Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ames!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!utastro!nather
From: nather@utastro.UUCP (Ed Nather)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: CAN WE KNOW SO LITTLE?
Keywords: yes.
Message-ID: <2967@utastro.UUCP>
Date: 2 Aug 88 15:00:37 GMT
References: <12230@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <12260@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <24171@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA>
Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX
Lines: 18

In article <24171@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA>, wlieberm@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA (William Lieberman) writes:

> Of course, Hugh is right when he says that there is a lot of needless
> ignorance everywhere, and I accept his fundamental point.
> 

At the risk of beating a dead horse (horrid phrase!) I wonder how much of
this ignorance is encouraged by our current system of equating grades with
learning?  Many students who graduate are convinced they really needn't
learn much more after leaving school, since they "got by" and won't have
to pass multiple-guess exams any more.  Those who, somehow, learned to
think and to teach themselves will still do it, and grow intellectually
as they gain experience.  Those who didn't, don't.

-- 
Ed Nather
Astronomy Dept, U of Texas @ Austin
{backbones}!{noao,ut-sally}!utastro!nather
nather@astro.as.utexas.edu