Al wrote:
> Prophet of the Way <afu@wta.att.ne.jp> wrote:
>
> > Sharptongue wrote:
> >
> > >>They aren't well trained in critical thinking
> > >
> > > Apart from an education system which, traditionally anyway, has
> > > stressed rote learning, are there any particular reasons for this ?
> >
> > Too much television and video games hampers the development of mental
> > capacities.  Of course, that we have in other countries.  In most
> > countries, children who don't like television read books.  But in Japan,
> > children born to parents who care about academic performance are sent to
> > juku (cram schools).
>
> One might wonder who is worse off: a society that has a tradition of
> critical thinking and lets it decay in a broth of consumerism* and
> religious bigotry (pseudo philosophical brainwashing) or a society that
> never had such a history and prevents its emergence with a broth of
> consumerism* and data cramming drills (pseudo academic brainwashing).
>
> * my definition of consumerism encompasses mindless entertainment

One might wonder who is worse off: those who offer false dilemmas, or
those who don't.

- Kevin