Comments on: Priorities http://rot.blogsome.com/2008/05/02/priorities/ All is not well beneath the shiny surface. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:34:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: twasher http://rot.blogsome.com/2008/05/02/priorities/#comment-74 Thu, 29 May 2008 15:02:42 +0100 http://rot.blogsome.com/2008/05/02/priorities/#comment-74 Yeah, misread your first sentence. I agree. Yeah, misread your first sentence. I agree.

]]> by: Not a Whisper http://rot.blogsome.com/2008/05/02/priorities/#comment-73 Fri, 16 May 2008 07:35:22 +0100 http://rot.blogsome.com/2008/05/02/priorities/#comment-73 There's some poor phrasing on my part: I meant to say it's a general phenomenon in Singapore, not limited to education. I can't tell if you're saying you think it's particularly bad in Singapore (because I could have been suggesting it happens everywhere) or it's particularly bad in education, of all the fields in which it happens in Singapore (because I could have been, and was, suggesting it happens with respect to everything in Singapore). Sorry about confusion. I don't disagree that it's bad in Singapore's view of education. I just think it extends also to jobs, friendships and relationships, art, etc. There’s some poor phrasing on my part: I meant to say it’s a general phenomenon in Singapore, not limited to education. I can’t tell if you’re saying you think it’s particularly bad in Singapore (because I could have been suggesting it happens everywhere) or it’s particularly bad in education, of all the fields in which it happens in Singapore (because I could have been, and was, suggesting it happens with respect to everything in Singapore). Sorry about confusion. I don’t disagree that it’s bad in Singapore’s view of education. I just think it extends also to jobs, friendships and relationships, art, etc.

]]> by: twasher http://rot.blogsome.com/2008/05/02/priorities/#comment-72 Fri, 16 May 2008 07:11:18 +0100 http://rot.blogsome.com/2008/05/02/priorities/#comment-72 I think it's particularly bad in Singapore w.r.t. education. This based on my limited interaction with foreigners who seem capable of distinguishing between a good education and an impressive-looking degree. I think it’s particularly bad in Singapore w.r.t. education. This based on my limited interaction with foreigners who seem capable of distinguishing between a good education and an impressive-looking degree.

]]> by: Not a Whisper http://rot.blogsome.com/2008/05/02/priorities/#comment-71 Thu, 15 May 2008 21:43:57 +0100 http://rot.blogsome.com/2008/05/02/priorities/#comment-71 It's not just education, in Singapore, though, is it. For so many people nothing is worth anything unless it fits into some canon. Unless it's ranked. There must be establishment approval. There must be domination and hierarchy and a definitive answer to the question of who is Better and who can be sniffed at. It must be Officially Good. And it makes sense. If every independent judgment volunteered, every fresh contact with an experience of value, is derided as "airy-fairy" unless it already falls within the settled categories, is squashed as a waste of time... people lose the ability to interact with Quality, to come to the sense of things directly. Enthusiasts are people who search for the <i>sensation</i> of truth. If one is told always to mistrust your own sensations, what else is there? It’s not just education, in Singapore, though, is it. For so many people nothing is worth anything unless it fits into some canon. Unless it’s ranked. There must be establishment approval. There must be domination and hierarchy and a definitive answer to the question of who is Better and who can be sniffed at. It must be Officially Good.

And it makes sense. If every independent judgment volunteered, every fresh contact with an experience of value, is derided as “airy-fairy” unless it already falls within the settled categories, is squashed as a waste of time… people lose the ability to interact with Quality, to come to the sense of things directly. Enthusiasts are people who search for the sensation of truth. If one is told always to mistrust your own sensations, what else is there?

]]> by: LH http://rot.blogsome.com/2008/05/02/priorities/#comment-66 Tue, 06 May 2008 09:27:03 +0100 http://rot.blogsome.com/2008/05/02/priorities/#comment-66 During my undergrad, a fellow student once chastised me: "You don't go to a university to get a job. You go to university to get an education. If you had wanted a 'job' you should have learnt a trade." Having said that I believe this phenomena is not unique to Singapore. The inability to differentiate brand name from product quality is pretty much universal, and a very useful effect for them business types. "Perceived" good is "actually" good. I think there's a whole field in business devoted to this dynamic. During my undergrad, a fellow student once chastised me: “You don’t go to a university to get a job. You go to university to get an education. If you had wanted a ‘job’ you should have learnt a trade.”

Having said that I believe this phenomena is not unique to Singapore. The inability to differentiate brand name from product quality is pretty much universal, and a very useful effect for them business types.

“Perceived” good is “actually” good.

I think there’s a whole field in business devoted to this dynamic.

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