Spelling and grammer

[MikeL]

But, paradoxically, those same people who are devoid of practical capability are also devoid of erudition. They are turned out of the universities with a good deal of learning, but little education.

A truly educated person understands tap washers AND sonnets AND trigonometry.

The problem is that the meaning of "education" has changed. The "truly educated person" you refer to is an old-fashioned concept, a relic from another world and by today's criteria of efficiency hopelessly over-educated. The new model is the technocrat, a bean-counter's dream, with sufficient in-depth skill for a specialised job and nothing else. Why should a physicist need to know what a sonnet is?

[Slyer]

The problem is that the meaning of "education" has changed. The "truly educated person" you refer to is an old-fashioned concept, a relic from another world and by today's criteria of efficiency hopelessly over-educated. The new model is the technocrat, a bean-counter's dream, with sufficient in-depth skill for a specialised job and nothing else. Why should a physicist need to know what a sonnet is?

Specialisation is a good thing. There's enough worthless shit people have to learn at uni as it is...

[scumdog]

Specialisation is a good thing. There's enough worthless shit people have to learn at uni as it is...

There's enough worthless shit you learn in life too.

Why would I ever need to know the bore and stroke of a 460 Ford V8 - or what the letter Q on vin of a '66 Thunderbird means f'rinstance....now ask me why I struggle to remember CBs birthday however..?

[James Deuce]

Specialisation is a good thing. There's enough worthless shit people have to learn at uni as it is...

Seriously it isn't. It's about economic control of human capital. That and the efforts to limit people's capacity to communicate despite having the best tools ever are at the root of your ACC levy increase.

[Dave Lobster]

now ask me why I struggle to remember CB's birthday, however..?

That's just male genes.

[Ixion]

Ah, you mean like a jack of all trades...

Quite so. The ideal is to be a jack of all trades, and a master of one (or a few)

[bikemike]

I'll have to go back and read some more, but...

The problem is that the meaning of "education" has changed. The "truly educated person" you refer to is an old-fashioned concept, a relic from another world and by today's criteria of efficiency hopelessly over-educated. The new model is the technocrat, a bean-counter's dream, with sufficient in-depth skill for a specialised job and nothing else. Why should a physicist need to know what a sonnet is?

Actually, I posit that 'nothing else' is not what they are after. What they like is what I have heard called 'T-shaped' people, being those that excel in their specialised area but who are also able to effectively communicate with, and contribute to the efforts of, those in adjacent skills/responsibilities - etc.

Also, on the former point, the first would remind me of someone who has educated himself for his own and others' benefit. The second reminds me more of the job seeker, and this is the tragedy of education today. The meaning of education has been supplanted, and what was training and apprenticeship is now the heavy price of entry to the modern workforce.

[Ixion]

... Why should a physicist need to know what a sonnet is?

Oh, reason not the need
Allow but Nature Nature's need
And man's life were cheap as beast's.

The answer of course is because such knowledge makes him a more complete human being. And a happier one.Homo sum: humani nil a me alienum puto.

[Grasshopperus]

Specialisation is a good thing. There's enough worthless shit people have to learn at uni as it is...

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

-Robert A. Heinlein

My link doesn't allude to that at all.

THE Link...

[Motu]

what the letter Q on vin of a '66 Thunderbird means

It means your VIN plate was restamped in Otara - take it to a cop,they are supposed to know all about these things.....

[Slyer]

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

-Robert A. Heinlein

He's a bit short sighted then...
I'm not saying that everyone should be fundamentally useless except one thing, the idea is that everyone can do most things well enough but are exceptionally good at a certain job. It's the advantage of living with a large population.
Imagine if everyone were equally skilled at engineering, medicide, accounting and programming. Nobody would excel at anything thus no technological advances could be made.
There is just no way it would work.

[MikeL]

Homo sum: humani nil a me alienum puto.

The fact that you can quote Terence in the original marks you as one of those hopelessly over-educated relics of the past. The decline (and inevitable demise) of Latin as a school subject in this country reflects the changed perception of education. Latin is not an easy subject to master, requiring concentrated effort over a long period of time. Its benefits are not immediately apparent, and cannot be linked directly to any vocation (other than teaching Latin!) It is scarcely surprising that, in the few schools that continue to teach it, Latin struggles to justify its existence against strong opposition from other departments. Tempora mutantur, indeed. Time was when "education" meant the classics and very little else.
But I don't fully accept the "nos mutamur in illis" unless by "we" you mean society in general. Not all change is progress, and I'm quite happy to be labelled a dinosaur for refusing to go along with the trend.

[Gen]

That left and right thing is a complete mystery to me. Mirrors don't help with that at all. Coping with it requires some concentration. And it's not about "improvement" it's about adapting.

In regards to the'" improvement'comment I made I was thinking along the lines of people who are bad spellers......my son may be dyslexic but it's too soon to tell for sure.His biological father is dyslexic.
I found it helps to say ""this is left"" and point left.Then he knew exactly what way we needed to go (when following map directions).Hell I had learning difficulties as a child and I don't think the way most of you would.My understanding of a situation or comments can be miles out of the ball park in comparison to others.I don't often reach the same conclusion because I have read the information differently.This is a challenge to explain!!

[Grasshopperus]

Imagine if everyone were equally skilled at engineering, medicide, accounting and programming. Nobody would excel at anything thus no technological advances could be made.
There is just no way it would work.

The quote doesn't mention that the person would have to be the best, or expert, at any of those particular abilities only that he should be able to perform them. Being able to perform and being skilled in something are not the same, there's room for those who excel to do so.


I'm not saying I know how to "set a broken bone", "design a building" or "plan an invasion" but there is no reason why I couldn't learn these types of skills. Would you like to know how to do these things? Would knowing them make you an overall better at other stuff too? Yeah, cross-training is awesome.

He's a bit short sighted then...

I don't think you know who Heinlein was; short-sighted is the last thing most readers would describe him as.

[Fluffy Cat]

Heinlein... are you talking Space Cadet, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Job, Starship Troopers ?. Don't think anyone is within spitting distance of that man yet. Or for a long time to come.....Spelling and education are two separate functions. I don't think many of out institutions offer education but they can do spelling.