Month: June 2011
-
Should we teach math in elementary school?
From the anti-intellectualism department, arguably: An emeritus psych professor, Peter Gray, has made the argument in Psychology Today that we should not teach math in elementary school (K-6). (Hat tip, BrillKids Forum.) Well, I flatter Prof. Gray in calling it an “argument.” Maybe he has an argument elsewhere, but there isn’t much of one in…
-
Update about the boys (June 2011)
I’ve changed quite a bit of what I’ve been doing with H. For many months, I was following a schedule according to which I assigned specific subjects to specific meals (we read, or do something else educational, at almost all meals). So, for example, at breakfast on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we did history, and…
-
Geek anti-intellectualism: replies
My essay on “geek anti-intellectualism” hit a nerve. I get the sense that a lot of geeks are acting–quite unusually for them–defensively, because I’ve presented them with a sobering truth about themselves that they hadn’t realized. Consequently they’ve been unusually thoughtful and polite. This is quite new and startling to me–I mean, there’s something about this…
-
Is there a new geek anti-intellectualism?
This essay can be read in my 2020 book, Essays on Free Knowledge. Perhaps ironically, it is no longer free. UPDATE: I’ve posted a very long set of replies. UPDATE 2: I’ve decided to reply below as well–very belatedly…
-
Is college a waste of time?
More from the anti-intellectualism dept.: I admit this is news to me: a “Thiel Fellowship” has been set up by PayPal founder Peter Thiel, which encourages tech entrepreneurship by under-20-olds with the requirement that the recipients not go to college for two years. Peter Thiel, as it happens, has B.A. and J.D. degrees from Stanford,…