Quoting ARLO J BENSINGER JR <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > [Platt] > When government acts to assure freedom, in this case, freedom from brain- > numbing, disturbing the peace noise, I'm in favor of it. > > [Arlo] > Your freedom, my restriction. Why don't we let market forces decide? :-)
You like making noise and bothering people? > [Platt] > I don't favor the right of an individual to expose himself to children. I > guess > you do, although hypocritically you won't practice what you preach. > > [Arlo] > You're touching on the psychological sexual hangups of the Americans here, and > insinuating that I'd support molestation. Other countries have no such hangups > on the human body, and are able to separate out nude sunbathing from child > abuse. We're not talking nude sunbathing. We're talking walking down town and city streets buck naked. > [Platt] > Let's begin our revolution by emphasizing education in the arts beginning in > kindergarten, discovering each child's artistic delight at an early age and > building on it right up through high school. I don't just mean writing, > painting, sculpture, music, dance, etc. although those are important. I mean > the art of cooking, rhetoric, mathematics, economics, medicine -- you name it. > There's an art to every human activity -- "Beautifully done by little Platt > and > Arlo." (If not, little Platt and little Arlo are damn well going to hear about > it. But, ideally, they will know it themselves.) > > What do you think? > > [Arlo] > I think you and I are in more-or-less complete agreement. > > Let me extend. As I see contemporary education, it consists of three > artificially separated spheres. Academics, "Vocational" and (Fine) Arts. The > traditionally "vocational" paths are often smirked upon and seen as the place > where "dumbies" end up. Academics is heavily steeped in the type of "objective > dualism" that almost goes without saying here. And as such the "fine arts" are > seen as frivolous and irrelevant. Quality ends this. Being a "plumber" is an > art, no less valuable or more pedantic than "engineer". > > I am reminded of a line from The Breakfast Club. Johnson and Bender discuss > the > value of "shop" class. > Johnson: Bender, did you know without trigonometry there would be no > engineering? > Bender: Without lamps there'd be no light. > > And the Arts aren't relegated off to some odd smelling dusty room, but are > integrated into every subject. Indeed, "shop" and "art" classes become almost > synonymous. Rotisserie assembly and sculpture are united. There would also be > no stigma to drifting around until you found something you were GOOD at. If it > is cookery, then you are supported to find and create art through cooking. If > it is engineering, then you are supported to build beautiful bridges and > buildings. If it is plumbing, then you are supported to build Quality and > respected pipings. > > Its a good start. Great. I've always known we were on "the same page" philosophically if not politically, and even there we're probably closer that we make out. If I have time today I will send an e-mail based on an ad (gasp) in the current issue of "Smithsonian" magazine headlined, "Discover a mathematical world of startling beauty and insight." From "The Great Courses, a Teaching Company." Perhaps you have heard of it? More later. ------------------------------------------------- This mail sent through IMP: http://horde.org/imp/ moq_discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
