[Buddha-l] Reading assignment

[Erik Hoogcarspel]

Richard P. Hayes schreef:

>This talk got me to wondering how many philosophers and other scholars
>are speaking out clearly about the menaces facing us these days. There
>are some, to be sure. But perhaps not enough.
>
>  
>
Partly the old question whether to be a yogi or a comissar. I'm very 
much in favor of speaking out ones opinion, but it's not done in 
academic circles I know because it's to Sartrean. And Sartre was 'a 
romantic old fool'. In these days money talks, which means that you have 
respect in the media if you're rich. Economic capital generates social 
capital. Generating cultural capital is a waste of time and done in the 
stage of vanaprastha nowadays.
 I was always very suspicious of Plato's criticism of democracy, but I 
think he has a point, although his solution might not be the best. If 
democracy means to be ruled by the people, the quality of the 
governement depends on the quality of the people, which is mostly 
assumed to be a constant factor. But education is supposed to be a way 
for everyone to improve the quality of judgement. So the succes of 
democracy depends on the quality of the educationsystem. Now here we 
have a serious problem because the present day influence of the autistic 
method of constructivism frustrates often a decent transfer of skills 
and understanding to the next generation. I think Bush is the product of 
constructivism ;-) .

erik