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Wow, what a story. Thank you for sharing it. I always had some notion of the depressing realities I'd have faced if I stuck around on the island – but your test

Wow, what a story. Thank you for sharing it. I always had some notion of the depressing realities I'd have faced if I stuck around on the island – but your testimony takes it to a new level. It's amazing. Education really is the silver bullet. And computers are the most revolutionary education tool ever devised. Way to climb out of a tough spot, my fellow boricua.

intended 14y ago
Education is a good bullet, but its part of an arsenal. Not everyone can make of the tools the same house you have fashioned, which follows from people themselves being massively varied. I suspect that many tools in your tool case would be used in a variety of manners for people who wanted to get out. --- Side note - I've heard "education is the silver bullet for our problems" and seen it applied with very disappointing results. On one hand it has definitely given several people a path to move up in life. But its also been terrible for the rest of the populace. It ended up creating legions of people who are literate but not 'educated'. A curious situation where people can say they know about rationality without having to be rational. It produces legions of people who can perform mental athletics like rote memorization, or mental calculus and other tricks, but about poor understanding of the logic of the underlying principles they apply. The number of people who grow up to be like the two of you is few and far between.
- danilocampos 14y ago
  I would argue that one can attain literacy without being educated. When I say education is the silver bullet, I guess I mean that a full suite of well-rounded knowledge, along with the tools and confidence to derive more knowledge, can cure most social ills. But your point is well-taken. I think we can lay the blame for, say, young-earth creationism at the feet of a widespread state of literacy without education. You know enough to read a book, but not enough to know why you shouldn't take its contents at face value.
  - intended 14y ago
    > ... a full suite of well-rounded knowledge, along with the tools and confidence to derive more knowledge, can cure most social ills > You know enough to read a book, but not enough to know why you shouldn't take its contents at face value. Exactly my position - you can be literate (able to read, write and master a subject enough to be employed) but either are unwilling or unable to understand the implications/meaning of what you have read. Educated people, the way I've seen it, can apply and use what they know to make the world as a whole better, or at the very least not encourage or allow assaults on the societal contract. I think for a while, people assumed that there was a strong correlation between education and being able to think for yourself. Especially after seeing people like yourselves who used education as a way to actually be people who have a moral compass and excel in society. What people didn't want is the legions of excellent workers who can value a firm from its financials in their heads, but turn around and promote intolerance, racism and corruption. Perhaps its got a lot more to do with the role models you saw. As you said you had someone who became a thief, but from the way you write, it seems that path just didn't make sense to you.
orangethirty 14y ago
Yes, education is the important factor. Though education != college. It goes farther than that. It is what we learn from our parents ever since the day we can think. Both of my parents are very strongly educated people, something that they passed on to me (and my brothers). Computers are an amazing tool. That is why I'm always helping people learn to use and program them. I wish all programmers would do the same. It makes a huge difference. Oh, and I'm not done climbing. :) Thank you. PS. Lets keep in touch. Email in profile.

intended 14y ago

Education is a good bullet, but its part of an arsenal. Not everyone can make of the tools the same house you have fashioned, which follows from people themselves being massively varied. I suspect that many tools in your tool case would be used in a variety of manners for people who wanted to get out. --- Side note - I've heard "education is the silver bullet for our problems" and seen it applied with very disappointing results. On one hand it has definitely given several people a path to move up in life. But its also been terrible for the rest of the populace. It ended up creating legions of people who are literate but not 'educated'. A curious situation where people can say they know about rationality without having to be rational. It produces legions of people who can perform mental athletics like rote memorization, or mental calculus and other tricks, but about poor understanding of the logic of the underlying principles they apply. The number of people who grow up to be like the two of you is few and far between.

danilocampos 14y ago
I would argue that one can attain literacy without being educated. When I say education is the silver bullet, I guess I mean that a full suite of well-rounded knowledge, along with the tools and confidence to derive more knowledge, can cure most social ills. But your point is well-taken. I think we can lay the blame for, say, young-earth creationism at the feet of a widespread state of literacy without education. You know enough to read a book, but not enough to know why you shouldn't take its contents at face value.
- intended 14y ago
  > ... a full suite of well-rounded knowledge, along with the tools and confidence to derive more knowledge, can cure most social ills > You know enough to read a book, but not enough to know why you shouldn't take its contents at face value. Exactly my position - you can be literate (able to read, write and master a subject enough to be employed) but either are unwilling or unable to understand the implications/meaning of what you have read. Educated people, the way I've seen it, can apply and use what they know to make the world as a whole better, or at the very least not encourage or allow assaults on the societal contract. I think for a while, people assumed that there was a strong correlation between education and being able to think for yourself. Especially after seeing people like yourselves who used education as a way to actually be people who have a moral compass and excel in society. What people didn't want is the legions of excellent workers who can value a firm from its financials in their heads, but turn around and promote intolerance, racism and corruption. Perhaps its got a lot more to do with the role models you saw. As you said you had someone who became a thief, but from the way you write, it seems that path just didn't make sense to you.

orangethirty 14y ago

Yes, education is the important factor. Though education != college. It goes farther than that. It is what we learn from our parents ever since the day we can think. Both of my parents are very strongly educated people, something that they passed on to me (and my brothers). Computers are an amazing tool. That is why I'm always helping people learn to use and program them. I wish all programmers would do the same. It makes a huge difference. Oh, and I'm not done climbing. :) Thank you. PS. Lets keep in touch. Email in profile.