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> Those colleges and universities that figure out how to organize research and teach new foundations and polymathy and prepare their students to understand a wo

> Those colleges and universities that figure out how to organize research and teach new foundations and polymathy and prepare their students to understand a world in which every system, at every scale, acts causally on others, will see their stock rise. The rest will struggle to remain relevant. It is safe to say that this prediction did not come to pass. The system (pun) keeps churning idiot-savants, well-trained cogs in the giant machine that society had been reduced to.

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jhghikvhu 2y ago
In an unexpected turn of events I think Chatgpt qualifies as a polymath.
- ccppurcell 2y ago
  Not according to the article. Chatgpt could be argued to have knowledge. It cannot be argued to have understanding (yet).
  - js8 2y ago
    ChatGPT cannot be argued anything, it will just apologize and move on.
Tier3r 2y ago
I'd argue that it hasn't come to pass, but it is not wrong that its a better way to teach. Virtually all education has been set up in an industrial line style of pre-u education -> university -> companies -> profits -> some value to society. Every part has been attempted to be structured to optimise for the subsequent stage - companies optimisie for profits, universities optimise for employment rate and salary, high schools optimise for college entrance rates, etc. Yet because of Goodhart's and organizational incompetence, each part optimises badly, so education gets exponentially disconnected from each. His proposals are valuable to society, but the system is structurally against it. The only way this works if it skips the assembly line right down to being of value to society, ie you set up a system which explicitly transforms that teaching into things like startups, research, nonprofits etc.
bmitc 2y ago
There are already colleges like this that are basically ignored by the status quo. For example, the College of the Atlantic has a single degree in human ecology. It's a requirement to have a multidisciplinary course selection plan that includes multiple fields and both arts and sciences.

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jhghikvhu 2y ago

In an unexpected turn of events I think Chatgpt qualifies as a polymath.

ccppurcell 2y ago
Not according to the article. Chatgpt could be argued to have knowledge. It cannot be argued to have understanding (yet).
- js8 2y ago
  ChatGPT cannot be argued anything, it will just apologize and move on.

Tier3r 2y ago

I'd argue that it hasn't come to pass, but it is not wrong that its a better way to teach. Virtually all education has been set up in an industrial line style of pre-u education -> university -> companies -> profits -> some value to society. Every part has been attempted to be structured to optimise for the subsequent stage - companies optimisie for profits, universities optimise for employment rate and salary, high schools optimise for college entrance rates, etc. Yet because of Goodhart's and organizational incompetence, each part optimises badly, so education gets exponentially disconnected from each. His proposals are valuable to society, but the system is structurally against it. The only way this works if it skips the assembly line right down to being of value to society, ie you set up a system which explicitly transforms that teaching into things like startups, research, nonprofits etc.

bmitc 2y ago

There are already colleges like this that are basically ignored by the status quo. For example, the College of the Atlantic has a single degree in human ecology. It's a requirement to have a multidisciplinary course selection plan that includes multiple fields and both arts and sciences.