>From: Michael Butler
>Jeff Dee said:
>Or does it simply mean 'acknowledging that there is a degree of
>uncertainty in all ideas, and dealing with that rationally'?
>I say:
>Close. What I happen to prefer is the kind of mental resilience that
>permits one to hold a bunch of truths constant while looking at the
>world, remembering from time to time that "certainty" is a state of
>mind, not matter.
>The phrase "dealing with that rationally" is one I wouldn't use...
>"dealing with that wisely" might be closer to my goal.
>Categories are very useful. So is the ability to think outside
>the box.
What you consider 'wise', and what the next fellow considers
'wise', may be two different things. While you might consider it
'wise' to utilize "the kind of mental resilience that permits one to
hold a bunch of truths constant while looking at the world,
remembering from time to time that "certainty" is a state of
mind" (which I generally agree with), others might consider it
'wise' to react in other ways. I prefer not to make blanket
reccomendations of subjective things like 'wisdom', because
I can't know what they mean to the person I'm dealing with.
On the other hand, there are pretty clear rules about what
does and does not constitute rational thought.
In any case, it's unclear to me how your use of 'wisdom' differs
from my use of 'reason' in this matter. Both of us accept
that we must adopt very likely propositions as 'truths', even
though some uncertainty may remain, in order to form a basis
on which to continue our search for knowledge. Both of us
know it's important to remember that old, established
'truths' may be overturned by later discoveries. That is
quite rational. Why do you think it isn't? Why do you think
the process of rational thought would keep you from adopting
exactly the stance you already hold now?
>I think I understand why people get upset with the fuzzy
>situational ethicists etc. running the US educational system.
(I'm going to assume that by 'fuzzy situational ethicists', you mean
followers of postmodern philosophy.)
>I begin
>to think that what's happening is rather like the "new math" fiasco
>made of the Bourbaki school back in my youth--superficial misleading
>"teaching" being done by "teachers" who don't really understand the
>material, leaving the students completely clueless about the "why"
>and the deep structure.
This implies that 'if people only understood the 'why' and the deep
structure, everything would be fine. But I understand the 'why' and the
deep structure - and I still think it's a load of crap. The problem is not
that students are having it spoon-fed to them. That's unfortunate, but
it's not the primary reason why it upsets me.
-Jeff Dee
------ =_NextPart_000_01BBAA38.A88E7720
Content-Type: application/ms-tnef
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64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------ =_NextPart_000_01BBAA38.A88E7720--