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Effect of stupidity on technology

Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 7:24 pm
by TSDguy
Readthis article (click the chart after reading the headline if you're lazy), then compare it to the chart inthis article. Then wonder if this is the end of everything good in the world.

Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 7:38 pm
by dejsis
What can I say. I am not surprised. You could also add the chart of where the US is ranked in math education (last time I checked it was somewhere around number 15). Or if you have doubts watch the "Are you smarter than a fifth grader?" :roll:

Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 7:49 pm
by TSDguy
I saw that show once and swore to never watch again when the woman couldn't answer the $500,000question "Which is the only continent that is also a country?" She was going to say North America... :roll: Sweetie there are 26 countries in NA.

Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 8:07 pm
by Valkenar
I'm generally not that impressed with scholastic rankings on an international level. They're probably not totally meaningless, but I haven't seen a study of that sort designed in a way that really says something. Education is a difficult thing to measure. How do you measure creativity, how do you measure independant thinking? Even in something as apparently straight-forward as math there are grey areas. Does the student know a lot of formulas by rote, or do they understand the principles behind the formulas? It's entirely possible the US is falling behind in education, but I don't think these kinds of studies really are proof of that.

But yeah, the evolution thing is just embarrassing. It's that kind of thing that I meant when I posted before about how ignorance is having a bit of a golden age in this country.

Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 5:33 am
by AAAhmed46
Whle i think it has an affect on the study of Genetics, not technology.

India has alot of creationists(hindu) but they are really going far ahead in technology.

Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 6:24 am
by mhosea
Valkenar wrote: But yeah, the evolution thing is just embarrassing. It's that kind of thing that I meant when I posted before about how ignorance is having a bit of a golden age in this country.
Well it's a strange kind of ignorance where people know something about it but don't accept it, even as a likelihood, let alone as fact. Personally, I don't think of that as ignorance, rather ideology and "anti-knowledge". There are people who go around actively promoting the notion that there is a vast conspiracy among scientists to hide the "truth". In other words, there's a propaganda machine at work.

Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 7:06 am
by TSDguy
I totally agree with that; it's scary.

Creationism disregards not only biology, but geology and physics. Then every other field at least indirectly.

I suspect it dramatically lowers the pool of new scientists in any field when reasoning and pursuit of knowledge are made out to be the bad guys. As IJ said in another thread, not questioning is seen as an attribute in these kinds of religions.

Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 9:41 pm
by Stryke
A as side note down here the continent is usually referred to as Australasia , or Oceania

but I think Australia will end up sticking because it`s better for quiz shows and that dumbing down factor .

just try convincing a Kiwi they live in Australia :lol:

Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 1:26 am
by TSDguy
That was my first thought when they read the question... isn't NZ considered part of the continent?