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Sector7G
Joined: 24 May 2008
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 Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:14 am Post subject: Tools for Thinking |
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I am not really a big fan of columnist David Brooks of the NY Times, but this article is actually pretty interesting. Basically, here is what the article is about:
"A few months ago, Steven Pinker of Harvard asked a smart question: What scientific concept would improve everybody�s cognitive toolkit?
The good folks at Edge.org organized a symposium, and 164 thinkers contributed suggestions."
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/opinion/29brooks.html?src=me&ref=homepage
This next excerpt is just one small part of the article - it is not just about education - but worth a look.
"Daniel Kahneman of Princeton University writes about the Focusing Illusion, which holds that �nothing in life is as important as you think it is while you are thinking about it.� He continues:�Education is an important determinant of income � one of the most important � but it is less important than most people think. If everyone had the same education, the inequality of income would be reduced by less than 10 percent. When you focus on education you neglect the myriad of other factors that determine income. The differences of income among people who have the same education are huge." |
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PardonTheInterruption
Joined: 02 Mar 2011
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 9:16 am Post subject: |
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I'd respond with a worthwhile comment but apperently it's not as important as I think it is...  |
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johnnyrook
Joined: 08 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 1:50 pm Post subject: Re: Tools for Thinking |
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| Sector7G wrote: |
| �Education is an important determinant of income � one of the most important � but it is less important than most people think[/b]. If everyone had the same education, the inequality of income would be reduced by less than 10 percent. When you focus on education you neglect the myriad of other factors that determine income. The differences of income among people who have the same education are huge." |
This is why I disagree with the way education is handled in Korea. It's utterly pointless to over-exert these kids making them slave away ten hours a day and forgo any fun even during vacation time to focus on study all through their teenage years when every other child is doing it. Just means they're all gonna fall in on the same place in the bell-curve anyway. If you don't have the talent to excel beyond the level of a salaryman, you shouldn't be compelled to study as hard as someone whose focused on becoming a doctor.
I admit though, that from a collectivist point of view it makes sense, and can help countries excel ahead of others in development, but for individuals it sucks. |
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TECO
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:18 pm Post subject: |
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Re. Education, just think of all of the CEOs and Presidents of companies who have made billions with only a high school education or who did not graduate from college.
Can anyone think of examples of this? |
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