SoT3 Cause and Effect

[Griff]

Before the scientific method, this is probably how we worked things out. I drank the water downstream from the village, I got the squirts, I died. My neighbor says don't drink downstream. Today I let the goats out of the fence to roam, I immediately got a call offering me a cool job. Keeping goats locked up is bad luck.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by Griff

Before the scientific method, this is probably how we worked things out. I drank the water downstream from the village, I got the squirts, I died. My neighbor says don't drink downstream. Today I let the goats out of the fence to roam, I immediately got a call offering me a cool job. Keeping goats locked up is bad luck.

Play the lottery. Now.

[jester]

How do you know that your are downstream, as opposed to upstream?

[Razzmatazz13]

cause of the way the water is flowing...



Villiage ----> you = downstream

village <----- you = upstream

[jester]

for clarification purposes - i was merely curious - if you don't "see" the location of said village - and hypothetically you're "not from around here" how do you know if you're "upstream or downstream" from said village?

I get the flow thing, not totally tarded here

[Undertoad]

And G, if the information was passed on, that was the beginning of education. If the first step after working things out is saving that information by teaching it, that's a big advance. Which is why anyone involved in education is to be thanked.

So thank you man!

[Griff]

aw shucks, thanks man!

Unfortunately, I'm betting upstream/downstream knowlege had to be re-learned a few times before it was generalized. Of course, the guy who figures it out first gets to live longest and teach the most, go Darwin.

[Undertoad]

Not hijacking the thread -- the more I think about these kinds of things, the more education reveals itself to be a truly noble thing, the key to it all.

If they pass on the fact that the downstream water is bad - firstly, maybe others don't have a deadly experience with the water. Secondly, maybe someone else will think about it and create a rule or law preventing many people from having a deadly experience. Thirdly, passing along the information gives somebody a chance to reason with it, to work out why the downstream water is bad. And all that gets us to the next level.

I'm taken by this very controversial map of estimated national IQ, and I think, it's not a racist thing; I work with Indian and Nigerian people who are as bright if not brighter than me. It's really a map, always changing, of which countries value education.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Not hijacking the thread -- the more I think about these kinds of things, the more education reveals itself to be a truly noble thing, the key to it all.

If the educator teaches that it's good to question, it is noble. If he teaches that the goats must be left out, end of discussion, then the tribe is SOL. (my 11 yo said "SOL" at an extended family dinner last night, funny moment)

[Griff]

I should add that questioners have been known to die of dysentary. Got to have balance and know your role.

[glatt]

Speaking of SOL and education, they actually call our standardized test in Virgina that. Who was the genius that thought SOL was a good name for a test every schoolchild in VA must take?

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by Griff

I should add that questioners have been known to die of dysentary. Got to have balance and know your role.

Tell you what. I'll come up with the questions, someone else can do the testing.

[Griff]

Perfect!

[xoxoxoBruce]

Formal education is a great thing, but never miss an opportunity to talk to people that have mastered skills.

These people, even the claimed self taught, have drawn on the experience of those that have gone before, and refined techniques through trial and error. That way you start with a proven method that you know will work, then using that as your starting point, can innovate through your own trial and error to further refine your technique.

For example, Griff attended the Post & Beam building classes, but I'll bet he discovered a hell of a lot, through his own experience of actually building Grifftopia.

Of course, never pass up an opportunity to pass your skills along, but while doing that try to impress on the receiver, the importance of expanding on your gift.


heh, heh, heh, spellcheck wanted to change Grifftopia to Graffiti.

[Undertoad]

Agreed, when I say education, I mean of any kind. Passing along skills has been totally critical to the advancement of society!