3 ms·

I agree that teaching kids to be critical of one sliver of reality, while uncritically absorbing anything from another sliver is a pedagogical crime. What we ou

I agree that teaching kids to be critical of one sliver of reality, while uncritically absorbing anything from another sliver is a pedagogical crime. What we ought to be teaching is critical thinking.

rayiner 5y ago
Kids need to be socialized in the ideas and values that make their civilization successful. Critical thinking is one piece of that, but we focus too much on it in elite environs. We also need to teach kids to tend to the edifice of civilization we’ve built, not just how to tear pieces of it down.
- andrew_ 5y ago
  This really struck a chord with me as a parent of two toddlers.
  - ip26 5y ago
    “Tear things down” is practically the toddler core competency!
- luffapi 5y ago
  What does it mean for a civilization to be “successful”? The vast majority of our progress has been made off of exploration, slavery and war. The latter fueling the entire tech industry starting with the code cracking computers of WWII and the nuclear holocaust survivable internet. Who is working the mines for the materials in our iPhones, and under what conditions? It’s worthwhile to teach children the true history of progress and ask if perhaps there isn’t a better way.
  - christophilus 5y ago
    It’s almost as if history and humanity is messy, and doesn’t fit into a tidy little box. There has never been a system that was built from the ground up on flawless, utopian principles. The success of our system can be argued in a myriad ways; likewise the failures. I want my kids to understand the greatness of our civilization while doing their part to correct it’s shortcomings. It’s one of my goals, and I hope they take up the mantle.
    - luffapi 5y ago
      I hope you’re teaching them the truth behind the origin of the technology and systems of our world. Otherwise you’re spreading ignorance. Complaining about “wokeness” is to be willfully stupid. Your kids will find out the truth, even if you try to hide it from them.
- notacoward 5y ago
  > We also need to teach kids to tend to the edifice of civilization we’ve built The truth of that depends entirely on whether that civilization's "success" is something that either can or should be sustained, and that's the assumption that most "woke" people challenge. Very few seek to tear down any part of it without having carefully considered whether it really contributes to long term success.

rayiner 5y ago

Kids need to be socialized in the ideas and values that make their civilization successful. Critical thinking is one piece of that, but we focus too much on it in elite environs. We also need to teach kids to tend to the edifice of civilization we’ve built, not just how to tear pieces of it down.

andrew_ 5y ago
This really struck a chord with me as a parent of two toddlers.
- ip26 5y ago
  “Tear things down” is practically the toddler core competency!
luffapi 5y ago
What does it mean for a civilization to be “successful”? The vast majority of our progress has been made off of exploration, slavery and war. The latter fueling the entire tech industry starting with the code cracking computers of WWII and the nuclear holocaust survivable internet. Who is working the mines for the materials in our iPhones, and under what conditions? It’s worthwhile to teach children the true history of progress and ask if perhaps there isn’t a better way.
- christophilus 5y ago
  It’s almost as if history and humanity is messy, and doesn’t fit into a tidy little box. There has never been a system that was built from the ground up on flawless, utopian principles. The success of our system can be argued in a myriad ways; likewise the failures. I want my kids to understand the greatness of our civilization while doing their part to correct it’s shortcomings. It’s one of my goals, and I hope they take up the mantle.
  - luffapi 5y ago
    I hope you’re teaching them the truth behind the origin of the technology and systems of our world. Otherwise you’re spreading ignorance. Complaining about “wokeness” is to be willfully stupid. Your kids will find out the truth, even if you try to hide it from them.
notacoward 5y ago
> We also need to teach kids to tend to the edifice of civilization we’ve built The truth of that depends entirely on whether that civilization's "success" is something that either can or should be sustained, and that's the assumption that most "woke" people challenge. Very few seek to tear down any part of it without having carefully considered whether it really contributes to long term success.