Dieter Maurer wrote: > Steven D'Aprano <ste...@remove.this.cybersource.com.au> writes on 20 Oct > 2009 05:35:18 GMT: >> As far as I'm concerned, asking for help on homework without being honest >> up-front about it and making an effort first, is cheating by breaking the >> social contract. Anyone who rewards cheaters by giving them the answer >> they want is part of the problem. Whether cheaters prosper in the long >> run or not, they make life more difficult for the rest of us, and should >> be discouraged. > > A few days ago, I have read an impressive book: "Albert Jacquard: Mon > utopie". The author has been a university professor (among others for > population genectics, a discipline between mathematics and biologie). > One of the corner therories in his book: mankind has reached the current > level of development not mainly due to exceptional work by individuals > but by the high level of cooperation between individuals.
A false dualism, IMHO. It's true that cooperation lets good ideas spread throughout the general human culture. However, every good idea has to start somewhere, with an individual or a tiny group. Pressing people to appreciate and (with luck) originate good ideas is a good thing. Particularly in education. It takes a person about eight years from birth to being able to copy something. I think the ten years of education after that should try for more. Look at where we are now. A game of follow-the-leader has run out of control and crashed the world economy. A little more critical thinking might have been nice. Mel. -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list