Today's 938 Live radio talk show- How relevant is JC education to life?
The old "where will I ever use logarithms in my life" argument rears its ugly head again.
Really.
It's not about the logarithms, it's not about the sub-shells, nor CG, nor the super-sensible substrate of nature.
It never was.
Why would the ministry whoose utmost concern is priming new generations into individuals equipped to take on the world be the very same ministry that pumps them up with supposedly useless knowledge?
Surely they are no bird-brain?
There are a few things that the acquaintance with such knowledge can do.
Firstly, it inspires awe in the human intellect.
When we go "wow" at Pascal's triangle or "oooh" Kant's theory, we are examining notions foreign to out own minds.
It's like stepping out of our own brains for a few moments and immersing ourselves in the genius of another- one that is preserved and made accessible through the printed material.
It inspires us,
it belittles us,
it humbles us,
it challenges us,
such that when we once again re-enter our minds, we examine its boundaries, knock a little here, push a little there and see if we too can stretch the fibres of our minds to new and hitherto impossible dimensions.
Secondly, it reinforces the grounding, faith in logic already has in the modern paradigm.
We live in the empirical age.
Literature students are asked for evidence from the poems they deal with.
Lawyers ask "Where's proof?"
When we tinkle with the math and sciences, we are ushered into the realm of the logic,
of tall hats and fine order.
We listen to its heartbeat,
It is a wonderful steady rhythm, one that is
predictable
and neat
and perfect.
The beauty of it all is astounding. And as days becomes weeks and weeks become months and months become years,
that heartbeat becomes our heartbeat,
and that beauty becomes our beauty.
All the world predictable,
and neat,
and perfect
It's man's desperate search for Utopia
The old "where will I ever use logarithms in my life" argument rears its ugly head again.
Really.
It's not about the logarithms, it's not about the sub-shells, nor CG, nor the super-sensible substrate of nature.
It never was.
Why would the ministry whoose utmost concern is priming new generations into individuals equipped to take on the world be the very same ministry that pumps them up with supposedly useless knowledge?
Surely they are no bird-brain?
There are a few things that the acquaintance with such knowledge can do.
Firstly, it inspires awe in the human intellect.
When we go "wow" at Pascal's triangle or "oooh" Kant's theory, we are examining notions foreign to out own minds.
It's like stepping out of our own brains for a few moments and immersing ourselves in the genius of another- one that is preserved and made accessible through the printed material.
It inspires us,
it belittles us,
it humbles us,
it challenges us,
such that when we once again re-enter our minds, we examine its boundaries, knock a little here, push a little there and see if we too can stretch the fibres of our minds to new and hitherto impossible dimensions.
Secondly, it reinforces the grounding, faith in logic already has in the modern paradigm.
We live in the empirical age.
Literature students are asked for evidence from the poems they deal with.
Lawyers ask "Where's proof?"
When we tinkle with the math and sciences, we are ushered into the realm of the logic,
of tall hats and fine order.
We listen to its heartbeat,
It is a wonderful steady rhythm, one that is
predictable
and neat
and perfect.
The beauty of it all is astounding. And as days becomes weeks and weeks become months and months become years,
that heartbeat becomes our heartbeat,
and that beauty becomes our beauty.
All the world predictable,
and neat,
and perfect
It's man's desperate search for Utopia
posted by Yi Ling at 9:37 PM
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