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| Australia: Facebook |
Missing the point on human nature?
Thanks to Richard McIntosh for posting on Facebook:
The Guardian November 19
Cited
'Facebook Opinion
How a half-educated tech elite delivered us into chaos
John Naughton'
'If our supersmart tech leaders knew a bit more about history or philosophy we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in now'
Cited
'One of the biggest puzzles about our current predicament with fake news and the weaponisation of social media is why the folks who built this technology are so taken aback by what has happened.'
Cited
'So what else could explain the astonishing naivety of the tech crowd? My hunch is it has something to do with their educational backgrounds. Take the Google co-founders. Sergey Brin studied mathematics and computer science. His partner, Larry Page, studied engineering and computer science. Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard, where he was studying psychology and computer science, but seems to have been more interested in the latter.
Now mathematics, engineering and computer science are wonderful disciplines – intellectually demanding and fulfilling. And they are economically vital for any advanced society. But mastering them teaches students very little about society or history – or indeed about human nature. As a consequence, the new masters of our universe are people who are essentially only half-educated.
They have had no exposure to the humanities or the social sciences, the academic disciplines that aim to provide some understanding of how society works, of history and of the roles that beliefs, philosophies, laws, norms, religion and customs play in the evolution of human culture.'
Cited
'We are now beginning to see the consequences of the dominance of this half-educated elite.'
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I have been stating on this website and online for years that the majority of persons in Western society, significantly lack education and knowledge of philosophy, philosophy of religion, religious studies and theology. This is a serious intellectual problem in both embracing a reasonable worldview and analyzing, reasonably a worldview.
As well, a lack of a humanities education can limit the understanding of human nature.
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| Ontario: trekearth.com |
Missing the point on Theology PhD's
Thank you to Ron Unrah for posting by email
Pete Enns
November 28
Cited
'The Moral Irresponsibility of PhD Programs in Bible and Theology by Pete Enns'
Cited
'Folks, there are TOO MANY people out there with earned doctorates in Bible and Theology. There will never be enough jobs to accommodate the numbers. Schools are cutting or downsizing programs, but the PhD conveyor belt keeps moving along at a steady clip as if everything is just peachy.'
Years ago, the President of the Evangelical Theological Society told me by email that no Christian academic institution in North America would hire me because I had a Wales, PhD. So, intellectual laziness in vetting is also a huge issue.
I could be easily researched online and offline and found to hold Biblical views of the Reformed tradition. When working on my Master of Theological Studies degree at Trinity Western University, considering a PhD, the wisdom from professors to me was to if possible, earn a secular PhD. I was very interested in the thesis only approach of Europe/United Kingdom. I agree with this wisdom as far a accreditation. I am not stating that a secular education is necessarily superior in quality.
