09-01-2021, 07:38 PM
(09-01-2021, 07:18 PM)pbrower2a Wrote:(09-01-2021, 06:45 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:(08-31-2021, 05:07 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: In education I expect the norm for people not mentally retarded to get at the least two years of inexpensive, if highly-structured, formal education beyond K-12. My suggestions for the syllabus:
1. basic philosophy -- so that people can learn how to think
2. economics -- microeconomics (consumer/worker/firm and macroeconomics (the overall economy)
3. psychology -- so that people can recognize scams
4. world history -- rather recently I thought Spain in the 1930's a scary analogue for America
5. comparative religion -- to reduce the potential for religious bigotry
6. music and art appreciation -- nice use of time. These have kept me out of the mental ward.
7. comparative political systems -- the consequences of the rejection of democracy
8. freshman composition -- so that one can communicate effectively
9. foreign languages (start earlier -- one Romance, one Germanic, and one Slavic, one of which will have to be at the college level)
10. more literature
11. probability and statistics -- enough said on their importance
Basically, as complex as our economic life and social realities are, our youth will need the basic liberal arts. Three languages? Learn one Slavic language even if it has a small population of speakers (Hello, taramarie!) exp-ands one's intellectual universe greatly.
So what if it makes certain parts of the current political spectrum irrelevant? If it is the Trump cult -- great.
I would say we need more than appreciation for music and art. We can teach making art and music too. And that goes for creative writing too. I think basic liberal arts should include meditation training myself, and philosophy that teaches us not only how to think, but how to observe ourselves and perceive connections.
The connection between the learning of music and achievement in mathematics and science is powerful. We could use an early start for kids. That should begin in early years.
Yes indeed, and for me higher achievement in music would be the greater payoff.