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From: CSvax:cmh@pur-ee.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.social
Subject: Re: Results of State Capitals survey
Message-ID: <577@purdue.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 1-Sep-83 10:57:11 EDT
Article-I.D.: purdue.577
Posted: Thu Sep  1 10:57:11 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 2-Sep-83 21:25:32 EDT
References: <258@cbosgd.UUCP> cbosgd.259
Lines: 17

The letter to Ann Landers was quite to the point, namely, that
memorization is not of intrinsic value, unless put to use for
a constructive purpose.  While their might be usefulness to some
professions remembering State Capitals, most of us won't need it.

Memorization is stressed because it is so easy to measure, understanding
is quite hard to assess, takes time, and makes difficulty when comparing.
This is why we have exams which mostly exercise memory (easier to grade)
give grades and compute GPA's (easy comparison), and like to see every-
thing rated on a scale from 1 to 10.

Surely we can't do without memory anymore than we can live without
fat tissue (storing food).  But we seem to love quantization and
standardization so much in our society, that one wonders if we are
trying to find a substitute for thinking and understanding.

Chris Hoffmann