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| Science & Technology |
| Curiosity Is Important, But Colleges Are Suppressing It |
| 2021-05-15 |
| jamesgmartin.center via Instapundit No one needs curiosity more than the young, but our educational system is doing its best to suppress it. The kids are being bored out of their minds. Of course, that’s nothing new in our K-12 schools. As older Americans recall the time they spent in classrooms, they’ll also remember how they were bored, and curious about what was happening outside. But then those classes forced us to open our minds to novel subjects, to things we never would have learned but for school, to history, poetry, and the dissection of frogs. In some of these classes—the best ones—our curiosity would kick in and we’d embark on a lifelong voyage of discovery. That’s what happened in college too. Most people—me for one—arrived there with only the haziest of ideas of what they wanted to study. That’s why mandatory first-year courses make sense. You might not know that you had an interest in learning chemistry, foreign languages, or philosophy until you’re required to burrow down into those subjects. But once introduced to them, your curiosity and delight in the subject takes over. That’s much less likely to happen today, as our K-12 schools and colleges are increasingly teaching students to become social justice warriors rather than broadening their intellectual horizons. That’s wrong in itself. A college education isn’t meant to be political indoctrination. "A mind is a terrible thing to waste," and wasted it is when it’s reduced to brainwashing. But worse still is what it does to young people at a time when they’re supposed to be exposed to an array of subjects and the new learning that comes with them. The indoctrination—the numerous courses that are about conveying political correctness rather than teaching bodies of knowledge—imposes the opportunity cost of things pushed aside. There’s a simple reason what curiosity matters more for the young. When we’re young and it’s all before us, choices matter greatly. When we die, it’s all behind us. In between, choices are at first important and then become increasingly inconsequential. The big decisions come right at the start. That’s because life is a wasting asset. It’s like a mine full of precious gems, immensely valuable before mining begins but less and less so as the gems are extracted. When the last gem is dug up the mine is worthless. We take bigger risks when we’re young, and we’re hard-wired to do so. A growing body of empirical evidence finds that our preferences about risk aren’t stable, and that we become more risk-averse as we grow older. That’s true of individuals and it’s also true of societies as they age. In younger societies, you’ll see higher levels of risk-taking and self-employment. In aging ones, you’ll see more conservative savings and investment behavior. We don’t see old bungee-jumpers. We live in a collapsing civilization, where excellence is measured by standard tests. |
| Posted by:g(r)omgoru |
| #4 Universal Basic Income Woke Truth Shelter In Place Digital Entertainment All you need or want, from BNL (By 'N' Large) A (former) nation of docile, complacent, morbidly obese virtual cruise ship passengers as in Wall-E |
| Posted by: Whaiter Phaviper8296 2021-05-15 10:18 |
| #3 We've taken care of everything The words you read, the songs you sing The pictures that give pleasure to your eye It's one for all, all for one We work together, common sons Never need to wonder how or why. |
| Posted by: Raj 2021-05-15 08:57 |
| #2 Yup. Now that Critical Theory has all the answers, there's no further need for curiosity. Anyone who disagrees is morally wrong. |
| Posted by: Knuckles Slererong5344 2021-05-15 07:32 |
| #1 Curiosity is no longer necessary. There's really no need to clutter our minds with difficult or perplexing tasks and ideas. The government will provide all the answers we shall need. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2021-05-15 07:13 |