Dear Valeria,

Thanks for the links to Aristotle. In Metaphysics Aristotle says that, "the actuality of thought is life, most good and eternal."

Most interesting,

Wishing you the best,

Don Limuti

Don

You make excellent suggestions and interesting comments. I have been privileged in having an excellent 'American' education in elementary and high school and at university. I put in the quotes because this was in Palestine and Lebanon. The American teachers were dedicated, generous and supportive, and respected local culture and needs. I feel sad about reports concerning the deterioration of public education in the US itself, but of course things are changing, for example the Internet - as you have mentioned.

Education per se is necessary, but it is not a panacea for the world's ills...an educated person could be as greedy, narrow-minded and destructive as a like-minded ignoramus. Traditional religions have been the keepers of moral and ethical teaching, but these have to be supplanted by teaching them in ordinary schools.

Best wishes, Vladimir

    Hi Vladimir,

    Thanks for visiting. I agree completely with you second paragraph. and I do remember Abraham Lincoln's admonishment (with a little twist): Let us pray that an educated populace makes right.

    BTW, thanks for giving the feedback on American schools in Palestine and Lebanon. Sometimes I get the feeling Americans (me) are bozos everywhere outside the US.

    Thanks for your essay and best of luck,

    Don Limuti

    Dear Don!

    I can say simply: Aristotle was right! His thoughts conveyed the most principal essence. Only the existence exists so that is eternal, and we need to live in and think in the actuality and act for our well-being!

    His thoughts and his essential message had been so overcomplicated.

    Best of all for you too,

    Sincerely

    Valeria

    Hi Don,

    Interesting essay! Quite different from the others I've read. It seems to me that your priorities are about right. I hope you are able to find a good way to figure out whether your proposals would work.

    Best,

    Daniel

      Hi Daniel,

      Thanks for visiting and for your encouragement.

      My worst fear is that someone will approach me with some bucks and say OK kid go to it! My only hope would be to find a potent administrator ... I am thinking of Ben Franklin. Franklin would address congress and say "guys, this universal education idea, is the best thing to come along... do not let it slip away."

      Wishing you much success,

      Don Limuti

      Praise for FQXi.org

      Thank you Brendan, Kavita and Tom and everyone at FQXi.org

      Nothing like your essay contests exist in the universe. They are messy, complex, frustrating, and nobody in their right mind would attempt such a thing. You deserve much credit for creating this open forum for ideas.

      Don Limuti

      Dear Don,

      I think you have a brilliant idea and I could not agree more. Free high quality education will indeed go a very long way. You have raised a deep question: why should youngsters have to pay to be educated?! A country like India with a very high illiteracy rate could benefit greatly from such a rethink. The free education that is available in India is of a quality so dismal that it is of little good. And where the education is good, we pay steeply, very steeply. A perfect recipe for creating undesirable classifications in society.

      Regards,

      Tejinder

        Dear Tejinder,

        It is good to be in another contest with you. I appreciate your supportive comments.

        I have noted that your own essay supports improving the quality of the human thought process, historically one of India's continuing contributions to the world.

        Thanks,

        Don Limuti

        Dear Readers of this Blog,

        There is an essay I would like you to consider: Steering Humanity's Future with the Dialogic Web by Ray Luechtefeld

        This essay is rated high enough to be considered a finalist, but it only has 9 votes. My fear is that it will be disqualified because of not enough votes. So, take a look and vote as you feel appropriate.

        A public service provided by, Don Limuti

        Don,

        May the force be with you. I'm just using my powers to elevate you.

        And not only free but far BETTER education for all, not just cramming with doctrine but learning how to use our brains better.

        Best of luck

        Peter

        Don

        Education requires much more than the knowledge of teachers. It is very dependent on the goods and services (electricity, transportation, electronic devices, etc.) provided by the infrastructure (as I describe in my essay). Humanity has to steer the future use of this aging infrastructure if the young are to be giving a sound education.

        A sound education is a necessary, but not sufficient condition, for society to cope with the continuing decline in the natural resources need by the infrastructure.

        Denis

          Dear Don Limuti

          I also think that education is very important and it is necessary to introduce pilot projects for searching the most effective learning. About one successful education project is also written by Mohammed Khalil on this FQXi contest. About physics it is important that more effective methods of learning are constantly searched. For instance, my derivation of special relativity better visualizes special relativity than only the common derivation.

          At the same time the education should be a global process, inexpensive for users, and adapted to the World Wide Web. It should be possible that it preserve a lot of time and money, which is used for transportation of children into schools.

          One example of better education can be used at language discrimination. Namely, at publication of papers, native English speakers are at better position, because many papers are rejected with reason that English is poor. This means, that someone, who send 10 version of the paper, should 10 times pays an editor, what means a lot of money. One facility would be that the editor says, the contents is OK, but you should correct the language. (But they only reject because of language.) Besides, web pages for corrections of grammar can be much improved. It should exist something like google translate, only that it translate from English into (better) English. Like google translate, quality should be constantly improved. It should exist something like google search, only that it searches sentences also by sentence structure, for instance: "[Adjective] [subject] is [verb][object]". When we write on internet, it should exist an easy options that someone corrects grammar. Thus, a better global grammar softwares with inclusion of volunteers and modestly paid people should exist.

          My essay

          Best regards

          Janko Kokosar

            Hi Denis,

            Thanks for visiting my blog. And your comment is well taken, education requires an infrastructure, and I did not address this at all. I wanted to but it was a bit too much to for one essay (and my abilities). So, I stayed with what I considered the more foundational issue of how we think about education. Is education just another commodity or is it the thing that makes advancements in civilization (as well as commodities) possible.

            Making education fundamental to a society is not without risk. I like this risk more than I like alternative ways to steer the future. One essay suggested brain implants for those others who just do not get how we should steer the future. This top down approach reminiscent of fascism and communism seems to be still in fashion. I think we can do better. And we should create the infrastructure to do better (IMHO).

            Look forward to reading your essay,

            Don Limuti

            Hi Janko,

            Thanks for your comments:

            1. Your point that "it is necessary to introduce pilot projects for searching the most effective learning" is very important. And I did not stress this enough.

            2. I am going to revisit Mohammed essay.

            3. Ray Luechtefeld has an essay that may address the language communication barrier, check it out. Perhaps this is a field you may enter and contribute to.

            I am on my way to read your essay,

            Don Limuti

            Hi Don,

            You had mentioned in my forum that you would like to see a more graphic presentation of the ideas. I think this recently published paper might help meet that requirement.

            All best,

            Tom

            Thanks Tom,

            I like the paper and the model. I also ordered the Bar-Yam book. Augmenting the human intellect is the way to go.

            Thanks,

            Don Limuti

            Hi Chidi,

            I did read your excellent essay and replied on your thread.

            Don Limuti

            Hi Don,

            I liked your comment on Martenson in the main forum site of this contest. So I wanted to read your essay and as expected a great essay.

            Also here in Switzerland they increased the tuition fee for going to the university. This would not be such a problem if it would be accompanied by an easier access to scholarships. A far more worse problem is that you have to finish your studies in a certain restricted time, which makes it impossible anymore to study with a par time job or a family.

            In your comment to Chidis essay you say your 'with Einstein'. In my essay I am with Bohr, although I believe one has to respond to Einsteins concerns with the Copenhagen interpretation of QM. I look forward to read your previous contest essay.

            Regards,

            Luca