Posted on | July 29, 2014 | No Comments
The Perversity of Education
Google Images, 2014
We extend our arms and minds out for greater understanding perhaps to quell our fears and anxiety. As we embrace first tribal belief, then science, we must come to the understanding that we can only know in a naïve limited human context. Some things will always be beyond our understanding. Standing firm on empirical beliefs is only slightly less limiting than believing in a certain identifiable creator.
A young YouTube personality who makes his name by reporting on other’s work confidently proclaimed, “according to the recent research, small children are not affected by sugar”. The response was overwhelming from parents who begged to differ. Those who rely on science and not shared collective experience shouted down these parents. In this heated exchange we can see that we have progressed slightly from a blind belief to an imperfectly constructed question and answer system. And the adherents are equally dogmatic and zealous.
Humans can only ask questions and build research in a purely human construct – and how could we do otherwise –so the answers will come back stilted and limited to the extent of human limitations. So much may be off our “radar “ How would we know to ask? How would we know where to look?
The current state of scientific inquiry reminds me of a naively confident teenager who knows a few things and extrapolates an answer to a newly acquired phenomenon or experience. It is still refreshing, empowering, though based on failed past research should be accorded the healthy skepticism it deserves.
As educated people we become more aware of what we don’t know rather than the accumulated information. This is a beneficial state of being as it means we are probably more open to objects and situations that don’t fit the preordained models.
Shawn Nichols
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