Ray, the Greek classical heyday didn't only last a little over a hundred years, it's still very much with us. I went to church this morning and heard a lot of things about Jesus, " the son of God". Now, what kind of concept is the idea that a great heroic figure is the son of God? Why a Greek concept of course. I also recall hearing that we are made in God's image. That comes straight out of Greek philosophy, the idea being that our existence mirrors an essence way up there in the divine. It wasn't effectively challenged until the existentialists came along in the 19th century. So, really, the Greeks are still very much with us -- much more so than the Chinese are (except in the economy of course).
Ed ----- Original Message ----- From: Ray Harrell To: 'Steve Kurtz' ; RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION,EDUCATION Sent: Sunday, April 07, 2013 11:48 AM Subject: Re: [Futurework] The Decline of Critical Thinking > Counterpunch And we all know what happened to the Greeks whose classical heyday lasted a little over a hundred years. Bertrand Russell admired the Greeks but admitted the self destruction but on the other hand complained about the Chinese who lasted thousands of years. As we get to know them (the Chinese) better, outside the British stereotype of them, a different, even more impressive people emerges. We made fun of the Soviets and their plodding nature but we also embargoed all of the Communist Nations and kept them out of their potential until they exploded. Now that they are "capitalists" their workers immigrate everywhere and are the most well trained workers in the world and they have unwritten "clans" in each profession. One could call them informal unions. The problem is neo-classical and monetarist economics purely and simply. It is a cancer on the face of society that creates classes and keeps the poor ignorant and buying. REH From: Steve Kurtz [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Sunday, April 07, 2013 10:12 AM Subject: The Decline of Critical Thinking ยป Counterpunch http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/04/05/the-decline-of-critical-thinking/ also here: http://consortiumnews.com/2013/04/06/the-whys-of-american-ignorance/ last paragraph is most apt: The truth is that people who are consistently active as critical thinkers are not going to be popular, either with the government or their neighbors. They are called gadflies. You know, people like Socrates, who is probably the best-known critical thinker in Western history. And, at least the well-educated among us know what happened to him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
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