human condition, human sciences

From: Bill Barowy (xmcageek@comcast.net)
Date: Tue Dec 28 2004 - 06:43:06 PST


Michael G wrote:

"Most of the human condition seems to work within the condition of secondness,
especially the human sciences. We often believe we are actually discovering
the way in which humans interact, creating tools for a better humankind, and
that these tools are transferable between problems. In other words we not
only believe in magic bullets to make us better math and science students, to
make us more moral, to make us better readers, but we actively search for
them and promote them as elixirs of humanity. There are some who might say
this is a dangerous situation where power is intermingled with solutions,
where expertise trumps experimentation, where we keep applying what we
already know over and over again to new problems because what we already know
must be right. "

Wow. That is quite a statement, elegantly written, and something to think
about. Yes, and it's true that as an experimental physicist I was trying to
solve certain problems, although doing so made more, but I think that has
also been true of my educational studies. Hmmm... This personal realization
sure does explain a lot. Thanks!

(I must abstain from xmca for a while to work on problem-making)

bb



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