>>> I read it again yesterday, and was filled with dismay. That day may well have already come.
>Is rote arithmetic what you got from the story? Because I got mathematics. And that's my problem - suicidal technician >notwithstanding. I don't have a problem with using any form of computational device, provided the basics behind the answer >are understood. Mathematical Induction, anyone? The basics are forgotten in degenerative societies. Meaningful action becomes tradition in a similar way (The oft quoted Rhesus monkey experiment on tradition) However, our current society is not degenerating, we are building more on top of the basics. What is happening is that groups of people are specializing in fields, whether that be the basics, the bit more complicated stuff or the generals right on top. It is bound to happen in a society that is growing complex by the day. Don't dismay the day has not yet come.
