What truths would a wise person pursue?

[coberst]

What truths would a wise person pursue?

The book Beyond Alienation by Ernest Becker attempts to clarify the nature of the human problem and to provide a solution for this problem. If humanity is to resolve this problem it must find a way to instruct itself wisely in the matter of social morality.

Humanity must develop a synthesis of knowledge that can serve as a reasoned basis for constructing a moral rationality. We need to develop a means whereby secular moral science becomes the central consideration for learning.

If I had the ability I would draw a cartoon character with an Arnold Schwarzenegger-like upper torso supported on two thin, spindly, and varicose veined legs. This cartoon character would represent humanity as I visualize the human species.

The strong upper torso represents our strong aptitude for technological achievement and the supporting legs represent our weak and wobbly moral rationality that is failing to provide the foundation needed by humanity.

Philosophy and theology does deal with morality but in a fundamentally different manner. The moral philosophy Becker speaks of recognizes that knowledge is never absolute and therefore must not remain static but must be dynamic reflecting the constant discovery initiated by science. Knowledge is that which helps to promote human welfare in the here and now.

Pragmatism is a self-consistent philosophy that honors the idea that what humans value is that which is relative to what is satisfying. This did not mean just the satisfaction of human appetite but there is recognition that humans are rational creatures; meaning that a value is judged so only when it is chosen in a critical mode of careful examination. “And it is the community of men, in free and open inquiry and exchange, who formulate the ideal values.”

Dewey’s pragmatism was dedicated to the task of reconstruction. Education was considered to be “the supreme human interest” wherein all philosophical problems come to a head. Dewey’s pragmatism failed because it was a call to action without a standard for action. Education must be progressive and must have a strong critical content.

The big question then is what can philosophy and science tell education to do? “What truths is man to pursue for the sake of man? What should we learn about man and society, knowledge that would show us, by clear and compelling logic, how to act and how to choose in our person and social life?”

Becker thinks that we must transform the university from its present vocational education institution into one leading the transformation of society. It is in this solution that I differ with Becker. I do not think that higher education will ever change its role of preparing students to become productive workers and avid consumers—at least until after the revolution.

I think that in the United States there is a great intellectual asset that goes unused. Most adults engage in little or no critical intellectual efforts directed at self-actualizing self-learning after their schooling is finished. If a small percentage of our adults would focus some small part of their intellectual energies toward self-actualizing self-learning during the period between the end of their formal education and mid-life they could be prepared to focus serious time and intellectual focus upon creating an intellectual elite that could make up a critical intellectual element dedicated toward the regeneration of our society.

[HydrogenBond]

Wisdom is a simplified set of understanding with extended practicality. A good analogy is duct tape, which is one thing with hundreds of uses. Knowledge is sort of the opposite using more complex orientations, but with more limited practical value. Its analogy is a spark plug socket specialized to that one task.

When confronted with the unknown, the duct tape of wisdom connects the unknown and sticks it down. Knowledge looks for a special tool. If the tool does not exist, it has to wait for someone to develop one for that application. With wisdom one doesn't have to wait but is more independent.

If one has a good memory and/or the ability to do research, this allows knowledge to meets the demands of new situations in life. Knowledge is like a huge truck full of tools, but one often has to sift through all the tool boxes to get that specialty wrench. Wisdom is a small portable tool belt one can carry around without memory overload.

The quest for that portable tool belt of wisdom begins by starting with the truck load of knowledge tools. One then needs to get out in the field and place themselves into as many situations of necessity and go for speed. One doesn't have the time to search for that one specialty but begins to see which tools have multiple uses. Now we are down to a smaller truck load. One keeps on doing this, until all the tools fit into a portable tool belt.

[coberst]

It appears to me that science has accumulated a great deal of knowledge regarding human nature that would be very useful for everyone to know. Unfortunately our schools and colleges are focused almost exclusively upon teaching us what we need to know to get a good job. I think that this situation needs to be radically modified.

A person can become a self-actualizing self-learner and thus reduce the level of naïveté in the world.

[SidewalkCynic]

Originally Posted by coberst

It appears to me that science has accumulated a great deal of knowledge regarding human nature that would be very useful for everyone to know. Unfortunately our schools and colleges are focused almost exclusively upon teaching us what we need to know to get a good job. I think that this situation needs to be radically modified.

Perhaps, if a better graphic user interface (GUI) were developed, people could access the knowledge that you recognize as being pertinent.

I don't think it is a good idea to blame a system (education), if you haven't a concrete possible solution to present as a metric. The schools and colleges would not be focused on such if the students, and their gaurdians, were not focused on such.

[coberst]

Originally Posted by SidewalkCynic

Perhaps, if a better graphic user interface (GUI) were developed, people could access the knowledge that you recognize as being pertinent.

I don't think it is a good idea to blame a system (education), if you haven't a concrete possible solution to present as a metric. The schools and colleges would not be focused on such if the students, and their gaurdians, were not focused on such.

You are correct in that all blame or all credit belongs with the American citizens because they can veto any policy that they find unacceptable. To solve our problems we must focus upon the intellectual sophistication of the citizens. When I focus on this I discover that our citizens lack the intellectual sophistication required to manage the high tech culture that we have developed.