I think the basic underlying problem with the whole debate is that the public schools in America do a poor job of awakening a desire for knowledge. I was lucky, I went to a good school and had great teachers. My parents are nerds and showed me how to get information about stuff I was interested.
Most math classes are boring and the kids don’t see the point in learning it. History classes are the same way. Science becomes mere memorization.
Anecdote Alert 2:
I had a chemistry class with a great teacher. She wasn’t the most interesting teacher, but labs were great. Me and my partner, we were mischievous cusses, would blow up the current experiment by doing bizarre things. But we learned a lot when the teacher would say, “Now why did it blow up and how could you make it so you could get a constant stream of flame?” And by golly, we figured it out using all kinds of stuff we learned in class. We had fun, learned stuff and got good grades (even though we had to pay like $50 for lab fees at the end).
Yes, I can sympathize with what Bytopian said. I currently am enrolled in America’s famous public schools, and let me tell you, what a joke they are.
Math has become monotonous and horribly boring. I find myself everday wondering how to end the misery that is 45 minutes of pure mathetmatical hell. I tell you, its the teachers. They are given the material, but if they present it in a montonous and boring manner, they lose their students. As of now, I pay attention in… lets say 2 out of 7 classes, because the others are so incredibly boring…
In a country where every man and woman has a voice in how their goverment is run, (to a point of course) these things are important. Yes, I am talking to all those “intelligent” people out there that think having a large percentage of the population ignorant about things is ok, because it doesn’t matter.
Even stupid uneducated people form opinions, or let others form opinions for them. In a country in which laws are often made to restrict certain scientific advances (stem cell research for example), and in a country where those same uneducated people get to voice their opinion, it DOES matter. Perhaps some of those saying it doesn’t matter should take some classes in critical thinking themselves. If we lived in a monarchy, of course having an uninformed and ignorant population is no big deal, but we don’t do we?
Of course I know those people are going to say they can look things up, but it doesn’t work that way. They have opinions already made by others. Pastors, friends, television, etc have made their opinions and they don’t know that they should look things up. Perhaps they feel they are as informed as they need to be. Even though they are dead wrong.
I don’t feel these tests work. All they do is shift the focus of the years teaching. The students would be taught the test material and would no doubt have to drop other material in order to cram it all in.
The problem is how the kids are taught, not what they are taught. Just like it has been suggested after your post. Teaching a person how to think is more important than making them memorize a bunch of stuff. Instilling them with awe of a subject or allowing them to become genuinely interested in a subject is something that should be sought after IMO.
Personally this whole topic is why I feel a democracy does not work. A democracy is run by the ignorant, passive masses with no knowledge, ambition or goals. Those types vote only with their best interests, interests built with false information, and small worldview. (knowledge of the geography, political makeup and religious trends in a country can help one form more intelligent opinions about it rather than just feeling the same way every ignorant Tom Dick and Harry at work feels about it)
I agree with TVAA, there is alot of people, even on this board, that are convinced that they know the way of the world, but can’t even tell you much about said world. Only lies and misconceptions. Small worldview, no interest in learning for the sake of learning- makes me wonder why they are on a message board dedicated to fighting ignorance, which to me suggest quite strongly that they are interested in learning. Strange indeed.
The OP was probably trying to get to the point that when people don’t seem to know much basic science, it’s likely that these people don’t understand the authority of science. This is troubling.
FWIW - being on the fast-food fry machine is not a cakewalk. When I was in fast-food land, only grillman was a tougher position to achieve. Partly because it’s not easy, and partly because there are very strict (probably OSHA) rules about working with gallons of hot oil.
BTW- I have relatives in the medical field, and have worked in it myself.
The reason so many antibiotics get prescribed for things viral, etc. is essentially the placebo effect. You would not believe how many people demand them for this and that, etc. Sometimes, you have to give them something just to get them out of the office and home and in bed recuperating. When it “works” they come back for their other problems.
Personally, they don’t like it, but sometimes, you have to do what you have to do…