing about what is on the inside, and how this is happening because students are no longer acquainted with great works of literature.
It seems to me that people in society of all ages no longer have discussions of ideas. They instead pick a side, often just because everyone they know picks that side, and then they have a shouting match telling anyone that will listen that their side is right. Politics in particular is discouraging and increasingly disgusting to me. Politicians and even pundits and commentators no longer discuss ideas and try to come to a consensus or really solve a problem. They simply yell at each other and try to find tiny things to pick at and blow out of proportion.
I can see this as a possible symptom of the culture disappearing from our society; that specialization has convinced people their view is the only correct view and anyone who disagrees with them is just wrong.
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These are really interesting thoughts, and I can definitely see how people fail to discuss ideas and just jump on one bandwagon or another.
ReplyDeleteI like your train of thought. I have always tried to have my own opinion on things and not just listen to everybody else. Sometimes I fail and just go along for the ride but my parents taught me to think for myself and I try to stick to that counsil.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you've internalised the message from that reading. However much I do agree with you, I think that we do need to look at specialisation in two different perspectives. We have to consider the fact that it also has a positive side to it. An example of this is that accuracy and efficency is achieved faster with people that are specialised than those that are generally trained.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it seems too many people aren't willing to listen to other and just want to shout their idea and shut everything else out. When I was in working on the east coast a couple years back when the Davinci Code was a big deal, I was talking about it with another woman and I mentioned how I thought it only made sense that Christ would be married and have a family and she got really upset and animated. I thought it was rediculous that she would get so emotional about something (especially since we know that to be the truth). I'd like to think that I would be willing to listen and consider all sides of a situation, even if I was adamant about my opinion.
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